I woke up at around three even though I didn’t have an alarm. I think my body is already used to it. The cuboid pillow is not that comfortable so I didn’t sleep so well. The soft mattress takes some getting used to when you’ve been on solid wood for so long.

I still don’t know how this fever came about. Last night before I went to bed Tan R. dropped off some Nam Pana and he suggested that it might have been tonsillitis because of pain swallowing. He was very kind and I’m all the more thankful. It feels bad to not be going to morning chanting or the alms round and still getting to eat. The food did come a bit later but they had to wait until ovata was over. Ajahn S. delivered the food to me in a bowl and I had to move the contents to my own bowl. He did give me a massive amount and I ended up with diarrhoea after the meal. I think that’s what happens now when I overeat.

Later Tan Ajahn came for a visit to ask how I was doing. Yesterday Tan B. dropped off some comics and photo books related to Buddhism. Tan Ajahn saw those and said that I should take an MP3 player too. He went and got it for me but I was engaged in the toilet when he came by so I couldn’t thank him properly. It contained many recordings of Dhamma talks and chants. I don’t know how I will ever repay all that he’s done for me.

I could feel myself getting better slowly throughout the day and spent as much time as possible resting on the mattress. I know that I shouldn’t get used to it too much otherwise it will be painful again back on the wooden floor.

Tan R. came by to deliver the Nam Pana once more and shone a torch down my throat and confirmed that my tonsils were very red on one side. He said he would come back with some salt and a thermos and gargling some of that would help. Nen P. came by and we had a nice chat and it feels like although times were harder than usual with people being ill and no laymen to help, they are getting by because they are monks after all.

I then decided to walk back to my kuti to pick up some more amenities so I could stay here longer if need be. The path looked so different somehow now that I wasn’t walking it every day and so many leaves had fallen.

On the way back I ran into Nen J. at the new bot and he came by and we had a nice chat. It’s all about the coronavirus now at Sangha Tea and people were becoming more cautious. Later on in the evening Tan R. came by again and said that they will let Dton and the doctor know tomorrow about my condition. Being here is comfortable on the body but hard on the mind as I know everyone is picking up the slack that I’ve left behind.