Pride Goeth Before a . . . Rash?

The kids are having swimming lessons the next two weeks at school, and I was feeling self-conscious about the fact that my legs, which hardly ever see the sun, are blindingly white and would be on show for all to see in board shorts. So when I saw that my favourite body moisturiser (a cocoa butter) came in a gradual tanning version, I thought "what the heck, why not?" and went and got some. I used it all over my body except my face and back twice, then just on my legs once (the plan being to tan my legs more than the rest of me).

This morning, after three consecutive days of using the stuff, I woke up vaguely aware that I was itching something on my stomach. I thought it might be a mozzie bite but I realised almost immediately that it was more than one bump. That woke me up right and proper, and I discovered I had a rash EVERYWHERE I'd used the moisturiser. My back and face are fine but everywhere else is covered with little pale red dots.

In a word, BAW.

I'm not prone to coming up in rashes - not like my mother, who comes up in rashes to just about every skin product ever. This is highly unusual for me. I am NOT happy!

I got up and showered right away, and I've slathered myself in the ordinary cocoa butter which I've been using for years without any problems. Hopefully it'll die down quickly. But blech!

*

In other news, I think I need to stop reading Neil Gaiman's journal late at night, because when I do, that gentleman tends to pop up on the sidelines of my dreams, commenting on them. For example, last night's dream, which was FULL of weird, featured Mr Gaiman sitting casually on the edge of the action, remarking that if he found a species of spider that would only beat up on his daughters' enemies, he'd have a house full of them. Believe it or not, this was apropos to what was happening in the dream. It is quite odd to have an author popping in to remark on one's dreamscape!