Escape

After a few weeks of putting my mind to worthier pursuits l was ready for a few shopping sessions this week. Not food shopping necessarily, the other pleasurably aimless kind where you wander around looking at everything.

During the summer, the bus journeys are a bit of a turn off. One took 45 minutes to travel the four miles into town. lt was hot. There were no windows which could be opened, just air conditioning blowing warm air. Uesless. And not good for my underlying claustrophobia either. l need proper windows.

Eventually l got there. Much as l enjoy some aspects of shopping, two hours at a time is about my limit in one go. Any longer and my attention span starts to drift off and it becomes a chore.

Still, l bought some things l wanted, was out in the sunshine, and had some 'slow' walking exercise.

l got some blueberries - supposed to be the new superfood and full of vitamins and antioxidants.

Two candles - one strawberry, one boysenberry from an interesting ethnic shop.

Two glass T-light candle holders.

Incense sticks in strawberry, jasmine, lavender and ocean 'flavours.'

A bone incense holder.

Shoes.

Flowers.

And a small Buddhas head on a stand. lt had a lovely serene and androgynous expression and l hoped it would bring a sense of peace and calmness into the house. The check-out assistant told me it was the 'Goddess of the Lottery' and if l put my tickets underneath it would bring me luck. l assured her l would.

Peace ... calmness ... and a huge lottery win! l could live with that.

Later, something strange happened when l lit one of the 'ocean' incense sticks. After half an hour of inhaling the smoke - it didn't smell at all like an ocean but was quite pleasant - l began to feel dizzy and spaced out. Generally ill in fact. Walking in a straight line took some concentration too. Like l'd been drugged.

Maybe l'm allergic to what ever they're made off.

www.wildblueberries.com     www.blueberry.org/health.htm