Was Mary Richards Wrong?

I have a cold. A chest-wracking, stuffy-head cold. (I have had two COVID tests – trust me, it’s a cold). It started ten days ago. I know exactly when it started, because, much like my luggage, I was tracking it on a daily basis on my trip.

Years ago, Mary Tyler Moore stated that colds are always nine days long: “three days coming, three days with you, three days going”. It was the episode where Ted is her surprise date to an awards ceremony. Now everyone knows that 1970’s sit-coms were the best place to get scientific facts and medical advice (remember Carol Brady’s advice to put an aspirin in the water in a flower vase? Jan does.), so I have hung onto that piece of information for almost 50 years.

I’m beginning to think Ms Richards was wrong – my cold is ten days into its run, with no signs of abating. I am meeting a friend in Edinburgh next week and cannot share my room with someone with this cackling cough hanging over me. It’s so bad that last night Scout slept in the living room.

I hate it when our heroes let us down.