Anna Sui

I've been shopping again at the big discount sale - where have you been all my life, Anna Sui? Finally I've found a designer who understands flat chested women who do not have curves but good legs...
So I bought three Anna Sui dresses - the one in the photo above and two others - and the sale does not end till tonight - perhaps I'll go back for a fourth...

odd molly

That's not me in the photo - that's a model modelling the dress I bought today in a secret sale...
We were driving past the Exhibition Centre en route to the supermarket to buy bread -the large billboard outside was in Arabic - the only thing we could read was '90%'
"It looks like a sale!" I said, excited.
"But why is the the writing in Arabic?" asked Maud.
We decided that probably it was sale of designer abayas - or jewelled cufflinks for thobes - something that wouldn't appeal to the average Western shopper...
I said: "Even so....90% off is not to be sniffed at..."
We turned the car at the lights and drove back to the Exhibition Centre - to discover the sale was a clearout of the most expensive, most exclusive boutique in Bahrain - Seventh Heaven which stocks just about every fabulous brand in the world...
I'm sure I don't have to tell you I spent all my money and time at the sale and there will not be toast for breakfast tomorrow.

The Law of Supply and Demand

My favourite food is mashed potato and butter - so when our local supermarket announced it was selling potatoes for 100fils (16p) a kilo - for one day only - hurry hurry - I engaged my sharp elbows and sales shopping skills in the rugby scrum round the potatoes. On the way to the checkout I chucked into my basket a pound of salted butter. To discover the supermarket had cleverly predicted a run on the butter today and had shamelessly doubled its price.

Selfish Me!

It's years since I got a pay check in Bahraini dinars - the last was when I was flying - and because I was young and single then with only myself to think about I spent the money frivilously: I'm still wearing the Cartier watch I bought then and a Betsy Johnson leopard print dress, and still sleeping on Ralph Lauren sheets...
So, what to do with my first Bahrain paycheck in thirteen years?
Old habits are hard to break.
I rushed from the stables to SAKS in the mall and bought a pot of Eve Lom cleanser:
With a powerful blend of Egyptian chamomile, hops, clove and eucalyptus oil, together with cocoa butter the Eve Lom Cleanser cleanses, tones, exfoliates all in one. Even the most stubborn make-up and eye make-up will be removed.
The specially woven muslin cloth (100% cotton) is used with the Cleanser to improve skin circulation while cleansing and exfoliating the skin in minutes.
The result is clean, perfectly balanced skin and a radiant complexion.
I'm ashamed to tell you how much it cost. It was utterly, outrageously expensive. And it smells a bit like saddle soap.
If I was anyways half decent as a wife I would hand over the money to the household accounts and use it to pay for the groceries, music lessons, riding lessons, Maud's tutor etc etc I could even afford a couple of new tyres for my car.
Maybe next month - heh?

Docking Station

He asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I gave him a quite detailed list - a bottle of Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, a Sony HandyCam, a sports watch, Christmas edition of the Spectator, The Natural Confectionery Company's jelly dinosaur sweets, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, Tefal's new chip pan - because years ago he bought me a collection of Alexander McCall Smith novels that I'd already read -
And what did I get for Christmas?
Yes, well, I didn't know what it was either.
He was very enthusiastic. He said, "I spent hours choosing this in the shop. I listened to all of them. This one is top of the line. It has the best sound quality."
"Yes, but what is it?"
"An iPod docking station."
"What's an iPod docking station?"

Christmas Stocking

Bahrain is an island with a busy seaport; ships from all over the world drop anchor. The children have each filled a stocking to give to four sailors for Christmas.
This is what they chose for each stocking:
Deodorant, shaving foam, razors, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, chewing gum, sweeties and Vaseline.
The Vaseline was my idea - to stop the sailor's lips from chapping at sea.

eBay

I think I might have an eBay addiction. These parcels contain stuff I recently won, forwarded from my address in N. Ireland - each parcel a work of art, thanks to my mum who is a disciple of the plastic supermarket carrier bag and thick brown sticky tape school of wrapping...
And as for the contents - Joules poloshirts for riding - 'teenager aged 14' fits me well; 'Ladies size 10' fits my daughters...

Three Frocks

Please ignore the face in these photos, it's currently under construction.
Instead concentrate on the frocks, I bought them at the Sheikha's Sale - each one cost less than a tenner. Now I can't decide which one to wear to the Rugby Club Ball on Thursday -

Santa Boden

Johnny Boden is better than Santa Claus! His sale started last weekend, I shopped on-line, it's 12 pound sterling flat rate fee to post the Middle East and the clothes arrived this morning.

Shopping

One of the (many) lovely things about living in the Middle East is the designer clothes clearance sales - even I can afford designer shoes when they're discounted by 90%! There are no changing rooms, just a mirror, so I always go dressed in a camisole top and a long loose skirt - anything can be tried on for size over a cami top, and pulled up under a skirt! Today I bought a black satin cocktail dress from Simona Barbieri, a tapestry jacket from Catherine Malandrino, and an Edwardian style lace blouse from Robert Rodriguez. I've never heard of any of these designers before, but their clothes are lovely, and each piece was reduced to less than a tenner.

Fat Face

The tartlets are allergic to shopping - it makes them hyperactive. I've always bought all their clothing on-line, twice a year, a bulk buy in the Boden sale, www.boden.co.uk, it's fab.
This morning Maud announced she'd rather like to choose her own clothes. For a change. In a shop. Like normal girls. Just Mummy and Maud and no chorus line of: "I have to go to the toilet," and "Is it time to go yet?" and "I'm bored" etc, ad nauseam.
We went to the shopping centre and Maud kept trying to drag me into fashion victim shops with hooker clothes on the mannequins and I kept saying: "Over my dead body, you're not wearing that!"
“Oh Mum, you’re so frumpy and boring...” said Maud.
It was starting to get ugly until I found Fat Face. They sell elegant earth warrior clothes for adults and children, beautiful quality, everything 70% off. Maud liked the clothes, I liked the clothes, we bought everything left in our sizes, then rounded up Nick and the rest of the tartlets and bought everything left in their sizes.
Now we're the Fat Face family - though I did draw the line at a lilac straw Stetson for Maud.