I have just spent half an hour in a very hot shower attempting to defrost after a day spent painting in sub-zero temperatures. I could quite easily have settled for a day finishing the latest Dan Brown novel and eating my way through a stash of chocolate but I decided that the workshop needed a lick of white masonry paint inside on its concrete block walls. One high part had never been done so will need at least one more coat. I had to climb a ladder because one end of the utility farm building that houses my workshop is quite a bit higher than the other end! At least I had an excuse to listen to Radio 4 all day from The Archers Omnibus and Desert Island Discs to Festive Gardeners’ Question Time. I will have to spend at least 2 more days on this chore. It is not until repainting starts that you really notice how badly it needs doing. Some areas were pretty flaky from damp but the walls should be much sounder now with new windows. Painting is a job that I always dread starting but I secretly enjoy once I am underway. I had a quick cup of coffee with a mince pie and cold stuffing for lunch then some cold bread sauce on parsnips for afternoon tea.

I did get the huge bedspread done in an even easier “contemporary” design of wiggly horizontal lines. This meant that I could spend the days before Christmas drinking sherry in the yurt and cooking. Tania, Mo and I exchanged a wonderful collection of gifts that good friends give each other. They always include Bombay Mix and I give them daft things like sweets with silly names and smoked paprika. Christmas Eve is always my favourite day of the Christmas holidays. I love the guilt-free whole day spent in the kitchen listening to carols and preparing for the Christmas Dinner. I glazed a magnificent gammon with treacle and spices. This gammon might have been Ginger but I am not convinced. The butcher was very shifty when I collected a fairly small box of meat from a pretty large pig and didn’t charge me. I think he ate, lost or sold the real Ginger and feels very guilty indeed. I collected a very substantial free-range turkey and used the imposter’s sausage meat as stuffing. I was thrilled that the replacement Kenwood Chefette arrived in the post and decided to rearrange the junk in the pantry to make a space for it. I was mortified to discover the original model underneath a stash of recyclable shopping bags – still, now I can mix 2 items at once just like a spaghetti western sharp shooter.

I thought that the festive snow would melt before Christmas but despite several attempts to thaw, it has hung on and is now solid ice with white slush on top. We are forecast for some more but I would like it to disappear when it is time for the children to go back to school and George still has a workshop window to block up.

An exciting new technology has arrived in our house. I ordered Sky TV for Christmas which is something I thought I didn’t need before. It is really amazing being able to pause and rewind live TV. For the first time in years I have been able to work out how to record programmes and if bored there are hundreds of obscure channels to choose from. I am told that vintage Eleanor Burns quilting programmes can sometimes be found on Rural TV in between the Country singers and tractor shows.

I’m hoping to make a trek to IKEA for some workshop storage racks and other non-essential but incredibly useful Swedish objects during the week. Perhaps that should be my “reward” if I manage to complete the painting marathon.