Everyone is the age of their heart ~ Guatemalan Proverb

Most people say that my mum and I are not alike at all. She loves to shop but I don't, she loves clothes and fashion but I am not interested in clothes at all, she likes bright colours while I prefer blues and greys, she loves to go out but I prefer to stay in. People who know us better know that if you ignore the superficial differences we are very similar. We both have a steely determination, family comes first for both of us, neither of us suffer fools gladly and we both have a bit of a reputation for 'telling it as it is', in fact we can both be a but scary when the need arises! 

My mum is 82 years young and she still likes to shop until she drops, or to be more accurate until I drop! My daughter (who is 21) has taken her shopping a few times recently and after an afternoon shopping with Grandma she has arrived home absolutely exhausted. The last time they went clothes shopping together Grandma arrived home with lots of new clothes including two pairs of skinny jeans, one red and one deep pink!

My mum and Robbie are allies when it comes to clothes and shoes. They don't have the same tastes but they both love bright colours and they both like to be a bit different, they don't slavishly follow fashion but they love clothes and they share a passion for shoes. The other day Robbie wore his new waxed canvas Dr Marten boots when we went to see mum and she said that she would like to have a look at the Doc Shop. I was rather surprised, but Robbie jumped at the chance of another visit to the Doc Shop and a shopping trip was arranged.

So this morning we picked my mum up and took the scenic route past Castle Ashby and on through Grendon to Wollaston and the Doc Shop. I didn't think that my mum would like anything but it wouldn't have been a wasted journey because I needed to exchange a pair of shoes that I bought last weekend. My prediction was wrong, my mum loved the Doc Shop, she bought two pairs of shoes and a pair of boots! In fact it took me all my time to persuade her not to buy a pair of bright yellow 1461s - I am not a fan of yellow! She bought a pair of high mauve wedges, a pair of deep pink loafers and a pair of suede boots knee length boots. I think I will have two people nagging me to take them to the Doc Shop from now on!

When we finished at the Doc Shop we drove to Philadelphus Jeyes at Earls Barton. Mum loved having a look around at all the different departments, but most of all she enjoyed a welcome cup of tea and a snack at the Apothocoffee Shop. She bought a couple of new jigsaws, a recipe book, and a few other bits and bobs. I think she enjoyed her shopping trip.

Be on the alert to recognize your prime at whatever time of your life it may occur ~Muriel Spark

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. - Oscar Wilde

We had a very nice day today, a long lazy morning listening to the radio and enjoying some computer time. Then after the luxuary of a nice hot bath it was time to go out. We took a gentle drive to Wolaston to check out the Doc Shop. We like to drive to out through Earls Barton, then on towards Great Doddington until then we turn off on to Hardwater Road towards Wollaston. The route takes us past a very pretty old water mill, the water was very high because we have had a lot of rain recently, the fields were flooded and the water came right to the edge of the road. I am so fed up with rain, after the unusually high rainfall in the last twelve months I am starting to feel like Noah!

Robbie's new boots

They had some of the boots from the Boxing Day sale at the Doc Shop, the ones that were used in the Olympics. They were a very good price and the proceeds were going to charity, it was nice to see them but I didn't want to buy any. I didn't think I was going to buy anything, but then I spotted some rather nice ankle boots. They were so comfortable that I couldn't resist them and Robbie bought them for me. He bought some ankle boots for himself too, they are not his usual sort of boot, but I rather like them.  

My new boots

It was not too difficult to drag Robbie away from the Doc Shop because the next stop involved food. We drove back to Northampton and had a quick look at the sale items in W.H. Smith, I love books and art products and I can't resist bookshops. I spent more than I should have done, but most of the things I bought were for birthday presents so I'd better not write about my purchases. After that we went to eat and we had a nice relaxing time just chatting and enjoying time together.

