Yesterday evening, after reading Twitter and looking at the comments on a Facebook poll which currently has "No Deal" beating "Remain by 56% to 44%, I was seriously considering just becoming a hermit and going into self-preservation mode.

The problem is that I can't take my eyes off the unfolding disaster that is Brexit. I'm suffering from a kind of hyper-vigilance that makes me desperate to know the latest news. I keep saying, "This is utterly ridiculous. I can't believe that our political system has failed so completely." The ignorance and lies make me want to despair, both from politicians and people who are allowed to vote.

Meanwhile I plodded slowly on with the preparations for Christmas. I have made Christmas puddings, put up the tiny tree (with the new lights I bought a week or so ago when I met my daughter and granddaughter in Aberystwyth), and got as far as printing the address labels for the Christmas cards.



However, writing this post this morning I now realise why I was feeling a bit sorry for myself yesterday. Everyone around me has been suffering from colds. I'd escaped so far, but obviously I was merely incubating one because last night at bedtime I had a sore throat and my nose started running.

This morning I feel simultaneously worse and better. Worse because I'm now stuffed up with a cold and possibly a little feverish, but mentally I feel more positive and ready to tackle the little tasks like writing the Christmas cards and doing some more decluttering in my study. As the weather is horrible, I don't even need to feel guilty about hiding inside and keeping warm.