Dropping the shopping

Today I shopped.
Yesterday, I shopped
Yesterday, today, forever? I sincerely hope not!

Yesterday after meeting the curate, Little Fish and I hit the shops. What do you wear to your own daughter's funeral? I'm not sure that Trinny and Susannah have that as one of their categories. Yes, I know I left it a little late; turns out I'm a leetle larger than I thought I was and stretchy leggings whilst comfy probably aren't the best thing to be wearing. So, we headed off to an outlet centre to see what we could find.

Eek. Honestly. It will come as no suprise to those who know me that I am not a dedicated follower of fashion. I'm also not someone who considers anything costing £500 a bargain simply because it "should" cost £1000 or more. That's not a bargain that's a sizeable chunk of my monthly mortgage repayment! I am also not a size 10. Or a 12. Apparently larger people don't want to buy clothes. Or shoes.

Oh. I have a gorgeous little dress for Little Fish to wear. Ebay came up trumps and she has a very fetching pinafore. But nothing to wear under it and it's a little chilly for bare arms and legs. So, out of the scary ladies clothing shops and into the everything a bargain children's shops. Nothing for Little Fish. I should mention this shopping trip is not helped by the fact that every time we enter a shop LF shouts "No!" very loudly and slams her hands onto her wheels, an effective sudden braking method which has me tripping over her chair and landing headfirst in front of her if I am not careful. LF, it turns out, prefers to sit outside the shops watching the twinkling Christmas lights. I don't blame her, but this is not exactly helpful when we are women on a misson. Note to self: explain the mission to the toddler before you leave next time, bribe her with chocolate or actually get organised and find a babysitter.

We leave the outlet centre with nothing useful for either of us but mysteriously with a new outfit for Mog. Who already has more clothes than will fit in her wardrobe. I don't care; it's cute. And it was reduced.

Soooo, into the city centre. I haven't been to the city since Little Fish moved in in February. As we attempt to walk through the streets I remember why this is. Not only her sudden braking method but that "oh I must stop in the middle of the street and double back on myself because I've just seen something interesting in a shop window but oh no I'll change my mind and go back the way I started moving and oops is that my phone?" manouvre (say that three times without taking breath!) beloved of the majority of Christmas shoppers. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

My enthusiasm goes up in leaps and bounds at the discovery that Debenhams lift is out of order. Apparently there is a second entrance in a back street, but I can't find it. BHS has nothing for us. M and S, hurrah, they can't fail us can they? Plus I have a large amount of gift tokens from last Christmas I really ought to spend before this Christmas.

I pick up a rather nice skirt. There is however nothing to match it. No matter, it's yummy, I like it, and with the gift tokens it's free really so let's grab it. Oh and that little jumper which will fit nicely under a jacket. And that yummy yummy baggy saggy jumper with ridiculously long sleeves that will fall into my soup all the time. All free with the gift tokens right? Until I get to the counter, where, after the inevitable 15 minute wait as one elderly lady complains about how awful it is that the shop does not still do the things they used to do thirty years ago and insists on the cashier finding the address for the chief executive so she can write and complain, I manage to pay for my haul. It is, naturally, at this point that I realise the pink and blue monopoly money I threw out just the day before was in fact the gift tokens I had been hoarding for the past 11 months. Sigh... Still, we have the skirt, this is progress. We stop on the way home to buy ingredients for a cheesecake; our housegroup is cooking for Alpha this week.

Today we went to mother and toddler group. We manage this once or twice a term, weaving it in where we can amongst the many different appointment threads we have to live with. Little Fish had fun; it's good to be able to do things which are actually fun some times not just the stuff we have to do.

That over, a quick lunch and then off into town to try to match something with the skirt. Success, eventually, plus another jumper which mysteriously leapt into my arms and insisted I brought it home. I don't care; it's yummy. Three yummy jumpers is probably excessive, but warm and cuddly is the way I'd like to go right now. Succeed too in finding, not matching items for Little Fish's outfit but a whole matchy matchy outfit for her. All happy. On the way home I realise I now do not have the 5 hours necessary to prepare, cook and cool the cheesecake. So pick one up from Waitrose.

Get home, whizz up a spiced apple sauce for the cheesecake so it looks a little bit homemade at least, throw Little Fish into bed and now I am off. Oh, I have 2lbs of cream cheese which is now not needed for the cheesecake. Any takers?

Tia