23 Miles Per Gallon

L buys some very expensive 2XU leggings. I’ve always wanted some myself but couldn’t justify the exorbitant cost, which is also probably why she didn’t put them on her Christmas list. Unfortunately they fit like a dream which means she won't be sending them back.

We have a festive gathering on Christmas Eve in Seven on Pride Park. I finish work at lunchtime and walk across. L’s parents are there, my parents, Daughter and even Son and his fiancé are there. Despite the ever increasing guest list Seven had continually nagged us to pre-order. I hate pre-ordering and told them I wouldn’t because it was a ‘surprise’ meal, so ordering would somewhat spoil the surprise, which they had no answer to. Other than to warn us it would take longer to prepare our food.

As last year it’s a decent meal but we don’t get the guitarist that we had last year, who I thought was quite entertaining but I also know others found him annoying. It’s also a lot quieter, so there really was no need to pre-order and the food arrives very promptly.

Christmas Day, of course, means Parkrun and the Lad blitzes me around Alvaston in 20:14 which is a new PB by some distance. By 52 seconds to be precise. It just shows what five pints down Canning Circus the night before can do for your preparation. I celebrate with a couple of pints down The Plough at lunchtime.

Christmas Day also means curry and in the evening we go to the Mogal E Azam who are open as usual and with normal prices. Daughter joins us before jetting off later in an Uber to meet her bf who is heading over from Manchester to see her.

Boxing Day is another day for running and we are again at the Furnace Inn on Darley Park for their 4.6k run (according to my GPS). Later we collect my parents and bring them over to us for a meal.

By Friday, Christmas is all over and I’m back at work, pedalling in on blissfully quiet roads. 

Somewhere on the vastly misinformed internet it says that the average cyclist pedals 1852 miles a year and drinks 22 gallons of beer which means a consumption rate of 84 mpg. 

Which is interesting...but... I’m not sure that’s very average as 22 gallons a year is only 3 pints a week. I cycled 1642 miles last year and I reckon would have consumed around about 70 gallons of beer, so that’s a less than impressive 23 mpg.

 (Friday 27^th December)

Christmas Over

As I’ve said in previous years, I’m no great fan of Christmas. The few days before are great but then after the frivolity of Christmas Eve and to a lesser extent Christmas Day everything just drops off the cliff a bit, for me at least.

Boxing Day as ever starts with the Furnace Run on Darley Park in Derby. The Lad makes his debut this year with me, while MD runs with Daughter.

Then we drop Daughter at her father’s with her treating us, as last year, to a ‘Baileys’ in the Nags Head. Although she is the only one actually drinking Baileys.

Then we’re free of family and able to do our own thing. We had promised ourselves to do our own Christmas Day today but that’s not as easy as you think. The few curry places that were doing Christmas Day don’t seem to be doing Boxing Day and anyway, I ate that much yesterday I’m not sure I could do it justice.

So instead we walk the dogs over to Beeston, which is something we used to do years ago when Doggo was still a fit boy, and we go in the Crown. It’s quite busy though and we’re squashed in a corner in the back room, but the Lad still has a great time... so we don't overstay our welcome. 

(Wednesday 26^th December)

Dark And Creepy

L and MD have spent the last few mornings arguing (nothing new there). He'd much rather be playing ball in the garden than being dragged round the streets on a walk. So this morning L decides to take him on the park which is dark and creepy, although she does have MD to protect her. They also keep losing the ball in the gloom because he’s hopeless, his eyesight is worse than mine. These are all the reasons why they haven’t been going on the park recently but at least MD seemed happier.

A lot of people seem to be already on their Christmas break because I drive to the post office to pick up a parcel this morning and I’m still mega early for work. There’s very little traffic on the roads. It’s a big box that I collect, I think rather conveniently all my presents have come in one parcel. It’s just a shame I can’t hand them out like that.

At lunch time L sends me to Sainsbury’s for a new meat pan because ours is ancient and we don’t want to poison my Mum and Dad on Boxing Day. She also sends me for my choice of green veg. Veg that isn’t green would be my choice and as it turns out L’s own personal choice would be broccoli and cauliflower. Yes, cauliflower isn’t even green.

In the evening the dogs and I go sit in the Dispensary where we wait for L to turn up, she’s running there. 

(Thursday 21^st December)

The Boxing Day Tradition

Today we do run, at the traditional Boxing Day run at the Furnace Inn in Derby which has a sublime 11am start. One of my ex-school drinking partners makes his début. He says he's never heard of the run before. I've been coming to this event to run or watch for about 20 years... I run with MD and we do a decent time for what is approximately 4.5km.

L then takes Daughter over to her father’s while I have a pint with my Dad, who has come to watch as he does every year.

Sadly there is no football match today, rarely do we get one on Boxing Day these days. Sky TV are making us play tomorrow.

In the evening we get the bus over to Beeston, as Trent buses are running, and go for a drink at the Star and then the Crown. Both pubs are busy and it’s an excellent evening.

(Monday 26^th December)

Something Trivial

Boxing Day does not start well. I go to bed feeling a little unwell. A night of vomiting and diarrhoea follows. I guess it must have been something I ate and it certainly had no intention of staying eaten.

Recovery is remarkably swift come morning but L bans me from my planned parkrun at West Park. Which means MD also misses out. He is gutted as L goes it alone. My parents show up, mainly to hand over my season ticket in case I have to crawl to the match this afternoon.

I am fine for the match though as Derby defeat Fulham 2-0. L drops me off at my parents’ place before collecting me later from the match, where she also drops Daughter off to meet her father. She then joins us at L’s parents for a pleasant evening and an over serious game of Trivial Pursuit against her sister’s family. Which we lose.

(Saturday 26^th December)