I THINK Sundays are the Holy Grail of everyone's week . . . it's that precious time to recover from the week . . . or night . . . that's gone before and time to gather energy for what's ahead.

Whether I've been out or not, I'll usually be up by about 9 o'clock. Sometimes my daughters Alex and Kerri might spoil me with breakfast in bed, other times we might head out early and go swimming.

I've been training all summer for a triathlon I recently competed in and Sundays are officially my 'rest' days. Even still, I like to get a little exercise in and will try and eat healthily.

Brunch with my parents and sisters is a regular occurrence and we'll often all meet in Farmleigh because it's handy, really good and it means nobody has to cook. The grown-ups will all linger over their meal while the kids play outside;

it really is a very happy event. I see my family about four times a week, but I always look forward to our Sunday get-togethers because they are so laid back. If not eating out, I might bring the girls around to their grandparents' house where there's a trampoline that's always popular.

I've never been one for lazy Sundays in front of the television because my father would never let us do that as children. As a result, we spend afternoons doing things. I might bring the girls horse-riding, or I really enjoy shopping in town. It's the one day of the week I don't work . . . we only open Paul Sheeran Jewellers on Sundays in November and December . . . and so I can take my time wandering around. The pace is slower on a Sunday and you can take in so much more.

The other benefits of a Sunday's relaxed atmosphere is the time it gives me to show the girls things . . . maybe it's a wander around Phoenix Park, a look at the pictures around St Stephen's Green or a trip to the Natural History Museum, which they adore.

In the evenings, I like to stay at home. Work brings me out a lot during the week and so I enjoy getting a little time to myself at home. I don't want to dress up, or go out . . . you'll never see me clean-shaven on a Sunday!

Because of work, I'll often have to travel abroad for buying trips or meetings but I get very cross if I have to leave on a Sunday evening.

I'm not a huge television fan, but I love Top Gear; it's a Sunday night must, outside of that I don't care. I love travel shows too or will get stuck into a good book. It might also be the first time of the day I get to tackle the newspapers.

I can honesty say I don't get the Sunday night blues, I love what I do and I regard every Monday as the start of a new game. At the moment, we're in the final stages for a new jewellery store in Dundrum Town Centre. It opens towards the end of October and will be called Rocks and Time. It's taking up a lot of my waking hours right now, and a good few of my sleeping ones too. . .

Sundays included!

Melanie Morris