Not Amy Winehouse, but the redoubtable Ms Singleton inspired the humid Bangalore afternoon today. After road testing out local Chinese takeaway for lunch (you see I am fully embracing cultural diversity) I happened by a fancy goods store - and some twinkling wares whispered sweet Biddy Baxters in my ears. Before you could peel off your sticky back plastic, the wardrobe was being raided ( I will be in trouble for that - Mrs Reiver regards coat-hangers as highly personal assets) and I was digging out the candles I got from my trip to Koppal (home of Lionel the Warthog). To fully complete the ambience I tuned into the light programme on the t'interweb, and as the Germans would say 'bastled' away, after an hour Col Hannibal Jones was loving it, and our kitchen was adorned with a new decoration.Our house is designed around Vaastu principles (Vaastu Shastra deals with various aspects of designing and building living environments that are in harmony with the physical and metaphysical forces) and I trust that this small intrusion of a sixties childhood will not upset the balance too much - it certainly makes me feel more at home. Yes - I know using candles is a fire hazard, it is just to look at ! - but as there was no sign of any advent candles at our local church on Sunday, and the approach to the festive season was celebrated by the local 'Three Degrees' singing a modern Christmas song written by a US magician, combined by the minister telling us what Marys stress score would have been as assessed by psychiatrists today - somebody had to do something!
5 comments:
Good try although you seem to have omitted the normally ubiquitous santa made from a toilet roll centre tube, red paint and cotton wool. Nevertheless, I hope the decoration brings about some sort of seasonal spirit. In Teddington we went about things in a slightly different way, ie I was despatched with 35 sovs in crumpled notes to buy a tree from the local school sale. 2 hours struggling to get the tree up and standing and a sore back later I wonder if it was all worth it. Basic problem: tree base diameter 100mm, designer xmas tree bucket maximum diameter 80mm. It was bowsaw city. Equilibrium restored in the evening with a tot of Bowmore from Heathrow duty-free.
at least you've got a tree (???) up!!!
There must be a micro-window of opportunity for a mobile lathe business to 'right size' tree bases at this time of the year - what would we all give for that smooth effortless glide into place and wobble free existence - answers on a postcard or stuck down envelope...
I keep looking out of my window for the peripatetic lathe officer from Richmond borough council but cometh he not. Tree erection now assured by locating in the corner of the sitting room.
Listening to the world service I gather I am lucky to have a tree at all. Apparently there is a european market for xmas trees and, with the pound struggling against the mighty euro, Fritz and Jap are coming over and buying up ours, leaving us with a nasty rash of supply-side inflation.
I promise to get out more.
Predictably at dinner on Friday I lit the candles - Equally predictably during main course the tinsel went on fire. Only superficial damage - Biddy is still hangin tough!
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