Thursday and I wake up late feeling that I have not slept well. I get up and do breakfast whilst watching a programme about sea otters. I idle doing nothing for a while until my musings are interrupted by the postman. Just some cards and the winter Poetry Review journal. I glace through the journal but I struggle to be engaged by any of the contents. Probably my state of mind has more to do with my lack of engagement than than the poetry . I head for the Shed filling the squirrel feeder as I go. I settle into some life admin and my last minute Christmas arrangements. By 2 o’clock I am done with the Shed and get back to the lounge.
I am strangely unmotivated to do anything let alone train so I switch on the TV. What a great decision it turns out to be as I find myself watching The African Queen, one of my favourite films. It is just a delight with Humphrey Bogart at his best.
I am about to get up and do something else when I realise that the following film is Casablanca, another Bogart classic. Of course I watch it, its Christmas and I’m resting, what better way than watch a couple of brilliant master pieces. I settle back down on the sofa.
My youngest daughter arrives for Christmas having driven for longer than usual to get to us, due to heavy traffic. We chat a while and I return to the films classic ending. The start of a beautiful friendship. I check my messages and find some lovely pictures of Castle Howards Christmas festival from a friend. It looks really rich and decadent, so many bright and shiny things for the children to marvel at.
We eat tea and idle over the chocolate Brussel sprouts before watching celebrity Sewing Bee. Tomorrow starts Christmas in earnest with the early morning collection of the Turkey and other Christmas flesh. What will follow is the entertainment of me trying to get everything into the fridge. After that I need to catch up with a decent training session. Its really good to have my youngest daughter home for Christmas, its a shame her partner cannot be with us but we will put our energies into having an indulgent and restful time.
