It seems to be common amongst regular long-haul flyers that they end up with coughs, colds, and general chesty complaints; Wills is no exception.
Not only did he spend much of his pre-Christmas time with us, coughing, sneezing, and drinking gallons of honey/lemon concoctions, but he also subjected himself to inhaling vicious smelling Tiger Balm infusions (above).
Not being 100% compos mentis when booking an hotel for his return journey to Germany, he also managed to confuse Orléans with New Orleans, and inadvertently booked an overnight stay 4,800 miles away from where he wished to be. Luckily, after some difficulty, this was later rectified.
Wills being veggie, we happily survived without any meat for over a week. I don't think it would have lasted if he'd been here for Christmas day.
Anyway his trip was a success, even if he did overstay in Europe and miss Bunny's first Christmas (and his first as a married man). Luckily the lovely Kellogg is very (?) forgiving.
Next time he visits he should be accompanied by the rest of the family..... We can't wait.
Wills is now back in Australia.
p.s. Do you know how many languages your children speak? Imagine my surprise when I heard Wills speaking German when booking his Dusseldorf Hotel room; I had no idea!
My children speak two languages - English and Strine. My nephew (who is like a son to me) speaks German very well, having worked for Bosch here in Oz, for many years. German is part of his heritage so that's all very nice.
ReplyDeletePoor Wills, I expect Lady M fussed over him, during his misery. We all need our mum when we are sick.
Non-stop honey flavoured drinks and sympathy. My Strine goes as far as 'Gloria Soame', and 'Technicolour yawn'.
DeleteMy Aussie cousin, married and living in Wales for nearly fifty years , calls her house " R Gloria Soame"
DeleteKids are full of germs and surprises. Happily, over 44 years of the privilege of parenthood, the surprises won out. All best wishes for the new year, Cro.
ReplyDeleteSmall children are the worst. I try to avoid them.
DeletePoor old Wills I know how he feels at the moment.
ReplyDeleteHe's been mimsy for weeks.
DeletePoor Wills, bet he enjoyed some motherly fuss though, who doesn't :) it will be lovely for you to have the whole family next time, especially little Bunny.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Cro
Twiggy
I think it was mostly 'motherly pestering'.
DeleteApparently there is a difference between the teenage grunts for 'yes' and 'no' but I've yet to master it. I've never heard my kids speak any other languages, although I know they're on the syllabus.
ReplyDeleteThe hotel booking was especially amusing. Poor chap. xx
It certainly made us laugh here!
DeleteWhen ever my son comes back from Finland he is coughing and sneezing for 3 weeks at least.
ReplyDeleteIt's the plane's circulatory air system; I'm sure.
DeleteThere are some pretty vicious bugs aground at the moment Cro. My husband has been overdosing on elderberry syrup and blackberry vinegar for some time now.
ReplyDeleteWills is a great believer in herbal, non-chemical cures, but I don't think they did much good.
DeleteCan't beat a bit of steam inhalation!
ReplyDeleteIt stank. Even he could only stand a few seconds at a time.
DeleteSeems like the world and his wife has had some degree of that virus Cro …. our grandchildren can't seem to shift it. Our son is fluent in French and German and our daughter some French but that's it. I only speak schoolgirl French I'm afraid but, I always try to learn a few of the basic words when we travel to another country. XXXX
ReplyDeleteI think Wills gets by in Dutch too.
DeleteI love the idea of him booking a room 4800 miles away from where he was going to be. I think all children save getting ill for going home no matter how old they are - especially at Christmas time!
ReplyDeleteIt was almost as amusing as Lady M sending 3 Mole traps to one of our grandsons for Christmas. She forgot to empty the 'cart' when ordering The Beano annual.
DeleteI know a few foreign words to get me around and mime quite well and pointing works with shouting. I am not suffering from a cold or virus.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like my father.
DeleteHope he doesn't start up all over again after the trip home.
ReplyDeleteHe went straight to bed, and didn't stir for a whole day. He was upgraded on his first flight from Dusseldorf to Dubai; lucky boy.
DeleteMy grandson is in his second year of learning mandarin - I am amazed at how much he can say.
ReplyDeleteA friend's daughter recently started at Uni studying Japanese. After one term she changed to English.
DeletePoor Wills. There is so much going round at the moment. OH and I, a friend just up the road, half a dozen friends on the internet and quite a number of family members are suffering what appears to be the same bug.
ReplyDeleteSorry he got mixed up but I had to smile at his confusing Orléan with New Orleans. I guess that's why they say driving while under the influeza-ence is as bad as driving drunk; it DOES affect your thought processes. Glad he managed to sort it out.
Languages .. it's funny, but never mind your children - my brother could speak Spanish for a couple of decades before I discovered it!
Being able to speak several languages is a wonderful asset. Aussies usually only speak one. Isolation I guess.
ReplyDeleteOne of my old bosses used to use tiger balm rubbed on her temples for headache relief. The smell used to make me gag. I never found out if it worked for her!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't, but the smell makes you think it does.
Delete