I am finally recovering from the sinus affliction that has been bothering me since ragweed season opened in August. It's really quite shocking how a persistent discomfort in the head that renders me dizzy, queasy and tired, can erode my general joie de vivre. For the last week, I have been dizzy and queasy enough that just looking at the computer is miserable and God forbid I should do anything more challenging than washing the dishes.

The up side? Lots of time in the comfy chair, providing lap accommodation for both cats.

Getting to see the doctor on short notice is something of a trial these days. The practice does not advertise it, but it runs a so-called after-hours clinic, essentially sick parade for clients of the practice who should not wait two weeks for an appointment but also should not clutter up the emergency ward at the hospital. Each day, one of the doctors in the practice works that extra shift. Patients with an urgent-ish problem -- defined by me as an illness that requires prescription medication today, not two weeks from now -- must book, of course; God forbid one should just, y'know, walk in with one's miserable hacking cough. The after-hours clinic phone number is not posted anywhere in the office; if the receptionist takes pity on you, she might let it drop when you have been sufficiently reduced to desperate pleading for an appointment. Of course, you must wait until five o'clock to call for a clinic spot ... It's enough to make one slam down the phone in tears of frustration.

Once nose to nose with the doctor, all goes well. She listens carefully, takes notes, asks intelligent questions, briskly proposes an appropriate treatment, and then offers me a buckshee flu shot. The hard part is the obstacle course that always comes first.

It's raining in Stratford this week and looking more and more pre-winter-ish, but it's still oddly warm. We had one touch of frost on Monday, but today's high was 20C -- more like Germany than Ontario.

The hydro power fails here frequently, but rarely for more than a minute or two. I'll find the clock on the stove flashing 00:00 in the morning when I put the kettle on. It happens often enough that I don't bother resetting the clock on the microwave, which works just fine without it. The stove is less cooperative.