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Malone

I am glad you alerted me to the depressing "empty box" scandal. It has given me an idea. I have just finished a large box of chocolates and rather than throwing the box away, I could give it to the lady in my life as a Christmas present. She likes receiving chocolates but says they are not good for her, so it seems a perfect solution. I will wrap it in expensive paper of course.

Similarly, I usually buy a friend six cans of beer. He drinks too much, so I might consume the contents and give him the empty cans.

I have been thinking what to get Grunger this year. I believe you can buy empty pastry cases. Surely that will be better for her than with the fillings she uses.

I am sure these presents will be well-received.

Jigjag

While I was initially impressed with the inventiveness of your basic idea, anyone who gave me an empty box of chocolates would feel the full wrath of my tongue. I also wouldn't appreciate you wasting good money on expensive paper - that money could buy some chocolate.

The empty pastry cases does seem a reasonable suggestion. I'd make sure you bought one each of savoury and sweet cases, then Grunger can let her imagination run wild when it comes to fillings. Brussels sprouts with brandy butter is one suggestion - quite a versatile one really, as the filling suits both sweet and savoury pastry cases.

A friend gave me a Japanese advent calender- so far the pictures (and that's all that is behind the little doors, thank goodness) show either twee animals, the odd flower, or male faces (3). One of them looks as if he is in the Floating World -or found an excellent sex toy- one looks bored (maybe ditto) and the third has a face covered with red stripes. I am not sure what to make of this. Has he walked into freshly-painted railings?

Pyjamas are about acceptable- but in one part of my family the boxes contain onesies!!!???!!! No way am I ever going to wear one of those, unless that's what they bury you in these days (paper, of course).

P.S Tescos and some catalogues (at literally more than twice the price plus postage) have some excellent chocolate truffles designed to look like - and actually do- sprouts. can't wait to see the looks on my sons' faces (I hope that apostrophe is right, there are two of them. The sons, that is.)
Now, choc sprouts with brandy butter...... slimmingworld.com

Rosalind

When I rule the world, onesies - the garment and the word itself - will be eradicated, wiped off the face of the earth, never to be seen again.

The Japanese calendar sounds … vaguely interesting, in so much as it's a little different.

I've seen the chocolate 'sprouts' - some tiny, dinky ones, some ordinary-sized ones. Last year I saw a board game that revolved around sprouts, a dozen chocolate ones. Eleven of them were chocolate and chocolate only, the twelfth was 'Brussels sprout flavoured chocolate'. The loser (definitely not the winner) had to eat the exotic/revolting one.

malone

Sorry if the O word caused Offence (!)

This could develop into a new game- If I ruled the world....

There would be no caravans or motor bikes ( OK, I'm ducking).
No-one would be allowed to call someone or millions of someones stupid or ignorant for voting/thinking differently and
There would be free asparagus for everyone.

Rosalind

I now feel overly arrogant - I opted for 'when I rule the world', whereas you're going for 'if I ruled the world'. I don't mind you banning caravans and motor bikes as they're things I seldom see (and which never inconvenience me). I too would be happy to ban calling someone 'stupid' or 'ignorant' for voting or thinking differently. I'll have to pass on the free asparagus, I've never liked the stuff.

Malone

You don't like asparagus? This is the end of the world as we know it!

Do you never get behind a caravan being pulled along a narrow road, or disliked the sight of them en masse in a field/round our coast? Ah well. For many years every time I entered my living room I got a full, broadside-on view of my neighbour's caravan. I hated it, and I still hate them. Luckily he departed this life many years ago, taking his horrible vehicle with him.

jigjag

it is very kind of you to send me some empty pastry cases. After all it is the thought that counts and you have clearly put a lot of thought into it.
Malone's idea of sprouts and brandy butter sounds great and I will experiment with some combinations.

Malone, Rosalind

Just love all those inventive postings this afternoon - very entertaining!

Grunger

Glad you've enjoyed this afternoon's stuff ( 'stuff' in the stuff and nonsense sense!). It's good that you're pleased with Jigjag's present, even though it doesn't fall into the 'pre-owned' or 'pre-loved' category of the used beer cans and chocolate box .

Although my 'sprouts and brandy butter' was ostensibly a 'fun' suggestion, it wouldn't surprise me if it appeared on the supermarket shelves soon. Today I've seen 'winter berry and Prosecco crisps', sprout-flavoured crisps and a 'pigs in blankets quiche'. Last year, Tesco had 'candy cane flavoured crisps', where will the nonsense end?

Rosalind,

I'm a city dweller, so caravans have little impact on my life. I have seen them, occasionally, when I've ventured into the green spaces, but they've never held me up.