It has been vaguely there, in the background, all week, though I've been ignoring it. On Monday, I tried to write it off as a hangover. I convinced myself that all the sneezing on Tuesday was an unseasonal bout of hayfever. Wednesday morning, I had a tell-tale nosebleed. Wednesday night, I alternated between being freezing and having to wrap myself in a duvet. Now it's Thursday, and my eyes are eerily shiny, my bin is full of used tissues, my nose is rubbed red. Yes, o joy, I'm coming down with a cold just in time for my holiday. Traitorous body.