Twelve

Wy twelve on day ten? Well, it suddenly dawned on me that you'll be travelling and bopping around Blighty for the next few days and the likelihood of you checking this blog'd be about nil. So, here they are, all in one go - the last three days of pre-Christmas.

And what better way to bring the process to a close than with a cute Christmas bear (which I noticed the other day is the Skype emoticon for hug).

Oh just got it - bear hug. Well, der...

See ya Sunday :) :) :) :)

Eleven

Christmas just wouldn't be complete without a pair of silly reindeer horns, now would it?

I've sent a copy of this pic to Kay and Larry to make sure they pressure you into wearing them.

Actually, you'd fit right in with all the other antlers in the cabin, don'tya think?

Ten

You can't see this one properly ((yet another dodgy picture - obviously my photographic skills leave a lot to be desired).

Basically, it's a mug with Santa beaming from it - just the thing for those warming cups of hot chocolate when you get back in from a hard day building snowmen. Yeah. Right.

At least it has a Santa on it. And in case you were in any doubt, the labels says “Holiday Mug”.

Honest, I wonder what people are thinking sometimes. The other day I saw a card that said “It's Christmas”. Oh really! Coz I like never noticed. I thought all those lights and tinsel were there all year round.

Nine

Yep, we're back to the tacky track!

The obscure little ball thang (I know, it’s an appalling photo) next to the (vibrating) Santa is a plastic angel in a tree ornament that lights up. Sorry, I think it’s just wrong to combine fairy lights with angels and baubles. Wrong in a profoundly bad-taste sort of way. That didn’t stop me buying it, of course.

I feel sure it’ll be some lurid blue colour when you pull the little paper tab out.

You can put it in the window, right next to the flashing snowflake.

Eight

I can just imagine you doing your homework with these.

Especially at Sham el Naseem.

Actually, even if you don't use them at school (as if), I still think they're fun. And maybe they'll come in handy for all those wholesome Christmas party games you'll be playing with the Taylor Nautner lookalikes.

Seven

And hot on the heels of day five, we have a candy cane-scented candle.

Candles are big business in these parts. They come in all shapes, sizes and smells.

My favourites are the religious ones that come in glass jars with Jesus or Mary or someone else holy on them (I actually bought one today athe the dollar store). The only trouble (and I am at a loss to explain this) is that they don't seem to do them for Christmas, which seems like an over-sight to me.

Six

Who said Christmas doesn't have to be tacky? Course it does. And this just adds fuel to the fire (Good King Wenceslas-style) (if you're familiar with the song).

Just so’s you know what it is, it’s a plastic snowflake that lights up (in a flashing sort of way). Plus it has a suction cup so’s you can stick it to a window or summat (that way perfect strangers can tell how classy you are).

This isn’t the most tasteless bit of Christmas tack you’ll be getting, by the way. Oh no!

Batteries are included, so you're good (or bad) to go.

Five

And yet more candy! Will it never stop?

These puppies don’t really need an introduction, do they? A timeless classic without which no Christmas is complete.

(At least, that's what an ad might have to say about ’em.)

And I defy you to munch your way through them before you head back to Blighty.

Go on. I dare ya.

Four

If the last few days are anything to go by, you’ll probably have real snow in England . And tons of it too. But just in case there’s an unforseen Indian summer. you'll be just a shake away from your very own Arctic conditions.

I must say, though, this snow-globe is a bit crazy side. A snowman in a Santa suit!? Go figure. Personally, I think he should be wearing reindeer horns - then we'd have three Christmas icons in one instead of just the two.

Three

More candy! OMG! A solid chocolate Nutcracker (from the ballet, natch). And we’re only on day three.

I would say there’s not going to be any more. But you know what, I just can’t promise.

Anyway, it is Christmas (or nearly), the season of good cheer, over-indulgence and as many sugar-based goodies as you can get you lips around.

And in support that very assertion, I call upon the magic pixies (milk chocolate with magic popping candy) (it says so on the label) to bear witness.

Two

Yum, yum, yum Christmas candy! Not as nifty as last year’s, I know, but at least the colours are right. And actually, probably not nearly as yummy as the M’n’Ms either (Whatever happened to those, by the way? Who d’you eat ’em with?). But, at least, you do get a little plastic Santa sat on top so there’s some level of compensation.

One

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

I know, it’s hardly a partridge in a pear tree but it is the first of the 12 December days before I meet you in Jacksonville. And there’ll be a blog post on each and every one of them - a sort of advent calendar, if you like.

As an aside, I used to have bendies a bit like these when I was a kid (a lot younger than you, though). I still remember being severely disappointed when the outer ‘skin’ came off and it was just wire inside.

