h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday's journal was angry and a bit morbid. The day before was definitely not cheery. Tomorrow, I'm afraid, is set in stone as a day for sombre reflection, so today is definitely going to be more cheery.

Still beavering away at our christmas window display. I have completed, with reasonable success, the 'trains, scalextric and die-cast' section of our window and am now on to 'toys and gadgets'. I've had a few novel ideas which I quite like and will hopefully make the window a little bit more visually interesting, but realising them is a problem. It's a problem made worse by the fundmentals of window display in our shop:

1) Choose the right stock
2) Make it look exciting and interesting in the window
3) Somehow disguise the fact that our window looks like a half-finished building site.

This is somewhat easier, if I'm honest, when making a christmas window. The tatty plywood, exposed nails and loose cables can be disguised by liberal use of tinsel, of which we have a plentiful supply. It's starting to look half decent. Then I have this.... idea. I have put a large radio controlled model crane in the window. I decide it would be an interesting centre piece of have the crane lowering an item of stock down to the fork lift truck below, which is also carrying stock. So I seak the help of our new sales assistant, who has a long maritime career behind him. One thing mariners know how to do: tie knots. I give him some fishing line and he ties the chosen item (a helicopter) to the crane for me. It's a little lower than I had hoped (my fault- I cut the line) by this issue is soon mitigated by the fact that the crane falls over. Arse.
New plan. Hang the helicopter from the ceiling, feeding the line through the crane bucket to make it appear to be holding the helicopter. Not bad eh? My colleague now fetches a hook to attach to the ceiling in order to hold the line in place. The ceiling is fashioned from very old plasterboard and crumbles like a wafer. My colleague disappears downstairs to root around and fine a long nail. Much messing about later, the helicopter is finally suspended from the ceiling in a manner than makes it appear as if the crane is holding it. Success. Finally.
NOw all I have to do is a certain amount of frustrating faffing around with sticky tape and tinsel (NOT a good combination) and this particular aspect is completed. Assuming the manager is happy with it. Now all I have to do is come up with a load more ideas for the gadets and toys, then I can move on to the next section.
All this typing has taken me neatly to the end of my lunch break. Looks like I'm off back to work.