Shopping

We decided that a visit to our local shopping town was the thing after Christmas, that is to say a visit to Kingston upon Thames, just a few days short of a year since of our last shopping visit, noticed at reference 1. And, as it turned out, with a very similar shopping list.

We had thought to try parking on one of the residential streets before you get to Kingston proper, but in the event I was completely baffled by the combination of signage and lineage and decided that parking in the Rose, as usual, was the better plan. Unusually I got in to level 4, much lower than usual, without bumping any of the kerbs on the ramps.

First stop, the bridge over the Hogsmill, where we were treated by the sight of a heron and, in among all the dingy fish left, a near white Koi carp. This last being lost in the reflection in the snap above. Dingy fish clearly visible when I enlarge the original. We supposed that the heron would only take fishes up to about six inches long, which would exclude most of those visible from the bridge.

Then through the Christmas (brown shed) market, looking just a little tacky in the cold light of day, not livened up by a press of eager customers.

Second stop, the timer shelf in Lakeland. The problem being an entirely unsatisfactory timer, seemingly more or less identical to Salter timer which had just expired, bought at some expense from John Lewis. An electronic affair from KitchenCraft, with rubbish display and feeble alarm. Could Lakeland do better? It could, and we left well pleased with a very easy to set, pink mechanical affair with a bell like an alarm clock of old and a third of the price of the timer from John Lewis. Also from KitchenCraft as it turned out; perhaps they have got a stranglehold on this part of the kitchen wares world.

Next to the Waitrose cheese department to top up the Poacher supplies, a trip to London not then being convenient.  Poacher present, and I was lucky to get a more or less rind free piece - which happens one time out of three given the Waitrose style of buying and cutting. Adequate, but not as good as the stuff from Neal's Yard, perhaps reflecting the long time that it had been in plastic. But then, it was two third's of the price of Neal's Yard. Another virtue of this Waitrose was its much larger stock of white wine than their Epsom shop, although we did not take advantage on this occasion.

Next to Cotswold for some new trainers, having got rather more months out of these ones than is usual these days, with the last purchase having been in May. See reference 2. The 'Moab Ventilator' trainers I wanted were still in production, still in stock, still cost £85 and came with the usual fluent patter. Bit like they used to be at Odd Bins.

BH disappointed by the festive bears having been stripped out of Bentalls, less than a week after the big day. So onto a fairly crowded John Lewis for a new suitcase, a smaller version of the one bought on the last occasion. Suitcase present, and we were served by a very smooth young lady, very smartly turned out and wearing a good deal of expensive looking jewellery, perhaps from somewhere in the Middle East - but not so expensive that she didn't supplement her income by working the weekends while at university. Smoothness only slightly ruffled by her electrical till freezing at the point of payment.

Took a look at the Rossopomodoro, not far from the suitcases. Much smaller than the one at Oxford Street, but on this occasion we passed, and I settled for a packet egg sandwich in the café overlooking the river. With tea in quite a good approximation to a tea cup, rather than the weighty coffee cups one is often given in such places.

Interested to see that the three house barges were still there, up against Kingston Bridge. We speculated about who might want to buy such a thing, which we supposed would cost much the same as one of the dry-land flats adjacent. We would have thought that they would be apt to be cold and damp in the winter, associating to a restaurant barge we had once eaten in on the river at Norwich, many years previously, dripping with condensation one winter's lunchtime.

We also had a number of handsome wooden rowing skiffs, with variable numbers of oars, variable ages and sexes of oarspersons, with one lot looking very much the veterans. Quite possibly some connection with references 3 and 4. Younger, might have given it a go, as they probably don't take themselves quite as seriously as the people who do racing eights. Don't suppose many of them go in for protein powders, let alone the more tricky stuff. Probably old fashioned enough to think that blood doping is not very sporting.

Back in time to visit the tip, with one suitcase from the roof (from an Exminster jumble sale), one old pair of shoes (from the garage roof) and a couple of token books (from the study). Three in, three out. But, after the fashion of FIL, I did remove the laces from the shoes to add to my collection of same.

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/01/kingston-upon-thames.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/05/late-notice.html.

Reference 3: http://www.skiffing.org.uk/srahome.htm.

Reference 4: https://www.dittons.org.uk/.