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)

Some Sort Of Exercise

The big day arrives... and we could have kicked it off with a parkrun as they always put on extra ones on Christmas Day. However the brutal 9am start is a good reason not to, along with the persuasive argument provided by the several pints of Gorilla that were consumed last night, then there's the weight of dog across my ankles and finally there’s the inviting female body beside me. Best stay in bed me thinks.

Later we open some more presents before heading off to meet my folks for a lunchtime pint in the Admiral Rodney. L walks MD there, chucking balls as they go. The two old men, Doggo and I, take the car.

After a couple of drinks we head back home for Christmas lunch where Daughter awaits and Son and his girlfriend soon join us.

Some juggling and oven rotation is always required for cooking large meals and this year even more so as we also have a veggie option to cook but I think we pull it off.

Its Stilton pate to start, then goose and\or Quorn substitute with Sage and Onion stuffing for main. This is my first attempt at Sage and Onion, as I usually make the stuffing with sausage meat, but it seems to be a success. L has done homemade Christmas Pudding and Apple Crumble for afters.

Naturally once the dinner is all done we all sit around not quite knowing what to with ourselves, as is the way on Christmas Day.

Son is on a bit of a tour, having spent last night and this morning at his father’s. He had intended to stay over with us tonight before heading to his girlfriend’s parent’s in Stoke in the morning. However, in the end the pull of a longer lie-in if they go to Stoke this evening prevails and they leave us early evening. They leave armed with full squash and badminton sets as his gf is desperate to get him involved in some sort of exercise. We wish her every success. 

(Sunday 25^th December)

Annual Sportswear Exchange

It’s Christmas Day so L and I exchange sports gear as is the custom. Running shoes and cycling shorts for him, cycling trousers and swimming goggles for her. I suppose the incredibly sexy ankle boots that I also got her were a bit of a departure as that relates to a physical sport of a different nature.

The customary Christmas Lunchtime pint takes place, as last year, in the Horse and Jockey at Stapleford, which is packed. Sadly also overrun with Christmas jumpers.

Then it’s back home for tapas and roast lamb with Daughter and the boys. Some folk are having Zebra apparently, so by comparison we are almost traditional.

(Friday 25^th December)

Christmas Tapas

L considers a Christmas morning parkrun but I think in the end my company proves more appealing. It means I have to take the dogs on the park though.

At noon, we head off to meet my parents at the Horse and Jockey. We check their live online beer list but it does not seem to have been updated for Christmas Day. Slackers.

We leave Daughter at home to look after the duck. We get a little concerned at my parents lateness but they struggle to park. There isn’t any basically.

Back at our place we again have Spanish meats for starter tapas style, then our roast duck and Christmas pud. Then we watch our one bit of Christmas TV with Arthur Christmas.

(Thursday 25^th December)

We Are So Traditional

It’s a tradition for us to exchange presents a midnight and Daughter gets home from her Christmas Eve festivities with ten minutes to spare. L and I have long since fallen asleep in a Tuck induced haze but we’re all soon up, rubbing our bleary eyes, dogs included.

After presents it’s back to bed and chance to recover before the traditional Christmas Day drinks, which this year take place at the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford. Whilst there L speaks to Son who is in a pub in Stoke drinking beer... blimey.

We go all Spanish for our Christmas dinner. I’ve no idea what they actually have in Spain but we have selection of Spanish tapas meats to start followed by Scallops and chorizo with garlic mushrooms and crushed potatoes. We are so traditional.

We were going to have Christmas Pudding for afterwards but L has made the most amazing Bakewell pudding/tart. So we fill up on that instead.

Then it’s time for another tradition, falling asleep in front of Doctor Who. Although I actual I resist this year. The falling asleep that is, I actually quite enjoy it and it has nothing do with Jenna Coleman of course.

(Wednesday 25^th December)