Since Christmas many people of my acquaintance have had a cold followed by a persistent cough.  I conclude that although we have had an extremely wet winter in the south we have not had the intense cold which would kill off all our germs.  My mother would say "You've been sleeping in a field with the gate open".
Talking of coughs I was walking home late one night in the war in the blackout when ,as I was passing a large school playing field, I heard what I thought was a poor old man loudly coughing.  I leaned over the wall to see what was happening and found myself staring into the white face of a sheep1  It appeared to have a bad attack of bronchitis.  At that time we were all being exhorted to produce more food hence a flock of sheep on the luscious grass of the school playing field.