Ouch

"Have caught a train what can I do about it now?"

Has happened to me occasionally in the past but today it laid me low, in fact since Friday midday. First slight signs were on Thursday, so I guess I caught it on Wednesday but can't think why?

No, please don't check Google for the nearest Psychiatrist or SkyNews for Breaking News of a new climate change caused epidemic. Simply a translation glitch for a problem with a pinched nerve in my neck.

The German's say "I caught a draft/draught" for which the word is "Zugluft" but shorten it to "Zug", a train.

I haven't every bothered to work out why the pain occurs as it has always been minor but this time it was something else and eventually on Friday night thinking I might just have to go to A&E, I asked Dr Google.


As far as I can see, has nothing to do with draughts and more likely comes from the hours I spend sitting badly at the desk hammering in my Blip blurb on to the notebook!

Have missed 36 hours of great weather, lying as best I could on hot water bottles and cold beer bottles wrapped in a towel. I couldn't work out, from the millions of advice fora, whether heat or cold helped, so alternated them.

Did manage to get up for an hour late afternoon when old friend & colleague Tom from Munich popped by, a visit planned some while back. I asked him what he wanted to drink and as he was driving, suggested an alcohol-free Wheatbeer. He liked that idea but then, although I knew I had seen one in the fridge in the last 24 hours, I couldn't find it. He had to put up with a Radler -50:50 beer and lemonade.

Great to see him and catch up on work and family. When he had left I returned to my sick bed and then spotted the beer - I had used it as one of cold packs!

Hope it clears up soon as it really is unpleasant. I have tried taking some prescription free painkillers but they mess up my innards. Do have a bottle of morphine and even stronger stuff but I have even more fear of them than the pain.


Photo was the only one taken all day - WhatsApp to Tom to prove I wasn't yet insane and apologising for forgetting to give him some eggs. Think he prefers my honey but sadly this year I had no bees. The horse on the printed magazine was simply as a backdrop but could easily be our Sultan.