Beautiful day in central England, warm, windless, the perfect weather for a walk in the Cotswold Hills or getting the bikes out. So Pixie and I got in the car and drove to Witney in Oxfordshire to do some shopping; after all, where's the fun in the healthy option?
Pixie and I have well-developed shopping routines. If it's for food, I leave her at home; I just can't trust her to search out the bargains and the new lines. Since I do the cooking it makes sense for me to deal with the acquisition as well, although the aisles at Waitrose are pretty restricting when it comes to bringing down a wild boar.
General shopping, such as today's outing, is also structured. We tend to go our separate ways, meeting up only when there's an opportunity to consume food or drink or we want to show each other something we've found. Today, for example, Pixie took me to a shop to show me a handbag and I took her to a church to show her a 16th century tomb - quite similar, really.
Pixie's main activity will be searching out goods for her business. Mine will be buying the paper, visiting second-hand book shops and, of course, photography. I quite often end up in a coffee shop, reading the paper and sneaking in an illicit muffin or toasted teacake which I may, or may not,take a picture of. I can wait for Pixie for hours as long as I'm occupied and near food.
Other than clothes, shoes, second-hand books and the temptations of the kitchen department at John Lewis's, there's very little I buy on the high street nowadays; I've been an Internet shopper for many years and, almost without exception, it's been a positive experience.
So today's purchases in six hours of exposure to commercial pressure?
- The Times newspaper
- The latest novel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
- A tin of Australian shoe polish (black), found in a shop in Burford - I was thinking I'd have to take a trip to Sydney to get some and that was going to be a touch expensive.
Today's images are a couple of threes from Witney Parish Church.
5 comments:
I'd rather do a good many things other than shop unless I have a great deal of money in my pocket. I'd have opted for the hike in the Cotswolds ;)
The threes are wonderful, though those nuns look none too happy at being frozen in time twice
I've been drawing and painting sad-eyed virgins for days now. And here they are! (Well. Mine are sort of nun-gypsy-matroushka-virgins.)
England must be such an exciting place, what with the wildlife roaming the grocery aisles. Almost like Texas.
I should have, Pauline, but my feet were playing up and no good for walking downhill!
Incidentally they're not nuns but respectful daughters. albeit unhappy ones - there were another pair on the opposite side of the tomb but I'm into threes at the moment.
Can't make our minds which of you to descend on next year - perhaps we can do both although you're coming to us, aren't you, Pauline. Perhaps we should invite ourselves to your shed, Shara.
The shed doors are almost always open, Dave. Our little downtown is quaint and quite photogenic, and with Portland so close by, there's plenty of art and shopping and gritty realism. And cake.
OK, Shara, just need my eldest daughter to finally decide when her wedding is and then we can make plans.
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