Strop Scene:
Back garden in the presence of family dog, many hungry blue tits, much snow and one semi-built snowman.
Strop Cause:
Mother of the Stropper's well known substandard house-wifely skills resulting in a lack of carrots in the home. Apparently a carrot and only a carrot is suitable when providing a snowman with his olfactory organ. Attempts to persuade The Stropper that a parsnip/toilet roll/broom handle/candle/cucumber/bread roll or orange sock would all be acceptable and suitable substitutes all proved futile.
Strop Symptoms:
Much lip-quivering (which I initially put down to the sub-zero temperatures) and insistence that a snowman's nose simply has to be a carrot. Some foot stamping followed, joined shortly thereafter by a sit down protest and refusal to accept any nasal alternatives other than a bloody carrot.
Dismay Factor Percentage:
In all fairness I had some sympathy. Whilst undertaking to cajole The Stropper into all possible substitutes, the whole time I was secretly agreeing that a snowman really should have a carrot as a nose. The situation was, in the end, alleviated after a quick (but reluctant) visit to our neighbour who provided us with the required root vegetable. Less dismayed by the strop itself (which I did understand), more distressed at having to display my incompetence as Keeper of the Kitchen to our neighbour whom I am sure has never so much as been in need of a bowl of sugar. I'm sure I detected a look of superior satisfaction as she offered not only one carrot but a whole bag, "Should we need them". What we do for our Stroppers!
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