Monday (early...): Insomnia

Sometimes I suffer from terrible insomnia - it's really irritating and there's not a great deal you can do at night which doesn't include surfing the internet, reading articles or sorting socks.  Perhaps it's a change of season thing?  Mind you, the way the weather's going you'd think we lived in Siberia, wouldn't you?  All I can hear as I type in the dining room is the constant banging of my gerbil, Monica as she scurries around her gerbilarium.  Poor mite - she's the last survivor of three whom I named Monica, Phoebe and Rachel for reasons only known to viewers of a well known sitcom which lasted for 256 episodes.

The middle of the night's a lonely place.  I seem to recall living in a demi monde when I was looking after my newborn son a few years ago.  I used to record films and watch them in the middle of the night via wireless headphones (another bloody thing which has disappeared into the hell of my clutter...) I believe I watched an array such wonderful movies: 10, Swimming Pool, Erin Brockovich and others I cannot possibly recall. 

David Baddiel wrote his debut novel Time for Bed about his insomnia and my friend bought it for me years ago but, akin to many books one owns, I didn't read it until relatively recently.  It's well worth picking it up though as the thinly-disguised main character (aka David Ivor Baddiel) is a layabout who lives in north London who's in love with his beautiful sister-in-law.  As you can imagine, he writes well and I seem to recall quite a rude scene of a 'back door' nature, but as this blog hasn't got an age setting on it, I won't elaborate.

We watched Will Self being interviewed on a SkyArts1 programme entitled In Confidence, where the host asks the guest a series of psychoanalytical questions.  I would say that it was interesting, albeit confusing.  Hasn't Self got a huge vocabulary?  I adore the concept of being an  homourbanis or maybe a flaneur.  Actually, the last one is me to a tee; personally I just think that I'm a bit of a timewasting arsebiscuit at times, but that's just my own spin on things. 

Monday: bed and bread

I'm sure I've not written about my new bed yet, but as you can imagine, it's high time I did.  Righty ho.  We bought it from a local bed shop because we wanted to support local tradesmen and I'm glad we did, although the sales pitch did make me laugh with the proprietor saying that 'he'd had many a good night's sleep on the Kensington [mattress] because the wife had kicked him into the spare room.'  Really?  Anyway, it took over a month to arrive, partly because they'd filed the paperwork under 'M' for Mrs X.  Hmmm.

Fast forward until now if you may and we've gone quite wild and purchased new bedding, duvets and even a replacement memory foam pillow for my good self and this is what it looks like:

Don't worry - we don't just share one pillow - my husband's one of these people who love flat pillows (why?) and hence why there's three sitting on the bed.  The bedding's from John Lewis and the pattern is called 'Blossom'.  We are huge fans of JL textiles because they wash well, don't bobble (don't you just hate it when you have to shave your duvet cover?)

Finally: bread.  I have recently got very excited about Asda's 'Tiger Bread' which is both moreish and delicious and I haven't a clue what they put in it, but I adore it anyway.  I am aware that Sainsbury's changed the name to 'Giraffe Bread' after a small girl suggested it whilst in store.  However, the quality isn't there in the latter supermarket and Asda wins hands down.  I just wish the same could be said of their ready meals, not that I'm admitting to eating such things, of course.  However, this is being typed by somebody who has just wolfed down a whole 100g bag of Cadbury's Mini Eggs.  Eek!

Friday: why I like odd things - cat decorations and karaoke

So, why do you like odd things?  Is it just a kink for you or is there a reasoning behind it?  It's funny you should ask, but I just do.  I find humour in the strangest places and someone once said 'you do take pleasure in the mundane, don't you?'  Well, yes I do.

Take this for example, a box which is located in my local supermarket with the express purpose of persuading customers to purchase extra tins of cat and dog food for donation to the local Animal Rescue Centre:

Now don't get me wrong, I love cats, in fact we have one of our own, Tilly, a 13-year-old female tortie who's obsessed by my husband and doesn't appreciate me very much, but she does let you stroke her unlike my parents' cats Fluffy and Pamela.  We rescued her from the local Cats' Protection League.  Actually, I'll re-phrase that, she was a rescue cat and indeed didn't need an escape route from the comfort of the CPL's heated pens, but there you go.

I love tacky cat-related objects; luckily I don't own a great deal of it, which is great because I hate dusting and Duchess Towers is decorated by enough bad taste anyway.  My favourite was an ornament you could buy from one of those catalogues which regularly fall out of The Radio Times: it was a pair of beautifully crafted poly resin cats which played 'You Are My Sunshine' when pressed.  It was truly lovely and there's not a day which goes past when I don't miss it.  

Finally, there's a pub I'm always walking past which I last ventured into during the 1990s where myself and a friend encountered a gentleman who professed to be a direct descendant of Clive of India.  Anyway, they have regular karaoke nights and when my son wanders past he always says 'there's that place where you can drink and sing'.  Cute really.

Asda's Community Board

On Monday I did my usual trip to Asda to buy a few things and yes, Monday morning's a great time to go shopping, especially at about 08:56 when it's really quiet.  Anyway, I wandered around, as you do and whilst exiting I spotted the Community Noticeboard, which I guess is part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility ethos.  I did spot this strange notice for Thursday though:

So, have I got that right?  Is the Bishop of Rochester really going to visit a supermarket?  What is he planning to do, bless the bakery products whilst wearing his baretta?  Very strange indeed....pity I won't be around to see him as I have to work.  Shame.