Shop 'Til U Drop

Madeleine and I have a day together which means, after the dog-walk, I am pre-occupied with the wi-fi and other home-tech CRAP that I would rather NOT be doing on the NICEST day of the year so far.  At noon I give up on the Edimax range extender to wash the conservatory windows and lay chores on the Shakespeares.  So far, it's bleak. Sonnet escapes to the V and A to process an acquisition : "lots of random little things" (she tells me now).

The afternoon turns for the better, as it always does on a Saturday in spring, and I take Eitan to Nadine and Kate's joint-birthday party at Kingston bowling. Post drop, Madeleine and I shop for Uncle Marcus' April wedding. We start at the old stalwart Marks & Spencer which is, like, endless Dockers. We then hit the High Street : Gap, Northface, Apple .. I suggest green trousers ("No way Dad! Mom would kill me") and here we are at Uniqlo for Dad, who flirts with the cashier with a nice smile, red-dyed hair and a dinosaur tattoo on her arm that looks like the Loch Ness monster ("I also have one on my ankle and other places" she tells me - "other places" left unsaid)

The great thing about shopping with  Madeleine is that she shops for boy clothes. We aim for the same stores. She has terrific style, too, and, on her recommendation, I get a new pair of trainers. Sweet.