Monday 27 September 2010

Things that make me go 'Huh?'

The past week brought a few things that made me think - some good, some bad, some downright odd. Here are a few that made me go "Huh?"

Colour comes to Greek bathrooms!
Ever since I arrived in Greece more than 20 years ago, the loo roll shelves at the supermarket have been dominated by white. Different ply, plain or quilted, occasionally embellished with a subtle pattern to keep you amused while you're sat on the throne - but white, all white.
Last week that changed.

Thanks to the truck drivers'/hauliers' continued strike, I guess stocks must be running low. For when I made my Saturday dash to the supermarket I was stopped in my tracks by empty shelves in the toilet paper aisle. Empty, except for a small splash of colour in the corner.
But it wasn't the soft pastels beloved by genteel ladies back in Blighty who like to cooridnate with their bathroom suites. Oh no.
It was vibrant magenta, shouty teal, and... wait for it... black. Yes, you heard right - black loo roll. The Goths of Greece must be in ecstasy.
But I passed. The extra dye can't be eco-friendly - and I'm pretty sure it's no good for my nether regions either.

Claims that feminism has killed the art of home cooking
If I had 'just' read about this in the Daily Mail I would have ignored it. But when I heard it over on the airwaves on my beloved Radio 4, I started sputtering with rage like Daffy Duck after three double espressos.
Apparently, it is all the fault of those nasty, unnatural, strident harpies demanding equal treatment that families never sit down together to eat any more and that our youth are all under-nourished obese couch potatoes who wouldn't know a carrot in the raw if it was shoved up their left nostril.
I take pride in the fact that I don't buy 'ready' food. I enjoy serving up tasty nourishing meals to my family - because I want to look after them. I love messing about in the kitchen - I count cooking as one of my hobbies (I can hear the readers of the Daily Mail getting ready to give me my Homemaker's gold star).
But hang on a mo. Something must be wrong, surely? For I am also a mother who works full-time - and then some (Shock! Horror!).
I am also (brace yourselves) a feminist - always have been, always will be.
(Can you hear the cries of "No! How can this be?" as they prepare to rip my gold stars from my shoulders and smear blackened chip fat over my face to mark my shame?).
But come closer, and I'll tell you two little secrets (drops voice to a whisper):
No.1 - Not all homecooked meals take three hours preparation, and
No.2 - Daddies can cook too.

More surreal tales from my dreamscape
I'm lucky. I remember many of my dreams, but I never seem to have nightmares.
What I do have are slightly bizarre dreams, ones that have me waking up with that vague "What was all that about?" feeling.
Like the one where I went to visit Mum, and pleading tiredness got into bed, only to put it into gear, drive it downtown, park it next to the local department store and go for a stroll round the shops.
Or where I was wandering thorugh some woods with my college friends, and we came across an outdoor swimming pool (which we all instinctively knew was the property of Paul McCartney). We all dove in, and as we hit the water, it turned into a multi-coloured flying carept and flew off into the sunset with us on board. (Nice, eh?)
This week is was perhaps a little more mundane but it still left me with that "What the?" sensation. I was in Argentina for some reason. With my 13-year-old son, who should by all rights have been at school. And I decided that we should go to the Falkand Islands (like you do - places to go, sheep to meet). So, I trundled up to the Air Malvinas desk with 50 quid in my pocket, only to be told the price was 4,000.
Now, I guess it's pretty clear that my desire to explore is frustrated by harsh economic reality, but why - oh why - the Falkland Islands??

So, what has made YOU go "Huh?" lately? Do tell.

6 comments:

  1. We sauntered out of our flat recently, passing by the small copse of trees that border where we live. Propped up against a large tree, quite as if this were the most natural thing in the world, was a six foot tall, four foot wide, stuffed kangaroo toy. Even for Brighton this was odd. Several people, us included, paused to take photos. Ah hour later it had disappeared.

    I still have no idea what that was all about...

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  2. Love the ramble and love Georgina's comment as well! I am reading this at the end of Monday work and find it very restful!

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  3. Now you come to mention it I've not seen any coloured toilet paper here in Cyprus! I think I agree with you about the black though, what happened to pale pink and blue!

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  4. Ha! Loved your "huh?s". I have always been happy with white TP.
    My DH does all the cooking in our house, always has. The good Lord knew I would need someone like him to feed and romance me.
    I had sort of a bad dream this week. I was driving out of the church parking lot in our motorcoach (which I don't drive). The lights wouldn't turn on so I couldn't see and the brakes wouldn't work so I couldn't stop. Somehow I managed to get on the shoulder of the road driving backward until I rolled to a stop. Friends came driving in front of me to give me light. I think it was telling me I am overwhelmed with work and out of control! :) Have a great week.

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  5. I absolutely love this post. So funny! And I'm well with you on number 2. It's good job our Cheffy Daddy can cook otherwise we'd be up the creek without a paddle because I'm bloody useless!

    Becca x

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  6. ha~! and colored toilet paper? hm.

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