I was going to be in Aberdeen tonight, breaking a journey to Arbroath where I was working tomorrow.

Then I was going to Newcastle to see friends for the weekend, and then spend the Bank Holiday Monday back in Aberdeen before a meeting there on Tuesday.

However, I’ve spectacularly failed to shake the bug I had at the weekend – I’ll spare you the detailed symptoms but it involves lots of snot and phlegm.

After coughing my way through a long day of work in Edinburgh on Monday, I went off sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, and when I tried to go back to work today I found I was not yet one hundred percent, so to allow for a full recovery all my travels up until Tuesday have been cancelled.

While it’s never good to be off work, and I’m annoyed I’ll not see my friends in Newcastle, a city I really like, I think a few days just sitting at home quietly will do me good. It’s a good lesson, no doubt, to take it easier after what has been a very, very busy time.

The plan for my imposed long weekend is to read lots, take it easy, and hope that a combination of vitamin C and whisky nurses me back to health in time for the new week.