I think most people would freak out if they thought they were going to be laid up with a bad back, but it panics me in particular because my mother's had lifelong back trouble and this is not something I feel like emulating. The discomfort started last night; I put myself to bed after rewriting half of Suitov's Twine Encyclopaedia profile ("okay this is getting painful, but I'm really not sleepy yet!") and taking a hot soak, except that the latter somehow backfired (ha ha) and made me feel so sick I could barely make myself stumble to my room.

Slept on my back, a position I hate, but instead of getting better like a good spinal column should, it felt steadily worse however I arranged it. Managed to drop off to sleep a few times until about 09:00, at which point I made myself get up because it had reached the stage where I was mumbling pleas and invectives aloud and was about to start blubbing or something if I didn't move. I am the world's biggest wimp. Walking around turned out less painful than trying to rest the damn thing. Illogical how these things work.

So, puking while on a total food replacement diet. The lowdown: fairly watery and businesslike all told, and at least I kept the painkillers down.

After which I curled up on the sofa with an affectionate (i.e. hungry) cat and The Wind in the Willows, the new dramatisation, recorded over Xmas. Utterly charming, actually. I was dubious beforehand about the rather, well, human look of the actors, but in the event, the low-key animal makeup and mannerisms really worked and it captivated me from the moment Mole surfaced and looked around.

I grew up with the very fine Cosgrove Hall WITW animations, so my precious childhood is at stake and standards are high. Two dewclaws up. This version had the quirky English charm by the boatload and even buddy-squee moments. When I was a child I was always the Water Rat, and this Mole, slight accent shock notwithstanding, was definitely a character I wanted to protect. Success. And Badger has a fine growl. And it apparently fully healed my back.

Oh, and I watched Ruby in the Smoke yesterday (Philip Pullman dramatisation - yes, he's written more than just the daemon books). Also very good. Billie Piper, eh, who'd've thought it? You Merkuns who have only seen her in Docto' Who probably don't know her slightly dodgy past as a teenypop singer (download Honey to the B and Because We Want To if you like a laugh) or her stint in the modern Canterbury Tales reworks on the BBC a couple of years or so back, which is pretty much when the world blinked and went "hang on a mo, she can act!". She isn't really how I imagine Sally looking or sounding, but she can do all the talking and emoting and rushing around and stuff. The real win in this adaptation, though, was the voiceover.

My mood's a bit all over the place today what with feeling sick and also fat and ugly, but typing happy things has stabilised it. Cunning brilliance! Best-Man, bestest superhero evar!

(Stupid Elder Scrolls still not screengrabbing... gnaarghgrrgrrr. After I went to all the trouble of creating a rather good likeness, weak chin and all, and calling it 'KITTY LOL'. Eh, I'll try again with the screenshottage at some point. The face-creation feature is still entirely too awesome. Imperial kitty! Also, Patrick Stewart!)