Lidl

Like several people I know, I am in love with Lidl (or is it LIDL?) The low prices and top quality products are hard to beat, especially round here where the supermarkets are awful. An extra bonus for us expats in Italy is that they also stock more exotic and ethnic products than anywhere else. I love the themed weeks – Chinese week is my favourite and I always stock up on sweet chili sauce and sesame oil.

But what I love best about Lidl is the central aisle of non-food items. It is so clever the way they change the items on offer so I’m always excited to see what’s there and if it’s good I’ll definitely buy it!

My latest purchase is a laminator, I actually prefer its Italian name plastificatore. I have always wanted my own one and there it was, I spotted it right at the end and stuck it in the trolley with a couple of packs of laminating foil (I’m learning the jargon!)

I debuted my plastificator last night with what I consider to be my 2.5 yo’s first proper drawing. Now it is preserved forever, sealed snugly between two melted pieces of plastic, how satisfying.

I plan to plastify a whole range of things now: No Hunting notices to put around the land, family photos for the boys to look at, games for Mickey and his little friend Evie. Oh I have many more ideas, too, a lifetime of plastifying to enjoy.

A last note about Lidl, I discovered from a German client that it is correctly pronounced to rhyme with needle rather than fiddle. So now you know.