I do not have Sars

Nor do I have Swine Flu (aka Pig Flu. Why did it become renamed from Pig to Swine?), Avian/Bird Flu, Dog Flu, Budgerigar Flu or Slightly Aged Gerbil Called Norman Flu. I also do not have Cat Flu, but as Soph pointed out yesterday, we are suffering from an irritation of cats. Does anyone know how the law stands if I happen to put down some rat poison and cat food in the safety and comfort of my own garden?

I have slept for many hours which, as anyone who knows me would testify, is not a sign that all is hunky or dory in the personal health department. I also do not feel strong enough to ride this evening. Just digest that statement for a moment!

But it is just a bug, a cold, a minor inconvenience that stops me from being of service to my punters. Normal service tomorrow folks. Promise.

I went to the Doc’s this morning and bought many books, this is an unfortunate by-product of having a fund-raising used-book stall in the surgery reception.

But while I was waiting for my appointment I looked at my fellow health-care users and couldn’t help wondering at the delicious irony of the situation whereby we cram a couple of dozen sick people in to a GP’s waiting room and then we send in eight or nine pregnant women to wait for their clinic appointments. Bizarre!

I am listening to the edited recording of the final of The Next Big Thing, Oxfordshire’s ‘Battle of the Bands’. The competition concluded with live sets from each of the five finalists, this took place at Oxford’s 02 last Wednesday evening. Soph and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend.

It’s very interesting, listening back to a live concert in the comfort of one’s own bed. The ambience of the night (which was brilliant) is missing and the sound quality is, disturbingly, not as good as I remember. Something awry in the recording process perhaps? There does seem to be an echo in a couple of places on the playback that I didn’t hear in the audience.

Anyway, I’m going to get up soon, have a shower, make a cup of tea and then… come back to bed.

But let me just say before I go that you too can take part in the listening of The Next Big Thing. If you go here http://www.jackfm.co.uk/nextbigthing/ you can listen to the five sets.

I’d just like to say congratulations to each of the finalists, Quadrophobe, Beck Laneheart, Echo Boomer, inLight and the winner on the night, Witches.