Ignorance is…no excuse for attitude!

Now I know that I may not necessarily be the most tolerant person, I mean, I know I won’t suffer fools gladly, but there are some things I simply cannot tolerate; smelly people, arrogance and poor customer service to name a few. But on Saturday last I had to clench my jaws together in an effort not to retaliate to a bout of sheer ignorance.

I was in a local wholesale butchers store, and after having loaded up the trolley with various meat products for my carnivorous family, I approached the sausage counter on the off-chance that they may occasionally offer a gluten-free variety for the hundreds of coeliac sufferers in the region, like myself.

I spoke to the butcher there and asked a very general question about whether or not they could provide them. I was met with the terse response of ‘You can’t make sausages without gluten.’ I did put him right on that point though, stating that I know of other butchers in the area that can and indeed do, and the large number of coeliacs in the area flock to them. He then said ‘Well they must be rubbish then, you can’t make sausages without gluten, all of the seasonings have gluten in them, it’s not possible.’ I had to walk away.

Could someone please tell me how salt, pepper, herbs and natural spices have gluten in them? Gluten if you don’t know is found in wheat, barley, rye and oats and as a coeliac my body is unable to process it, which if eaten leads to some not very nice symptoms and painful cramps etc.. The gluten found in sausage comes from the rusk which is often used as filler in many brands, or occasionally as a binding ingredient. Gluten free sausage tends to be a purer more meaty and indeed tastier product full stop.

You would think, or at least I would, that all of those people who choose to work with food would either take it upon themselves to learn about intolerances or at least be able to access some in-house training either as they study they trade or ply their wares so that when faced with a question from a customer they can offer an at least part educated answer, rather they just show their total ignorance of the subject. Indeed Coeliac UK are always looking to promote awareness of the condition so that such ignorance becomes a thing of the past.

Brrr!

It is ridiculously cold today, so much so that my fingertips are hurting and are rebelling, refusing to hit the right keys. Thank heavens for a spell check facility! I cannot possibly put on any more layers of clothing either, as it is I am in danger of being harpooned as a walk down the street due to the extra layers turning me into a woolly whale.

I have given in and turned the heating on early today, I do try not to , God knows it’s getting too damn expensive to stay warm in your own home these days. It just doesnt seem to have warmed up outside at all today. The sheets of ice that we slid over on the way to school this morning are still as they were, and by the time the home bell rings in an hour or so, it will be starting to get dark once more and the temperature will be dropping even further. Its looking like my little boy will be going to bed with a toasty hot water bottle tonight as well as a blanket. As for me I’ll have to dig out an extra duvet. You just can’t get that same cosy level warmth when you have the bed to yourself that you can snuggle into when you are sharing it with your other half.

Still, my other half will be home tomorrow, I’ve called him home midweek for support. Our son has a hospital appointment tomorrow, and its going to involve needles. Seeing as though the last time they approached him with a needle it took five peadiatric nurses and me to hold him down just to get a few drops of the red stuff out of him, tomorrows procedure is going to cause a riot. Wish us luck.

Anyone for a game of noughts & crosses?

I haven’t played noughts and crosses in I don’t know how long, but when looking for something to add to the ‘Kids, Big & Small’ section of the store I came across these lovely little sets. I notice that we no longer call it noughts and crosses but rather the americanized ‘Tic-Tac-Toe, which I have to admit I don’t fully understand. Never the less these little resin sets fit in with the theme of the store quite nicely.

We have teams of opposing gargoyles, fairies and dragons and dragons against unicorns, as well as a stunning chess set that features Vikings against Celts. Each of these sets comes in a decorated gift box and would be an ideal christmas gift for any fantasy lover, they are too good to be kept in a cupboard, so have them on display!

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The Real Stig?

Well last night was Xander’s first experience of the delights of the school disco, on top of it just being a disco the children had all been asked to dress as their favourite book or comic character. After trying to find a suitable costume Xander informed me that he would like to be Batman. So off I went to scour the stores for a Batman costume.

