Morning has broken...

When I was 15 I snogged a boy with a cold in January a very cold night after an evening at the cinema which is now closed down, but has been a bingo hall and nightclub in between.

Shortly afterwards I started to suffer the worst sore throat in history. I struggled through my Prelims with doses of antibiotics and tyrosetts. At the end of February still feeling horrible I remember sitting in the Venice cafe with my mate supping hot vimto and wishing the cheese and onion crisps didn't hurt so much going over!

I put my hand to my neck and in horror, felt a lump like a pingpong ball. I was terrified! My mum worked in an office next door and I ran in and pointed to my neck.

There then followed an appointment with the doctor combined with an increasing weakness and illness on my part.

The doctor visited the house and took bloods. I couldn't eat. He whispered glandular fever but we need to check for diphtheria.

I remember him coming in and taking blood and during the middle of the illness he started checking on Rogue our dog too. He was old but appeared to have swollen glands like mine. Rogue didn't make it and that was just all the more stress and sadness for my mum and dad to deal with.

My friends came in to see me after school but sometimes I just couldn't speak to them. As well as glands being swollen in my neck, armpits and groin my throat and chest were full of puss.

At my very worst, my mum promised when I got better she would buy me a pair of kickers! That's how sick I was!

This picture reminds me of that time because the weeks I spent in bed, with mum, my dad or my Nant sitting with me, this hill was my constant view.

At the time there was a massive radar on top, a big square one, which was replaced by what we called the Micky Mouse ears, but they too have gone now! The forces have other ways of listening!

I watched the hill every day. Watched it green, then brown as the farmer ploughed it, then slowly turn green and then yellow.

The hill was my measure of how long I lay in bed - I don't know how long it was end of February all through March!

I did recover and even made it to my school trip to Austria with the proviso that I only spent a short time in the slopes and rested in the afternoon. It was a great way to recover. The mountain air and snow really made me better!

As did playing around with all my mates and drinking loads of Austrian lager!!