A Day's Shopping!

Hi again!

Not that I'm counting the days, you understand, but I have added 'here time' and 'kiwi time' clocks to the left side of the page! Kiwi time is generally 12 hours ahead of us, but at the moment they are +13! That's because they are still on Daylight Saving Time and we aren't - yet! Our clocks go forward an hour tomorrow night - well early hours of Sunday morning.

Today I am having a really lazy day after my shopping trip yesterday! I spent the morning reading my book - nice light reading from Alan Titchmarsh, who as well as being famous as a TV gardener is doing quite well in the literary stakes too! I have read quite a few of his novels, and picked up this one - Love and Dr. Devon - in a charity shop the other day. I'm about two thirds of the way through it now and will probably finish it later.

So! Yesterday! Well, I went up to Edinburgh yesterday morning by car; left it in the outskirts of the city and continued by bus to Princes Street, the main shopping street. Now, I have to tell you I HATE shopping for clothes - always have done - as nothing fits me properly. I have no waist so anything that fits me round the middle is miles too big on the hips and shoulders, and probably just that little bit too tight on the boobs! I tell you, when bodies were being handed out I must have been at the end of the line and got all the bits that were left over! Anyway, I looked in two or three clothes shops, tried on one or two outfits that looked lovely on the hangers, decided they weren't for me and moved on to the next shop! I did buy a few t-shirts though. Then I headed for the station and a train to Dunfermline, an altogether smaller but every bit as good shopping centre. I love travelling by train! "This train is for Cowdenbeath... stopping at Haymarket... South Gyle... Dalmeny... North Queensferry... Inverkeithing... Rosyth... Dunfermline town... Dunfermline Queen Margaret's.... and Cowdenbeath."

It was a beautiful afternoon as the train set off out of the station, along the foot of the castle rock. Looking up at the old castle silhouetted against a clear blue sky was quite a spine-tingling experience!!! Reminded me too of the American tourist who looked up at the castle on top of its craggy volcanic plug and said "Why did they built it so close to the railway line!" The castle only dates back to prehistoric times, although the oldest part of the present complex of buildings only goes back to the 11th century.

Don't know what they were doing but there was a workman abseiling down the rock as we passed, watched by his colleague up on the battlements!

So on we went, through the long tunnel under the west end of Edinburgh, emerging at Haymarket; through the suburbs and small villages to the magnificent Forth Bridge.

When I was little it was so exciting looking up at the bridge from South Queensferry and seeing the puffs of smoke from the steam engines as they pulled their carriages over to Fife and beyond. No steam trains these days, but it was just as exciting trundling over the bridge looking down at the village where in my childhood we would wait by the pier in this old postcard for a ferry to carry our car and us across the Firth of Forth.

On we went through the Fife stations till we entered Dunfermline. I really didn't want to get off the train, I was enjoying the journey so much, but there we were. "This is Dunfermline town." said the announcement, so along with several others I got off at the northbound platform, and headed to the shops!

And I got a dress for the weddings! First one I saw too! It was on a rail just inside the shop door, and I liked it immediately. Tried it on, and though it doesn't look as good on me as it would on a slimmer lady, it was fine! I couldn't believe it when the sales assistant recognised me from the day I went up to Dunf after Leslie died. I had told her I had come up to arrange a funeral and she remembered, asking me if everything had gone well. So, main mission accomplished, I continued just to wander round the other shops including the stationer's and book shop, the health store, and a large store selling clothes, lingerie, shoes, handbags, hair accessories, cheap costume jewellery........ at very reasonable prices! I bought a pack of 7 pairs of cotton socks for just £2 and a pretty necklace and earrings to go with the new dress for £6!!!

Enough was enough though, so it was back to the train then, back across the bridge, and into Edinburgh again, where I was to meet Linda to go out for something to eat. We chose Italian and ate at a nice little restaurant not far from hers, and then, after a mug of hot chocolate at Linda's later, I finally set off for home - quite exhausted, but pleased that I won't have to have another day at the shops before my trip!

Talk again soon.