Shopping

DC & I have been left to our own devices for the second time in a matter of days as international businessman jets off yet again (last week Zurich, this week Krakow where, incidentally, it is tipping down with rain.) So, today DC took me in to town (Reading, that is) to enjoy a little retail therapy. He was incredibly well-behaved, sleeping from 10am til 2pm thus leaving me with plenty of time to stop for coffee, cake and my book in Costa (I highly recommend their chocolate tiffin), lunch and more of my book in M&S and lots of in-between time for perusing the shelves, aisles and windows of various other establishments.

In John Lewis I treated the household to a barbecue bucket. We do have a 'proper' barbecue, but in all honesty it barely got used and has now turned in to a tower of rust. Recently hubby & I have been bombarded with the fabulous smell of other people's barbecues (why do they always smell soooooo good?), so when I saw the bbq bucket, I thought it would be perfect for us - just about big enough to cook a couple of snags and a chicken breast, which I think will be better than having to fire up a big barbie.

In Hotel Chocolat I bought a few bits for my friend Val to say thank you for passing on some of her boys' clothes for Arthur and, what luck, I just happened across a bar of chocolate that was half price for myself (bottom left). Always worth a look in H. Chocolat as they quite often have some of their chocs reduced.

Then it was on to M&S where I spent some time perusing the delight that is their 'Cake Shop' (fancy name for a section in one of the aisles.) I came away with my current favourite - the Fridge Cake, aka chocolate tiffin - don't you just love the retro packaging M&S are using for some of their things at the moment? I should start making it (tiffin that is, not retro packaging) myself since it's not exactly difficult but I just never get round to it.

Now we are home, enjoying the cool temperature of the living room, watching Wimbledon,

drinking cloudy lemonade and eating another piece of tiffin.