Speak up

This world of muffled sound and cotton wool filled ears is really beginning to piss me off now. I know I have probably got some sort of ear infection and I should go and see a doctor - but I am obviously trying to avoid the cost and hoping that it will sort itself out sometime soon.

Past experience tells me that an ear infection is terribly painful, but I don't have any pain at all, just an uncomfortable feeling in my head.

The uncomfortable feeling seems to switch from one ear to the other. Several times over the last couple of days I have thought I detected a change. thought that my ears had cleared, only for it to continue as before.

It's a very odd sensation to have all normal sound subdued but to have a slight constant ringing noise in your head. Strangely, when I speak it feels to me as if I am shouting - the sound is very loud inside - but apparently I am actually talking very softly. If anyone else says 'pardon' to me and then laughs at their own hilarious joke I shall probably punch them.

Which is one of the reasons why I am sat at home on my own on this Friday evening - when you can't converse normally with other people it all becomes a bit too much like hard work and besides, a quiet (stop laughing) night in is probably better for me right now.

It was actually a lovely day today. The cool wind of the last couple of days had disappeared and the morning cloud was burned away by the midday sun, which all worked out perfectly for me to spend a pleasant couple of hours in the square this afternoon.

My departing guests checked out at midday and both sets of new guests had been settled into their suites by 1.45pm, after one very rapid room changeover, which left me free to just catch the last bavette frites at Felix and enjoy some sunshine and my book.

The new leaves are just beginning to unfurl on the plane trees and as I looked up through the new bright green shoots to the azure blue sky, an airliner left it's white jet stream in a perfect arc across the centre of my line of vision.

I was lost in my own world at that moment - partly because I can't really hear the real world - well, I can hear it but it feels like it's over there and not here if you know what I mean.

It feels a bit like a dream, which is OK - if it turns into a nightmare I won't be happy at all.