*cough* *cough* *cough*

I've been laid low for the last week by some horrible flu-type virus that's sweeping around these here parts.

I say a week - but I had a day off ill, then struggled through the funeral on Friday, then spent two and a half days immobile apart from bouts of coughing, then spent two days at work when really I should've stayed at home and now today I'm 'working from home' with the sort of cough that can be heard halfway down the street.

*cough* *cough*

That's the downside to me not drinking and trying to be healthy - I suddenly start getting ill.

*cough* *cough*

Anyway, this made me laugh:

It's just coming to the end of playtime at a nursery school and the teacher is finishing cleaning the classroom as the first of her charges comes into the room.

"Hi Jenny!," says the teacher, "and what have you been up to at playtime?"

"I was playing in the sandbox with Mike," replies Jenny.

"That's lovely! Tell you what, if you can spell 'sand' for me you can help your self to a sweetie from my desk."

Jenny dutifully spells sand and then gets herself a sweet. The next child entering the room is Mike.

"Hello Mike," says the teacher, "did you do anything fun at playtime?"

"I was playing in the sandbox with Jenny," says Mike.

"Sounds like you two had fun! Say, if you can spell 'box' for me you can help yourself to a sweetie from my desk."

Mike easily spells box and while the teacher isn't looking takes two sweets from the jar. The third child in after playtime is a sad looking Ahmed.

"Hi Ahmed, what did you do at playtime?" asks the teacher.

"I wanted to play in the sandbox, but Jenny and Mike wouldn't let me," replies Ahmed.

"They wouldn't let you! Why, that's racially biased discrimination!" exclaims the teacher, glaring at Jenny and Mike.

She leans in closer to Ahmed and says, "Tell you what, if you can spell 'racially biased discrimination' you can help yourself to a sweetie from my desk."