Patterns, endlessly repeating themselves....

You know the last few weeks??  The "doing well during the week, then getting lashed at the weekend and slipping back routine"?  Well, it's still alive and kicking here in the Peak District.  Although this week it has acquired a seasonal twist.  This week the "doing well during the week" part has taken a bit of a hit due to not one but two Christmas lunches, both of which I had totally forgotten about!

I was playing golf on Wednesday in the Santa's Scramble which is a fancy dress fun competition (photos to follow when I can get round to resizing them).  I had forgotten that there is the Ladies' Section Christmas lunch after the Santa's Scramble.  Hey - it happens annually but I can't be expected to remember little details like that!  It was a gorgeous meal, beautifully homemade - our club is so lucky in its bar and catering staff.  I love that first Christmas lunch of the year, the turkey and all the trimmings and, of course, the pudding.  Mmmmmm

Anyway, I felt a bit lardy but I had at least been out carrying my clubs in the cold, frosty air to mitigate the damage and I planned a good day on Thursday to offset it.

I took the train to work on Thursday as snow was forecast for the afternoon.  I was lugging my virtuous salad in a box and my gym kit.  I was somewhat surprised when I got to the office to find no space (we hot-desk) when it is usually quiet on a Thursday.  Ah - the team's Christmas lunch, which I had totally forgotten about.  (See what I mean about patterns - I later remembered that I had done the exact same thing last year with these 2 lunches which had also fallen on consecutive days!)

So, no lunchtime run and another Christmas lunch.  This one was in a Council and College run training restaurant.  All the staff are kids doing catering or management courses at the College.  The food wasn't quite as good as at the golf club but very nearly so kudos to the kids.  Luckily when I had chosen what i was going to have I had not selected the turley and trimmings option so didn't have a repeat - shoulder of pork and trout terrine - yummy.  The service is always excellent because there are so many of them and they are incredibly careful about everything!!

The lunch completely mucked up my day and I ended up running like a madwoman in work shoes over cobbles from a meeting to the station to catch my train carrying my laptop bag, clean gym kit and another bag with my uneaten salad and JUST making it.  I ran onto the train and the doors shut behind me....phew!

I thought while on the train that I might go for a quick run when I got home but home brought icy, sleety rain and -4 temperatures.  I'm not that hardcore!

At least by Friday I had re-established routines.  Personal training and good eating.  A planned run on Saturday morning before lauching into the now routine Saturday beerfest.

We had Rich's pal Tom over with his new girlfriend and went for drinks into Sheffield.  This is a big deal for country mice like us and we totes over-indulged.  Drinks on Ecclesall Road then into town and more drinks followed by cheesy dancing at a grotty club/bar.  I am old but I've still got it - in my head at least.  (BTW, when did the memo go out to all women that you have to wear dresses when out in town?? I wore black jeans, highish heel and a dressy top and felt markedly underdressed - every woman seemed to be wearing spangly or skin tight dresses.  Maybe next year....)

So this morning the household is moving slowly and there is only me and the dogs up and about, refreshed from my cold shower and black coffee.  A proper hill walk is planned but we're not going to have time at this rate!

I'm hoping that the scales will be kind this week; I'm currently sitting on a small drop but last night's excesses have to kick in sometime....