Hay fever? Or not?

Since I was a young teen I had hay fever.  During much of Spring, and also Autumn, and especially winter, I sniffed and snuffled through the night and, more often than not, through morning work, sometimes right  into the afternoon.

The doctor gave me pills and potions.   I must have gone through thousands of tissues and hankies over the years.  I resorted to sleeping with a tissue stuffed up my nostril ( I know, ugh!).

When I was age forty-something, I was still taking daily nose-drops, as a matter of routine.  Then, I forgot to take them, and I suddenly realised I was unshackled from my hay fever ...

... and all because I had got rid of my eiderdown.  An eiderdown that, during colder months,  had been on my bed since I was a child, a nostalgic piece of bed frippery.

The eiderdown had been stuffed full of feathers!!

I had even had the thing re-stuffed periodically (feathers in eiderdowns have a tendency to squirm out of pin-prick openings).  For goodness sake, "eider" and "down" actually relate to feathers, but I'd never given it a thought.

So there you have it, hay fever sufferers.  Maybe you don't have hay fever after all?  Maybe, get rid of your eiderdown?

And Don't hug any fluffy ducklings -

Stick to a Fluffy Duck cocktail;  it's a better option.