Circa 2000

 I remember once around the year 2000 Dad and I got up early one Winter morning to go drive out to Reading and queue up for cheap DVD players. We left empty handed however because after standing in the cold for hours Dad started to feel unwell. Shortly after he came down with the flu. My sole enduring memory of this (aside from the characteristic bargin hunt queueing session) was the image of my Dad swaddled up on the sofa feeling very sorry for himself. I probably didn't help the situation as all I wanted to do at that age was rewatch Toy Story 2 in the living room on repeat, but Dad was too groggy to voice his opinion.

Well it's all come full circle now because today I was my Dad circa Winter 2000 - swaddled on the sofa and feeling very, very ropey. I almost certainly have some kind of flu. My head, eyes and chest ache constantly and leaving the embrace of my sofa blanket brings on the shivers. I've had Covid twice, and this is worse than both times combined.