This morning I ordered the bits for the Christmas stockings I do each year for my nephews and niece - it might seem a bit previous to some of you, but I like to know that I've got most of the Christmas stuff done early so it allows me plenty of 'panic time' in December. I use this fab website called Hawkin's Bazaar, because they do lots of affordable toys and things that kids love - and as I refuse point blank to buy anything that involves a games console or DVD player there is plenty of choice of what I suppose are now 'old fashioned' toys and games designed to get kids moving about, and preferably outside! Toys that I remember my younger brother getting for Christmas, and him disappearing once he was dressed to try them out in the garden or the street with his mates...like a bow and arrow!!! Yep, got one of those....
I have four nephews you see, and it's impossible for me to know what to get them as they are growing and changing all the time (plus as my younger brother and I don't communicate I can't ask him), so it's very much an exercise in remembering what nippers used to like to play with when I was their age and going from there. Some of it is a bit mischievous so they can play tricks on their parents and/or visiting families....fun for them if no-one else! And when you are aged 10, 9, and 6 you should be enjoying yourself at Christmas!! My youngest nephew isn't 1 until mid-January so he's a bit easier to buy for at the moment! And my niece, who's 4 and a half, is just a princess, and having a princess of my own I just go with what she likes.
C went and bought the felt for the shed roof this morning - did I mention we'd had some damage in the winds recently? Part of the shed felt blew off the other day and we've done a temporary repair with tarpaulin and staple gun; thankfully we have two willing volunteers in Chich and Arth, who are coming over at the weekend (weather permitting) to re-felt it before the tarpaulin itself sails off into the sky...Of course I completely forgot that the felt was in the Land Rover, so when I went off to walk the mutts it was a bit of a surprise to find it in there...and as it's heavy duty it is, actually, heavy so I couldn't move it - they had to make to with less room in the back.
I had an appointment at the hairdresser's this afternoon, so C came with me as he said he wanted to go for a wander around Newport. He's got an urge to buy something; he doesn't know what he wants to buy - now I can't understand this, and I think all the ladies will empathise. I NEVER have any trouble whatsoever in finding something to buy, I can always find nice things that I'd like, or would like for the house, or someone else; it doesn't matter where I am, or how much money I have or haven't got, or whether there's a reason to buy anything, but buy something I will. I opine that this is because women have a basic grasp that you don't necessarily have to NEED something to buy it; WANT is enough, but men are more practical and don't do fripperies, so if it doesn't (a) do anything or (b) plug into something they have trouble justifying the expense. Am I right or am I right????
Hercule Poirot says, in one of Agatha Christie's books, that a woman can always trust three people: her priest, her hairdresser and her private detective (I know, but he was old fashioned and in those days most women had at least one of these!) and should always be up front with them. I have a hairdresser, and I've known her for, crikey, must be getting on for 20 years or so now, so talking to her about what's happening with C is quite a cathartic process and gives me a totally different perspective from other people I talk to, mainly because she knew C quite well and was part of the family for seven years when she was living with my younger brother (the one I don't speak with). It's almost like a confessional, although I'm imagining this as I've never been to confession personally, but it does me good and I get my hair done into the bargain. We talk about all sorts of stuff, including C, and the cancer, and the fact the my younger brother (the one I don't talk to) is an ostrich closely resembling Victor Meldrew and/or a hermit. But I don't want to go into that....suffice it to say that the hour I was there did me a power of good and was very reassuring for my doubting self confidence.
C didn't buy anything in the end - I picked him up in the town empty handed. I did suggest he could have done some of his Christmas shopping, i.e. my presents, but he likes to do that with Romilly, "And anyway", he said, "It's not December yet."
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