Sales, Sofas and Solutions

Once upon a time, I used to love shopping. Now? I hate shopping. I hate sales even more when half the population of Britain is in the same shop as I am. Well, it seemed like that at the time! Complete with baby buggies and wheelie baskets. In fact, one elderly gentleman came down the escalator a few people ahead of us, and stopped as he got off to look inside his wheelie bag in a leisurely fashion, completely oblivious to the mayhem behind him. One can discover a hitherto dormant ability to leap sideways like a gazelle (hahaha) to avoid catastrophe and I freely admit that I was a Grumpy Old Woman by this stage. All vestiges of the Christmas Spirit were sadly lacking and I was losing the will to live. I feel a New Year's Resolution coming up. According to the news last night, the same shopping centre we visited had crowds gathering at 3.30am for the opening at the Next sale at 5am. Marks and Spencers opened at 6am. What???? This is lunacy! I feel so sorry for the people who have to work at these stores.

Anyway, in the quest to find some clothes for daughter, we poddled off yesterday (and the day before, but that was relatively futile as half the shops were not open) and found precisely nothing. After a couple of hours of being pushed and shoved about, we emerged with 2 bottles of shower gel and some sandwiches for sustenance and some fruit juice. Last of the great sales shoppers, that's us. She did find a lovely coat, but as it was not on the sale, it stayed where it was.

We think we have discovered what makes her so sick on long distance flights. She has all the symptoms of altitude sickness. Great. One of the recommendations we found on the internet was not to fly. Gee, thanks. She will be on the slow boat back home, and should arrive in 3 months. I think not. There has to be something practical that she can do to stop the symptoms of feeling as though she is about to pass out, not to mention the nausea etc. Knowing that she has to make these trips alone is not something I am happy about. Especially when she has to change planes in strange and foreign places. When I am not there to look out for her. Any ideas, people??

And now I am sitting here awaiting the arrival of our new sofas. Sofas!!!!! Things to sit on! New! With springs which are intact! They were actually in position 5 on the Mythical Grand Order Of Important Things To Do When One Wins the Lotto, but leapt up to Number 1 when it became apparent that we would be sitting on the floor soon, due to the demise of all things one can sit on in this house. One's 82 year old mother should not have to sit on the floor. And relaxing in front of the TV doesn't really work when you are sitting on a dining room chair. And I creak way too much to spend much time at ground level.

That rest I confidently spoke about over the holidays? The one where I would have time to do the things I want to do? Not a chance. What is more, I wouldn't have it any other way. I am having the most wonderful time with my daughter home. She is a delight. And let's face it, if I were to be all sweetness and light 24 hours a day, she would think she had arrived in the wrong place, wouldn't she??