I apologise in advance for the rant that is about to unfold...

Today started off so well. A quick trip to the doctors (don't worry, nothing serious), soft boiled eggs with crusty bread for breakfast, a brief tidy of the flat and then we headed in to town (London).

We parked the car and wandered over to Home House. Whenever we come in to town at the weekends we pop in. It's a great place to take a breather, grab a cup of tea and collect your thoughts before stepping out in to the chaos of Oxford Street. Today we mulled over our shopping list whilst munching on delicious beef carpaccio with parmesan and rocket. This all sounds fine so far I hear you say…

Everything was going swimmingly until we decided to leave the comforts of Home House and head out shopping.

This week I decided I want like to upgrade our current plain white tableware and buy Spode’s Blue Italian pattern. I am obsessed with blue and white, I always have been (I’m wearing a blue and white gingham top as I type this). I discovered that one of the large department stores (I won’t be mean and mention which one) stocks Spode seconds. So I wanted to drop by and check out the quality before committing and buying online. After spending a few minutes looking and not being able to find any Spode. I decide to ask the sales assistant if they stocked any Spode in this particular branch, to which I was told ‘this is the tableware department, so have a look…’ before he rudely turned his back and wandered aimlessly away from us. Shocked by this reaction we promptly left the shop, utterly bemused by the lack of customer service and ‘couldn't care less’ attitude.

Then, unable to face the crowds on Oxford Street, we walked the back route in to another of the large department stores (again I shan't say which). I notoriously can never find anything I want to buy in this shop. Everything other than the cookware section is a bit too glitzy. So I usually find myself leaving with another piece of Le Creuset to add to my growing collection. Having been given a voucher for Christmas, we thought we would go in and see if we could spend it. In an attempt to branch out, we headed upstairs in search of a pair of white jeans for me. The kind that you can't see EVERYTHING through! After only a few minutes I found a great pair of white high rise Levi jeans. The only issue being that they were a little too long. So I asked the sales assistant if they had any other lengths. To which she replied that she would need to check the stock room. She then walked away as if going to the stock room, however she then stopped, and started folding clothes on a nearby display. I waited for a few minutes in disbelief before asking a second sales assistant. This time, to avoid any confusion, I showed her on my phone exactly what I was looking for. I was told “we don't stock that style here” I politely told her that they do because I had just tried them on and was simply looking for a shorter leg length. She looked confused. So together we walked over to the huge pile of white Levi jeans. Her response was “but you asked for blue..." No. I have not mentioned the word blue at all to you. You simply have not been listening to a word I have been saying! (obviously I did not say that to her, i'm too much of a wimp). On my third and final attempt at asking yet another sales assistant I was told that they only stock one length and that I would be best going to the Levi store. Finally the simple answer I was looking for which infuriatingly took 20 mins to get!

It’s fair to say that today has not been our day. It’s not that we hate London at all. In fact, there are so many thing we love about it, for example the stunning garden squares. Manchester Square was looking gorgeous today, with one property showing of the most beautiful display of daffodils I have ever seen. Days like today however, make us realise how much we are country bumpkins and not built for the hustle and bustle of a busy city.

After only 2 hours in town we admitted defeat and retreated back to Kew. I walked through the front door, made a huge cup of coffee (mainly because I accidentally pushed the button on the nespresso machine twice), and could feel myself finally relaxing.

Rant over. Time to swap the coffee for wine and enjoy Alex’s yummy home made burgers!

I’m sure a lot of you country bumpkins will have had similar experiences. I’d love to know how you cope, so please do comment and let me know!

Pip

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