It was so cold as mum and me went from shop to shop that I'd have given anything to be anywhere else other than Spa Road on a January morning.
We, as usual, bought a few items of interest, my two fancies being a pink button through cardigan and a book, 'Lovely Bones'. Mum stuck with her favourites,crime novels and handbags.

As we looked we listened to the non-stop chatter of three old women. They spoke of animal cruelty, death and someone who recently lost someone.
They made me feel sick. Was it my imagination or were they getting off on suffering, I could almost see saliva running from the corners of their thin pale lips.
"I don't want to grow old like them" " I don't want to spend my days gossiping." " I don't want to brag about my second holiday or how well my petunias are doing" I thought............. as a rapidly thinning mother struggled to read the back covers, I want to live a simple lentil occasional chicken style life, with my hair short, looking forward to a day at the seaside or walk in a meadow or afternoon with a man. I don't want a caravan breakaway or two weeks in Spain. The women terrified me.
When I'm old and the doctor's pills aren't working I'll make my face up, have a cup of tea and go to sleep rattling with over the counter tablets.

We then went to Joan's shop where more witches huddled on settees by the doorway..... knitting. It was a devil of a job getting in. "Are we in your way?" One asked knowing damn well they were.
"We can manage" I said and we did. Whether or not it was just my bad mood I don't know but this morning I hated every old face and every cackling voice.
I felt suffocated.

Home to soup for mum and bread and cheese for me.
The postman didn't bring anything good either.

I feel I'm going to need all my good qualities to survive this winter. The good qualities being...Resilience, patience and er...humour. Not much in this post I admit but it''s there under my lovely skin...:)