Second Helpings

Shop Drop and Pop

It's my son's burpday today. Hard to believe it's now 32 years since he arrived in the world. It's been a hectic few weeks with five family burpdays in the month of September and Angel's seventh next Tuesday. For me it involves an awful lot of shopping.

I used to love shopping. It was once a simple matter of heading to town, perusing reliable shops and selecting good quality items from a limited range of choices at a reasonable price. Nowadays it's a work of art, a baffling scientific experiment and gobsmackingly complicated. You can shop online, by tablet, mobile, post, phone, catalogue and the range of goods is mind boggling, not to mention the varying prices.

So being solely responsible for organising, purchasing, wrapping and labelling for all these birthdays is quite a headache as well as a sure way of emptying bank accounts. I also have the added job of shopping for Mey Ling as it isn't easy for her to get out to shops with disabilities and a three-month-old baby.

I do still go out to shops, but it isn't the pleasant experience of old. I don't like to see the demise of real shops or see companies go out of business, but must admit I do an awful lot of shopping online these days. It's much more convenient, the prices are very competitive and it saves on travel fare, footwear and time. The only downside I see is the arrival of parcels at unearthly times in the morning. I'm sure the post person does it on purpose, particularly at weekends. Maybe before long it will be possible to purchase goods online then have them delivered instantly through the screen.

So, I've been shopping until I've dropped, wrapping, writing cards and delivering presents for most of the month. After Angel's birthday I hope for a little respite, but fear the onset of the season I love will soon be in full swing and off we go again. But I won't even think about it yet and am going to my sister's next week for a few days, as I really need a break and change of scene. We'll be walking, swimming, eating out, talking and emptying bottles...anything but shopping.

Meanwhile in other news, hubby has a new digital TV box which comes with a handset that makes a popping noise every time he presses a button. It's driving me to distraction. Maybe I'll have to shop online for something to aim at him that goes pop pop pop until until he drops, or at least drops the remote. Life is indeed sent to try us.