Oh, there’s a Christmas glow-stick too.

Markers

And what better for someone who reads half a dozen books at the same time? Plus some Nerds I picked up for free at the check out counter.

Smelly

Went to a Thanksgiving lunch/dinner/whatever on Thursday and played a game called Taboo for which the hostess gave out prizes. I got this and thought of you instantly (being as how you're into that incense stuff).

Tree

Well, Christmas is coming and even if I don't have a tree this year, you'll be able to make me tree-shaped cookies (yep, this is a Christmas cookie cutter). Plus, I think we'll probably do Kay's tree for her (she can't do it herself but she's Christmas crazy and has a ton of decorations). Oh happy days!

Christmas

A bit repetitive, I know (you have the hearts already), but jolly good fun for Christmastime drinks. And now that I'll be seeing you before the big day, totally in the spirit of the season. Not that I'd have been able to stop myself buying you Christmasy stuff anyway. As amatter of fact, I bought this BEFORE I knew you were coming to Georgia.



I got this too - a gel snowman that sticks on a mirror (or window, I guess) which I thought was kinda cool.

There's loads of Christmas stuff in the shops now that Halloween is over and I'd be willing to bet it's nowhere near as thick on the ground in Cairo. Mind you, I'd be pretty hard pushed to find a Sham el Naseem card when the time comes.

How ironic language can be! I just discovered that "alcohol" is an Arabic word.

Booze

Not exactly. Not exactly not, though. And being as how Mei-kwei nixed the Bailey's at bedtime, I thought these choccies'd do the trick. Only Bailey's flavoured. But still...







And at the bargain price of a mere 25¢, a little booklet of baking ideas for autumn, courtesy of Betty Crocker.

While we're on the subject of food, the Epicurious app has some very tasty-sounding recipes. It's free (but you'll need an iPhone, of course).

Bizaar

So, what has a itty-bitty house build out of Lego and a little tree of the same ilk got to do with anything? All will become clear in the next ten days or so.











But you know I wouldn't leave it there with nothing for your immediate gratification don't you?
Even if it is more sweeties (which I sort of said I wouldn't be doing, didn't I?). Simply couldn't resist this little fella, though.











Mmmmm... white chocolate.

Bucks

Not real money, unfortunately, but a note pad made of over-sized $50 bills (that's how come I made the piccie so big). Or, at least, that's what I think/hope it is. Haven't taken the shrink-wrap off so don't know for sure.

UFOs

These are really cool. Or maybe they're only cool for old codgers like me who used to get them as kids (four for a penny, as I recall). They're actually called Flying Saucers and only available at the English shop in Santa Monica (along with Oxo, Marmite and Heinz Baked Beans). They're rice paper filled with sour sherbert type stuff. Tracy made a lemon face when she tried them in the shop, so they must be okay - although perhaps not up to your exacting standards.

Game

This is probably the last thing that'll come out of Tracy's unpacking (yes, miraculously it's almost done) and how cute is it?

Very.

The piggies are really detailed and the instructions on how to play are in French. Even the case to keep it in is cool.

All in all, a far superior post to the duck, wouldn't you say?

Duck

This is a bath thermometer that came free with a pack of batteries. There were other gift options - an extra battery or a Duracell shaped screwdriver - neither of which I thought would be of any interest to you. So, a rather silly duck shaped thermometer it is.

It's yellow buy the way. Not white. Just a crap photo.

FYI: your iPhone is probably in Israel at the mo.

Blueberry

These looked good at the supermarket check-out so in the basket they went. Not terribly exciting, I'll admit, but I'm still looking out for stuff you might like. Even went to the dollars tore specially but couldn't find anything Lo-worthy.

Letters

I finally found some more letters - kinda cheated by going into Michael's -
but I was going there anyway - honest. So only A, O, S and E to go.





















These are from Tracy's old office. A pretty cool die-cut thingy of a pig so's you can make piggie paper or confetti - depending on your predisposition (only one confetto shown in the picture).








Plus the neatest paper-clips I've ever see. And they rhyme with Lola - a double bonus.

Corny

Or do I mean, candy. Well, yeah... probably candy. Or maybe candy-corny. Happy Halloween, Princess. Here's the candy corn you requested.











On top of which, (or technically, below) I chanced upon a pack of weird Jelly Beans at the check-out while I was waiting to pay for the corn (the woman didn't know what I was talking about, incidentally - I had to explain - a Brit explaining candy corn to an American - blimey!).

