table shopping (Saturday August 4th, 2001 - 00:00)

category: mmhuh?

this morning i checked a few shops in whiteleys and found a couple of tables that would fit perfectly in to my minute room to replace my plank-of-wood-with-two-terracotta-pot-legs. asking if they had either in stock, of course they didn’t.

sitting in my room staring at my plank-of-wood-with-two-terracotta-pot-legs and checking a few web sites for tables, i checked ikea‘s opening hours (til 7pm on saturday). looked up a few sites to figure out the easiest way to get there and headed off at 3pm.

tube from bayswater to parson’s green where i had to swap to a bus, due to track work, to wimbledon. tram from wimbledon to ampere way. the flags of ikea were waving in anticipation and a few sprinkles of rain hit me.

heaven. i’ve been visiting ikea in various countries since i can remember. i learnt how to put together bookshelves and desks at an early age. the simplistic styled furniture has been a staple part of my life.. until i moved to england where i’ve been too lazy to trek to ikea on public transport (i thought it would be harder to get to) and lived in tiny rooms where it’s best to keep possessions to a bare minimum.

the store looked like any other ikea (they even had my old bookshelf, beer glasses, candles and lamp). i wandered about. some nice tables – those that fold down at the sides which would be perfect for my little room allowing me to take them when i next move (and hopefully have a little more space to fold them out to their entirety). one was £69 and another £99 (with nice little cubby-hole drawers in the side).

wandered about some more and picked up a few little metal boxes for my tidbits.

arrived at the self serve area wowed by how tiny i felt. found the aisle with the tables. decision time.. 20kg and 30kg the signs said. ouch.

‘how much would it cost for home delivery of a table?’
‘what’s your postcode?’
‘w2’
man checks chart
‘£70’
‘erm’

i contemplate the lighter, cheaper one. surely i can carry that home. and surely i’m fooling myself.

feeling cheated and dragging my feet towards the exit i spot some £4 foldable red tables.. i line two up next to each other but again i realise that i’m fooling myself.

near the cash registers (feeling a fool for spending my saturday afternoon trekking to ikea to only buy some metallic boxes) there are some balcony (?) tables for £29. it’s not the sturdiest table i’ve ever seen, but it has some character – a wood slat top. i pick up a shrinkwrapped slab of wood pieces and it’s not too heavy. success!

in a big metal cage there are some soft toys. a big black ant (50cm long) stares at me so i put him in my yellow shopping bag, pay for my purchases, and head out.

it’s raining. i have the same three-transport-trek back home in a downpour.

my table is made, my ant sits on my lap, i’m content.

[a couple of pictures of ant having lept off my lap temporarily to enjoy my table]