Monthly Archives: January 2007

At the weekend there I took the cappuccino maker that Fliss got me for xmas back for a refund. The dial on it had broken after only about five or six uses, which I took to be a sign of poor quality for something that cost quite a bit and I would expect to last a good couple of years.

I didn’t trust the build quality of the Breville enough to try another one of those – especially since the Breville kettle we bought last year already has a crack near the element, so I just asked for a credit note. I actually wouldn’t have minded trying one of the Tassimo ones instead, but Fliss thinks that the sachets are too expensive.

After reading through The Laminated Book of Dreams it turns out that there’s absolutely nothing in the same price range that I either want or need. Which is odd in itself, as just a few years ago I didn’t think that I could ever reach saturation point in the category of shiny gadgets for under £100.

Which leaves me feeling a little disappointed – Fliss got me a really thoughtful gift, which ticked all the right boxes in that it did something I liked, and was the kind of thing I couldn’t have justified buying myself, but was an ideal present. Ah well, maybe something will turn up in the next edition of the Laminated Book of Dreams… aside from the Scooby Doo costume that I almost came home with!

I’ve used electric shavers pretty much since I first had to shave, and have upgraded only a couple of times along the way – most recently when I got a shaver I could use in the shower, back in October 2004. Whether it’s due to using electric shavers or not, I don’t know, but I suffer from the occasional trapped hair and it causes no end of grief when it happens. So, back in early December I thought I’d try wet shaving with a razor for the first time in a good ten years.

Last time I tried I royally, and I mean royally, messed it up. Despite getting myself the awesome King of Shaves lotion, I made schoolboy errors, like going against the grain, and I just about skinned myself alive. Afterwards I had rinsed away the blood from multiple cuts, slapped on copious amounts of Givenchy Gentleman aftershave, which I then got in my mouth as I tried to stifle the screams, and woke the next day with a face like the elephant man suffering an allergic reaction to peanuts. Ouch.

Needless to say, as soon as my skin had recovered I was back using the electric shaver again.

The truth is, I had no idea how to have a wet shave. My original father was gone long before he could show me how, and my stepfather has a beard, so he wasn’t much help. It’s not the kind of thing you ask your mates about when you’re a teenager, either. I mean, everybody knows how to shave, right?

And so it was that me learning how to wet shave just kind of fell through the cracks of life. Using an electric shaver, which somewhat limits the harm I can inflict upon myself, seemed the safe and sensible option.

With hindsight, that ill fated attempt back in the 90’s was due, in part, to me copying those ridiculous adverts by razor blade companies. You know – the ones that would have you believe the very ownership of one of those things increases your manliness exponentially, such is the sheer machismo that they attach to testosterone injected products with names like Mach 15 Extreme Turbo Dragonslayer 4.

The 2006 christmas holidays turned out to be the most enjoyable trip back to Scotland in years, for me. From the night we arrived at Claire and Campbell’s on the way up, to our brief stop off at their place on the way back down, and everything in between, it was a christmas I’ll remember fondly for years to come.

A lot of the success of the holiday was due to “house-sitting” for Claire’s dad. As good fortune had it, her father was off on a long holiday on the other side of the world. So, while he enjoyed the warm climes of Australia, we got to spend the week in a fabulous house. The sheer convenience of having somewhere to unwind and enjoy some breathing space made a huge difference to the holiday. That and the showers, the warmth, the comfy bed, and all the other benefits of staying in a plush house that’s ten times the size of your own. The only downside was having to leave it to go back to our shoebox at the end of the holiday.

Anyhow, christmas day was really cool. All of the family gathered at my mum’s place, where the tree looked magnificent, surrounded by the sea of presents that lay before it. That’s the cool thing about having an extended family – major present haul. I got used to that kind of scene when I was little, so it was great for Elisha to experience it for her first christmas, even if she didn’t really have a clue what was going on.

It was funny watching her tear open the presents as they were handed to her, and then play amongst the shreds of wrapping paper. Having no concept of ownership, she didn’t get too excited by any of the presents she was given, and at one point started putting a present back in the box as I was trying to take it out for her. I’m sure she’ll have the hang of it for next year.

Since her cousin Abigail was a little too small to be involved in unwrapping at only a month old, Elisha got the lions share of attention from the relatives. At one point I went to see where she’d wandered off to, and found her sitting by herself on the kitchen floor, just sighing to herself. I guess she needed a break from the noise and fuss, as she enjoys a relatively peaceful existence at home.