Aargh! We Just Ordered Cable TV

My husband has been hankering after cable TV for a good number of years but I always thought the addition of 100s of extra channels would be the end for us.

It drives me mad when he flicks over the channels with the remote control especially when some guy is in mid-sentence and I was half-listening to it. I can't think what it will be like when he is flicking through so many more. I think it's a guy thing. They have complete power and control of that one world - the TV.

I hate to think of TV taking over our lives and we have made do with a 22" with the basic channels in the corner of the lounge for years.

But anyway, my husband loves sport so much, and it was starting to be that you had to have cable to see the good matches and games apparently so I gave in and last week when we upgraded to a 37" LCD we decided to give cable a go. It's being installed on Tuesday.

But aargh, have I done the right thing? Time will tell.

Garden Furniture - I need it now!

The weather is just beginning to warm up here and suddenly I'm starting to think about what is happening outside in the garden and what we need for it - a perfect patio set!

Course the garden is a bit of a jungle right now but bit by bit I am taming it and once I'm finished I'd like to sit down and enjoy it. And I am through having picnics and wanting to sit on the lawn - I want something which every adult with a garden should have - a bona fide beautiful outdoor table and chairs (and a couple of those reclining lounge chairs to boot).

But my goodness, have you seen the prices of these things? I might have to wait until the summer is over and get one at a reduced price.

I had a look online and found a lot of patio furniture sets available as well as a lot of information and guides on patio furniture. This consumer guide to patio sets seems to think it's great to buy a patio set online but I'm not convinced yet. Call me paranoid but I'd like to see the quality of the wood and workmanship if I'm paying big bucks.

Quite strange because I buy a whole lot of other goods online, site unseen including indoor furniture. I wonder what it is about patio sets? I mean you don't even usually get the one that's on display when you buy in a store. No doubt I'll probably get over it because there's so much choice in patio furniture available on the web at keen prices.

Home Essentials or Wishes?

Home essentials may not be the right term for this blog because most of us could get by with very little if we had to - a roof over our heads, a bit of warmth in winter, light and fuel for cooking, kitchen utensils, cooker, plates and cutlery, bathroom facilities and then maybe a table and a bed.

But really we want more than that don't we? So much has become essential for us to live our lives the way we want to live them. We want things to give us more comfort like a big squashy sofa and goose down duvet. We want entertainment in the form of laptops, LCD TVs and sound systems. We want means of communicating with the outside world - broadband and telephones. And we want things to look good with paintings or art work, great decor and plants.

So maybe it should be home wishes rather than home essentials but I'm sticking to the essentials bit because I have to justify my spending somehow LOL