For some reason there must have been a rush on fancy dress costumes sized 5-6 years, as the store had sold out of practically everything in his size. There was no way (although he is only 4 years old) I was going to be able to squeeze him into a size 3-4 Batman outfit, and no way he could fill out the only other available size of 7-8, which left me with very limited choices. I had told him that if batman wasn’t available  I’d get him something equally as cool, but maybe my idea of whats cool is different from his.

I know he likes cars, I know he likes Top Gear, and I know he loves Stig – the Tame Racing Driver, but when he found out he was going to be dressed as Stig and not Batman he started wailing like a banshee in distress. Until he got home and saw his costume that is! then it was all ‘when can I wear it?’ and ‘Thats costume is so cool!’ It went down a storm at the disco too!

There were countless Disney princesses, witches, clone troopers and Darth Vaders, a couple of superheroes and a spider. But there was only one Stig, and needless to say, as usual, he stole the show.

 

Pentagrams & Pentacles

There has always been confusion over the meaning and interpretation of the pentagram, some people automatically assume that it relates to Satanism or devil worship, forgetting the fact that this ancient symbol has been around for millenia. This simple five-pointed star has quite a complex history where religion is concerned, but it is believed the origins of its use come from Babylonia where ancient astronomers  drew the shape based upon the way that the planet Venus travels across the sky.

Believed to embody magickal powers this symbol has since been adopted for use by Pagans, Wiccans, Ritual magicians and Freemasons. It has also been used on municipal seals as a magickal binding symbol.

The pentagram can be, and has been interpreted to mean whole host of things, from the placement of Christ’s wounds when on the cross to the proportions of the human body. Though these days it is generally considered a symbol of magickal protection, a sacred and binding knot.

Alchemy uses the symbol to represent the elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, overseen by divine light, which is practically the same as the Wiccan view of the symbol although the position occupied by ‘Divine Light’ in alchemical lore, becomes ‘Spirit’ in Wicca. Wiccans adopt the pentagram with its single point upwards to signify the triumph of spirit over all matter, (Although some initiationary practices involve an inverted pentagram) whereas those who follow a darker belief use the symbol with the single point facing downwards, symbolising earthly pleasures and hedonistic traits taking priority.

Once a pentagram is enclosed within a circle it becomes a pentacle. Which can be viewed as further symbolising protection be reinforcing the energies contained inside.

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Our Anne Stokes Range…

Looking through all of the stock that we have in store, its becoming obvious that Anne Stokes is a leading designer of fantasy giftware and collectables.  Not only do we stock some of her fantastic fantasy figurines, we also have an entire jewellery range called  Mythical Companions, designed by her as well as some gorgeous christmas/yule cards.

She doesn’t seem limited to a particular figure as we have magickal dragons, fantasy fairies and some archetypal gothic horror creations too, wouldn’t it be great if she created a tarot or oracle deck filled with her own designs? Looking at the deck that one of her contemporaries, Jessica Galbreth has created; The Enchanted Oracle Deck, will give you some idea of just how stunning it could be!

Below are some of the stunning examples of her work that we currently have in stock.

Gothic Romance

Are you a romantic at heart? Or is romance something that is best left to those who indulge in hearts and flowers?

Personally, I love a bit of romance, and the beautiful design in some gothic romance items really appeal to my dark heart! Which is why The Covenstead are please to be able to offer some beautiful Gothic Romance jewellery items to you. Stocks on these items are limited and they are to to sell out in advance of christmas, so be sure to get yours early to avoid disappointment.

We have some stunning pendant necklaces with matching earrings that are bound to delight any dark princess.

Gothic romance isnt just for the ladies, there are some fabulous rings in the range too.

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Exorcist Revisited

My little boy came home from school yesterday, and refused his mini gingerbread man and apple juice, a sure sign that something is ‘not quite right’. But, after a dose of calpol and a visit to the bathroom, he returned to his usual bouncy self. At 6 o’clock last night he changed.

