Friday, Christmas eve. Its an early start as the turkey has to be collected and additional vegetables to be bought. So I am up and at it quickly this morning, a postpone breakfast and get in the car with my partner and drive to the garden centre. We make straight to the butcher in a deserted garden centre, literally no one around, at least not punters. We select big packs of bacon and sausage meat before presenting our Christmas club card and collecting our turkey. We stow the meat in the car and return to the vegetable stall outside and pick a sack of potatoes and extra veg. Another couple of bags for the boot again and then another return to the shop to pick up alternative puddings and some odds and ends. We drive home and unpack the car, putting the turkey in the Shed to keep it cool till the 26th when it will provide the meat feast for this families Christmas dinner. Tomorrow we will be taking a complete Christmas dinner to my partners mother and dining there. On boxing day we will have our at home Christmas complete with presents and early alcohol intake, except me of course.

I make myself a bacon bagel and a coffee, take my drugs and settle down for a few minutes. Both my youngest daughter and her fiancé are still working at their laptops and will do so till lunchtime. A friend rings me and talks golf and golf bags. I discover that some golf bag trolleys have battery driven wheels. I am mildly appalled and amused by the the thought that it rather defeats the golf as exercise argument. I’m at a loose end so I decide to go to the gym and abandon my plan to train in the garage. I drive to the gym and get myself a cross trainer. 65 minutes later, a lot of very loud Rammstein and not a little cancer anger and I find myself delivering a personal best. 744 calories burnt and 8.9 kilometres done. Its a bit of a surprise, I wasn’t expecting such a performance. I get showered and look forward to a coffee and a muffin but the bloody bar is closed again. I am miffed and drive off. I fill the car on the way home and when I arrive give myself coffee and minces pies.

I watch a lame Christmas film until dinner and then the family sit and dine. Everything gets cleared away and I retreat to the lounge to write the blog and wait for my evening drug time before an early night. I can feel myself flagging and less articulate as time goes on.