Went to the gym yesterday morning. I started just over a month ago, and although my attendance was patchy (missed three weeks due to travel and illness) I felt it had done me enough good to go on to the next stage.

So they put me onto the basic weight machines, exercising the pectorals etc with repetitive lifts of (don’t laugh) 15 kg. And this morning my arms are very stiff and sore indeed. (Plus yesterday I was really wiped out by the middle of the day, never mind the end of the afternoon.)

I feel virtuous and self-righteous – I come from a religious tradition which is familiar with the concept of penance, after all. I confess I don’t feel, and haven’t been feeling, any particular physical glow as a result of my exercise regime.

And I do wish I could find somewhere that did a decent cooked breakfast between the gym and work. The various Irish pubs all seem to open only at lunchtime, and all the other cafes just do your standard two croissant, coffee and juice. I am now even considering the various hotels that lie on that route. But that is getting a little desperate (and expensive).