Wednesday 29 October 2008

Some things are different...

...yet some things are just the same.


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I have come across two IKEAs so far in Vancouver - it's oddly reassuring to see people queuing for the same peculiar sounding furniture and bouncy looking meatballs. Although yesterday? I saw one corner of the store's restaurant set out for a child's birthday tea party. I have never seen that in the UK but thinking about it, why on earth not? After all, IKEA has a bouncy ball play area and the it serves has to be a bit more healthy than the same kind of event hosted at a fast food restaurant?


Also, d'y'know those packets of bite sized cinnamon rolls that you can get in the IKEA food shop? Here, they do not sell those. Instead they sell packets of 6 cinnamon rolls that are about the same size as a bath bun and are drizzled with icing sugar. The Fella likes to heat them, slice them and slather them in butter - it shouldn't work but somehow it does.


Things like this may explain why I have only been here for a month and I am already bursting out of my trousers. If you know me, you will also know that this is a serious worry for me. I am trying not to panic. So I have bought a set of bathroom scales, a pair of trainers, looked up local Weightwatchers meetings and found out the location of my nearest community centre (swimming pool and gym). If this fails, I may need a UK diet dust care package?


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PS: See this shop? I wish that I could be more enthusiastic about it but I got department store syndrome within 3 minutes of going inside. So I wandered around its aisles of densely stocked plastic fripperies in a daze while its goods glittered nastily at me and animated Christmas ornaments sang, 'Hallelujah,' alongside the Hallow'een sale goods. Tucked away at the back, there was a wall of some Patons, Red Heart and Bernat yarns plus a few tired looking patterns. I have made a mental note of the things that they stock in case I ever need anything but I am sorry, I am afraid that I couldn't leave the shop quickly enough.


Can anyone remember those WH CraftSmiths shops in the 70s and 80s? A bit like that but with a whole aisle of Martha Stewart crafts plus an aisle (or two) of artifical flowers for creating floral arrangements that you can dust?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Worry not, I hear Marjorie Dawes is currently touring the USA, i'm sure she can advise you on dusssssssssssssssssssssssst

;-)

Anonymous said...

Silly blogger that was not intended to be anonymous, it was me....

maybe some CAKE might help?


Sue
x

Anonymous said...

I dreamt of you last night. You were happy. Although, I must admit, busting out of your trousers. (Chalk this up to transference, rather than telepathy, as I'm getting distinctly podgy myself.)