Anyway, this pack has regular coloured Jelly Beans with weird flavours. Here's one or two examples - what looks like Liquorice is now Skunk Spray and Strawberry Jam is Centipede. YUM!

I'll leave you to discover the rest.

Hearts

How much do I love? Enough to pick up an ice tray that makes heart-shaped ice cubes.

Added to that a "gourmet" lollipop (well, it's what it said in the shop) that's cotton candy flavored. Plus the turquoise colour goes rather well with the red, don't you think?

Silly

A bit stupid, admittedly, but cute, I thought. This is Rocky the roller-skating pig in a bucket with Rocky the roller-skating pig on it - picked out at the dollar section at target. He doesn't actually have roller skates on - except in the picture and he does look kinda dumb/gay in his little yellow cape but I was thinking of you while I wandered the aisles of Target and simply had to get you something. Even if it is somewhat silly.

Balls!

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm being influenced by too many episodes of Inbetweeners. I'll be calling people bender and bell-end before long. The other thing I keep meaning to mention is that the soundtrack to Will and Simon and Co's antics sounds like a playlist on my iPod. Strange!

Anyway, back to balls - one made of polished granite, the other rubber bands. And yes, it may seem more like stuff for me but it really is for you coz I know you don't have any.

Balls, that is.

Pumpkin

Halloween is all over the place here. There's candy corn, skulls and pumpkins everywhere. There's even a Halloween shop that sells all things Halloween-ish, from witchy outfits to animated/talking figures of skeletal butlers and cat silhouettes.

I just realized that where I live is a perfect trick-or-treat paradise - totally safe for kids to roam around with lots of candy-assed grown-ups.

Anyway, thought of you and grabbed this chocolate-covered orange marshmallow in the shape of a pumpkin from the display as I was buying shaving foam - yes, even the chemist shops do the whole Halloween thing. I'll be sure to spare a passing thought for you when I munch into it on 31st ;)

(°_°)

That's meant to be a pumpkin-head, by the way, even if it does look more like the Stay-Puffed marshmallow man.

Culture

Weird, innit? The way things work. There we were discussing a trip to NYC then an hour later Tracy picks this out of a storage box. It's about 1.5 x 2.5 inches.











And if it doesn't make sense to you, wait till you see what it folds out into.














Still not sure?

It's Manhattan, silly.

Wiggly

More from the 57 boxes we have in the spare room - a Piggly-Wiggly pencil. Not a lot but something, at least. Not sure if you remember seeing Piggly-Wigglies while you were in Georgia (there weren't that many) and I have never been inside one. They're a kind of supermarket chain (I think).

There will doubtless be more bits and bobs coming out of storage so watch this space (or the space above this one, as you so kindly pointed out the last time I said - or rather, wrote - that).

NB. The corrected spelling of Flair below.

Cards

Ooops! Seems I've been neglecting the blog for a few days. It's not that I haven't got stuff. Just that I haven't really had time - what with building a website (now complete at http://www.jeddonohoe.com) and sending out crawly emails asking for work.

Anyway, I'm here now with a couple of things.

The first, a little box found in storage boxes...

... that's full of the cutest, diddy, little cards that remind me of After Eights...

... you open the card and there are some pearls of wisdom inside (not wafer-thin mints at all). Kinda like the old-school version of Flair or something.

The one above says, "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."

– Helen Keller

And a stars-and-stripes wristband. Hmmm! A bit too patriotic? Well, okay, maybe just a tad.

Dosh

There's about $15 or $20's worth of change in this bottle already. I reckon it'd hold about $300 when it's full - or maybe, that's if it's full. Anyway, I chuck my change in it whenever I get a chance so there might be a good few bucks there by the time you next come to visit. And don't leave it longer on the assumption there'll be more cash by the time you arrive. Well, actually, that's probably true, but still...

Spex

Found these in storage and, whilst they may not look that interesting, they are kinda cool to look through. Just so's you get an idea I took a piccie with my iPhone looking through one of the lenses.

Pretty neat, huh? Even if they're not that pretty.

Vamps

Well, you already saw these so I won't go on about them.

Went on a long walk yesterday (10 miles) and found this (cheap, plastic and made in China) ring on the beach. Dunno if you'll like it but you did wear the last ring I found for you. Not a very good piccie either. It's kinda cute-ish in real life. (Maybe.)

Yeah... okay... not that exciting but this may tickle your fancy. Tracy found it in her storage and suggested it go on the blog. It's a solid silver Australian dollar that'd probably fetch around US$40 if you ever wanted to sell it.

Doubtless, there'll be more stuff coming out of storage as we wade through the stacks of boxes that are currently in the spare room. Something to look forward to? I think so...