Finally, a slightly more normal post

Our kitchen is very small. The only problem worse than the lack of work area is the lack of storage space. I realised this morning that I could free up a drawer and half a cupboard by doing some kitchen filing. I decided that a row of spice jars would definitely look very good on top of the cupboard, as would some of those large storage jars filled with flour, sugar, pasta, etc. A trip to IKEA was rapidly organised.

I'd heard that a new one has opened recently just south of Brisbane and the rumour is that it's bigger than a big thing chucked out of Bigville for being to big. The rumours weren't wrong. Although I'm surprised that no one had told me that the car park was marshalled by a bunch of idiots. All cars were being waved along to the parking level on the roof. Despite the fact it was completely full and there was virtually no way of turning around to get back down again.

It was the only time I've been grateful that the hire car is such a little piece of shit. Most real cars were getting wedged in all sorts of dead ends and then realising that they'd have to reverse about half a kilometre to get out again. We eventually ignored the marshals and parked on a lower level where there were spaces galore.

Despite planning to buy just some storage jars and spice jars we ended up with:

- Clothes horse (Saves using the drier - electricity savings!)
- Set of wine glasses (Because TT hates me drinking wine out of a pint jar, or worse, the bottle)
- Couple of replacement bowls (I've had an unlucky run and smashed 2 recently)
- Couple of normal drinking glasses (ditto reason above)
- Bright green fluffy snake (Because it's cool)
- Large stuffed giraffe (My mother collects them)
- Clothes pegs
- Bedside lamp (Wanted one for ages to save me from getting up to turn the light off)
- Wood stain (Had to buy it because of the large warning sticker on the side: WARNING - RISK OF SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION)
- Storage jars x 4 (At last, the thing I came looking for!)
- Spice jars x 12 (Ditto)
- About a dozen IKEA pencils and measuring tapes (Because they're FREE)

Nothing is ever as simple as planned is it? TT decided to assemble the lamp and accidentally snapped a bit off. I fixed it using a cunning blend of PVA, sellotape and match sticks (ironically, these are the exact same materials I used to fix our tumble drier a couple of weeks ago - don't ask)

The kitchen looks much tidier now. I still hate IKEA.