Tuesday, Wednesday

Tuesday sees Stephanie and I off out and about. No photo's this week. A little snack in M&S and off to Selfridges, a peruse of the Lulu Guinness handbags, Karen Millen and Ted Baker and into Oxford Street and a bus down to Oxford Circus, cut through into Great Marlborough Street and into Liberties. I haven't been there for simply ages. It was the programme on Channel 4 that reminded me. Aaaaanyway we peruse the ground floor then the first and second floors which while interesting didn't exactly fill us with desire.
We depart and go to John Lewis for a wander and meet up with madame in the shoe department. A little chat and we part company Stephanie and I intending to be very brave and go to Primark which we know will be sooo rammed but when we arrive we change our mind and its homeward bound, the remains of Stephanie's cold getting the better of her.
Wednesday and we are off to Westfield at White City, madame and our daughter have already departed to Westfield at Stratford. We arrive and have a quick snack in M&S then wander. We find a lovely assistant in Dior and we both ooze over a fabulous red day frock at a mere £2,500. Miu-Miu have a wonderful black coat but knowing how far it will be out of my price range I don't bother to enquire. We take a light lunch on Byron's and get our usual chatty waiter. We take out leave around 3.30 which puts us just ahead of school chucking out time. As we exit the station I hear... oh no not you, it is madame and daughter who have arrived back from the opposite direction at the same time !

Two days

Two days of out and about with Stephanie. Sunday sees us off to Tate Britain somewhere I had not been for a while. The last time they were part way through the refurbishment so it was much improved. A thoroughly enjoyable few hours were spent wandering although we did think that it should be renamed the J M W Turner appreciation society. Of course I know that they are the recipients of the Turner bequest but it is Turner overload and I am not THAT much of a fan especially of his later works. Thankfully there are many others examples to take our attention. Art philistine I may be but many examples of modern art leave me cold. Aaaanyway after much wandering hunger drives us forth into the cold and drafty Millbank and into Pizza Express.
We walk to Parliament Square and do a few pictures then hop a bus up to Oxford Street and Selfridges. Stephanie wants to buy some upmarket makeup! In we go only to have to join a queue for the ladies, why oh why does it take women sooo long! One of the very few advantages of maleness, in, out and away LOL. Aaaaanyway we make our way to Chanel and a lovely young lady helps Stephanie, she tries a few different lipsticks on her and she buys two plus a lipliner and brush and we exit Stephanie quite a bit poorer but a very happy lady. Its then time for home and dinner.
Monday is photo day and thence a trip to Brent Cross. As we are both a tad poor its just a wander although we are severely tempted by items in Lipsy. I have to take Stephanie home as madame and I are out to dinner that night.
Ah the delights of the Holloway Road, we manage to park and walk to the restaurant, a Thai establishment which it turns out is rather nice, everything freshly cooked. Its the daughter-in-laws birthday so there is quite a crowd of us, sixteen in all so the staff are well pleased so many on a Monday night, I bet he has never had so many people.

The times they are a changing

Well there we were madame and I in M&S Brent Cross when we espy a rather lovely suit, ladies of course. I get the jacket and try it on, perfect and walk off to find a mirror. Nothing unusual in that. No? Ah well read on.
We wander the shop and find on a mannequin a rather nice parka jacket, waisted and with furry collar. Off we trot to find it. Once found I try one on then again hunt down a mirror. Nothing unusual in that. No? Then read on.
While madame goes off to pay for her purchase I attempt to leave but am waylaid by the Limited Collection and find rather nice jumper, a lovely little black sleeveless dress and some fab trousers all of which just begged to be held up in front of me and this had to be repeated when madame showed up. Nothing unusual in that. No?
We wander off and wind up in John Lewis. Madame goes off to be measured for a bra and I go a wandering and eventually arrive at the sunglasses. I peruse and find nothing takes my fancy until I see them. Two pairs actually, I try them on, fabulous even in male mode. Once madame has paid for her purchase I drag her to see them both a Breakfast at Tiffany's Audrey Hepburn look alike, one Chanel at £386 and one Dior at £376. I put them on a madame nods her approval to both while we chat to an assistant. Nothing unusual in that. No?
Well dear reader there is not so much something unusual as something remarkable. Time was when we had to find a corner for a furtive assessment and trying on was almost verboten especially if we were not buying but now its done in the middle of the shop in full view. The times they are a changing indeed. Of course some of it is down to my dressing more appropriately and modestly but to a far greater degree madame's acceptance.
So with so much time on my hands today what with her getting measured in M&S and John Lewis who manage to come up with different measurements and her queuing to pay, especially in John Lewis who were experiencing a system failure I was able to observe my fellow shoppers and yes they do stop and look. Ooo I'd love to know what it is about me that is so fascinating. No I still haven't summoned up the courage to ask someone.

Walkabout

Well eventually I girded up my lallies and got myself out and about in the Ted Baker frock. There I am sat sitting there watching the world go by as you do when the little old lady next to me asks me about my bracelets. I've been sitting here she says looking at them and realised they are made of safety pins with beads threaded on them. Yes I say. I think about the next bit before I say oh my partner made them. Well I didn't want her thinking strange thoughts if I said my wife had made them.
Off the bus at Selfridges and a nice wander. Searched the food hall for some hibiscus tea to no avail, I wonder where, apart from Fortnums or Harrods I can get some. I do a tour of perfumery. I'm looking for a palette of eyeshadows. I don't want separate pots but apart from Revlon no one except Chanel seems to do them. Well I know MAC does but they have far too many colours and are aimed at makeup artists. It doesn't help that I'm appaulingly colour blind so I need help with colour co-odination. Then its up the escalator to Womens fashions and the shoe department. Oh those Gina shoes. So shparklay and dainty and oh so expensive. Far to much for an OAP like me and the same goes for these delish offerings....



Selfridges done I venture into Oxford Street. Its getting crowded as midday aproaches. I pop into John Lewis. Up to Womens fashions. They have the Ted Baker frock I love but not the matching handbag which is disappointing for me but not my bank balance. I go up to the fourth floor and into haberdashery to see if they have any nice summer material and they have, one, that is all that takes my fancy, that is until I see this bolt of white lace with hand embroidered daisies and beads. Still at £300 a metre I can't see a frock being made from it. I go up to the fifth floor, a quick look at the Nikon lenses, mmm the 18-105 looks rather tasty. I leave before I spend. Off to luggage. With the reduction in size of hand luggage by airlines it would seem a good idea to get two medium sized cases and pay for them to go in the hold and to be hands free.
So I exit John Lewis and into a hot and sunny Oxford Street, stroll along with the lunchtime crowds and dive up St Christophers Place and into Selfridges via Miss Selfridge. I get waylaid by the Ted Baker concession, again not only no handbag but no frock either! I cut through the food hall and into Marks and Spencer. A troll through womens fashions and I see a larger than lifesize picture. An absolutely gorgeous jacket, white with small flowers. Off I go on a hunt, twice round the Per Una department and........ nothing. Why oh why do shops do this, its isn't the first time and I bet it won't be the last, it is sooo infuriating! Aaaanyway I make my way up to fashions on the next floor and nothing takes my fancy so its down to the basement to get something for lunch. Mmmmm a NY deli pastrami sandwich and a little drinkie and its off to the bus stop and home. So I'm sat sitting there, as you do, on the bus, munching, and I think do I carry on to Brent Cross or not? No, go home and go by car, that will make it easier to get back. I'm about to leave when I hear the front door open. Madame has returned. After telling her of my adventures of course I've gone off the idea of Brent Cross and retreat to the garden.