l
lDAY SIX
Sundays in our house are normally lazy affairs, but today we've got a christening to go to and we're running late.
We vow to make love as soon as we get home, but while Colin doesn't drink, I'm partial to champagne, and it's been flowing all afternoon.
Back home, all I want to do is go to bed and sleep, but, of course, I can't.
DAY SEVEN
I'm beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea.
Last night, love-making felt like a chore for the first time, and because neither of us was particularly in the mood we just went through the motions.
I'm not looking forward to bedtime and Colin admits he's not interested either. Sure enough, we fall asleep without any marital relations taking place. Looks like this could be over before it got started.
DAY EIGHT
I wake up cross with both of us that we've given up so easily, and tell Colin we've got to make up for last night by making love twice today.
We tackle the project with renewed vigour before work and then again straight after dinner.
'At least now we can go to bed and go straight to sleep,' says Colin. I feign indignation, but he's only said exactly what I was thinking.
DAY NINE
Colin wakes up hoping for a repeat performance of yesterday, but I'm not playing. I have to be in work early. 'Tonight, I promise,' I say as we kiss goodbye.
What's normally a brief kiss turns into a passionate one - not bad considering we've been together more than a decade. I think about Colin regularly through the day.
DAY TEN
My sister calls to remind me that I've promised to baby-sit my 11 and 14-year-old nieces this weekend. I tell her that I'm worried this might impact on our lovemaking.
'Welcome to my world,' she scoffs, before telling me I can't back out on my sisterly duties. I tell Colin that we have to practise being very quiet.
DAY 11
The girls arrive armed with DVDs and bags of sweets, and announce they want to stay up really late, just like they did last time they stayed over. By 11pm, I'm pleading with them to go to sleep.
'Forget it,' I snap at Colin when I finally get under the duvet. There's no way I can do that with the girls awake on the other side of the wall.
DAY 12
'I've lost 2lb. All this extra exercise is doing me good'
Little wonder couples with children complain they don't have enough sex: finding an opportunity with these two in the house is all but impossible.
In the end, I send them out with a long shopping list, set the timer on my phone to go off in ten minutes and drag Colin upstairs. 'Look on it as a challenge,' I tell him.
DAY 13
The girls go home and we've got the house to ourselves. Midmorning I say breezily: 'I'll just vacuum and then we can go to bed.'
Bad move. I accidentally suck up one of the girl's hair bobbles and it gets stuck in the machine.
It takes Colin an hour to get it going again, by which time love is the last thing on either of our minds. But we do it anyway and then go out for lunch, something we realise we just don't do often enough.
DAY 14
I go out for a drink after work with a girlfriend and tell her about our project. 'You must be mad,' she says, before warning me that our friendship will be ruined if Colin or I tell her husband what we're up to. 'Don't you dare go giving him any daft ideas.'
DAY 15
I'm going to be working late tonight, so I set the alarm for 6am so we can get our duties out of the way before the day gets started. Colin grunts when I try to nudge him awake. 'I need my sleep,' he groans.
Maybe he'll be a bit more understanding when he's in the mood for love and I say that I'm too tired.
DAY 16
Friends come round for a midweek dinner and comment on how attentive we seem to each other. I keep quiet about why, having taken note of my friend's reaction earlier in the week, but throw Colin a wink.
We're definitely a lot more tactile with each other, and have started flirting again.
DAY 17
I spoke too soon - we've had a huge row over the fact that Colin forgot to put out the bin last night and now we're up to our eyes in rubbish.
He can't see why I'm making such a fuss, which only makes me madder. The last thing I want to do is to make love with Colin. Normally something like this would be the perfect excuse to withhold sex, but that's not an option.
It's difficult to stay cross with someone you've made love to - Colin promises to make a trip to the tip and all is forgiven.
DAY 18
I've got a streaming cold and a headache. Colin is keeping his distance. 'What about a cuddle?' I ask as I splutter into a tissue. 'No thanks,' says Colin. 'I'm sleeping in the spare room.'
DAY 19
Still poorly, so I stay in bed. Colin spends the day bringing me hot drinks and homemade soup, and does all the housework so I can rest.
He's never been this attentive when I've had a cold before - all this lovemaking has made him a changed man.
DAY 20
The weekend has been a write-off on the sex front, yet Colin and I feel closer and more relaxed than we have in a long time.
It brings it home to me how important regular sex in a marriage is to nurture the bond you share.
DAY 21
Back to work, and I'm almost restored to full health. I send Colin a flirty text hinting at the fun we'll be able to enjoy when we see each other later. I can't believe I'm chatting up my own husband.
DAY 22
I notice that my trousers are a little looser, so I step on the scales and discover I've lost 2lb. All this extra exercise is doing me good.
DAY 23
A friend is in town and stays the night. I'd emailed her at the start of the month and told her what we were doing, which she brings up over dinner, joking that we'd better not keep her awake tonight.
This puts Colin in a bad mood because I've let slip what we're up to, and when she goes to bed he has a go at me for being indiscreet. I try to laugh it off, but he's really cross about it. He refuses to make love. I lie awake fuming - isn't it supposed to be the woman who withholds favours?
DAY 24
Colin wakes feeling guilty and suggests we make up for missing out yesterday. I realise that the argument will only escalate if I refuse. Instead, we make love and the grumpiness vanishes. We make love again that evening, our row long forgotten.
DAY 25
I meet my mum for lunch and she comments on how fresh-faced I appear. 'Have you discovered a new foundation?' she asks.
I must say I feel more attractive and better about myself than I have in years. Feeling desired does wonders for a woman's self-esteem.
DAY 26
I'm having to factor in an extra ten minutes into my daily grooming regime so I can shave my legs, and I'm wearing more make-up than usual.
I'm going to continue with this after the month is up - it's nice to feel groomed, whether it's with sex in mind or not.
DAY 27
We're near the end of Colin's gift, so we decide to spend the entire day in bed, just as we did on Sundays when we first became a couple. It's not just about sex - it's about relishing shutting out the rest of the world. We'd like a family, so we need to make the most of days like this.
DAY 28
We've made love 25 times in 28 days, and there's no question that we've grown closer as a result.
I thought I might be relieved to get to the last day, but I'm just determined to make sex far more of a priority than it used to be.
My friend has lent me a DVD I've wanted to watch for ages, so I put it on after dinner. Colin and I cuddle up on the sofa together to watch it - normally he spreads out on one chair while I take over another.
'When did we stop doing this?' I ask him. We go to bed tired and we've got work in the morning.
'Let's just cuddle,' says Colin, and as we drift off to sleep it feels like the perfect end to the present that ended up being a gift not just for Colin, but for our marriage, too.