As such, we’ve still got a freezer full of sliders, mini pies and even mini fish and chip bites just waiting for another gathering, because we certainly won’t be eating it on the new 2013 fitness regime.

Last week was too hectic to get things started to my shame, but yesterday saw my first gym session of the year – 40kms completed, 1423 calories burned, and agonising muscle ache to match.

This Christmas I bought kettle bells to try and do more strength work at home, so it’s going to be a case of trying to get into the habit of doing a good stint of ab exercises each day to try and get my physique into shape before I head off on hols next month. My usual failsafe technique to get back into an exercise regime is to treat myself to new workout gear, but in light of heading to the States in a few weeks time, it seems a bit stupid to do that here when I can get some fab gear over there for a fraction of the price.

Note to self: Do not use as door-stops

Having battled through as much of the awful Christmas stodge, my body is positively welcoming the prospect of healthier salads, fish and stir fry dishes, and I’m on a mission to cut back on my biggest weakness – Coke. I’m currently drinking huge amounts of water with fresh lemon, but I’m not sure it’ll be sufficient to stave off the caffeine fix for long.

My Pinterest boards are proving a big inspiration – as well as looking for fitness advice and pins, the huge number of gorgeous toned women in beautiful clothes makes me determined to persevere and succeed…

I learned a lot of valuable lessons in 2012, wasted a lot of time and energy on projects that were not worth the grief and effort they caused, and gave too many people the benefit of the doubt and allowed myself to be made a fool of too many times – not this year! Mistakes are learning platforms, not something that should become the norm.

So 2013 marks a new start for Faith! I’ve made the usual new year promises to myself about my personal life and my business life, but the most important one, for both, is to get my finances in order, and to make sure I started on the right track, I’ve been following Penny Golightly’s Jump Start 2013 to the letter to help me do it – a step by step, easy to follow guide to doing essential admin and organising your life and finances in one fell swoop – within days I’d discovered a policy I’ve been paying for that I don’t need, a standing order to a charity that I forgot I supposedly supported (had been a Christmas gift) and cancelled my monthly subscription to a wine club and my weekly Graze boxes, all of which equates to getting on for £50 a month. GO ME!

I spent most of yesterday getting the boyfriend to do the same thing – filing paperwork, checking outgoings, clearing out drawers right through to carrying out a wardrobe cull to give those clothes that no longer fit or that aren’t liked to charity.

It’s amazing how much peace of mind the simplest of tasks can give you, but if we can stick to it through January (the hardest part is definitely going to be Tenner Week where we each have to try and live on £10 for the week!) I think it’ll become something we do every six months to keep us on track.

I love starting the year feeling so virtuous!

And the spare room is now piled high with gifts ready to wrap. I will not put the tree up until December 1^st on principle, but as far as parties and festivities go, I’m all set to go.

I tried to get into the mood last Saturday. I spent the day buying gifts in Solihull before heading to the famous Frankfurt Christmas market in Birmingham in the evening. Should have left it.

 I understand the concept, and I like the idea of it, but sadly, in reality, I find it frustrating and annoying. I dislike having to fight my way through hoards of people to queue for 30 minutes for my hot wine. I get annoyed when I then have most of my hot wine knocked all over me as I fight my way away from the sales stand. I reeeeeeally don’t like being coughed all over and being engulfed in clouds of cigarette smoke, and the icing on the cake is having to fight my way back to the sales stand again to get my £3 deposit back for the plastic cup that the sales team mistakenly think I’m going to fall in love with and steal.

But I do like the caramelised nuts.

Maybe I went too early – as I say, I don’t think Christmas should start until December 1^st when I can open my advent calendar (this year: Star Wars Lego). I love putting the iPod festive playlist on, unravelling the fairy lights and  putting the tree up while singing my head off and drinking hot chocolate. And on Christmas Eve, I love cracking a bottle of bubbly and sitting in front of the fire to argue with Adam about what constitutes a Christmas movie (me: The Holiday, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, A Christmas Carol. Adam: Gremlins, Die Hard, Elf) before watching The Holiday and preparing for our guests’ arrival…

But it’s a good four weeks before I get to that stage and there’s a lot to look forward to first.

Naturally, I’ve started stocking up on Christmassy outfits for various gatherings – one berry-coloured sequinned little number should arrive today – and I’m counting down to the first festive occasion in my calendar, the BPA Christmas lunch, which this year for the first time ever will need to be a dry affair as I have evening commitments (I don’t see it ending well). The highlight though, will be BeerBeauty’s Christmas Party – hosted by the legendary Beer Beauty herself, Marverine Cole, who will be guiding myself and 40 other ladies through a range of tasty ales – not a sparkling wine in sight – and matching them to mini pies and bites. A ladies-only affair, it looks set to be a fantastic night at the Old Joint Stock.

