Walrus in the mist - a day at the spa

I am, I admit, whatever the opposite of svelte is. Despite some vaguely good intentions, I am slightly too fond of beer, cheese and pork, and not fond enough of energetic pursuits.

This has not, over the years, distracted me from the serious business of enjoyment, and I am rather keen on being pampered from time to time, something I discovered on a trip to New Zealand about a decade ago. A day of zorbing in the morning, and the spa in the afternoon was just the thing for a recovering bureaucrat, and since then, if the opportunity arises, I am quite happy to surrender to the tender mercies of a good masseuse, or wallow in spa pools.

And so, I've spent today at the Aqua Sana spa at Centre Parcs, Elveden Forest, in west Suffolk, courtesy of a generous parental gift. I can relax in a comfy lounger, spend a few minutes in various scented steam rooms, differing in fragrance, temperature or humidity, or enjoy the powerful water jets in the hydrotherapy pool, or drink wine and eat healthy salads (perhaps not, now I think about it).

I brought the iPad so that I could write should I so fancy - I think more clearly when I am relaxed and undistracted - and have drafted some thoughts for another day. It is all rather peaceful and not terribly hard work.

Ah well though, back to the grind...