Sunday 14 February 2016

My fizzy Valentine...Schhh, you know who!


It is a mark of how preoccupied I have been lately that Valentine's Day is upon us and I nearly forgot to mark the date with a post. I have written one in past years, though by no means with anything approaching regularity. Okay, precisely twice in six and a half years, plus a snippet towards a big collaborative effort on Cafleurebon. Of the two posts on here, only the one from 2013 gets as far as suggesting perfumes suited to the occasion, and to this day remains the closest approximation to a classic Valentine's feature, though in fairness it's still pretty random.

And because I am sure someone else has addressed the theme of 'dark seductive rose scents', or whatever else a person might think to wear to a romantic candlelit dinner - should you be fortunate enough to have a partner who will not flinch at the shameless price hikes that obtain at this time of year - I will confine myself to telling you about my own Valentine's Day so far. It may be more typical than I imagine - you can be the judges of that!

Sunday started later than usual, at 6.57am, when Truffle began her highly honed and completely non-negotiable 'walking on my face' trick, which she will sustain without let up for a good fifteen minutes. I usually crack within three, however, and stumble downstairs in the semi-gloom to feed her. In the past few days, the head walking stunt has been timed at 5.47, 5.53 and 3.48, so at least there's no risk of the pair of us getting in a rut with our morning callisthenics routine - or cat-isthenics, routine, even.

'It's this or your head.'

In the past, I could always count on receiving a Valentine's card from Charlie Bonkers, with an actual paw mark on it and everything. She used to sell some of her kibble to raise funds to buy it, peel off the cellophane wrapper and price label - the full nine yards. By contrast, there has been nothing at all from Truffle today - no box of eponymous chocolates, no card, zilch. I tell myself she is still only five months old, and has no means of getting out to go to the shops, even if she could write.




Truffle can already flick water like a good 'un, mind - that was her technique this morning for making me get out of the bath, so she could climb in after me and swing the plug around on its chain, bat the Greek sponge around like a football etc. Yes, she splashed water about half a dozen times quite deliberately over my iPhone. She knows about this tech stuff, I tell you, like all the young ones seem to do. I bet she'd gone and hidden the bag of rice too, that trusty cupboard staple pressed into service in such calamities.

Later this morning, Truffle was very naughty with some hanks from the wool basket, getting a high end ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn into a right old robble. If it had been bright red, there might have been extenuating circumstances given the nature of the day, but it was egg yolk yellow and definitely off limits.

But even though the kitten didn't quite come up trumps, the day has been enjoyable. I visited the friend who keeps perfume in the fridge on his barge - the one I introduced to BEX Londoner SE1. In a strictly non-Valentine's related show of hospitality, he served up rhubarb crumble, which we ate off a repurposed toilet seat before watching a pair of swans outside the window not quite making partial heart shapes with their necks.



Next up I went to Asda, where, rather than buy myself an expensive bunch of roses on the cusp of wilting, or a pack of strawberries with dipping chocolate - or even an Easter egg for that matter, as there are absolutely tons of those in store already! - I stocked up with 36 cans of tonic water with a best before of May 2016. Half price at just £2 a box! Can I drink 36 gins in about 12 weeks - leaving a bit of a buffer for premature flatness, or 'deffervescence', if that's a word? At a rate of only three a week, I'd say no bother at all...;)



And now, in the spirit of 'sisters spraying it for themselves', I really should consider putting on some perfume for what's left of the day. In view of my 'tonic coup' just now, maybe I'll skip the rose scents this year, and go straight for Juniper Sling.

Oh, and here is the iconic ad in question...








14 comments:

Thinkingmagpie said...

£2 a box is a great price. Good find.
I guess your Valentine's Day has been more eventful than mine. ;) I worked from 11 till 6 and the only thing happened to me today was free tapas - they were actually tasty - I got with coffee at my local bar this morning... I'll probably nibble some chocolate later after tea. :D

Tiffanie said...

