Katy Guest: Rant & Rave (25/03/12)

 

Katy Guest
Sunday 25 March 2012 02:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rant

News that the average home contains £3,540-worth of unused, pointless stuff will not surprise anyone who has visited the Ideal Home Show in London this month. I was there for hours, and even I couldn't find any tat worth buying – but somebody must be.

Among the DIY and greener-living demonstrations, stalls with actual stuff on them seem to be divided between twee soft furnishings and ridiculously over-engineered technical solutions to problems that don't really exist. So, in one area you can buy a cushion made into the word "LOVE", or bookends spelling "H.O.M.E" (apparently it is not enough for our decor to say something about who we are any more unless it literally spells it out); and in another you can pay £15 for a battery-operated custard stirrer. I hate it when people divide neatly along gender lines, but all over Earl's Court men were dragging wives off those rustic, heart-shaped metal candle holders and pulling them towards ugly showers that double as baths, steam rooms, foot spas, discos and space rockets, and that cost about a million quid and then never seem to work. Unfortunately I do not divide along gender lines and am more excited that there's a sale on at Wickes, so it was a good job that I found the champagne tent and the roasted pig-in-a-bap stand before my head exploded all over the Wellbeing section. There were two purchases that didn't cause domestic warfare, and which will definitely not be left lying around my average home gathering dust.

Rave

Clocks-going-forward day is a mixed blessing for me, because it marks the end of all my excuses for putting things off. As of today I finally can start cycling to work – because I can then cycle home again before nightfall. I can Get Things Done in the evenings instead of watching repeats of Grand Designs, in which other people Get Things Done that I have seen them do at least twice before. I can even start eating fresh salads instead of the vat of chilli con carne, frozen in individual portions, that seems to have lasted all winter. Just because I can do these things doesn't mean that I will, of course.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in