The S word

It's nearly that time of year again , no not,(whispers for the delicate amongst us) Christmas but that thing that goes along with it for the majority of us.

Shopping

Yes , the mere word is enough to send shivers down the spine of some menfolk that I know , but let me tell you , it's not only men that have an aversion to it.

I used to like it , but then somewhere along the way I decided that I didn't . The shops that switch their heating to full volume on 1st October regardless of what the actual weather is like , so that wearing coats , as is normal outside , becomes a pain as you have to strip off the minute you enter a shop.

That I guess is one reason that I prefer enclosed shopping centres , where you can go shopping wearing a t-shirt in December and not feel the slightest bit cold. However I still don't like the whole shopping thing.

I was persuaded to go to Westfield shopping centre in East London last year with my Brother but it took him paying my train fare and buying me lunch in Nandos to persuade me .As it happens I did actually enjoy that shopping trip but I wouldn't want to repeat it too often.

I honestly don't understand those people who head for the shopping centre every weekend , just to have a look around . If I have to go shopping I like to have a clear idea of what I want to buy so that I don't have to waste time wandering around aimlessly with the other zombies.

And that is where the internet is my saviour. I can sit at the pc in my pyjamas or onsie , with a cup of tea at 1am if I want to and I have millions of shops at my finger tips. Shops that are nowhere to be seen on my local high street and that sell much more interesting gifts . Also I can save the page and come back later without having to walk the entire length of the shopping centre / high street , something my feet thank me for.

And then there is no carrying bags and bags of things home on the train or trips back to the car to stash stuff in the boot . The postman delivers my purchases straight to the door and often if you are canny with a discount code , you don't even have to pay for the pleasure.


Obviously the only thing that I can't change is the fact that this shopping lark costs money and sadly there is no way I can change that xxx

Foot In Mouth Disease

Have you ever been out somewhere with an older person and they make a comment about someone nearby in what they think is a whisper?

Yes we know it's not a whisper but of course the level of deafness suffered by the older person is directly related to how loud they actually are.

My Gramps used to do this much to the embarrassment of family members but quite frankly he didn't care , he fought in a war and therefore felt he could say exactly what he wanted.

Well I think I'm starting to be affected by this but in a slightly different way.

I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to apologise recently for things I have said that were taken in a way that I didn't mean them to be. I DO think about what I say (or type) before I say it but I forget that not everyone takes things in the same way that I do . A phrase that means something to me sometimes hasn't even been heard of by someone in a different country or even a different county.

It is increasingly easy to offend or upset someone totally inadvertently and maybe the increased use of the internet and social media is helping this to happen.
In my Grandparents day people didn't travel as widely either so the chances of using a phrase particular to your area on a person from another place was rare.

I like to be natural when speaking to people or chatting on Twitter or Facebook , I would feel stifled if I had to think about what I wanted to say and then re-think before I typed , just in case , so if I ever insult you or annoy you with something I say , just let me know and I'll add you to my list of people to apologise to xxx