Ready-made dinners have come a long way since the synthetically-filled, dubious-tasting, health-hazard products of the 80s and 90s (although I've at least survived into middle-age unscathed by the odd Findus Crisy Pancake!) Now there are some quite fabulous and delicious locally produced ready meals available for us lazy sub-human creatures who occasionally are too knackered at the end of a busy week to cook.

I'm with eimearcahill, there is absolutely NOTHING tasteful about my Christmas decorations, it's excess everywhere. I did suggest when my daughters both got to their twenties that I might scale things back a bit but, after a reaction that could have earned them a walk on part in The Grinch who Stole Christmas, I realised that it was obviously very important that I spent the best part of a day turning the house into Santa's grotto :D I now have a granddaughter so I am resigned to many more years to come....

We keep all of our sharp knives in their own drawer, which has a magnetic bar to keep them in place and to stop them from rubbing on each other and losing their edge. I can't bear too much clutter out on the worktop. Besides, if a murdering maniac bursts in, I don't want to make it too easy for him. I'd like to think by the time, he's opened all the drawers to find the knives, the police will have arrived. LOL

I have two sets for each of the three bedrooms so couples staying can easily tell which towels are whose. They match or blend with the decor of the bedroom and the bathroom/shower room. I love colourful towels and I love colourful patterned towels even more. They can be hard to find and when I find them, I buy.