"Wool you be mine?" is adorable and a perfect sentiment for today. Cheers!

Vanessa said...

Hi Yukiko,

The same box is £4.99 in my local Co-op, so it's a bargain indeed. You do seem to work at weekends quite a bit, so I hope you have other days off in lieu. The tapas sound nice - a great feature of Spanish cuisine. I remember churros and chocolate as being a bit of an institution too. My friend was based near Valladolid. Which I tried ever so hard not to pronounce as 'Valladolid'.

Vanessa said...

Haha, Tiffanie, glad you liked it! It amused me too, especially given my penchant for knitting.

Pats said...

Dear Vanessa, how i laughed when you said Truffle had 'no means of getting out to the shops'... i could just imagine her with her scarf and wheeled shopper out getting a card for you... lol. I am a great lover of rhubarb crumble (and cream) yum - and even nicer, eating it off a (repurposed) toilet seat (errrr, i could do it, anything for food).
ps. your posts do make me laugh missus! :-)

Yuki said...

Oh my, the repurposed toilet seat is a table? That crumble looks amazing, toilet seat and all. Thank you for the cheery post, as always! (But how DID Truffle get up on the door?)

Vanessa said...

Hi Pats,

LOL at the image of Truffle trundling a wheeled shopper behind her - one of those tartan ones it would have to be...

All crumble is great in my book, but rhubarb is a particular favourite, I must say.

Glad the post raised a smile!

Vanessa said...

Hi Yuki,

It absolutely is. My friend thought it would make the best use of the small space available on the long seat opposite the sink unit.

Truffle is a champion jumper, basically. She has mastered the door in the dining room too now, but this bedroom door she jumps on from the top of the bed head. Still quite a distance it must be said!

Asali said...

Truffle is just being a right teenager, and she really wants to get out more :-) I'm not sure I've ever received anything on Valentine's and I think I'd prefer to receive things and cards on any other day than this actually. So your non-valentines post suits me perfectly.

Vanessa said...

Hi Asali,

Yes, that is a good analogy, and she is booked in for her op on 1st March, so it won't be long now till she discovers the great outdoors. ;)

Glad you liked my non-Valentine's post!

Tara said...

V, you cold re-name the blog Bonkers About Truffle and we'd all be perfectly happy with that. She and you are endlessly entertaining.
Love how she gets up on those doors (brilliant caption!)and "cat-isthetics" is too good. You're not tempted to shut her out to avoid the early mornings? I know they're not exactly your thing.


Undina said...

I'm not sure there's anything I could add after the deep and thought provoking comment posted above (I hope you'll kill it soon :) ) but I'll try.

My Valentine's day this year was a little unusual: instead of just quietly staying at home and sharing food with Rusty, 6 of us cooked and ate dinner at the friends' house. The only two things that reminded of the occasion were a heart-shaped frangipane tart and my special Valentine's stockings (black with red and pink hearts, I wear them once a year, usually to the office but since it was a weekend, I had to wear it to somewhere!). And I put on Amouage Lyric.

Truffle is quite an acrobat! Just make sure not to share your G&T with her ;)

Vanessa said...

Hi Tara,

Haha, I think people might tire of her antics eventually, so I promise to keep perfume in the mix of topics.

I am certainly considering shutting her out all night before my heaviest work days in the next couple of weeks. So far I am managing to get by with one interruption, typically between 4am and 6am, before going back to bed to rest if not sleep. I am hoping that when she goes out she might enjoy being out all night and we will enter a new era of independence. Or that is the theory at least. ;)

Vanessa said...

Hi Undina,

I killed it. Buying dissertations, tsk, tsk!

Your Valentine's Day sounds most convivial, and I like the small romantic touches round the margins - your stockings in particular sound showstopping! Lyric is a great match for the night.

Truffle is very partial to my night water and the dregs of my cold tea at any time. I shan't let her near my G & Ts for sure - or not while I am in the room at least!