Christmas is a peculiar beast. We spend all of December putting up decorations, buying presents and liberally sprinkling Christmas magic hither and yon. We eat too much, we drink too much and we try not to argue with our relatives. The anticipation of it all for those with younger children in the house is special and exciting, and nothing can beat the sheer unadulterated joy of opening presents at four o’clock on Christmas morning. Probably.

All of a sudden though, we find ourselves lost in the wilderness between Christmas and New Year. No one knows what day it is. Everyone has eaten too much cheese. We begin to crave routine and normality, and wish that the children were going back to school a little sooner than scheduled. It is funny how quickly it all turns around, and the desire to shove the Christmas tree back into the attic becomes almost overwhelming.

Peckish sheep

We had a quiet and enjoyable yuletide period, for the most part. The child and myself shared a tub of Quality Street for breakfast on Christmas Day, and we made our dogs wear festive jumpers. I unfortunately had a minor hairdressing crisis the following week, and presently look a bit like I have been nibbled by a rather peckish sheep. God bless the powers of concealment of the humble woolly hat.

I got a little exotic with my festive alcoholic beverage consumption, sampling all manner of assorted cream liqueurs and fizzy things. This culminated in my drinking quite a cheerful amount of Advocaat whilst eating a Chinese takeaway on New Years Eve. As someone who rarely drinks and who usually survives on a low-carb diet, this was optimistic in the extreme. I felt very unwell for a while, but this did prove to be an excellent catalyst for getting back on the wagon. In true January stereotype fashion, I have purchased a cross trainer in the endeavour to at last become streamlined and superb in the saddle.

The weather has been difficult for everyone, but I did enjoy not having to ride any horses during the barrage of storms that hit in December. The horses have benefited from the break, and are now coming back into work for the year ahead. The cows on the maternity ward are also beginning to look lively, and I always think that spring calving is the best possible antidote to the arduous Irish winter.