In my experience (though not of Russia, sad to say) the sort of dry intense cold you get over there will do you good, as long as you're not out in it fighting a war without adequate clothing.

It the damp, bone numbing chill you get over here which drags your resistance down and leaves you vulnerable.

hill farmer

One of the worst things you could do if you have a full-blown dose of flu is "sweat it off with a bit of graft". You don't need to be a hill farmer to know what hard work is all about - that's the kind of myth that the farming community has fostered for generations. I know, because on my father's side I come from a long line of Welsh hill farmers on my father's side, and they all perpetuated the 'we work harder than anyone else' myth.

What lots of people refer to as 'a touch of flu' isn't flu at all, it's a bad cold - real flu is certainly not a "get off your backsides, stop moaping and sweat it off with a bit of graft" situation.

Flu lasts a few days, during which you feel awful, but almost everyone survives. Every year some people die as a result of complications brought on by flu, and I dare say there's the occasional hill farmer amongst them. If I want to mope a bit I'll mope, thanks very much.

Glad you're better.