One of my kid's and I have spent a good part of the week in bed sick.
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The other one has spent the time tactfully following us around with a can of Glen 20 while wearing a very fetching surgical mask. (In her defence, gym comps start in two months time and congested cartwheeling is not a pretty sight.)
But when I got back to work, all anybody wanted to know was if I'd had the flu jab.
The fact I didn't have the vaccine because I was away on holidays when the nurses came to the office was irrelevant. Those who had been jabbed rounded on me and my mucous, holding me up as a sniffling example of the horrible fate ahead of the jab nots.
You see, the benefits of the flu vaccine has always been one of the bones of contention in my workplace. And - being a group of naturally inquisitive people - there are always plenty of bones being chewed on.
The latest one has been a raging debate about the pros and cons of public and private schooling.
After days of arguments, the younger hotheads finally decided to call in the old guns. When I told them I had one child in each, was perfectly happy with the education they were receiving and it was really down to horses for courses, they looked at me like I'd said Madonna was aging gracefully and went back to war.
One claimed his public schooling had fully prepared him for the harsh realities of life. Unfortunately, it didn't prepare him for AFL football as his barracking for his beloved Kangas should come with a M15+ rating.
The other declared his private school background had given him a top notch education. Unfortunately, it didn't teach him how to use a razor or that winklepicker shoes are designed only for people with no toes.
Gender stereotypes was another issue under the spotlight for a short time. It came to a screeching halt when one of my colleagues declared his two-year-old daughter wore pink clothes, played with pink toys and, when she was old enough, would shoot a pink rifle. Even a bunch of young journalists happy to take a blowtorch to eminent politicians wouldn't touch that one with a six foot pole!