FIRST day back at school for the children and nature lays out the white carpet.

While only a small covering of snow, it is enough to make the return to school easier, as a mere whisper of the word ‘snow’ in their sleepy ears gets them out of bed in quick time.

Pyjamas are discarded and uniforms pulled on in great haste as children make a dash for the back garden to roll the first snowball of 2009.

I am not finding it so easy. After two weeks off work and away from morning lunch box duty the return to routine is a huge struggle. It’s just so dark and cold. Contemplate getting dressed over my pyjamas to keep in the heat but change my mind when I realise this gives me the puffed up look of a woman who ate all the turkey and all the trimmings.

At least I still have the warm glow of happy New Year memories to sustain me for a few more days.

As usual we gathered at a friend’s house for a five- course extravaganza and a particularly nasty game of Trivial Pursuit.

After too much champagne (or at least a credit-crunched version of it) the battle lines were drawn and the cry ‘boys against girls’ went up.

For the next hour previously loving husbands and wives turned on each other in the hope of gathering glory for their team.

Still at least the game was played sitting down. Have fond memories of the year someone decided that Twister would be a more suitable after dinner game.

Needless to say that will never be repeated (older bodies creak too much) and my friend will never live down the fact that we all now know she owns a pair of red satin knickers.