That's A Wrap

I was starting to think I wouldn't get round to wrapping all my Christmas presents before Saturday morning - which would be foolish - so I somehow convinced myself to do it today. Turns out that buying wrapping paper in Marks & Sparks was a good move, because the reverse side of their rolls is marked with a 1cm grid, thus making it far easier to (a) cut the required amount of paper and (b) keep the cuts straight.

Because, y'know, I'm good with scissors, but can't keep a straight line on rolls of wrapping paper.

And, with the presents are wrapped, I went looking for carrier bags suitable for transporting them back to my folks' place. I have two stashes of carrier bags. One under my sink, and one in a carrier bag (naturally) in the hall by my phone table. The latter is a random selection of bags of different sizes, without rhyme or reason... generally not grocery shopping bags, though. The former... well, that was just a mess. I basically stuff bags in the cupboard under the sink and slam the door closed before they all come tumbling out again.

Because I'm really that organized.

While I'm happy to report both that it turned out to be a real goldmine and that I've now even tidied up in there (more than half the bottom shelf is now clear, and the loose bags are contained within - yes - a large carrier bag which now occupies only half the top shelf, meaning I can actually see the pipes again), I did get a bit of a scare out of the experience.

Well, not a scare, as such.

Put it like this: You know how rodents will shred anything - plastic bags, cardboard food boxes, etc - to make their bedding?

Yes. I did. I found a shredded plastic bag. But only one. And, mercifully, no rodents.

Briefly, I had considered what I might do if I found a mouse loose about my house (imagine a broad Scottish accent for best results... That's not what I sound like, but nor would it sound like "a mice lice abite may hice" if I were to say it - I'm certainly not from those parts of London - but a Scottish accent would reference an old song), since I don't really have any sensible way of containing such creatures. I did once catch a small mouse over at my parents' house using an array of about five tall drinking glasses laid out on their sides on the floor of the lounge, between the door and the nearest sofa (behind which the mouse had hid), and then kept it contained until my folks got back home simply by standing the glass. They now keep mouse traps all over the ground floor, rather than getting another cat, because the death of our third was just as unbearable to my mother as the other two.

But I digress...

There wasn't really anywhere - other than a drinking glass - I could keep a captured mouse for any length of time, so it was extremely fortunate that the shredded bag was just that - a single, solitary shredded Tesco carrier bag. There was no evidence either of the presence of a rodent, or to explain what had happened to the bag... so, while it's a mystery, it's one I shouldn't be losing any sleep over.

In other news, my flat felt so hot today that I actually turned off the central heating in the late afternoon/early evening. Such a strange turn of events, given how cold it's been lately. I've been shivering away while wearing a jumper with the heating on... Now, suddenly, we have spring-like weather.

Call me a cynic, but I don't think winter is over just yet...