Wow – back after three weeks in the UK and I have managed to get to Harpenden, St Albans, Inverness, Sheildaig, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Stow-on-the-Wold and other Cotswold gems, Ledbury, Leominster, Shrewsbury and London. I have eaten ad drunk and laughed with Jim, Renee, Alex, Tom, Tudor, Teal, Roger, Eleanor, Graham, Pauline, David, Sue, Mairi, Jon, Sarah, Adam, Ben, Polly, Mum, Jeremy, Annette, Dad, Mary, Roger, Tina, Steve, Mike, James, David, Kate, Emily, Eryl, Sarah, Roger.
Never have a managed to fit in so many friends and family in one trip. I have been kayaking, driving in the snow, walking in the snow, played poker, eaten fish and chips on the water’s edge, shopped until I dropped and taken local buses and minibuses. In Edinburgh I bought my one big purchase – a new MacBook Pro on which I am typing but I am yet to get used to. I am hoping it will become intuitive soon.
Much of my clothes shopping as also done in Jenners in Edinburgh – thank God for Jenners. What a great place. I managed to resist most of the full price clothes and in the end only bought two items at full price. How can any blouse be worth nearly £150? 
Shoes happened in St Albans and Edinburgh.
I had a weak moment in the Harris Tweed shop in Inverness from which I emerged only a few minutes after entering it with a laptop bag for my (yet to be purhased) MacBook. And they weren’t even able to give me a tax receipt so I cannot get any sort of refund on it Damn it is nice though and of course, unique in Shanghai (probably the whole of China). 
In Boots I stocked up on medicine for illnesses I am yet to suffer from. I make my own Lemsip these days – a lot cheaper than buying it and all you really need is paracetamol (very cheap), honey and lemon.
TK Maxx is not a nice shopping experience but I forced myself in there because you wuite often get good bargains. I managed to find two tops at rock bottom prices and was even happier when I saw the Jaeger shop was closed down. I picked up a pair of fantastic trousers for £27… a steal!
So it was a feast of shopping as well as seeing friends and family. At terminal 5 of Heathrow I handed in all my receipts and look forward to getting over £300 vat back on all my purchases. I’m going to have to save up for a while before I hit the shops again. I cannot afford UK prices more than once a year.