Aspirin, and the joys of recovery

An aching premolar, a swollen Achilles tendon, and an inescapable wave of indolence. These are but three excuses I can cite for the repetitive silence. The experience has allowed for one good result however - an awakening to the wonders of aspirin. My usual option for painkillers has been ibuprofen or paracetamol, although I often wondered if they were having any effect at all. Aspirin has proven effective - so there's no going back now.

When you catch a cold, or break a limb, or at worst if you undergo surgery, there is nothing like the feeling of recovery. From the low points, where pain is an unavoidable fact, to the sensation of ease, where you begin to forget... relief is a euphoric feeling.

Back to the world

Two weeks in the sun... and then back to the biting cold of the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, I landed back at Heathrow last night to the darkness and windchill so dramatically at odds with the tropics I had left.

Throughout my stay in Mauritius, humidity levels were high. When the rain fell, it came down in sheets. I seem not to be able to pick up any colour - minor burns on the shoulder when I went kayaking, but otherwise precious little. So much for my supposedly natural caramel tincture! I spent hours floating on my back in the sea and the pools, staring at the blue skies, the waxing or waning moon, feeling the sun on my face, with the light tigering through the palm fronds and blossoms.

It was good to see family again, and meet the rest of my dad's family. In large families there is always the prospect of there being someone you get on especially well with. Spending time with my grandmother was great as well - despite the inch-long ants and numerous geckos that ran about the room as I slept over at her place. She told me more about her parentage, my ancestry - I'll write up some of what I learned soon.

The prospect of work tomorrow is not as demoralising as may seem. By Wednesday, I was already thinking about work - not in the oppressive sense, and I felt no pressure as such, but somehow the warmth and the languour combined to dilate my mind and gestate a number of new ideas. So I was secretly scribbling whilst out in the sun, tracing the arcs of the sheltering palms, conjuring analogues and parabolas in my mind, with the sand between my toes and the mild surf lapping at my heels.

So, do I feel refreshed overall? When I was over there, I was perpetually sleepy - the warmth induced a torpor that relented only under air conditioning. I was slightly concerned that I wasn't actually relaxing. Having returned, however, I do find myself feeling very refreshed. It has something to do with the temperature drop, I guess... vasoconstriction, or something to that effect.

Anyhow, having announced my return (albeit briefly), and with more to follow, here are a few early photos...

My Bro-in-law (l) and my brother (r) 

Green island 

Grandmere's house - see the banana trees in the background! 

The infinity pool 

The beach at dawn