Escape

A rather strange thing happened while l was shopping in town on Saturday.

l was holding a small handbag, then bought a couple of items wihich l put in a plastic M&S carrier, but after half an hour or so of browsing around various stores l looked down and ... no carrier!

Odd.  l have no recollection of losing it, and l'm normally safety conscious, always aware of suspicious looking people who might, at the first available opportunity, nick my stuff.

lt was unnerving to say the least. Was l suffering from a mental block? Had the carrier self-destructed? Or maybe l was merely pre-occupied with loftier matters and left it somewhere? (Loftier matters being 'what shall l have for tea when l get home' and 'l hope the buses are running on schedule'.)

lt could have been worse as the sum total of the missing goods was just £4.49, and l didn't have the time or inclination  to re-trace my steps to search for it, but it's the principle. lf it's happened once, what's to stop it happening again? Hmmm. Another valid reason for ordering via the internet, l think.

Saturday evening saw the second installment of the excellent series on BBC 2 - The Seven Ages Of Rock. This week saw footage of Pink Floyd (with and without Syd Barrett), Lou Reed, David Bowie, Roxy Music, and Genesis (with Peter Gabriel).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/    

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   

Shopping. l've got a love/hate relationship with it.

Yesterday l went out to buy a new sofa. My old one was ...well, old; but what finally convinced me was when a relative said in total disbelief, 'Is that still the same one l used to sleep on when l was little?'

l hit the town armed with a tape measure - a necessity as my house is compact and furniture tends to be large and unwieldy. Three hours later l returned. Sofa-less.

Why is it l can always see exactly what l want when l don't need it, and yet when l go out prepared to spend l can find nothing l like.

There were a couple l looked twice at, but not too seriously. A caramel coloured one with wide arm rests - too large, and one of a slightly darker shade, nice and squashy with good leg room, but this provoked a 'How Much?! No Way!!' when l saw the price tag.

l'm so tempted to just order one over the internet and cut out all the hassle, but you can't sit on them first and that's what it all comes down to for me. Comfort.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show begins this week. For info try:  www.bbc.co.uk/chelsea  

This yearly show is a must for all plant addicts. See it if you can.

Walkers, the UK manufacturer of crisps (potato chips) and other snacks, are now using healthier 'Sunseed' oil in the frying process of their standard range of crisps.

lt's subtle, but there's definitely a difference in the taste. l'm not sure l like it. ln particular the Pickled Onion flavour which l was a fan of has, in my opinion, lost some of it's mouth watering tangyness. Pity.

www.walkers.co.uk

On the plus side, however, Cadburys have brought out a new Dairy Milk chocolate bar with a Creme Egg fondant filling. This gets my seal of approval! Ten out of Ten.

l hope it will be available throughout the year and not just at Easter.

www.cadburys.co.uk

Changing the subject, l have added a couple of new items to my Links l like list.

Lost Souls is the official website of Clive Barker and gives info on his latest projects including books, plays, films, artwork etc, and more.

TV Toys is dedicated to collectables and memorabilia from television and cinema, past and present. Star Wars...Star Trek...Doctor Who...Thunderbirds...The Pink Panther... they have a wide range for all ages. Worth a look if you are searching for something for your collection, or starting a new one.