Christmas Shopping

I remember back to when I was a Saturday girl at our deli - I worked mornings and Janey did afternoons - and around Christmas time, we used to marvel at just how much food people used to order. We'd know, for example, that their weekly bread order was a vienna loaf and 6 white batch [1] and then on Christmas Eve, the order would be 15 vienna and 30 batch - or something equally ridiculous. Similarly, people used to order pizzas like they were going out of fashion. Why pizzas at Christmas? We didn't know! 10, 15 large pizzas - each different. Hundreds and hundreds of them on Christmas Eve. Mum would have to get extra 'pizza girls' in just to keep the production line going in Christmas week, with grated cheese, chopped ham, and all the trimmings!

Still, I've never really got it.

We have had 2 'at home' Christmases these past 2 years. One with Dan's family, and one with mine. It's been really lovely. But, although I know we had a few extra bits we wouldn't normally buy (eg extra puddings for the Aldridges, or extra wine for the Rossis) it wasn't an order of magnitude bigger than our normal shop for that week - maybe an extra 50 quid. On one shop. The one before they came.

So, I was rather dismayed to pitch up to Sainsblobs one night after work over a month ago - it was the 2nd week in November - to find that I couldn't get a parking space. The cars were actually parked all over on the pavement in spots not normally allocated to parking.

"What's going on?" I thought to myself. Was it a special event on at the White Rose shopping centre? Then I realised - it was a Thursday 'late night'. The first in the run up to Christmas. I couldn't believe it. 6 weeks before Xmas and already the shops were overflowing. Aren't we supposed to be in a recession?

So, we've not been anywhere near a supermarket since then. We've shopped for milk/bread/eggs at the local convenience market - they even do a line in fresh salad items and wine too. We've done one delivery order from the aforementioned supermarket chain (loads of fizzy water, bottles and tins, poor guy) but mostly we've been eating what's been stored in the freezer. I refuse to jump on the consumer bandwagon!


[1] That's "bap" for the southerners and "breadcake" for the Yorkshire folk

 

Oh it's been such a chilled weekend...

Dan's had his hair cut.

I had a coffee in Mark's caff.

We bought some BEAUTIFUL flowers in Morley.

We plundered the Farmers market in Leeds.

I blitzed the remaining leaves on the basil plant with olive oil for our own pesto.






We made 2 'ready to use' pasta sauces using some of the jars of sun dried tomatoes which are threatening to take over our fridge.

It has been so nice.

Yay!

Why does everything seem worse at 4am?

Been awake since 4am - it's 08:20 and there's no sign of sleep, although I *am* tired!

I often wake at about 4 - it seems to be the time where my brain comes out of its deep sleep and launches into the lighter sleep that you need for dreaming.

Last night/this morning I woke at 4 and, instead of just looking at the time, turning over, and going back to sleep, as happens most nights, my brain launched into a million thoughts. I could understand if I had things to worry about, but I don't!

The things that I was dwelling on, and which were keeping me awake were so mundane and trivial that, if I'd have thought them during the day, I wouldn't have given them a second thought - but somehow at 4am they seemed to be serious, and worrying and made my mind race.

Things that were going through my mind

1. Plans for painting the downstairs loo (I'm not even bothered about this!)
2. Not doing the garden (Well we don't - that's why we have a gardener)
3. People I've not heard from in years

Bizarre isn't it?

Antisocal Types

I've worked in IT for 22 years, and, I suppose that means I've come in contact with many hundreds of people; probably a few thousand. Until 3 weeks ago, I would have completely disagreed with the stereotype of the IT geek - the socially inept, typically male, awkward person, who lurks around in their dark little dungeon of an office.

Well, I can tell you now that they still exist.

I've been working on the customer site next to an office where they lurk. They sometimes come through the room I'm working in - but even when confronted face to face with a cheezy grin and an "Hello!" from me, their eyes slide down to the floor and they sidle past, trying to pretend they haven't seen me. It's too bizarre. Even when they come and work in the room I'm in, they steadfastly refrain from eye contact, and never speak. Odd.

I know that there is a correlation between people with Aspergers and IT jobs - and I think that's because the 2 mindsets have matching qualities; attention to detail, interest in "things" not people, focus. Mutually beneficial, I'd say. However, I'm just shocked that (a) I've not really seen this before (b) they all work in the room next to where I'm currently sat.

Going Grey Gracefully

I've just returned from one of my regular 'grey extraction' sessions at the hairdresser's tonight. I've recently reduced my once-every-6-weeks appointments down to once-every-5-weeks, because for that last week, I'm ready to slit my wrists. No, not literally, but it *does* make me depressed.

Dad went completely grey from lovely dark black within about 5 years from his 38th birthday. I have the same hairline, thickness and double crown. My hair even used to do the same 50's quiff when I had it as short as his. Hmmmm I wonder what else is going to be the same?

True to my genetic heritage, I started noticing the grey around 2 years ago when I turned 38. My hair grows really fast and so for about a fortnight before I was due an appointment at the hairdresser I'd notice the tufty unruly grey straggley bits at my temples - most out of line with the normally shiny, rich dark brown colour of all the other hairs on my head. Brunettes have it hard.

The fringe is the friend of the 'greying at the temples' 30-something girl about town, so I had one cut in at the beginning of the year. It allows you to hide the grey in your parting (or the scars from your facelift) by moving the parting to your crown - thankfully not greying there yet!

I've yet to have *that* conversation with my hairdresser - the one that a good (brunette) friend of mine recently had. The one where the hairdresser says that trying to keep your hair at your 'natural' aka OLD colour is like trying to push back the tide, a losing battle. "Go lighter" they tell you. "Have blonde highlights". I think I'd rather have no hair at all.

So no, there'll be no going grey gracefully for me. No getting lighter and lighter until there's more 'ash' than 'blonde'. No coming out as a 'silver surfer' like Jamie Lee Curtis. No.

I'll be a brunette 'till the day I dye!

Oooh the lovely bed.

We love going away - anyone who reads this blog will notice that we do it quite often! However in recent years we've noticed a problem. We bought a new bed back in April 07 and I can honestly say it's the nicest comfiest bed IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

Why?

Well it's a Super King size for a start. This is it. So there's enough space to move around in! We don't disturb each other when turning over, and, now we do the split quilt thing, you'd hardly notice there was anyone else there! Secondly it's one of these heavenly mattresses. Squidgy on the top and firmer in the middle! Sounds just like me! Anyway, it's so comfortable that we both love getting back into it when we've been away. Nothing else quite compares.

I should probably go on their website as 'Pleased of Leeds'