OT Has anyone had to turn their CH on yet?

[Dave Liquorice]

Doesn't follow here, vegitarian household. B-) Room stat at 18.5C during the day and there is nearly always someone in. TBH the boost to 20C in the evening can be a bit too much.

[The Natural Philosopher]

More like £2100 here..big houses..

Of which £1200 is in three months. December January and February.

We are working on just heating the bits we need to heat with wood stoves, and leaving the rest at 16 C or less..

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its more or les aout level of activity. If doing something physical 16C is comforatable: sitting down 19C is my limit before a jumper needs to be added.

[Tim Streater]

Well I eat it because it tastes nice but that sounds like a useful side effect. And lamb is meant to be eaten (I've bottle fed a baby lamb so I know).

[Terry Fields]

Crikey! I take my (wooly) hat off to you!

TF

[Adrian C]

Well, I've got real bone ache but at the moment I'm putting that down to overdoing the exercise machines down the gym so no not flu (just yet). But my heavy almost yearly colds migrate into something loud and nasty and me chest suffers where the doc has to offer me an Asthma inhaler to aid breathing. I don't actually have asthma, and am pretty well otherwise, don't smoke, good diet, appetite etc...

Good grief, while writing this, I've just realised we don't actually have any inhibitor currently in the heating system. Whoops.

[Tim Streater]

What distinguishes flu, IME, is that it makes it hard to think straight. As in you shouldn't be doing the books or your tax return. With a cold, you should still be able to.

[Invisible Man]

Last flu I had was about 33 years ago. Probably the Russian H1N1. Severe enough doctor thought it was something tropical. About 10 days largely lying in a heap aching, sweating and shaking with a blinding headache. No strength for quite a few days after that. At least it might have protected me against the latest swine flu although I also had the jab cos I'm asthmatic.

[Invisible Man]

Careful at the gym. I ended up with physio and unable to exercise properly for about 10 months. Back to swimming, exercise bike and walking - except I've got a cold.

[stuart noble]

In case anyone's interested, my partner and I take a clove of garlic each morning (chopped and swallowed like a pill) and haven't had a cough or cold for 3 years. Still feel below par now and then in the winter but it doesn't develop into anything snotty

[Andy Burns]

Works by getting everyone to keep back a few paces I presume?

[Dave Liquorice]

garlic

He he, one of the BBC WS "Discovery" podcasts I listened to last week was about viri and what clever little beasties they are. One of the quotes was "stand 8' away from some one with a cold and you probably won't catch it, stand 3' away from someone with a cold and you probably will".

[Dave Liquorice]

If you have flu you find it very hard to get out of bed to do

*anything* let alone think. The fever can produce some interesting hallucinations as well. I don't think I have ever properly had the flu, probably got the swine flu but that was very mild hardly rated "bad cold".

Agreed but at the peak of a cold (around day 3 from first symptoms for me) I wouldn't trust myself not to make stuoid mistakes.

[ARWadsworth]

This morning I woke up with a snotty nose and a sore throat. This afternoon I really got the sneezes and even had to pull the van over as they lasted for nearly 30 seconds. I think the cold was an early Brithday present from the girlfriend. For the last 2 hours I must have sneezed every 60 seconds.

As for the flu. Had it twice. I remember going to bed and waking up 36 hours later in agony.

[stuart noble]

Swallow it, don't chew it. A whole clove with the skin is probably best, but they're so damned big these days I have to cut them in 4.

[Tim Streater]

Agreed. Just saying that the flu does yer head in a lot worse.

[Robin]

But perhaps not if it is one of the monoclove garlics where the whole bulb is one clove :)

(Gorgeous roasted in olive oil.)

[Bob Eager]

[Dave]

Only twice in the afternoon last week. Left it on last night and woke up to a sauna and I haven't been well recently. CH off right now and my thermometer tells me the temp in the dining room is 74.5 F at the moment.

Dave

[ARWadsworth]

23.5 C in Newspeak:-)