So, you've been told your husband has cancer, you're in shock, you've told a few people, what next? Why not a trip to Ikea? This may not seem like an exciting thing for most people, but given that we live on the Isle of Wight, where we don't have many large, international stores, going to 'North Island', if you don't do it very often, is a bit of a treat. Southampton day trips are a thing of legend for us - it's a whole day thing, including breakfast on the Red Funnel ferry (a must - their hash browns are amazing :D), driving to Ikea (yes, we took the car - you never know whether you are going to come back with a piece of furniture so it's best to be prepared) and spending as long as possible browsing round it. In the old days we used to have to go to Croydon for Ikea, which was a very long day and involved lots more preparation - this would not be a casual visit as we would make lists of what we needed, make sure we had a big enough car, take stuff for Romilly (she got bored easily, still does) etc etc. Popping across the water on the off chance of making a purchase is a new experience as far as Ikea is concerned, and probably not the best one for me - I have a tendency to grab things as I go round, almost like panic buying, and once I reach the Marketplace downstairs I'm worse than a kid in a sweetshop; more than once I've got to the checkout and unpacked the shopping bag only to find that I've bought things I don't need, and have forgotten to get what I came for! So this leisurely stroll around the Southampton branch was more enjoyable and less frenetic than previous visits; and I didn't go too mad either!!
C had decided that he was going to buy an Ipad - and why not; there's nothing like being given seriously bad news to make you want to treat yourself, plus it will come in handy for things like ibooks when he's in hospital etc. This was duly purchased, and I swear Romilly looked a little green when C had the swish little white Apple bag with the ipad in it.... Licence to spend money was therefore given and I splashed out a little...not too much...and so did Rom. Very enjoyable experience was had by all, and we duly trouped home on the 4pm ferry to unpack the purchases (I've usually forgotten what I've bought by the time I get home so it's like shopping all over again...plus a reminder of how bad my short term memory is getting!)
Romilly went meteor-gazing with Dan once it got dark; C played with his new toy, and I watched a film, with a glass of wine, in front of a blazing log fire...I know it's August but it felt like October - any excuse!
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