A tale of two prices, and a turkey

(Snow capped mountains on the horizon are the Kaikoura range on the S. Island)

We've been to the capital today, as hubby had to have the first part of a dental implant. Habitually, when we head south, we stop at a small seaside village for a cup of coffee and I usually sneak into the local charity shop, to see what I can see.

Today was a tale of two price tickets. But let me back up the truck a second for some context. As a child and teenager I was always the 'wrong' size for clothes which were age appropriate. Too tall too soon. It didn't matter though, as my mum was a seamstress and could sew up an outfit quicker than I could do my music homework. In adulthood I seemed doomed to live in countries where the average height was 5 inches shorter than me. So trousers were half mast, skirts were all wrong and shoes had to be bought in special shops for "tall" people.

Now in late middle age I have gained weight too, so shopping is miserable, depressing and / or prohibitively expensive.

Back to the seaside charity shop. I went looking for ANYTHING that might fit, but was inexplicably drawn to a row of sandals which looked new. I almost didn't bother checking the size, but wonder of wonders, a pair of Hush Puppies for $20. And they fit, and I liked them! Sold to the lady in the Damask shirt.

Later in the day, waiting for hubby to recover from an anaesthetic, I wandered into a well known shop for Ladies Of A Certain Build. I have no idea why I bothered because their clothes are generally strange and black and overpriced. A very helpful sales assistant (5'4" at a guess) pulled out pair after pair of trousers, all predictably 4" too short, until miraculously a navy pair emerged from a window display, all floaty and silky and heavenly - a mere $497. Sigh. I made my excuses and left.

In the midst of the sartorial highs and lows, a turkey. We went to a wholesale grocer en route too. I scratched my head because we aren't exactly close to Thanksgiving (for our American immigrants) or Christmas for everyone else. Huge, frozen turkeys for $136. I nearly fainted into the freezer. For that turkey I could buy 6 and a half pairs of sandals or half a trouser leg.