A Matter of Choice

I never thought of myself as a fan of shopping but as the saying goes 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone!'  One of the unexpected things I now miss about living in England is the shops, and most expats out here would probably say the same thing. Now I think about it, as long I was not having to buy shoes or a particular outfit I loved wandering up and down the high street.  Bookshops, 'gadget' shops, Primark, Wilkinsons and Woolworths (or whatever random shops has been occupying the old store for the last few years!)  and not just the high street shops - supermarkets which sold everything from clothes to toys, DVDs and household goods AND medicine (saving you having to go to a Pharmacy to buy some headache tablets).  The supermarkets here DO sell non-food items but I generally gave up looking at it when I first noticed a plain white baby sleepsuit on sale for €10 euro and promptly went into mourning for Asda multipacks and money off vouchers!...

I have to say that since living in Cyprus I really do miss shopping, this is a little bit of a surprise to me as I was under the impression that I hated it!   Although I wasn't a fan of clothes / shoes shopping (I had no patience in finding things to fit and I don't 'do' heels which takes the fun out of shopping for shoes) it's nice to have to the option and I used to spend many an hour (pre- baby) wandering up and down the high street in the good ol'favourites, Wilkinsons, Asda, Primark, being the three I miss the most! It's probably the thing I miss the most (friends not being a 'thing') and one of the biggest topics of conversation between my friend Sam and I!  Buying stuff is just so expensive or hard to find here.... not just the clothes but the little things, Craft stuff - stickers, paint, crayons. Baby stuff..... 10 euro for one plain babygrow in Carrefour!  I could go on. Luckily not long after we arrived I was introduced to the wonders o...