Friday 2 September 2011

Mega pegs and puppy tales

In my last post I made fleeting reference to the joy and wonder of the phenomenon of the jumbo peg, which elicited a deep-felt and earnest request from dearest Hen to know more about such things, and thus I feel impelled to elucidate.


Once again furry friends are involved and the tale smacks of shaggy dog, but loyal readers, surely you know me by now, and realize that I prefer the convoluted to the brief and succinct.

I am a Scottish terrier, and dour by nature

(I am considering Twittering, but even confining myself to 150 words seems awfully concise, so measuring my outpourings in characters of that order (I can never remember if it is 140 or 160, and I am bound to find myself cut short in full flow) seems almost an impossibility. Some of you may say that I am already twittering quite enough, and quite possibly you are in the right.)

Spot the collateral damage

The jumbo peg is an object of potentially infinite use about the household, and I am sure you will find Mrs A from West Wittering (yes, she is wittering as well as twittering) in the Lakeland catalogue telling you that she uses jumbo pegs to hold her curtains off the floor while she vacuums the carpet, and Mr B from Havering (I do that often in fabric shops) explaining that he is a new man since he discovered jumbo pegs, and that his workshop is incomplete without them.

Interesting

Personally, I have always found that there is an almost magnetic attraction between puppies and children and the mega pegs. In fact, I think that singlehandedly I have supported Lakeland on the peg sales front, so many have I bought over the years, and I was beginning to think, now my big boys no longer make camps with tarpaulins and climbing frames, or dens festooned with camouflage netting, that the mega pegs would cease disappearing out of the peg basket and into the farthest reaches of garden and orchard, never to be seen again.

Would I?

But I was wrong.

Possibly

That is one of the eternal knotty problems of family life. No sooner do you think that you have solved one of life's little nurturing issues, than another pops up in its place.

Not me, guv, no not at all

No sooner has one naughty dog stopped stealing the jumbo pegs from the basket and masticating them to smithereens as soon as your back is turned, then a Little Stranger comes scurrying into your life to snuffle in the basket and snaffle them away behind the greenhouse or under the chest of drawers outside the back door.

Chewed pegs and new pegs

(You may wonder why we have bedroom furniture in the garden - well, so do I. The Head Chef put it there to hold the shoes that were rapidly breeding and multiplying by the back door and constituting a major trip hazard for the clumsy one of the family. All I can say is that those warm dark drawers are conducive to breeding and multiplying as there are still herds and flocks of shoes around the back entrance, and now a family of footwear has set up camp in a big cardboard box next to the chest of drawers.)

So, if you remain unpersuaded of the wonders of the big, chunky peg, just buy some for your children and dogs. I can promise you that they will derive much enjoyment from them, and you could even write to Lakeland and tell them of all the interesting and life enhancing uses they have put them to. As for me, I just use them for pegging out big chunky bath mats and quilts (that is, if I actually can find the pegs when I need them).



23 comments:

Prairie Rose said...

Every dog I have ever owned has stolen and chewed up clothes pins!
I do not understand the attraction!
I always enjoy pics of your darling doggies!
Have a great weekend!

Barbara said...

So funny as usual and so well written. Well I have no children at home nor a dog but I do have jumbo pegs for jumbo laundry items. Not Lakeland sourced though I am afraid even though sometimes I think that Lakeland may have moved here!

Hope you get to enjoy some of the good weather this weekend.

Ruth said...

Dogs are such rascals! You will just have to purchase more mega pegs. :)

millefeuilles said...

You will simply have to have a life subscription with Lakeland to ensure you are kept afloat in jumbo pegs.

The positive side of your 'situation' here is that it will be a moment of cymbals clashing and trumpets blasting every time you come across a hidden, mauled peg.

Have a great weekend and thanks so much for the giveaway link you put up.

Stephanie

Annie said...

Yup, whippets like mega pegs too. I mostly find peg crumbs in the garden, even though the peg box is in the kitchen ... a kind of whippet take-away maybe? But surely that cute little Scottie would never do anything so naughty?

Elizabethd said...

I love anything from Lakeland, but so far havent tried out those amazing pegs.
You did make me laugh!

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

'Storm pegs' are the only option when faced with Cornish gales! And they're not easy to get hold of either - thank heavens for Amazon! x

Nicky said...

You need a deal with Lakeland to keep you, the kids and the cute Scottie dog supplied with pegs

Frances said...

Well, I have said it before and will say it again. You are a very funny lady! I could see all the clothes pin antics you described and just laughed and laughed.

Perhaps Lakeland might want to come over to your place and do some filming? With your voice over, of course.

xo

Marigold Jam said...

You really should write a book - if you haven't already! Loved this post it is so true and so funny. I don't have any dogs and cats would deem it beneath themselves to take clothes pegs or to chew them and in any case I have no jumbo pegs but I can see they would be a useful addition to my arsenal and must look into Lakeland pronto.

Little Blue Mouse said...

You have such a way with words!

By the way - what bedroom furniture? I can't see any.

Indigo Blue said...

HI,
I buy the ones from Sainsburys made from recycled plastic and they are really good. Not metal bit to go rusty, good strong grip on any item and very colourful. Crikey! I am waxing lyrical about pegs! It is because school starts on Monday, that's it.........feeling the twitch coming back already...

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Haha, perhaps the little stranger could get a starring role in the Lakeland catalogue explaining why he loves them so much and how they have enhanced his life! He could be 'Mr C' !! ;)
Vivienne x

andrea creates said...

i haven't seen those before -but the colors are so cute-maybe that's why they like them ? ;)

Anonymous said...

You make me want to buy big pegs! Ah if only I had a garden with a washing line...

You should go into sales, your subtle powers of persuasion are immense!

...Nina Nixon... said...

Thanks for the heads up - my girls would love them and find all manner of use......I'm sure.

Not too sure about the kitty cat though, but you never know.

Nina x

Unknown said...

I don't have a dog, so I think it must be the fairies who knick my pegs......praps if I buy the bigger variety they won't be able to carry them!! xx
Sophie

silverpebble said...

This post is just ace Pomona. It beats the X Factor hands down (and I am am a stalwart fan of Gary Barlow, let me tell you).

Pat said...

A precious story - you can just see how temptation could not be resisted...

I have a few handwoven baskets for stitching that show tiny puppy tooth marks and an ancient side table with a row of marks...I wouldn't trade them for the world...either the shelties or the "personalized" items :o)

Mrs. Micawber said...

I must have some child or dog in me, because I WANT those pegs! They're irresistible.

skycarrots said...

My cat steals pegs too!

melanie said...

Lol, our doggies are always stealing our pegs too, I am sick of buying new pegs now, lol :) xxx

Hen said...

A thousand thank yous for putting me out of my jumbo-peg-envy! Oh dear, I already buy enough "things I never knew I needed" when I go into Lakeland. I hope they are reading this and send you an extra pack for free for your excellent marketing! Love that cute dog, how could you call him dour? I think you are holding his magpie peg ways against him...
Hen x

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails