20 April 2020

UP AND DOWN AND INTERNET SHOPPING.

 
We are like coiled springs.  Or an insect ready to jump.
 
The weather has been really good in the UK for these first weeks of lockdown.  That definitely makes it much easier to bear, for us anyway.  I'm sure there are people who barely notice the difference, who live pretty much like this normally.
 
 
The weather has in fact been exceptionally nice for the time of year.  I can remember freezing Easters in previous years and heavy snowfalls in the middle of April.  This year we have been able to spend a lot of time outdoors, pottering in the garden or sitting in the sunshine, sipping wine and enjoying the garden and the antics of Hugo and Daisy, to pass the time.
 
 
And yet, we are a bit up and down.
 
Me especially.  I have good days when I just bumble through the day, getting on with little jobs, all of which need doing and which I have never had the time to do before.  Other days I wake up and think it looks like it's going to be another nice day and then I remember. 
 
All my summer clothes are in France, as well as my lightweight shoes, sandals and sunhats.  On top of that the clothes shops are all closed, so I have had to resort to internet shopping.  What a pain that is.  Why on earth people should prefer it to actual shopping in real shops is a mystery to me.
 
After spending hours looking through websites that were difficult to navigate, being bombarded with advertising, grappling with security details and passwords and accepting cookies, I finally managed to order some things that would keep me going for the summer.  Then there's the waiting for them to arrive, the inevitable disappointment, the trying on and the sending back.  Most of the stuff I would not have given a second look if I had seen it in a real shop.
 
A classic example was a pair of cropped trousers.  I already own several pairs of cotton or linen lightweight comfortable cropped trousers that are in the wardrobe in France.  I live in them all summer so I ordered online something that looked similar.  £30 plus nearly £5 postage.  In the picture on the web page they look like nice, smartish, comfy trousers.  The reality is that they're made of a jersey fabric more like pyjama bottoms.  Thirty quid for a pair of pyjama bottoms is not my idea of good value. 
I've decided not to bother with new sandals.  The likelihood of a pair that fits plopping through the letterbox is slim to negligible so I'll manage with my slippers.  It's not as if I'm going anywhere in them!
 
There has been much speculation about what the world will be like "after coronavirus".  The inference is that the already struggling high street will be a thing of the past.  What a shame.  I would much rather potter round the shops, seeing and feeling things before I buy, enjoying a cup of tea and a slice of cake or even a nice lunch half way round, than do internet shopping.  It simply does not compare! 

8 comments:

  1. You are absolutely right. Bob has a real struggle to find trousers that fit, as his inside leg measurement is 35". M&S do sell longer trousers, but only online. So he has to try on short ones instore to get the waist/General fit correct, and then order the right length online. Last summer I ordered a pair of cotton trousers online from Damart as they were half price & free delivery. The company have bombarded me since with offers and catalogues and coupons. Online garment shopping is not the same as looking, and feeling and trying on in a shop. Descriptions of fabric can be so misleading...i have a mental image of you sitting in the garden in your new apron and pyjama bottoms!

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  2. Hi Jean … and snap!
    We divide our time between Glasgow and Cher valley, we’ve been back in UK since mid March, just before the lockdown. Almost all my summer clothes are in France, and not that keen to buy more at the moment. Unless this is the company you bought from(!), Lands' End have some cropped trousers, I won’t link but there’s quite a stylish navy pair in the sale. Also I find Uniqlo sometimes good for well priced light clothing, again I have lots of their cotton and linen summer things (in France!). I shop online a lot, and both companies deliver in France too.
    Hth, and here’s to a ‘bon retour'

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    1. Hi mccork, it wasn't Landsend. I had forgotten about them although I've had stuff from them before, some of it still in use after many years. I shall take a look.

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  3. Fortunately my Dad has quite taken to putting his order in and having his shopping delivered rather than going to the shops himself.

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    1. Susan, my dad has given up using his computer, he has us instead! Supermarket delivery slots are so hard to get here. We had given up until recently when a tip off from a friend resulted in a click and collect slot with Asda, albeit 8 miles away.

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  4. Enjoying your humor and the fabulous praying mantis!

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  5. I hope we don't lose our shops too as Online is such a pain. I have had some luck but mostly clothes don't come in accurate sizes and measurements and then, as you know, the fabric is not what you expect and the colours are way off too! Oh the joys of online shopping! At least I don't go anywhere so have time to get returns and refunds. Stay well and happy shopping.

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  6. Indeed it will be interesting to see what life is like after things settle. Every pandemic has a variety of aftermaths.

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