:: shopping

I did some shopping for Pinky today. Faye had sent Cathy a catalogue for Evans, the plus-sizes clothes shop, and I was picking up a pair of shoes Pinky wanted. I was supposed to do this last week and forgot in all the excitement. It got quite complicated, because the shop didn't have the slip she wanted and the internet site didn't have the shoes!

So anyway it seems like the only functioning branch in Edinburgh is at the Fort Kinnaird retail park, on the city's eastern outskirts. So today I drove out there. I thought I hadn't been before, but when I got there I realised I had -- I went to the bowling alley one time about ten years ago. It's definitely grown since then. It's enormous. Not only that, but the shops themselves are large. They're all the familiar High Street names though: Border Books, Comet, Boots, Gap, blah blah. There's a Pizza Hut and a McDonalds too. You could be anywhere in Britain.

Since I moved out of the city I've been to more shopping centres than in all the years before then, but it still feels like a strange experience. South Queensferry doesn't have any "proper" shops, it's all knick-knackeries and cafes, with a couple of supermarkets. I wish it was more like Stockbridge, which has several greengrocers, a deli or two, a butcher, a baker and a candlestick-maker. As well as cafes and knick-knackeries.

Fort Kinnaird also has a big cinema complex, and that reminded me of the one time I nearly saw a movie there. I was going out with a fellow from Fife at the time, it was one of our first dates. To get to Fort Kinnaird you have to drive through Craigmillar. This is one of the city's most deprived areas -- crappy council housing, lots of graffiti, bars on the shop windows etc. As we drove along the main street, my date became more and more agitated. Finally, he turned the car round, refused to go any further. I don't know what he though would happen to us: carjack? brick through the windscreen perhaps? I was NOT impressed. What he didn't understand was that Craigmillar is a really energetic community -- looks and money aren't everything.

While at Fort Kinnaird I lashed out on an impulse buy at Principles, next door to Evans: a black fake-fur gilet. It'll be lovely and cosy for winter walks with Bertie. I'll need the long sweeping skirt and Russian boots to go with it of course.