The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

What is in the box?

When I was a kid, the idea of getting a letter or package addressed to me was a rare and wonderous thing. Despite the fact that it happened only two or three times a year, whenever the post arrived I would always get a brief moment of potential excitement, followed by a brief moment of disappointment as everything was always marked for my parents.

These days, by contrast, I tend to feel a slight sense of relief if nothing arrives in the post. Almost all mail is bills, junk or brochures for someone who might have lived in this house 10 years ago.

However, yesterday morning my curiosity was roused when Maggie told me I had a package with a handwritten address on it. As anything handwritten at this time of year tends to be addressed to the whole family, and I didn't recognise the handwriting, I couldn't begin to guess who it was from, or what it might contain.

I gave it a wee shake, turned it this way and that, looked for a return address and expressed my lack of knowledge as to what it could possibly be. Eventually Maggie became a little impatient and told me just to open the damn thing.

To my surprise and delight it turned out to be 2 packets of peanut butter M&Ms - a sweet I fell in love with in Canada and cannot be bought in the UK.



It transpired that Brave Astronaut made note of my throw-away comment several posts back, that I would kill for peanut butter M&Ms. After discussions with his friend, Stitch Bitch, who was travelling to the UK to see relatives, he persuaded her to bring over a couple of bags and mail them to me in the UK.

Given that my wife and son had been online a night or two before to see if they could find any, and had sadly concluded that they'd left it too late to import from the US to be sure they could arrive before Xmas, this was wonderfully serendipitous.

So my thanks to Brave Astronaut and Stitch Bitch. All that remains is for me to receive instructions on who I now have to kill for them.

36 comments

Unknown said...

Very cool Brave Astronaut and Stitch Bitch. Excellent. "It's Christmas Theo, the time of miracles."

Z said...

People are so lovely, aren't they?

Kuin said...

awwwwww that was so "sweet" a gesture wasn't it?

note: see...canada does have some good things in it ..lol.

Enjoy every morsel.

Jeff said...

Kim

Now there is something that may actually cure what ails you...


Peace

Kim Ayres said...

Carole - so you're a "Die Hard" fan then?

Z - some are :)

Kuin - although it was an American who sent them ;)

Jeff - the accompanying note did say I was to take 2 as often as necessary...

Brave Astronaut said...

The idea came to me almost instantly when you made the comment. I have a friend who works for Hershey and while Hershey products are not rare, there is something a little more special about getting them from the "home store."

I must credit C in DC for finding the address for the Bearded One (I knew I had seen it when you posted about one of Maggie's shows) who went back and found it. She was also the one to remind me that Anna was traveling to the UK to make the mailing that much easier.

I hope you enjoy the treats and let me know if you need more. As for the killing . . . well, I'll get back to you on that.

Enjoy!

Jeff said...

Ok now help me out on this. Just curious what Hershey has to do with the M&M's. Big fan's of both but Hershey is Hershey and M&M's are made by Mars Inc.

Just curious?

Peace

Jupiter's Girl said...

That is so cool. Nice, B.A. and S.B. "Take two when necessary". That's funny.

Brave Astronaut said...

Jeff - that is indeed a true statement. I was just making a candy parallel. I eat Hershey's candy and Mars candy interchangeably.

ADW said...

Mmmmmm.... anything else of American food that you crave?

Unknown said...

I am indeed. But you weren't supposed to find it that easy to figure out. It is a common saying in our household all year long. I can't quite bring myself to say the other favortite Die Hard sayings.

Brave Astronaut said...

I say "benefits of a classical education" all the time. That and "Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there."

A real Christmas movie.

A Paperback Writer said...

Now that's a cute Christmas story. I'm smiling.
When I lived in Scotland, my sister-in-law sent me a Valentine's package with Hershey's kisses in it. That was good.
And my parents periodically sent Skippy peanutbutter because Tesco's didn't stock any good brands of peanutbutter.
When I went to Edinburgh this summer for an all-too-brief visit, I asked my friend Patti (an American married to a Scot) if she wanted me to bring her anything. her answer: beef jerky.

I am pleased to tell you that there is one store in Salt Lake City, Utah that imports British food, so I can find Mars bars and even Irn-Bru when I really have a craving.

Apex Zombie said...

Ah man, that's a great gift. And man, peanut butter M&Ms? They sound amazing :D

Kim Ayres said...

