Dear Santa....

Okay, so the last post was all about impossibly difficult people (mainly men). Now we’ve got those sorted, let’s move onto just plain lovely things.

Jo Malone: I am a total sucker for these scents. I don’t know any woman who doesn’t love the scent of LBM (Lime Basil Mandarin) either on herself or on her bloke. Okay, I’ve asked for it now, haven’t I? Come on, line up to say you hate it! I also adore Pomegranate Noir – though I admit that’s more of a marmite scent. I mourn the passing of their wild fig and cassis soap (which was one of life’s small indulgences) and love the look (hmm, should be scent surely) of the new Cologne Intense range. If the Jo Malone PR happens to be reading – um, be a love and send us some samples eh?

 Friendship bracelets. I discovered Chambers and Beau on Twitter and fell instantly in love with their gorgeous girly jewellery. My absolute favourites are the friendship bracelets – from a very reasonable £35. Only trouble is, which would you pick? I reckon you’d need a gaggle really, just for the heck of it. When my book Samael becomes a huge bestseller, major movie franchise etc, these guys are SO doing the jewellery merchandising!  Okay, so a girl can dream eh?  :) 

They also do some lovely necklaces and some pretty funky cufflinks too.... be warned though, you may not come out as flush as you went in.

Boots, boots, boots...shoes, shoes, shoes.  Oh god, it’s another cliché but I adore footwear (mainly because they always fit). Yes I cast an eye over the designer lovelies (Burberry, Marni, Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen and Rag and Bone have some pretty fab stuff) but, to be honest, who has the money for that kind of thing nowadays? I’ve been a bit blown away by the way this lot have transformed their shoe range lately. Check out the Marni lookalike clog boots for example (hmm, would like to point out that I was ahead of the game here by about three years – before the SP chewed the hell out of my Russell & Bromley babies). Seriously it’s hard to pick just one pair here – each to their own! By the way, Boot Fairies - I’m a size 7.
Would point out that these (above) would be hilarious on me as I have zero balance- but they'd be pretty good for a party.

Books, books, books.  Is there any greater joy than a pile of books under the Christmas tree? My Amazon wishlist is groaning. Top of the picks is The Passage by Justin Cronin. Why? It’s dark, brooding, vampiric (in a very non-Twilight way) and also exceedingly thick. I read ridiculously fast so a good chunky book is a godsend. Also on the list, The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor, Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (the sequel to the stunning Beautiful Creatures). If you have teenage girls who loved Twilight do yourself a favour and buy them the two together (this is Twilight with knobs on – way darker and more beautiful). Spotting a theme here? Let’s break away. David Mitchell is a literary god in my eyes and his pyrotechnics with words leave me breathless. I am nursing a deep grudge against the Booker Prize for not even shortlisting The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet as it meant I didn’t get this one in my usual Book People package. I’d like to read The Small Hand by Susan Hill but I think I’ll wait until it comes out in paperback. It’s darn slim and while Hill is a fabulous writer, following her on Twitter for a while rather put me off!

Music, music, music. I’ve finally come round to the idea that I really ought to get an iPod. I’ve resisted up until now but it’s getting silly. There are odd tracks I’d love to hear (without buying the entire album). However, I’ll still be getting CDs (as I put them on my old beatbox on my desk as I work). My lovely niece has been giving me some suggestions so I’m going to be checking out Beach House, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Holly Throsby, Bowerbirds, Phoebe Killdeer and Cate le Bon. Also craving some early Leonard Cohen and a smidgeon of Roddy Frame.

Groovy dog collars. Oh gawd, but I could spend HOURS on the Holly & Lil website, choosing some accoutrements for Asbo Jack and the Soul Puppy. Which to choose, which to choose? I love the Pirates of the Caribbean vibe but am also very tempted by the Bett Lynchness of the Safari Collection. Of course, if you’re feeling flush and want to do your bit at the same time you could buy the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Collar, with THE cutest charms (a hefty £78 but £15 goes to the charity). There’s even a Christmas collar collection (how pampered is that?).

Throws. Okay, so I’d really really love a huge great big totally realistic, madly soft fake fur throw – I dunno, bearskin or something dark brown and hairy. But they’re bulky to pack and darned expensive. I do absolutely adore this - it has to be said. However last year I bought one of these Slumberbugs Heart blankets (£26.50) and, as I type, it’s keeping both me and the SP nice and snug. Really funky design and lovely and soft.




And, before I go, one I forgot to include in the picky difficult category...smelly men. Men are Useless have come up with the brilliant idea of a box of grooming essentials for the kind of man who thinks Imperial Leather is posh (yes, I AM thinking of something near and dear to me). They’ll post your bloke a box of all the bits he ought to buy for himself but probably doesn’t. From £9.99 – take a look. I also love their Wall of Shame which includes such gems as “Women put things on the bottom stair to take up next time she has to go upstairs. Men just step over them until told to pick them up.” Sound familiar??

By the way, if you click through to Next from my blog, I may just get some goodies.  Given the parlous state of the Bonkers House finances right now, this would be tantamount to charity (without even having to pay a penny yourself).  There's no catch, you don't have to buy and you won't ever get horrid spam emails.  Just click HERE - actually they do have some really nice stuff (I may be selling out but I'm not selling out THAT much!).