Went out of town for a few days to visit some friends, and succumbed to an infection on coming home. (Welcome back, say the bacteria) Made mush of my voice, and effectively prevented me from eating and drinking. And swallowing. It’s not like I pay that much attention to the act of swallowing, but being unable to do so, made me notice it that much more. I (and you) must swallow like a hundred times a day, and not notice – it’s so involuntary. Aah, but to not be able to – nasty !

Apart from the fact that getting a teeny-weeny morsel from the outside world to your innards now presents a painful problem, it also causes gobs of saliva to gather in your mouth, causing unpleasant and hitherto unguessed at sensations of wishing to throw up. You get the picture ? Or you wish you hadn’t ?

Am mighty relieved to be able to swallow and eat and talk again. You know not what you have until you lose it.