Sue's Sports Starter by Sue_Thearle

Hellooo one and all and a happy Christmas to you all. Have you all finished your Christmas shopping? I think I have, which is handy given that we are barely 48 hours from the big day. Still as you might expect, excitement is at fever pitch in our house. I am frantically racing backwards and forwards to the supermarket to buy the things I forgot to order in the delivery shop. You know, essentials like stuffing, washing up liquid and milk.....err yes milk. But handily, I did manage to order 10 tubes of pringles and 6 packs of mince pies. Oh dear. I think I may have had a little finger trouble when I was online...ahem.

And don’t start me on wrapping. Okay I appear to have started. Wrapping should be an Olympic event. Is it me or is that the worst bit of Christmas? You start out with such high expectations. You know, Christmas CD on in the background, pringles and mince pies on a plate nearby, and then you start the endless relay up and down the stairs, with bags you forgot you had, bulging with presents that need wrapping. All good and kind festive thoughts are washed away within 3 hours, as you emerge dazed and bewildered, brandishing paper cuts, a stiff back and an open sore on your lip where you have been biting the sellotape in an ill-advised fashion. I have been at it for three evenings now and still haven’t finished. I only have my hubby’s gifts to wrap, although I am sorely tempted to hand them over in their carrier bags. And I know that he feels entirely the same.

However when I finish work tonight I will head home, no doubt listening to Chris Rea in the car, and brace myself for one final push for the wrapping summit, although to be honest I may give the pringles and mince pies a miss. The children meanwhile are beside themselves with joy and excitement. Every day they wake up and ask the same question; "How many sleeps until Christmas Day?" Swiftly followed by; "Can I have my chocolate from the Advent Calendar before breakfast?" Err no. You can't. Mind you we all got into the Christmas spirit with a trip to the panto this week which was lovely. I have never been to one before; Oh yes you have. Oh no I haven't. And it was fantastic. Packed to the rafters with over-excitable kids and stressed parents. All absolutely marvellous. 

And you will all be thrilled to hear that I have returned triumphant to the gym. Oh yes, they sure missed me in there.....I have though, alas, missed my weekly spinning fiesta, which means by the time I return to my favourite instructor, it will be at least 3 weeks. Gulp. I can almost feel the lactic acid and taste the vomit in my throat. Lovely. But I have been stepping ferociously and doing a little jogging and I must say it feels good to be exercising again. I have noticed so many more people in the gym this week, no doubt attempting a pre-emptive cardio strike.

I was doing the same if I'm honest, because we have been doing a fair bit of entertaining this week and I must say I am already heartily sick of nibbles. I can’t look at a pringle, which is unfortunate, and I am heading the same way with peanuts and chocolate. No really I am. And having had three successive nights of lager shandy, even that is beginning to lose its allure. I am though over-excited about the prospect of a snowball on Christmas Day. My sister and her husband are staying with us over the festive period and I know she shares my appreciation for a drop of advocaat (mixed I might add with ginger ale). So we shall raise a glass to you; wherever you are and whatever you're doing, have a fabulous Christmas. And see you in the gym on January 2nd, if not before......