Shopping & pampering

If you're looking for supermarkets there's one. Yes. Just one Supermarket in the whole country. Imagine that. It seems top be perfectly sufficient and with it being a Morrisons (formally known as Safeways) you are never too far away from your favourite good old british condiment sauce. The great thing about Morrisons is that its opening hours are pretty much the same as in the Uk - open 7 days a week. The only other shop is also the british invention - the asian corner shop . There's one of those here too, yes just one. Ramsons. Fantastic for those last minute, late night purchases!

As for the rest of the shopping arena, most shops are mainly situlated in main pedestrianised high street called Main Street. This is where you'll find all those branded shops such as M&S, Accessorize, Monsoon, Early Learning Centre, BHS and Top Shop. There are a handful of other good clothing stores such as MarbleArc (trendy branded products) and Rosabella, and a few others. Other than that fashion and homeware stores are fairly limited. Most shops close here just when you have time to shop. If you work full time your only opportunity to do the weekly shop, get a haircut, get a present for your son's friends bithday and buy a new outfit is probably Saturday morning. Its a tall order. It reminds me of living in the UK about 25 years ago when shops closed earlyt on Sat and were not at all open on Sunday. I even remember that most shpos closed on Wednesday afternoons too! How did my parents manage? Having said all that I do like the sense that we are forced to find other things to do with our wekends other than shop, I have to say that I think moving here and experiencing that alone has been my saviour , its allowed me to think more about how to relax and not get caught up in the world of disposable consumerism.

I am guilty however of over doing it a bit on the shopping side in a recent visit to London. I think I spent a whole day in Selfridges! I had been starved of quality choice for far too long. But I guess all those Sundays for reflection one has to indulge every so often.