A GENTLE START TO MY WEEK...

...and I'm definitely not taking part in the MM challenge today because when I arrived at the Designer Outlet, there were too many colourful things!

I was meeting a friend for coffee who works at the Designer Outlet, so it was an early meeting and you can see us both at the top of my collage.  L comes from Taiwan and we often sing together in the Worship Group so we have got to know one another quite well. She and her family weren’t able to stay yesterday for lunch after Church so I was able to bring her up to speed on the Q&A session, which was good.

I have no idea what the two machines are - the next shots in my collage - and Mr HCB tells me he's not sure either but they could be something to do with boilers whereas he worked on automatic turning machines when he worked for British Rail.

On my way into the shopping mall, I had noticed a man cleaning - and he was even polishing the top of the rubbish bins - so I stopped and told him what a good job he was doing - and he beamed.  I then had a chat with him and found out he was originally from Goa, so I was able to tell him I had a friend who was visiting Goa at the moment and it was definitely much warmer than it is here at the moment - and of course, I blessed him with one of my little wooden hearts.

L and I had a lovely time together and when she left to go to work, I had a wander around and almost bought a new handbag but then talked myself out of buying it, which is what I usually do.  When I got home Mr. HCB asked if I had bought the bag, and when I said I hadn't, he said he would have "put money on the fact that I didn't"!   He knows me so well.

The large locomotive wheels are at the front of the Designer Outlet, it being housed in what were the workshops for the Swindon Railway works.  The notice asks people to refrain from climbing or standing on them, stating that they are a symbol of our heritage - not that that would have any effect if people really wanted to climb!  

The two bottom shots - or rather the shots at the bottom for fear of offending anyone - are lots of wonderful Krispy Kreme doughnuts etc that are “made fresh daily” but I promise I did not buy any - the two ladies behind the counter laughed when I said, as I took the photograph, that there were no calories in just a photograph!  I thought it was quite amusing that I saw some huge scales that weighed 3,000 lb by 2 lb divisions a bit further on - hopefully I will never reach that weight, which is, in stones 214.28!!

I wandered around for quite sometime, but nothing took my eye - I wanted some new gold earrings, but wasn’t sure about the ones I was shown, so again didn’t buy anything in that particular jewellers. 

I was due to meet E. another friend from Church at Jack's at 2 o’clock, so then spent another couple of hours chatting to her.  She is quite new to our Church, having married J. last September and then she moved to Swindon and has recently become a Church Member.  J already lived in Swindon, and is one of our Deacons, but is from Northern Ireland originally.   It was good to get to know her better too and certainly beats doing housework!   I didn't take any photographs of her for my Blip - didn't want to scare her off, but perhaps next time, and I'm sure there will be a next time.

Thinking about my lovely day, I didn’t spend a penny - and I mean money - again not wanting to offend anyone - as L paid for our coffee this morning and then E paid this afternoon.  When I got home, Mr. HCB told me that he spent all day in the garden and greenhouse, transplanting various small plants and potting up the dahlias he had saved from last year, so we have both had a good day, in our own way.

Time now to get some tea, but even that will be easy, because we brought home some of the left over jacket potatoes from lunch at Church yesterday - so a tin of tuna, a few beans and some cheese is all that is required and then I can settle down to read more of the second book in the trilogy.  

Hope your week has got off to a good start - and may it continue that way.  M xx