Vouchers

I didn't get that very many Christmas gifts this year, although the price of them increases every year. Quality over quantity. Or perhaps it's because when you're getting older people think you're too old for gifts. Humbug, that's not true. Nobody is ever too old for a gift, and I am not. But among the not very many Christmas gifts I got this year, one envelope (and I hate envelope presents at least if they don't come with Euro inside) had vouchers inside, as well as a little book explaining where I could exchange these vouchers for whatever I needed or wanted. Ok, that much is cool, there must have been a thousand shops to choose from. But I just happened to want one shop which wasn't included in the little book. Bad luck, I thought I'd try more shops out of the little book. But to do that you have to be out and about. I wasn't banking on becoming housebound, and I wasn't even ready to be drenched in last Monday's rain, hair, socks, shoes and all. And so I keep looking at the little book, prettily glazed and prettily propped up against my monitor as if I loved punishment. I don't, I just let it sit there to motivate me to get better. But now I don't want to look at it anymore, it's as if it is the bad omen which has robbed me out of three evenings which I could have spent shopping, choosing shops from this pretty little book. It's the size of a man's black book, only it's not black and I don't think that trying the phone numbers in there will guarantee me a 'oh hi honey how are you, are you up for tonight'? At the most I will get a polite good morning/afternoon/evening, how can I help you?'. I'm not sure which answer might perk me up a little bit. But if someone is willing to buy vouchers aren't their alternative even better?