Being a bad influence.

Well,  not “bad” like in a smokin’, drinkin’ or shootin’ drugs kind of way,  but perhaps just an “influence”.

See,  for any of you who might have ever gone across the pond to Europe,  you may have encountered a somewhat different way of putting sheets and blankets on a bed.    And even then, it would depend on where you slept,  and I’ll briefly mention the hotel situation later.

Here’s the thing. For many years, I have been known to immediately take hold of the blanket and sheet on my side of the bed at the slightest indication that my sleeping partner was about to make any kind of move.  This was a “learned skill” (that eventually can be done on a subconscious level) that was necessary to avoid waking up a little later on,  shivering in the cold with nary a blanket in sight.  It happens, believe me.

For my part,  I can ease under the covers,  lie there virtually motionless for the entire night,  wake up in the morning,  make one or two minor adjustments to the bedding,  and the bed is made.   This may very well be, because as a child our blankets were so flippin’ heavy,  I could barely move anyway?  It’s a theory.

I’m all alone when it comes to this notion of being able to lie virtually motionless throughout the night,  with the added skill set needed to quickly defend every inch of blanket whenever the need arises.  

Well actually no, I do hear that my son-in-law has a similar ability,  as he too has been known to suddenly clutch at the bed covers when faced with the impending threat of having them ripped off so fast he might end up with burn marks.   There’s some sort of genetic predisposition going on there between Travelling Companion and Daughter Number Two methinks?  Yet another theory.

So,  you can imagine my delight when we first arrived in Europe and was introduced to the idea of each of us having our very own set of coverings, (hazzah!) which then meant that I no longer needed to defend myself against the cold.   It was truly a bedding miracle! 

If you haven’t experienced this European way of making the bed,  you are indeed missing out on something remarkable.  I just want to say that.

There are a couple things going on here.   First of all,  there’s the “duvet”,  which is slipped into its own envelope-like sheet arrangement.  That’s the part that gets washed.   It’s a sheet.  It just happens to be a big envelope.

Each person gets their own,  so it can be lighter or heavier,  depending on ones own preference.  Additionally,  they can be switched to heavier ones for the winter months.  This was particularly useful when we lived in the Netherlands,  where the house we rented had damned little heat upstairs,  and we needed some serious covering up to keep warm at night. 

The second thing that’s going on,  involves these honkin’ big pillows.   Oh doggies!   They be nice.

 

 

Here’s what I’m talking about:

Click on that sucker.

That is only a double bed,  and the duvets and their covers are 180 cm,  so they’re meant for anything up to the size of a king.   That’s why there’s some overlap.   Note the big pillows.

The pillows and duvets can be had in either foam or feathers,  and they’re all equally comfortable. 

So for example,  when Daughter Number One was over here a couple years ago,  she was smitten with the big pillow program,  so when T.C. and I went home for Christmas two years ago,  I managed to scrunch up two pillows,  fit them into a suitcase, (there was some plastic bags and packaging tape involved) and we took them home for her.    They do take up a lot of room.  Even when scrunched up.  She’s a happy sleeper.

 

Well,  of the two of our most recent visitors,  only Rudy had ever been over here before,  and he probably never really gave his pillows or bedding a second thought,  so I’d imagine that whatever he had in his hotel room to crash on at the end of the day was perfectly fine.  

But just hold on there.  For Margaret,  this was her first time coming to Europe,  and I would dare say that,  even if you were to stay in a hotel,  instead of at “Chez Caretaker”,  you might not get the full “honkin’ big pillow” treatment.   Most hotels we’ve stayed in have pitifully small pillows,  and we usually have to go to the cupboard and get down the additional pillows that one hopes are stored there.  One hopes.

 

Of course,  you know that our visitors have already left the country, right? 

 

 

I’m not sure how else to say this,  but for Margaret I think there was some sort of “bedding overload”?   She was not only so smitten with the pillow program but the whole bedding arrangement was playing on her mind to the point where she just HAD to go shopping on Saturday.   I’d say it was “keeping her up at night”,  but it was actually the opposite.

 

So….. here we have,  sitting in our front hallway, the results.

 

 

I haven’t bothered to poke my head into either of these two huge bags,  but I understand there are duvet covers,  pillows,  the whole works.   She might get them next year some time?   They flew economy,  and already had one bag each,  both of which were full.  

We (meaning “I”) have to figure out where we’ll keep these bags until the day comes when our stuff gets shipped to North America.   She was willing to wait.   I think I understand.

Of course,  I’m not sure I could wait that long.

 

I suppose we’ll know at some point in the next couple months just when Margaret will get to use her new pillows.

That’s a bit of a hint,  but that’s all I’ll say.  Can’t divulge anything about “The Company…”

 

Keep those skates sharp.

 

Thanks for poppin’ ‘round.

 

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