Today has been one of those unreal days..............   If I don't write it now I'll be in doubt it ever happened!    As all my avid readers know my friend unexpectantly gave me a years membership to an amazing spa as she had won 2 free memberships in a raffle.   Tonight we went to a welcome evening (lovely crisps!),  I love the sophistication, the champagneflutes, the atmosphere and the people are lovely, really good fun and interesting - there are a couple of ladies, older than me but clearly out to grab a suitably rich man or bit of fun.   We had a brief presentation of a new revoluntionary facial and explanation of their Christmas gift sets and then we got vouchers!  Funny thing was there was this funny smell hanging around, amongst the lovely aromatic candles burning and nourishing body oils there still occassionally was a kind of funny smell.   OMG I've trod in something! that must be the funny but familiar smell! - I discreetly found a way of checking the underside of my shoes, all clear but then realise my childhood GP who is now well known on the TV is looking curiously at me!   Obviously he doesn't recognise me from my childhood, it's the fact I am checking the underside of my shoes in one of the poshest spa's in England!

Ok, back on track, the smell, I discover a squidy mass in my trouser pocket, it's the home made liver cake I lovingly concocked for Roger, gone all warm and smelly - have to say Roger was very pleased to see me when I got home tonight.    

Did I use my vouchers?   Oh yes and I'm looking forward to having a bath tonight and trying out all my goodies.   But all this lead me on to thinking, did I buy my set because it was a good deal because of the money off voucher and then my membership discount is applied too?   or was I encouraged to part with my money because it is all displayed and wrapped so beautifully?     Every Christmas present buying seems to get more difficult.   'In the good old days'  you could get people things which were a treat, that they wouldn't buy themselves or that they actually needed.   Now, even my parents and grandparents just seem to have everything they need - is this is a refection on our standard of living going up or a symptom of having credit cards - if you want it go and get it, we don't tend to save up for things anymore, we just work out of we can afford the repayments.    Maybe it's just a change as to why we buy joke presents now or I like to think we're coming full circle into buying practical things.   One of Pampered Chef's best selling items before Christmas are the batter bowls (£15.50)  and I think it's because we do recipes to go with them where you layer up the dry ingredients for celebration cookies for instance and there are little gift tags with the instructions on.    The bowls with the brown sugar, dried cranberries, oats, flour, white choc chips etc all layered up and then tied with a big bow do look amazing  (note to self I must practise doing good bows!)    I suppose it's a practical present which lasts and is very useful, it's not spending money for the sake of it and it shows effort and thought - ticks all my boxes!

Nina x

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