The sun is up, the sky is blue, there’s not a cloud to spoil the view … but there’s sneezing, in my living room.

Yep, it’s glorious out there, but the pollen count is high and Daughter forgot to take her medicine this morning. She is now curled up on the sofa, on a school day, watching Ice Age for the eleventy billionth time because it’s all her snot-addled brain can cope with.

Once again, I find myself researching the allergy that is the annual bane of our lives. Our immune system produces chemicals called histamines, which act like nightclub bouncers in helping your body get rid of irritants – we’re talking allergy triggers rather than drunk people.

Normal amounts are good; too many, as caused by an overreaction to a high pollen count, and you get the stuffed-up nose and streaming eyes.

As for today, I see it as training for the summer holidays. Having turned homeworker during the pandemic and never gone back to the office, I have grown used to my own company during the day. I thought I would play lots of music, but no – I find my mind works best in silence, with no external distractions.

I love the flexibility of working from home – for example, being able to take the call from school telling me Daughter is “unwell”, and please would I pick her up? In the holidays, it’s great knowing I don’t have to heave myself out of bed at 7am to get her off to school, and myself to an office.

But it does mean she’s in my space, all day every day, more often than not playing Taylor Swift at top volume in the conservatory. Should she have the consideration to clamp headphones to her ears, I still have to endure her singing, so loud and tuneless the UN would probably classify it as an instrument of torture.

Back to hay fever, and I had no idea our furry companions are equally susceptible, but the symptoms are subtly different. Is your faithful friend unusually lethargic, licking or biting their paws and with sore-looking skin around the ears, eyes, tummy and between their pads on their feet? Pollen could be the culprit, so book an appointment with the vet.

You might also want to consider timing dog walks before dawn or early in the evening to avoid the highest pollen counts, or choose a low-pollen location such as a beach, of which there are so many in Cornwall (make sure it’s before 10am or after 6pm to abide by council rules).

Just the other day, I parked up to sneeze. I was alarmed to learn that one in five drivers have had an accident or near-miss due to their hay fever (source: confused.com), while some medication can have a sedative effect. The comparison website recommends not using the air con as it increases the movement of pollen and dust; good luck with that during a heatwave.

Upon her sickbed, Daughter drained the anti-histamine syrup dry. Before buying more, I thought I’d check out which home remedies are backed by research. Apparently, nettle tea contains antihistamines, but I’m not convinced Daughter will go for this.

Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that combats the inflammation, swelling and irritation caused by pollen; while quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that relieves inflammation and itchiness, can be found in onions, kale and broccoli, and more palatable skin-on fruits like tomatoes, blueberries and apples. Avoid alcohol – a no-brainer for an early teen.

That’s my shopping list sorted, then. (I might even buy the alcohol for myself).

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Talking of La Swift, I am heartily sick of seeing Facebook posts from friends who have taken their offspring to her concerts in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Wembley. These make me feel like the worst mother in the world.

Adding insult to injury, at some point I must have naively liked or followed a social media link to some Swiftie merch, and am now being spammed on an hourly basis with enough Taylor tat - PJs, T-shirts, beach towels - to deplete my entire bank account.

There’s even a Monopoly board with songs instead of streets, for goodness’ sake. Mayfair is replaced by Anti-Hero, and In Prison is No Body, No Crime.

Last week, Daughter sulked because she asked if we could go and stand outside Wembley for some second-hand Tay-Tay magic, and I laughed. It turned out she was deadly serious, and one of her friends was doing exactly that. Pointing out how much train fare and accommodation would cost for a non-concert of this kind did not assuage her.

So I make a heart-felt appeal to Cornwall venues and festivals – the Eden Sessions, the Minack, Port Eliot, Boardmasters. Please book Taylor Swift - and if she says yes, remember whose idea it was and invite me, so I can redeem myself in the parental stakes.