A whiter shade of …….a prophetic tale

 It seems that whenever I muse about things , a song inveigles itself into my psyche. In this case the key word is pale ; and the group Procol Harem. The view outside and the view in the mirror are both insipid.

It had been raining most of the night , not surprising in that it is the Ecuadorian wet season ; and that the author had attempted fate by complaining about the lack of the wet stuff. So the morning started with a white out ; we were firmly in the clouds . It was reminiscent of the Peak District , where walks were invariably in the mizzle . The difference here was that the temperature was in double figures . This was just as well , as houses in central Ecuador have no heating , or AC .

An optimist would have said that this couldn’t last all day , and the weather forecaster clearly verged in that direction . No such luck , it set in for the day ; damp, miserable,  drizzle . The green vegetation enjoyed the day ; humans with resignation. In any event circumstances had conspired to dictate an indoor existence.

Omicron had struck the household , despite our ‘best’ of precautions. A test the day before on the member exhibiting classic symptoms , confirm out worst fears . In NATO’s words “ one for all and all for one “. Ours is not a reaction to potential invasion ( I never did trust the Russkies ), but a household obligation to isolate with just one positive result . The house was thoroughly disinfected , but the likely hood was that we too would succumb. Fortunately the pcr tester would visit the house ,; but he advised a delay in testing to ensure any infection would be detected . Too soon and it would give a false negative. Ah , I have heard that before .

So we have to wait and see; while putting down to potential Covid any abnormal condition . Internet research seemed to say that just about anything could be a precursor to a Covid infection 

Oh I do look pale ! Fortunately forward planning had ensure a plentiful supply of analgesics ……and brandy . 

“And so it was that later

As the miller told his tale

That her face, at first just ghostly,

Turned a whiter shade of pale “

We could all up like this !

Aghh…..As it turned out it , it was the rain , not Covid that reeked havoc that day . The land around Quito is steep sided…mountains , hills and valleys, especially to the west where the Volcan Pichincha rises nearly 2000 m above the city . That night it had the highest rain for 20 years , this triggered raging torrents of mud . Our maid should have been at the bus stop ; fortunately Covid had kept her away. Her friend and daughter were not so lucky; they were still looking for their bodies. The death toll will be over 30!!