Brave Astronaut - Thanks too to C in DC then. If she had a blog I'd write on that too. It was a great surprise and much appreciated. Thank you :)

Jupiter's Girl - mind you, "when necessary" can easily turn into 75 times a day...

ADW - this is where it starts becoming really tempting to write out a great long list and cash in on people's generosity - anyone want to buy me an Aston Martin DB9? - for the kids, of course. I can just picture their delighted little faces while I do 186mph with them strapped into the back...

Carole - I'd like to say I did a great deal of research, but I just popped the phrase into Google..

A Paperback Writer - welcome to my ramblings and thank you for taking the time to comment :)

When I was involved in helping International students at Dundee Uni, all the American & Canadians came back loaded up with Oreo cookies after Christmas. You can get them here now, although I never knew what the fuss was about - I guess it must be a taste of childhood or home thing.

But Irn Bru in the US? wow...

Kim Ayres said...

FLG - just missed you in the ether there. At 30 calories per M&M, they are...

Attila the Mom said...

What a fabulous surprise!

Restaurant Gal said...

Bravo to Brave Astronaut and C in DC and to Stitch Bitch. Very cool gift. Very cool way to give a gift. Kim, isn't it nice to know how incredibly cool your readers are? Enjoy the treats.

Kanani said...

That's really nice! I love it when connections like this are made due to a blogging connection.

Dr Joseph McCrumble said...

very nice of them, I'm sure, Kim. I'm looking forward to receiving food parcels myself over Christmas, on account of being temporarily unable to alleviate myself from the lowly position in which I currently find myself.

Kim Ayres said...

Attila - it was :)

Restaurant Gal - I clearly have the coolest readers in blogdom

Kanani - I think blogging connections really bring home the 6 degrees of separation idea. In fact I think it lessens the degrees considerably

Dr McCumble - Perhaps it's time to see if you can get a job working in Kenya on the Matangini project - costs should be lower and you can study the parasites to your hearts content

Mary Witzl said...

If only I had known: someone sent me a bag of these not so long ago and I didn't even eat them. The kids would not have missed it! Oh well -- next time I'll know. I'm a Reese peanut butter cup woman myself; the hard candy shell of M & Ms puts me off them.

I'm amazed to know that there is any store that sells Irn-Bru in the States or that anyone not British would actually buy it. But then my husband feels exactly the same way about root beer...

Tom said...

I know where you can find a case of Dr. Pepper... anywhere but your cupboard. I'll think of you next time I bite into a handful of PB M&M's.

Kim Ayres said...

Mary - I'm quite partial to Reeses peanut butter cups, but i have to admit I cannot abide Root Beer or Irn Bru...

Tom - ...nor Dr Pepper for that matter

Pat said...

Who'se a lucky boy then?

Canadian Girl said...

Ah, I miss peanut butter M&Ms - my daughter has a peanut allergy and the whole family has gone peanut-free (12 years and counting). More than M&Ms, though, I miss peanut satay sauce and frozen Wunderbar chocolate bars.

savannah said...

the things i miss when i don't make the rounds reading, sugar! ;-)

Eryl Shields said...

That's the kind of story that actually brings a tear to my eye. So incredibly thoughtful of brave astronaut.

Kim Ayres said...

Pat - that'd be me then :)

Canadian Girl - nut allergies - that's a tough one. You have my sympathies

Savannah - better late than never :)

Eryl - my thoughts exactly

Foot Eater said...

Kim, I too got hooked on the things during a trip to New York City in 1995 and have missed them ever since. I ate them by the half-kilo bag then - I was 24 and could afford to, physiologically speaking. However: I have found them here in Britain, twice. Once was in a newsagent's in Greenwich, London. The other time was at the BP service station off the Harlow roundabout on the M11. Sadly, the latter stockisy no longer has them. But keep looking (as I will)!

Foot Eater said...

Stockist, even.

Kim Ayres said...

Foot Eater - let me know if you're in Scotland this week and I'll keep a handful back for you

Anonymous said...

Glad I could help make the surprise a reality. I once shipped a case of Flake bars to a friend stateside when I lived in London. Enjoy the M&Ms.

Kim Ayres said...

Thank you very much, C in DC.

So when are you going to start your own blog?

Anonymous said...

Brave Astronaut keeps asking me the same question. I need to get a laptop first, or move the desktop to the TV room.

Archivalist said...

...or just post every three months, like me.

Great job BA and SB. They really are much better people than I. Enjoy every single one, Kim.

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