From one extreme...

Whilst others seem to have done their indulging during December and then spending January without alcohol and rich food, mine seems to be at polar opposites.

I've often said that I never worry too much about putting on weight during the Christmas festivities as I'd find it hard to eat much more than I do normally anyway, but the last few weeks have seen me shovelling it down quite a bit more than usual it has to be said.

Whether at the launch of the yummy new pizza, pasta and salad dishes with black truffles at the lovely Croma in town (Hi to Mark Imeson and the rest of the directors - they are supporters of Thirsty Thursday), tucking in to a fabulous organic feast of locally reared beef with all the trimmings at the still wonderful The Mill Race in Kirkstall, enjoying the fruits of the labours of my friend Ismail at a curry night round at his (plus his Mum's homemade chipatis) or scoffing some of the best Cumberland sausage I've had in a good while at The Three Acres out at Emley.

Like I said, just don't make the New Year's Resolutions and then you can't feel guilty for not sticking to them!

Not to be one to advocate too much gluttony and sloth, I have been out in the fresh air too - including a jaunt round Roundhay Park. My Nana who was born in Leeds in 1911 used to tell me stories about the 'Roundhay Walk' on a Sunday afternoon when local folk would take the trams out there (something I don't think we'll see in Leeds again for a good while yet, if ever - that's another story though!) then the boys would walk up and down one side of the park and girls the other. The pretty girls would get invited to join the boys and walk in the middle and go 'a-courting'. Kinda like the 1920s version of speed dating I guess, only with a bit more decorum, and these days the girls are a bit more proactive!

She also told me about being swung round the Majestic dance and bingo hall by a small Italian man, but I'm not going back to Majestyk in the name of family history - or in the name of anything for that matter. My days there are well and truly over!

Back indoors I'm afraid I have a bit of shoulder strain by taking boxing on the Wii round at Ish's a bit too seriously (competitive, me?), but I felt very relieved of stress and tension afterwards which has made me more determined to buy a punchbag and gloves and get pounding away Rocky-style in the cellar - I even have the soundtrack as an accompaniment!

Another example of my life of extremes is that in addition to my regular 'out and about' slot on the Radio Leeds breakfast show (the next one is February 14th and will have a romance theme - what fun for a single girl eh?!)I am now also on the rota to be a regular TV reviewer and did my first slot on the lovely Graham Liver's show on Friday along with Mario Thomas from Chapter Eight. I had a great time and am thrilled to be asked to do it again on March 7th.

The shows we reviewed included the 'Scams, Fiddles and Honest Claims' about those unscrupulous sorts that try to pull a fast one on insurance companies - and the investigators hired to sniff them out - and the very bizarre and quite disturbing 'Virtual Adultery', which was all about the strange world of Second Life and people who leave their real life partners for an online 'avatar' lover and then spend time perusing their virtual wedding album in real life together.

Get a life, never mind Second Life, I say.

Anyway, it's Monday night and EastEnders is about to start, I'm off [wink].

Back soon

Clancy xxxx