Duty done

S got the Christmas tree out of the loft, and once he’d figured out (again) how to put it together, we decorated it in slapdash fashion.

Apart from that we did a bit of Christmas shopping, and went to visit S’s mum. She was very sleepy indeed, and we barely got a word out of her, but she did eat a bit of her lunch.

At home, S quickly cooked lunch for us of wild salmon with citrus and ginger served with spinach, delicious, and then we wrote up a gigantic shopping list for Christmas lunch. In the late afternoon we went for a swim and gym at the hotel at the end of the road. S is kicking himself that he has only just discovered that they have a 25 metre pool and gym that non-residents can use. For 50 quid a month he can go as often as he likes, and for an extra tenner he can bring a friend, ie me. He’s been virtually every day since we’ve been here. I had a pleasant swim in the otherwise deserted pool, 20 lengths, then a steam in the hammam, and then we sat in the jacuzzi for ten minutes before repairing to the bar. After the peace of the pool area, it was a bit of a shock, heaving with hundreds of people dressed up to the nines in sequins and high heels for a work do in the banqueting suite. We found a relatively quiet corner to have our drinks before retreating homewards.