Bargain Hunting.

The day dawned bright and sunny, a nice change from yesterday which was wet, and a relief as the work on the windows has started. We got up early and not knowing where they were going to start took down all the curtains and spread dust sheets around. It turned out they are doing the upstairs today, apart from my study and the rest tomorrow. I look forward to no more draughts and condensation on the windows. It was so sunny today that in the afternoon is felt really warm in the front garden where I was pulling up stray weed seedlings. The house itself is cold with all the doors open. I hid for a time in the sitting room but that doesn't have a door at all, something else we are going to replace.

Most of my morning was spent walking into town, twice! The first time I went to collect our prescriptions which we now have to collect from a local pharmacy as the pharmacy at the doctors' is for out of town patients only. I nominated Boots in the High Street as it's so easy to walk to. Having got all our (free) medicines naturally I checked out a few shops. Calling in at the Hospice charity shop I bought a wooden cd storage tower about 4ft high for Peter who still needs some storage. I decided that it would be no problem to carry it home which was a bit of an underestimation. It was easy to hold but seemed to get heavier and heavier as I plodded my way up Pilton Street but I made it in the end.

In the Hospice shop I spotted this Ladies bike for £30. Once I'd staggered home with the shelves I told Peter about it and he encouraged me to buy it. Before I walked all the way back into town I gave the shop a ring and they put it aside for me. Peter offered to walk in to collect it for me but as the house was in disarray with the window work I was only too glad to go out again. Without a back pack full of shopping and those shelves I felt as if I was floating down the road in the sunshine.

On my first trip to town I checked out Accessorise as I saw they now had sale stuff at 70% off. While I didn't find anything I wanted in the ordinary stuff I came across a whole load of bags with broken jewellery in. They had been reduced several times and were now 10/20p each. Well worth buying for the component parts; chains, beads etc. The whole lot cost me £1.20 with the original prices coming to just under £100. I think it's fun to create something new from broken bits and I've already got plans for a pair of dangly earrings. My sale bargains didn't end there. I went into Wilko's to get some hand cream and casually walking through the sale Christmas items I found some fruit panettone. They weren't priced but when I asked was told 75p. While I'm not a fan of traditional Christmas fruit cake I do like panettone so of course I bought some.

Yesterday's Pilates was great fun and a proper work out. I'm glad I've been keeping up my daily exercises as I'm not suffering today. The instructor was very calm and positive and kept reminding us that we all know our own limits and to take things more easily if we needed. I found the hardest thing was to be trying to follow the exercises but having to look up to watch the instructor so that I knew what to do. I had put my mat next to my friend and I'm glad she's not a giggler because that would have made me giggle even more. My downfall was an exercise where we lay on our stomachs in a 'dish' shape, arms and legs stretched forward and back and off the ground. Try as I could not one bit of my thighs came off the floor and I ended up lying flat on the floor trying hard not to laugh out loud. There were some ladies behind me (must get there earlier next week so I can nab a spot right at the back) who were also gigglers. It's definitely going to do my back and general posture a lot of good.