With a festive spa-break with my best friend Donna planned and my annual girls’ Christmas Eve champagne brunch to look forward to, I am so looking forward to cracking open the glitter and high heels and getting into the spirit of things. With heaps of work to do, something’s got to give, and I fear it’ll be the gym regime, but hey, Christmas is a time to be merry is it not? 

And here it is – a massive champagne cork; which weighs the equivalent to 1,300 regular champagne corks (heavier than you’d think, let me tell you), and 110 times bigger than an actual champagne cork.

Shame it didn’t come with the rest of the bottle.

However, I’m delighted to report that seven months later, it is complete. Things changed a bit. We sacked off the shabby chic eau de nil/vintage ivory up-cycled theme I first dallied with I’m favour of (three guesses…) purple!

As it goes, before you ask, I didn’t paint the whole thing and fill it with violently violet accessories like some Prince fantasy, we went for smart white lines and modern white accessories with a sumptuous purple backdrop, teamed with my must-have wine glass light and our canvases of choice.

Considering we both wanted very different things, I think that the fact that the kettle looks like a stormtrooper and when illuminated, the cupboards look like there’s an alien landing, while Audrey Hepburn presides on high means that we’ve managed a compromise extremely well and somehow both feel like we got our own way.

On the whole, I’d have to say that the endless expense and time was worth it… Just. I know I’m biased, but I LOVE it. What do you think?

However, my birthday is approaching and since I refuse to ask for a kettle or a cooker, I’ve been seeking inspiration, which I found last week having discovered Madonna’s new shoe range, Truth or Dare, at Selfridges.

I went to see Madonna for the first time back in 1987 at the Who’s That Girl tour, and having watched her reinvent herself over and over again over the 25 years that have passed since, it was fantastic to get the chance to see her perform the MDNA tour at Hyde Park yesterday. And, spectacular show notwithstanding, I have to say: HOW DOES SHE DO IT?!

It’s no secret that the woman has dedication and a punishing fitness regime that would make an Olympian beg for mercy, but she looks absolutely amazing, and can still put on a hell of a show. I always loved the JPG corset Blonde Ambition days so I was thrilled when, as one of her costume changes, she donned a frame-style corset reminiscent of those days.

Having removed that and the crisp white shirt beneath, she was laced into another corset by one of her dancer that showed just how tiny that toned waist is. Let’s just say my gym resolve has been heightened – I have a long way to go before I could ever look this good.

Since it could take a good decade for me to get to that steage, I figure it’s wise to Iwork from the feet up, starting by circulating these pictures of the Michonski ankle boots, the Twidwell boots and the Corinie cut out courts to my nearest and dearest in the hope that someone takes the hint. You never know.

The boiler’s being fitted tomorrow, the electrics being sorted this weekend and we even have a date for the plastering, so it’s looking feasible that we can be done by the end of July… IF we can just agree on a damn colour.

Now that the boy’s agreed*, I am far more inclined to show support and measure walls for cupboards and choose oven hoods.

I’ve now unleashed my inner interior designer and am planning the finished look, which is what I need to do to keep me going through the next few weeks of rewiring, plastering, floor fitting, banging and swearing.

Thanks to the support of my fellow purple passionistas Eve and Liz I’ve now identified tons of purple accessories and appliances, but none of them have excited me as much as this aubergine DeLonghi coffee machine. I may only have one latte a day, but what a stylish way to have it.

Of course, I’ll have to have the kettle and toaster to match.

I’ve also been forced to accept that the Catherine Colebrook picture I’d planned on having simply won’t go with the new colourway, so I’ve set my decided on striking black and white pop-art for impact. Personally, I have set my heart on this shot of Audrey, but as this will be about my fifth attempt to bring her into a room in the house, I have to tread carefully.

But I have a plan – while I see Audrey presiding over the kitchen from the main dining wall, I think I can convince Adam to go for it with the diversionary tactic of suggesting that this guy gets to take centre stage on another.

Not just a hat stand. Oh no.

*in principle, it could all be off by Sunday

It’s made me wonder if I can push things a bit further. I’m all for the recessed ceiling spotlights we’ve agreed on, but wouldn’t THIS be amazing over the dining table?

I realise there’s the risk that dinner guests will smash their heads in, but really, isn’t that their look out?

Essentially, I shall be putting forward the – I think – perfectly reasonable suggestion that instead of carrying through a lighter version of the colour scheme from our sitting room, and opting for duck eggs and caramels to match the new white cabinets, we rip off the offending wood panelling that I’ve already painted (as per Adam’s original desire, clever eh?) and opt for smooth plastered walls, but choose a more striking colour combination.

I am thinking, naturally, of purple. I see no reason why it needs to be confined to my wardrobe, and while I’m not going to hedge my bets and ask if we can get glossy aubergine cabinets (but I would like that, I would), I think a statement aubergine wall will have a fantastic effect with the white units.

It also means I can buy all manner of striking statement accessories as a souvenir of this traumatic time, such as THIS one:

Say no more.