When we got home it was time to take the decorations down, Robbie got the boxes from the loft and brought them downstairs, the sight of the boxes cleared the lounge instantly, I felt like 'Billy No Mates' - even the cats scarpered! Robbie went off to the kitchen to feed the cats and get on with the routine jobs while and I spent the next couple of hours taking down and packing away the Christmas Tree and the decorations. The room looks really bare now so perhaps it this would be a good time to redecorate. On the other hand redecorating the kitchen is long overdue so that has to be my highest priority. 

If the shoe fits, buy it in every color! Author Unknown

Robbie abandoned me again on Wednesday because he'd had a better offer. How can I possibly compete with  his beloved trains, especially when it is something a bit unusual that can't be put off until another day. It would have been nice to have spent the day with him, but he bribed me with the promise that if I let him go he would take me out for lunch on Thursday. I had a nice time without him, I visited one of my favourite shops (but I didn't spend too much!) then I went to the park with my daughter. We bought an ice cream from the van, Gallone's make the best ice cream in the world! It was lovely in the shade of the big horse chestnut trees, we watched the children in the playground and reminisced about how much better the playground equipment used to be before 'health and safety' spoil the fun. She will be 21 in a couple of weeks, I couldn't help smiling when she said that things were so much better in 'her day'. I wonder how she will feel when she is my age.

Robbie kept his promise and took me out for a carvery lunch, it was lovely. We ate outside in a shady spot in the garden, after all those weeks of rain it is lovely to have some sunshine. I waited until after lunch to break the news to him that the cats had scratched his Dr Marten boots! His initial reaction was calm, especially when I offered to take him to the Doc Shop. He was over the moon with his new purchases, some English made pink shoes and some English made black 1461s with yellow stitching. He was more vocal when he got home and spoke to the cat, he called him a fat, furry, fatherless feline (among other things!).

Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors - Alice Walker

Today didn't start quite as well it should have. The alarm went off at 5am and I jumped into action, I shook Robbie awake and told him that it was already 5am and if he didn't hurry he would be late for his train. He turned over and said that he was getting up, there was no further action for a few moments, then he sat up 'zombie style' but he seemed to be still asleep. In those few moments my brain managed to catch up with the situation and I realised that it was Saturday! I told him that it was Saturday and I was very sorry for waking him up, he said "yes dear" and still in zombie mode he settled back into bed; he was instantly asleep. When we woke up at a more realistic hour for a Saturday Robbie had no recollection of the 5am episode.

A favourite pair of Robbie's Shoes

He came back to bed with a cup of tea for me (and a coffee for him) and announced that he wanted to show me some Dickies. I wasn't entirely sure what he was suggesting until he picked up my laptop and logged on to his favourite shoe website. Apparently the 'Dickies' in question were a particular type of canvas boots. Being Robbie he couldn't just look at one pair of shoes he showed me a whole selection of footwear that he would love to own. I guess he could be doing worse things than lusting after shoes, but our house isn't big enough to accommodate all his footwear.


Looking at the website led to a (very long) conversation about shoes he has known and loved. To be honest it was more of a monologue than a conversation. We had worked our way back to 1980s but I was spared further 'time travel' to his earlies footwear memories because he sent himself to sleep! I can't say it was the most exciting start to a Saturday morning, but seeing Robbie happy and relaxed makes me happy.  I was left feeling that some things are just meant to be. Robbie came to Northampton because of me, but what better place for someone with a passion for shoes, a bus ride away from the shoe museum and a stone's throw from the Doc Shop! 

Be on the alert to recognize your prime at whatever time of your life it may occur - Muriel Spark

Robbie has a birthday coming up this week, much to his surprise he is going to be 40! So after another challenging week at work, his birthday celebrations began yesterday with a trip to the Doc Shop. My mum had given him money to buy himself a pair of boots. It was a lovely drive and it was nice to have a whole day together and to be able to please ourselves what we did.

