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Twenty-storey non-stop snowstorm

After gently joshing Karen about the impeccable neatness of her (and Pete‘s) bag – what, no receipts? – I was inspired to empty mine. All the way to the bottom; I suspect I have never excavated so far in the year since I was given it. I haven’t photographed it, that would scare you.

The bag itself: I was given it by my mother-in-law last Christmas (you will need a big bag now you have two children). I love it. It is large and black and has brightly coloured batik cats all over it: the only problem, if I was looking for something to complain about, is also its virtue: it is so capacious things just disappear into its depths. I use it both as handbag and nappy bag, though when (if) I go out without children I decant* purse, keys and phone into a smaller bag – like Karen, I wonder what I carried before I had children (and went here to find out: links a bit erratic so scroll down to the 18th) – and skip along feeling light and unburdened.

Inside:

  • Two hats for Tamsin; one woolly and bobbly and oh so cute, the other pink and jersey and also very cute.
  • One nappy: size 1 totsbot, yellow.
  • My notebook, full of random scribblings. Lists, recipes, addresses, Japanese vocabulary (I’ve had it a long time).
  • Red gloves, mine.
  • Fruit knife.
  • a brown leather purse, in which I keep vouchers and cash that has been given to me and the girls as presents – in principle, if we are out and I see something they might like (a new toy or similar) I can use that to get it. In practice, I forget it is there.
  • Tamsin’s mittens: they match the woolly hat, above, and she will not keep them on.
  • My prescription sunglasses.
  • A powder compact: Clinique, quite ancient.
  • Crabtree and Evelyn comfort cream (for nappies) – rarely used but you never know.
  • My purse: fat with reward cards and bus tickets.
  • A pen.
  • An old to-do list (which, I note, contains “tax return” as its first item. I really must.)
  • Two contact lenses – one for each eye, which is pretty good going.
  • Keys to my parents’ house. Must give them back.
  • A sachet of lemsip.
  • An old shopping list (snow-white costume, boots, birthday cards for October birthdays).
  • A receipt for library fines.
  • Lipstick (I cannot remember the last time I applied it).
  • A doll shoe, small and pink.
  • Tamsin’s sippy cup, yellow, half an inch of water (recently put in the bag).
  • A small tupperware with some cheesy nibbles for Tamsin.
  • Happy hippy out and about spray (like this).
  • Wipes: expensive eco ones. Like Karen, it worries me that normal branded ones remove pen and paint so well: they are also the best way to clean my stainless steel kitchen bin and make it shiny. I do sometimes buy asda fragrance-free, because they are so very cheap, though.
  • One admission ticket, child, to Stockley Farm. I think we went in August.
  • My phone: Nokia, 3 years old. If I agreed not to upgrade last summer they slashed my tariff by 2/3. Who needs a whizzy phone?

*what word do I mean, here?

6 Responses to “Twenty-storey non-stop snowstorm”

  1. Pete
    December 5th, 2007 10:11
    1

    My receipts are all in my wallet, which I didn’t empty. Was I supposed to empty my wallet?

  2. Lisa
    December 5th, 2007 10:32
    2

    Um. Perhaps wallets should be kept for a future date?

  3. Heather
    December 5th, 2007 19:41
    3

    Decant is fine. Is a most useful word/function. You can even decant children, especially when floppily asleep, from carseat to cot. If you’re lucky.

  4. Chris
    December 6th, 2007 09:34
    4

    I’d have used “put”, but then again I have a much smaller v,v , list of words I know.

  5. VP
    December 11th, 2007 08:09
    5

    Decant’s exactly the word I would use. I frequently decant these exact same items into handy pockets. You’ve shamed me into exploring the depths of my rucksack I use every day. Believe me, the results aren’t pretty…

  6. VP
    December 13th, 2007 21:29
    6

    Hiya,

    Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my site. I’ve now posted about the contents of my rucksack, purse contents are to follow tomorrow or sometime over the weekend!

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