Summer sales always get me thinking about the basics and what needs stocking up on or replacing. And part of the reason for this most boringest blog on the internets (takes a bow!) is that I have a daily account of stuff that happens in my life, including mundane stuff like buying new sheets. A quick check informed me that it was only two years ago that I got new ones. Way too soon to fork out for more new sheets, especially as my top sheets and pillow cases are just fine. It’s the bottom fitted sheets that are fucked. Elastic is shot and there are a few tell-tale L-shaped cat tears that at any moment could rip wide open.

Anyhow, this is either my week for new discoveries or just me finding out that these things were always there and I simply didn’t know about them. So just like IKEA delivering small items for a mere 3 euros, I found out that I can purchase bottom sheets separately from Bassols.

My love affair with Bassols began back in 2009 when I inherited a few sets of sheets (along with various bits of furniture) from my friend Susan who was moving back to the US. I was sick and on chemo back then and I just remember thinking how much nicer these sheets were than the usual cheap ones I would pick up at small shops here. I always went for 100% cotton but of course quality varies. And as I was a broke English teacher for 15 years and then an out of work cancer patient for close to 2 years, I made do. And so getting these lovely Bassols cotton percale 200 thread sheets from Susan were like a dream come true.

Since then, they are the only sheets I buy. First of all because they are made in Spain and can easily be found at El Corte Inglés around the corner from my house, so I look out for summer sales and replace mine at a discount. But they always come in a set: top sheet, bottom fitted sheet, two pillow cases. Even later when I found out I could sometimes find them even cheaper on the Bassols website, they were still sold in sets. It was only this week that I searched for just the bottom sheets and lo and behold… there they were! And on sale too! And so this year I am making do with only replacing the bottom sheets, which is fine. But it’s going to take a while before the fresh “marfil” colour of the bottoms catch up to the sun-bleached top sheets. I’m sure the cats won’t mind.