When we got to the Doc Shop Robbie spotted some shoes that he liked, but they didn't have his size. Then he seized upon a pair of black and white boots covered in a sort of zebra hair material (not real zebra skin!). His eyes lit up as he stroked the boots, he really wanted them, but I'm afraid that my involuntary groan of horror put him off. He already has one pair of DM's that he can't wear in daylight, so another seemed a bit excessive, and then of course there was the question of how to keep them clean........ I cant help it, I am just more practical than Robbie, but when I stopped to think about it my mum would have wholeheartedly approved of black and white Zebra print boots, when it comes to shoes (and clothes) she and Robbie are on the same wavelength!


Robbie bounced around the shop like Tigger and he fell in love with a couple of other designs, but they did not have his size and he decided against the zebra print boots. He chose to save the money and to go back in a couple of weeks when they have had more stock delivered. He likes the thought of going back again and  in the meantime he can enjoy spending the money in his head many times over.

Earls Barton Church

I let him choose what else he would like to do that day, and he chose to have lunch at the Apothocoffee Shop in Earls Barton and of course to spend a little while in the book department at Jeyes! It was a very nice unhurried day and as always it was fun just enjoying happy moments together.

Back Again!

By Wednesday we were getting used to the lazy mornings and making the most of them, it was such a nice day that I wanted to freeze time and keep it like this for ever. I know that Robbie loves his work, but I will really miss him next week and I will not see much of him because he will be busy making up for lost time. It was lunchtime before we were ready to go out, we had one or two errands to do, doctors, chemist etc, but after that we had the day to ourselves. 

One thing that Robbie is very good at is twisting me around his little finger, I find it really hard to say no to him because I want him to be happy. We were chatting about the Doc Shop and the lovely day that we'd had and we both regretted that he hadn't bought the other pair of boots that he liked. They were tan Chelsea boots at such a good price that it seemed like madness to miss the chance of buying them, so we headed back to Wollaston (by a different but equally scenic route) and he had an early birthday present!

We drove home via Castle Ashby, Robbie loved the scenery and the rural shopping yard. He got lots of pleasure from wandering around taking photos. We had only been doing fairly ordinary things but it was such a nice day, I really didn't want it to end. 

The Doc Shop

Robbie has been pestering me to take him to Wollaston  for for months, but I have been putting off the inevitable  because I knew that it would prove expensive and once he knew how near it was he would want to go every week! The cause of all this excitement is the Doc shop and everyone who knows Robbie will know about his passion for Dr Marten's, so Tuesday found us heading to the Doc Shop.


Robbie is a man of many passions (some would say too many!) and even more obsessions. In order to accommodate his interest in old railway architecture and to enable him to spot traces of long lost railway lines we took a contorted but attractive route to Wollaston. It also took us past Dunkley's Resturant a unique (and very good) restaurant with a railway theme built on the site of the old Castle Ashby station. 

When we got to the Doc Shop there was a nice large car park and a not very promising looking building. What looked like a side entrance was in fact the entrance to the shop and we made a rather doubtful entrance. We found that we had walked into a 'tardis', a large shop packed with Dr Martens of every possible colour and design. Robbie was bouncing around like Tigger when suddenly a bright yellow pair of boots caught his eye. I was so grateful when he found out that they didn't have his size! 

The next hour or so was taken up with Robbie trying on shoes and boots and falling in love with every pair he tried. In the end he settled for a very smart pair of black Chelsea boots, a purple pair of 1461 shoes and a pair of absolutely unspeakable shoes that he has forbidden me to discuss. I love him very much and I want him to have footwear that makes him feel good, it is not easy for him coping with pain and 'disobedient' legs, but I must have been mad to let him buy those - my only defence is that love is blind!! I am doing my best to persuade him that he should keep them in the box in mint condition as a collectors item, but that may be an uphill struggle! Anyway we left the shop having paid less than the price of one normal priced pair of Dr Martens and Robbie had a big grin on his face all the way home!