All that glitters

I have been a lover of Swarovski for as long as I can remember. As a little girl I recall admiring the signature swan on my sister-in-law's dresser. Fascinated by the little coloured prisms, melded together in brilliant formation. The rainbow flecks bouncing off every surface surrounding that elegant swan. I knew it was precious and not for touching or holding or heaven forbid, playing with. Even now, whenever I walk into a Swarovski shop, I am momentarily dazed. All those lights. All the sparkle. All. that. bling. And I am not even a particularly bling kinda person. But something about this crystal sensation just makes me want to buy up. For myself and the special people in my life.

My niece turned 18 this week and I was keen to give her a memorable keepsake, as I did for her sister a few years back when she turned 18. She is a great lover of all things animal and intends to pursue a career with the zoo, after her studies. So with my specifications in mind, off we skipped. I knew as soon as I saw this adorable duck, it was for Lara. I like him so much, he could quite easily take pride of place on my own mantle.

Continuing my week of prickly hot, red faced moments, Angus took it upon himself to test out one of the shiny mirrors in the store. With his tongue. "I just licked the mirror Mama", he proudly announced, right in front of the well groomed sales assistant. I was mortified, scrambling around in my bag for a wet wipe to clean the mirror. Poor Angus, he knew he was in trouble. My icy glare and short sharp words were enough to see him sit tight for the remainder of the time we were there. Which of course, left me feeling awful, because he had trailed along patiently to that point and he's not even 4 years old yet and we were in Swarovski after all... brimming with eye candy. I guess each of us are going to show our appreciation in different ways.