Guilty Pleasures...

I have many.

Mumsnet.com discussion forums for instance, but that's a whole different post.

Another is (deep breath) 25 Beautiful Homes. For those of you that aren't familiar with this paragon of intellectual might and good taste, it is a magazine that showcases photographs of peoples houses, room by room. So what you get is essentially a guided tour around Mrs Snobulike from Upyerownarseshires house, from the comfort of your own gracious drawing room. The houses are divided into categories - traditional, country, glamorous, unique and modern - traditional being my personal favourite.

Mr S used to call it my 'Readers Wives', the idea being that I was deriving pleasure from gawping at what someone else had got. And I have to say, the porn comparison is not an entirely inaccurate one. Indeed I am so ashamed of this particular habit that I hide the magazines when I am expecting company, although not under the mattress. I also fervently hope I don't bump into someone I know when buying them. Wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a dodgy mac seems a bit extreme, but is in fact something I've considered. My blog, however, is anonymous (perhaps now you can understand why) so ha! I'm going to say it loud and proud: I LOVE 25 BEAUTIFUL HOMES! I KNOW IT'S A LOAD OF IRRELEVANT, MATERIALISTIC, MIDDLE CLASS TOSS, BUT I LOVE IT ANYWAY! I read it and I think things like, 'Ooh, I like that bathroom mirror', and 'ooh would you look at those curtains'.

And now after having got that off my chest, I'm off to read some Noam Chomsky or something.

If you like, you can click here for Guilty Pleasures Part 2. Yep, there's plenty more where that came from. Enjoy.