As I found the feel of the sun-dried clothes and the warmth that emanates from them as I fold them, very comforting, I realized just how much I had missed the sun.
As much as you might hear me or any other Chennaiite complain about the hot weather of Madras (Madras veyyil), but maybe because of living in a sunny place all through my life and having moved to yet another hot and humid place like Singapore where the frequent rain rarely cools the place and that too only while it lasts, I prefer only the sunny weather. The little more than 2-week long vacation in Europe 3 years earlier only made that preference all the more clear. I just cannot imagine having to wear a sweater, jacket, gloves, socks and all that every time I have to step outdoor.
But the way this year began with Singapore seeing unusually low temperatures, constant rain and cold breeze, it looked like the sun was never going to be out. As the musty odour of clothes in varying stages of dampness and dryness filled the house, as the son continued his naughty acts of pouring one thing after another all through the house and continues to remain toilet-untrained, as the cold and cough which the kids caught in Nov/Dec last year refused to fully leave them, as my own cold, cough and that pain on my face refused to let me go and as we all had to reach for light jackets or extra layers of clothing on a few days, the days had me craving for the sun.
The doctors in Madras had said that the cold and cough would leave us soon after we get back to Singapore since the high pollution levels of Madras had made every other person there catch cold and fever. Alas that was not to be!
Within just that 4 hour flight journey, my cold and fever which were on the road to recovery, worsened. I ended up with ear pain, headache and, not to forget, the pain on the face. While I am still not sure if that pain was caused by hitting my face on the seat armrest or because of my severe cold, the latter seems to be the most probable reason given that the colder days had my pain increasing. Anyway, the good thing is that the severe pain has started reducing since the last few days and so has the chillness in the air. I have had enough of applying Vicks and inhaling steam.
The sun has been out since Monday with it shining increasingly brightly with each passing day. The temperature is increasing. My pain is reducing.
Though I am now able to get on with my routine chores without much trouble, I hope that I become fit soon enough to finally resume all my speech therapy exercises and walk 10K steps a day.