Mr Rose and I were planning to have an exotic Autumn holiday, but seeing as we are embroiled in our well documented housing scenario we are staying put for now. As we had a few days holiday to use up and are quite frankly exhausted from work and estate agent drama, we thought we would have ourselves a little Staycation.
As luck would have it, Mum and Dad are, as this blog goes to press, on a BA flight to Florida with Auntie Mame and Uncle R. Because Auntie Mame and Uncle R have been frightfully clever with Air Miles they are going business class while my parents are going cattle. I have this frightful image of Auntie Mame lording it over Mum by lobbing bits of business class food at her through the cabin. Aim isn't really a genetic strength of ours, so I have visions of a stranger ending up with bits of lobster in their hair, while my mum reads her Jonanna Trollope and eats a cheese sandwich in peace.
Mr Rose and I decided to take advantage of the Family Seat being vacant and set off this morning for The Shire so we could play Lord and Lady of the manor (translation - consume my parent's gin and sky plus).
I had persuaded Mr Rose that he needed a new smart pair of jeans and that we should stop off at the bargainalicious Bicester Village.
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| Bicester Village Fun |
As we set off on the M40 he suggested we listened to one of his Radio 4 podcasts from his ipod as our radio has been broken for yonks. I hesitated, as Power Ballads are more my style. However, the poor chap is so deprived of intellectual stimulation by living with me that I felt it only fair that we listen to his choice. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and now could answer several pub quiz questions on dynastic American and Japanese businesses of the 19th Century.
When we got to Bicester Village we shopped till we dropped. I got not one but two merino wool dresses from Ralph Lauren, originally £200 each reduced to £24.99!! loved it so much got it in black and brown. Now have the dreadful dilemma of whether I buy brown tights to go with brown dress and risk legs looking like tree trunks???
Mr Rose got a very smart pair of jeans and a couple of ties so we left very happy and continued our journey to The Shire.
We had been here about 5 minutes when the next door neighbour popped round to give us fresh eggs from his hens as he knew we were here for the weekend and thought we might like them for our breakfast. I nearly died of grattitude! When one lives in a central London flat and doesn't know the names of the people who live 4 feet above one's head, it is beyond charming to be welcomed so kindly. Seriously cannot wait for breakfast.
I then popped to the shops for a few provisions and on leaving the car park, speed dialled Mr Rose and ordered my gin and tonic - 'light on the tonic, heavy on the gin' and we kicked off our long weekend with the traditional feast of My Clan - gin and a bowl of crisps.
We are now cat-sitting two of the strangest cats in England. Fred is totally oblivious to any change in the person in his house. If a coach full of Chinese tourists pulled up and descended on our kitchen he would just look at them as if to say 'Whiskers please, and be quick about it, there's a good chap'. Coco, however, has the nervous disposition of a very tiny fragile humming bird. She will just about get used to you, then you change your hairstyle and she thinks 'oh no I'm not sure about that I might have to hide under the washing machine now'.
I explained this interesting characteristic to Mr Rose and, like a bull to a red flag, he pulled a horrifying face at her. We haven't seen her for 4 hours. Hope it is cosy under the washing machine.
At this very moment, Mr Rose is gently dozing in front of Newsnight and I've got half an eye on Internet shopping. I think I'm going to need some new boots to go with the frocks...
All is right with the world. AND I haven't even made it to mum's bathroom yet to see which products she has foolishly left out for me to snaffle!!
So goodnight, from 2 happy staycationers.
Rose x
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