Day two

Woke up this morning with limbs like lead - it's the Piriton I had to take yesterday, for the mosquito bites from the night before that.

Still, Piriton is my ally today. I have to run around to pack before we head up towards the North Sea for a week by the seaside. The journey involves stopping off at the folks' for the night.

The routine at the parents is a) being plied with copious amounts of red wine by the Pa, then b) the Ma says "you shouldn't, really" and hands me at least two packets of Silk Cut or Fortuna Lights from her last trip abroad.

With Piriton in my system, I can decline the wine without looking weird. With no wine in my system, I can say no thanks to the cigarettes with a degree of backbone.

The picture of the tree is to remind me how good my lungs will be when I'm clear of the tobacco. I can hear grasshoppers in the garden.