Stubbornness

a. Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded.
b. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute

After a month of persistent coughing and persistent mucous making together with a cloud of tiredness which appeared on a regular basis I went to the NHS Walk in Centre in Bristol Broadmead.

A short wait and a talk with a friendly, chatty nurse and there you go. Symptoms like this and that, breathe like this, and again, stethoscope here and there.

You have bubbling from the back left hand side of your lungs

A course of antibiotics for you!

Oh, you are a teacher? Don't rule out TB then! Very unlikely but increasingly common amongst schools which are ethnically diverse, particularly those taking in children from Eastern Europe. See what the Beeb say!

You learn a little every day! So apologies to all those people who I have missed by being in bed, not on my bike, too out of sorts to eat and especially to Mrs RB and the boys who have had to put up with my groaning, coughing, snorting, bubbling, sneezing, sweating, sighing, creaking. But really you should be blaming that little microscopic bacteria making advance base in my lungs.