Make-do-and-mend

Apart from being incarcerated in Broadmoor (and if the traffic on the North Circular gets any worse, that's not out of the question), I think an enforced trip to IKEA has to be up there in my top 10 most awful experiences.

It has been over a year since I went and last time was a saddening experience. The recession had meant that the finer examples of Scandinavian design had disappeared and the place had the atmosphere of a pound shop.

This time however, the Christmas stock had appeared and the atmosphere was a whole lot better.

Instead of the familiar seasonal smell of cloves and cinnamon, IKEA was pumping an appley smells through the air conditioning. Very classy, almost a new perfume.

The sewing machine immediately made me smile. IKEA's ideas people had gone one step beyond the recession, embracing the make-do-and-mend mentality of the Second World War. I wonder wether in the days of Primark, do it yourself will ever take off?