Curtains and crocodiles

For reasons of age, quality and sunlight, the header tape on the curtains in our sitting room was perishing, and the curtains hooks were no longer remaining attached. Since I didn't really feel like replacing the header tape (I will, eventually, one of these days) I decided I'd rather like some new curtains. And to replace the rather horrible curtain pole that I inherited with the house 17 years ago.

Some of you may remember the weeks of angst and thousands of curtain fabric samples it took to choose the curtain fabric for our family's holiday cottage. I was in danger of heading down the same path. The ordering of samples commenced. The staring at swatches began. The waving of scraps of material and requesting opinions kicked off. LittleBear loved a gold silk fabric with red and green embroidery (a clerical error in the sample ordering). BigBear hated it. BigBear sort of, maybe, perhaps was prepared to consider one of the fabrics I'd ordered, but was largely underwhelmed. I was in at least five minds about all of them, but not won over. I feared we were going to reach an impasse.

Then I stumbled across one I rather liked, waved the computer screen at BigBear, who (to my astonishment) said "Yeah, why not?" So I ordered the curtains, and a new curtain track. They arrived while we were on holiday, and we then undertook to be ill for the subsequent two weeks (I'm still coughing like someone who smokes 40 a day). Today, with GrandmaBear and GrandadBear here to distract LittleBear, I was finally able to tackle the job of putting up the new rail and hanging the curtains. At which point I discovered I'd ordered the wrong length of rail. Bugger.

So I hung the curtains on the old pole instead, which probably means it'll now be there for another 17 years, despite the fact I hate it.

And the finished result?

Me and LittleBear made a cardboard crocodile from the curtain rail packaging. I had to get some good out of it didn't I?