Tales of the Unexpected

Of course, they have to be good surprises but when they happen, they make life fun, they change the course of your thoughts.

When I was six or seven, I learned to knit. Amazing satisfaction was soon replaced by a sense of 'so what?' But then my mother did something quite brilliant: she created balls of hand-wound wool full of odd corners and projections. She had hidden all sorts of tiny surprise presents inside the ball. Wrapped toffees, an eraser, a miniature whistle, a tiny toy. All discovered as I knitted. No cheating here!

Recently, shopping has taken on this feeling of wondering what is just around the corner. I am talking of a visit to Aldi. For, among the cereals, biscuit, vegetables and yoghurts, all the things that made you go there in the first place, there are all sorts of goodies which you never expected. Here's a great picture book for a small grandchild, here some chinese ceramic bowls with chopsticks, perfect for a present, there an elegant men's raincoat, half the price of elsewhere and an excellent fit for the man of the house. Vietnamese soups in tins, never heard of but once tasted, definitely moreish. Not to mention my everyday fleece lined suede bootee slippers,inseperable from my feet when in wintry France.

So unexpected. Such fun. What surprise will the next visit bring?