Saturday, Christmas Eve! I’m awake relatively early and tucking into my festive muesli in no time at all. My partner goes off to have her hair done leaving me a shopping list of stuff to get. All the original Giffin goods like bread, milk and potatoes. My youngest and I head off to the village co-op and gather up the required goodies. Back home I clear the kitchen and run Daisy dishwasher again to clear the decks, empty the bins and recycle the remaining cardboard boxes. Part way through the morning my youngest and I indulge in late morning sandwiches and a drink.

My partner returns with a fresh hair cut and she and my youngest settle down to watch something on TV. I wrap my last two Christmas parcels and as the film downstairs gets going I go and train. Its the last thing I want to do but I get into my tracksuit and a Christmas ear stud and head for the garage. Its the last session of the week so I put the resistance up and go for a half hour session.

When I am done I record the session in my journal and then retreat to the bedroom to watch Leicester Tigers v Gloucester on my laptop. Tigers win. Of course I indulge in an alcohol free beer and a couple of fig rolls. I change and join the rest of the household for a tea of pizza and a table of goodies before we settle down for His Dark Materials and Celebrity Bake Off. The evening will wind on until people go to bed. For this household tomorrow is taking a Christmas meal to my partner’s mother where we will dine and play till we return in the evening to prepare for our Christmas on Boxing Day. For me tomorrow is a weigh in day, I have a less than festive feeling about how that might go.