mandragora

consuming vast amounts of chocolate. I'm a godless Brit and, in common with what I suspect to be the vast majority of Brits, have grown up regarding Easter as a good excuse for a four days long weekend (Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Britain) in which chocolate is consumed. Either Easter eggs or chocolate bunnies (I bought some gorgeous Easter bunnies for the family made of Lindt chocolate - yum), we're not fussy.

I've just returned from t'frozen north for a family get together. Alas, every time I go to the parents I end up going shopping. I write 'alas' because my mother and I egg each other on and end up spending vast amounts of money. The excuse this time was for me to buy my mother's combined (belated) Mother's Day present and birthday present. One black leather jacket later (and very nice it is too, made of buttery soft leather) the deed was done. The shopping wasn't.

Three suitcases. I needed a new suitcase and, well, they were a *bargain*. Honest. Three matching suitcases in differing sizes for all my suitcase needs.
A suede jacket. The colour is a cross between beige and pink and can successfully be matched with garments of either colour.
Three pairs of shoes. One pair is fabulous, pointed toes, no back, silver stiletto heels. The front is black and pink applique. I can't walk far in them, but they're designed to be posed in, not for tromping the streets of London. The other two pairs are designed to be walked in and can be worn with suits for work. They should be cool enough to see me through summer. Colours are plain black and brown, to go with pretty much anything.
One suit. Pink (I'm sensing a theme). It's a trouser suit for work and is a little daring for court but I think I'll get away with it during spring and summer.
Underwear. Pink. Ahem.
One top. Black. For work use to wear under suits.
Perfume. Gucci. Well, it smells nice and there was an offer on to include Gucci bath salts and body lotion. So, yes, I fell for it. The fact that the packaging was pink had *nothing* to do with it...
One make-up bag filled with an assortment of make-up. Predominate colour? Er, pink.
One DVD. Scum, which is a hardhitting portrayal of Borstal (young offenders institutions, subsequently abolished). Oh, okay, so it's a prison flick. Starring a young Ray Winstone. It was cheap, okay!
Scented candles. Non scented candles.
Stationery. Boring, but bargains. For example, 50 pens for £1.
One vase. Colours are perfect for the lounge.

This is the trouble with shopping up north. Most things are so damn cheap there compared to London, which is an expensive city - strike that, London is a very expensive city - that the temptation to go wild and buy and buy and buy defeats me. No will power, that's my problem.

My other problem is middle class guilt. The reason that goods are so cheap is because the parents live in an area that was famous for producing steel and coal. Both industries are in terminal decline with a consequent adverse effect on the local population. Most people who live there have little money and local shopkeepers have to price their goods accordingly. I can see the poverty in the faces of the people who live there. None of them are starving, thankfully, as at least the social security system means that they don't have to go hungry, but being on benefits doesn't give them a lot of money to play with. By the time they've bought food and paid the gas and electricity bills they're struggling to buy a pair of trainers for the kids. Yorkshire folk were known to be hard working and thrifty. The thriftiness remains, the hard working part doesn't. There's precious little work in South Yorkshire nowadays. And yet, travel 40 miles up the M1 to Leeds and there the city is booming. The contrast is very cruel.