25 Saturday Oct 2014
Posted in retail therapy, sevilla, shoes, shopping
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Nope, I didn’t name these. Camper did. Boots called Agatha (which is also the name of one of Sledpress‘s cats). Anyhow, I went out for a walk with no destination in mind (always dangerous) and decided to look in a few shoe shops since Winter is Coming (though you wouldn’t know it by the recent 30º temps). What I had in mind was a simple pair of flat black slip-ons and somehow ended up with these. I think I love them.
21 Monday Jul 2014
Posted in home, retail therapy, shopping
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The last time I was in IKEA was in October 2012 when I bought this lovely bed, which then turned into a total IKEA nightmare, that was finally resolved a month later when they sent two guys over to re-install the bed. But today I felt the urge to head out to Castilleja de la Cuesta (Sevilla suburb and home to IKEA) to look for some very IKEA looking light fixtures I’d seen – and liked – when I was staying at Casa de Huéspedes last November. In the end I didn’t find the light fixtures I was looking for, but ended up with some new cushions and also replacement curtains required because of you-know-who… and also a bit of this and that. Half-way through the IKEA ordeal Peter and I stopped for the usual summer Cold Beer O’clock break, this time with (actually very good) sour cream & onion crisps, before heading back into the fray. Best part was at the check-out – something almost nobody ever says – when I found out that one of the IKEA cards I’d brought along (had no idea what they were) turned out to be a “gift card” with a balance of 30€! So woo-hoo! My shopping trip ended up costing half as much as expected. So not a bad Monday. How was yours?
27 Tuesday May 2014
Posted in gadgets, home, retail therapy
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When I bought that lovely Russell Hobbs toaster quite awhile ago now, it was because I loved the design, the name, the everything about it. And if there is anything else I get a bit obsessive about other than electronic gadgets, it’s kitchen stuff. So the other day I saw this Russell Hobbs kettle and just couldn’t resist. Thing is, I have only had one other electric kettle before this, which I found by chance on the day I first met Loki. The place that was sheltering the kittens wasn’t far from a shopping mall I rarely visit because it’s way out of the centre… anyhow, that day I found a very ugly plastic kettle for next to nothing, but it did the job. Except it stayed way ugly. So it was time for a change (though part of me feels bad about getting rid of the “Loki kettle”).
What was your last spontaneous purchase?
14 Wednesday May 2014
Posted in retail therapy, shoes, shopping
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Last summer I bought my first pair of Skechers in Málaga, thinking they’d be good for the gym and long walks. Well, I ended up wearing them almost every day during the autumn and winter, they are just so damn comfy. They were also the only shoes I could get on my swollen feet after the incident. But as you can imagine, after wearing them practically non-stop for several months, they were starting to look, well, like crap. So I got online and bought another pair just the same. Being new, at first they almost hurt my sad feet when I put them on, but as they are elastic on the sides, they actually work like a support bandage and make walking easier. Which will be perfect for going to Málaga mañana.
Now I’m thinking of getting another pair. Saw these on Amazon today and thought that – although far from elegant – they were kinda cute and would work with skirts. Honestly, walking in these shoes is like getting a constant foot massage. And I really need that now. Tomorrow I’m going to try on my Mephisto sandals and see if they still fit (feet are still a bit swollen). It was a month ago today that I fell. I was starting to feel desperate – and a bit scared – about this, but this evening one of my clients happened to be a physiotherapist and said it wasn’t unusual for this sort of soft tissue pain to last as long as six weeks. She also said to keep walking as long as the discomfort was tolerable. Good advice!
10 Saturday May 2014
Posted in computers, gadgets, geekiness, retail therapy, shopping
Meet the newest member of my ever-growing Toshiba family… Anchoa!
This is my first ever notebook/netbook with an 11.6 inch touchscreen and weighing in at just 1.3 kgs. Plus lots of other cool specs that made me suddenly eschew all reason and splash out on this rather spontaneous purchase. I’d actually spotted her the other day in FNAC (for some reason gadgets are always either clearly male or female to me) and thought what a pretty new toy she’d make, but of course I couldn’t think of a good reason to buy her. But with a trip to Málaga coming up, and a few other trips planned over the next few months, it started to seem like a Good Idea to have a small travel computer. The last few times I’ve gone away I’ve taken Shadow with me, which left flatmate Peter using a now very slow and clunky Sexy Beast (sorry, nobody but me uses the Greyhound). But Shadow, although reliable, is quite heavy to lug around and so the thought of this sleek little number started appealing even more. Then on Thursday morning I got an email from FNAC saying they were offering members 12% off Toshiba products… and well, it was a sign, right? So off I went and bought the wee thing!
I’m still going through the throws of setting up a new ‘puter, which is never without a few glitches – like when I raced back to the store in a huff after spotting a nick where the screen fits into the lid. It was the microphone (duh!). And I’m not sure I like Windows 8.1, though I wasn’t ready to pay twice as much and have to get used to the whole Mac system. Also, since I won’t be needing Shadow anymore, I was able to remove all my files and programmes, which put the C-drive back into the Blue Zone, so that should improve things for Peter too. Win-win!
For awhile I was stuck for a name for the new arrival and then it came to me… small, shiny and silver just like a little fish. Anchoa! I almost went with Boquerón, which would have been very fitting as her first trip will be to Málaga (Malagueños are called boquerones, another name for anchovy) and I also love Málaga so much that my friend Victor calls me a media-boquerón. But to me Boquerón sounds like a boy’s name… so Anchoa it is.
casa azahar 