Phew! What a relief only a 35° difference in temperature between the boat and here in Toronto. And only a mere 15° to 18° when you’re indoors such are the iceboxes that our offspring choose to inhabit.

Unfortunately, before we left Malaysia, somewhere up the coast I picked up a severe dose, indeed, my annual dose, of Man Flu. It seems every year I get this. Usually fairly soon after my flu jab. Doh!

Our last couple of flights have therefore been quite interesting as with every gut wrenching bout of my coughing every Asian in hearing distance frantically searching for their face masks until by the end, it looked as if I was a patient in a flying operating theatre populated by a hundred nursing staff. It might come to that yet though.

Consequently I’m now bed-ridden, languishing in the basement lying under a pile of sheets, blankets, fleece and pillows that wouldn’t be out of place in a Mongolian yurt.

Next up, assuming I make it through the week, it’s off to Montreal where, yippee, it’s even colder.