A Bit of A Splurge and Olympic Memories

Yesterday I needed to head up to our local behemoth shopping mall to get some puppy food from Waitrose.  (I know, I know, it sounds like a real pampered pooch already).  I had been giving her some puppy food I'd bought from Approved Foods, but their stocks ran out so I had to go back to the Waitrose variety that she had initially. Our nearest Waitrose is in the shopping mall built on the Olympic Park.

It's very strange going back past the park, it all seems so depressing after the thrilling summer we had last year going to Olympic and Paralympic events.  It is once again a building site.  Most of the temporary buildings have now been removed and the land is being dug over and redesigned to make into a new legacy park called the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I think it is due to reopen in July this year.  I'm quite looking forward to going back into the park itself, as it will be great to take our bikes and the puppy.

Anyway, it's a bit sad to pass through now the games are over and we always think back to what a great time we had and what an exciting summer holidays it was for all of us.  Living so close we just had to make the most of it and got to quite a few events including the closing ceremony to the Paralympic games at which Coldplay and Rhianna featured.  It was a super end to a fabulous few weeks.  Needless to say I'm now paying for the tickets, which I had to put on my credit cards, but it was completely worth it and a chance in a lifetime for us, so I don't regret it at all.

Back to the shopping.  As I mentioned, I had to get the puppy food and it is pretty difficult in such a place to just go to one shop and leave, so I did end up looking in a few other shops and buying a few things.

I must admit I do find shopping malls quite overwhelming these days, so tend to stick to the shops I know, usually the inexpensive ones where I can do as little damage as possible to my bank balance.  I also try to make sure I don't shop for longer than the 2 hour free parking you get.  This does limit me from spending too much or looking around too much, so I do apply a strategy to such an outing.

On this visit I did actually go into a shop I've never been to before, called Beauty Base, as they had a whole range of lipsticks advertised in the window at 99p each.  Needless to say before I left I had bought these 3 - Matte Strawberry, Matte Berry Ice, and Matte Cranberry Red.  (The photo doesn't show them in this order, I mixed up the lids and now don't know which is which!)

You might have realised by now that I like a matte lipstick and as I was down to my last one with only a small amount left on the one in my handbag, I did really need to stock up.  I also wanted to introduce a few different colours into my pallette as I tend to go for a bright red, but fancied some deeper tones.   Since getting home and trying them out, I must admit that you do get what you pay for and they don't quite give the coverage of more expensive lipsticks, but they will be fine for everyday use.

My next stop was Primark.  I used to really like Primark when I first moved to London 15 years ago.  The quality of the clothes was pretty good and there weren't that many stores in this country then.  I remember buying some things and wearing them for ages until they completely wore out.    In more recent years I rarely find much that I like, but I still like to look as you can sometimes get some absolute gems. Having said that, I did buy a few things for my daughter, some jeans and a t-shirt. (Bit of a spotty theme going on there).  As she has no school uniform at her school, (until this September) I have to make sure she has plenty of things to wear each day because her everyday clothes get worn on a daily basis.

 

I picked up a floaty grey top for me too, but will probably wear it with a long sleeved T-shirt or a vest underneath as it has a hospital gown type opening at the back.  I also indulged in a couple of really pretty tea towels for £1.20 each which I thought were a real steal.  I had seen these posted on Streetcomber's blog so when I saw them in there, I couldn't resist indulging in a little Valentine's gift to myself.

Talking of gifts, I did need to buy a couple of gifts, one a small gift for a neighbour's husband who is quite unwell in hospital.  It is a small treat for when he's feeling a little better.

The other,  a few Easter gifts to send to my sister and her boys in Australia.  The Cadbury's chocolate over there doesn't taste the same, as it has anti-melting additives, so I always send them a box of  Cadbury's eggs and chocolate as a taste of home.

I had a bit of a splurge didn't I?   Not too much collateral damage and a few jobs done.  Sometimes you've just got to do it.