At the moment I am allergic to rain because I now have a possibility to go out with my wheelchair. This morning it looked like a sunny pleasant day, but gradually the clouds began to gather, so now I am stuck at home.

I have discovered many allergies as life goes on. Mum would fill me up with travel sickness tablets if were were going anywhere by bus or subway as I tended to inform her “I feel sick” if we were on our way. I could even enhance this with a white face and an embarrassing could occur if I put my threat into practice. As soon as we left the transport, whatever it was, I felt fine. There was a memorable landing in Switzerland on a plane returning from a visit to London. It was a bit of a rough flight, and as the pilot sunk to the landing manoevre, my stomach also sank to the degree that I grabbed one of those handy paper bags they keep in the back of the seat in front of you. As I left the plane I handed the now full bag to the air hostess. I suppose she knew what to do with it.

Doing the customery hilicopter flight over New York as a tourist, there was also a problem. The helicopter was full up with tourists like me and I did my best to take a few photos on the way.

Seeing Lady Liberty at a slant from above was not exactly healthy for my condition but I managed to keep everything under control. The last five minutes of the flight were the worst, but I left the helicopter with dignity.

During life I discovered that I was allergic to coffee, to milk, and to my cholesterol tablets. I once bought a smoked salmon at Christmas some years ago and two days later had strange lumps appear on my hands. I visited the doc and he said it looks like an allergy. The salmon did smell strange, not bad, but sort of medicinal. It was probably some sort of chemical treatment they gave to the fish, but I was given cortisone to cure the problem. My little boy once played with a box of ajax cleaning powder and managed to tip it all over the bathroom carpet. The easiest solution was to shake the carpet into the bath and wash it away. Unfortunately I got a couple of lungfulls of the powder. A day later I began to scratch and eventually my arms and hands were covered with strange lumps and bumps. Another visit to the doc and I was cured.

Of course there are various people and situations that I am allergic too, but this can be cured by avoidance. This morning I did the usual week-end shopping trip, the first normal one since the Christmas and New Year holidays. I enjoyed it, made the most of it, and liked to poodle around in my usual slow motion. However, he who may not be mentioned does not enjoy this stress and was trying to find the cash desk with the less people as he also seemed to be allergic to waiting.. I do not find it a stress but enjoyed every minute of it. Not all have the same allergy symptoms.

And it still seems to be raining and dull outside.

Life’s Allergies