I went up to Sheffield again a few weeks ago for the zinefest, organised by my friends Bettie and Chella, and staying at Rebecca’s with Tukru. I think there must be something around Sheffield in the Spring that I’m horribly allergic to. Whenever I go up in March or April I have some kind of horrible reaction, yet when I’ve been up in the Autumn, no problem. Once when the bus went past Chesterfield, a nearby town, my whole face puffed up like a hamster and no amount of anti-histamines would deflate it, and was that way the whole weekend, spontaneously deflating again once I was clear of Derbyshire on the way home. I had no hamster face this time, but sinus pain and a nasty rash on my shoulders and nausea. Perhaps I’m allergic to steel. Nowhere else in the region seems to give me this problem. (It’s also sad because the zinefest venue has a slide, and I’ve never been able to go on it in any of the years I’ve been, it not being a good idea when you’re pukey or suffering from balance problems due to a giant swollen face and glands.)