Out of the blue he turned into a vomit fountain, it was truly like a scene from the exorcist. He was laid across the sofa, which thankfully is leather and easy to clean, and managed to create a ‘vomitfall’ effect from the sofa to the floor. It was quite spectacular.

So once this spectacle was over I was left with a massive clear up operation. Cleaning him up was easy, cleaning the sofa was easy, but the floor? The was a totally different story.  I had spent the majority of the day in a great deal of pain with my back, and when not suffering with pain I was moving around in a pain-killer induced fog. But, its surprising how fast that fog lifts when you have an ill little one to care for.

The amount of times I walked in and out of the room to survey the damage was ridiculous. I knew I couldn’t kneel on the floor, or crouch down, my dodgy knee simply wouldn’t have coped, and if I was to bed forward for long enough to get it cleared up well, would I be able to straighten up again? It was a chance I had to take. It is the longest clean up operation i have ever had to undertake, but I got there in the end.

I was not looking forward to a night punctuated with a small child crying, with his head down the toilet, but thankfully after only one more exorcist incident (over the toilet bowl – hooray!) he settled down to sleep. However just because he slept does not mean that I did, I rose at the slightest sound just in case we were off again!

Its going to be a long day today….sigh. Never mind though, we’re off to see the Top Gear team this afternoon, that should cheer him up.

I know how a pin cushion feels now.

I had my first appointment with the osteopath last night, about my back. Due to the fact that my right knee allows me to do a very good impression of a flamingo, I’m not walking correctly and have thrown my back out of whack. Hardly surprising really when I’m loathe to put any weight on that knee in case it decides to give way again.

So there I was, having my back prodded, yelping in pain and he says to me ‘How do you feel about needles?’ I say that as long as I can’t see them they dont really bother me. Next thing I know I’m face down on the table having acupuncture needles inserted into my back. A procedure which brought about even more yelping. I did apologise for being such a wuzz when it came to tolerating pain, but he said that actually I was doing quite well ‘considering’. considering what I’m not sure, it didn’t feel right to ask.

So once I was doing a pretty good impression of a porcupine some electro pulse therapy was added to the mix and I just had to lay still and relax for a while. I think its had to relax when your feeling punctured and have electric pulses running across your back, but I tried. I laid there and listen to the old dears in the next room getting their flu jabs, and the poor nurse having to repeat the same phrases over and over again.

I left the surgery with a strict list of instructions he wants me to follow. He couldn’t give me any physio exercises to do because of the state my knee is in, so its ice packs three times a day, regular pain killers and the best one…I have to limit the amount of walking I do every day. As it is I can just about manage the school run twice a day and maybe a walk around the supermarket, I’m not sure how I can limit than any further.

By the time I got home I was close to tears with pain, and went for a ‘make do’ ice pack, well it was all going nicely until I felt icy cold water dripping down to places ice-cold water should never go. So I am going to venture out now to see if I can find something more suitable to use instead. I haven’t quite mastered the art of levitating yet so I’m going to have to walk.

 

What do you think of Dragons?

When you think of a dragon, what image do you conjure up in your mind?

Do you picture a serpent like beast with a long muscular body and a fanned tail that can twist itself into coils? Or is your beast a huge creature than can rear up onto its hind legs and breathe fire? Personally, as a woman with a phobia of all things serpent like, my dragon would definately be the kind with legs, and he’d probably be purple.

What got me thinking about dragons in particular, was that as I was updating the mystical amulets & talismans section in the store I couldn’t fail but notice just how many dragons were represented in there, in all their many shapes and forms. There are Celtic Dragons, fantasy dragons, dragon skulls and a whole lot more.

For a creature perportedly only to exist in myth and legend we certainly hold some strong beliefs in its magickal abilities, or else why would we still design and wear jewellery that carries its image or form?