We were only Window Shopping!

YOUNGER daughter and I went to Sutton: she to register at an employment agency, me to provide moral support.

She hoped to widen the circle of her search for work, while I planned to browse in Waterstone’s.

Since we are both short of cash, we did not intend to look at shops selling dresses (or any other garments). And we were certainly not going to seek out stores displaying shoes, bags, jewellery or any other accessories.

Window shopping was the order of the day.

But somewhere along the way our resolve weakened, and we wandered into Dorothy Perkins, convinced there was no harm in looking…

How wrong we were. Lured by the sale rail, we headed for the changing rooms bearing armfuls of clothing, still insisting that everything was fine, and we could try, but not buy…

Younger daughter succumbed to the charms of a pretty, lilac dress and some necklaces.

I fell in love with baggy, pink and black number, printed with a lacy pattern. The only problem was it was slightly see-through and had a very low neckline. So I rifled through the hangers and found a baggy, pink, elongated T-shirt, complete with frill at the bottom – perfect for an underdress, I thought.

Then I realised my ugly, flat, comfy shoes didn’t do justice to the outfit, so I tried on a pair of black high heels… and I felt instantly transformed.

Finally, I couldn’t resist a clutch bag in exactly the right shade of pink.

At that point, trying hard to convince ourselves that we had saved money because our purchases were reduced, we beat a hasty exit, and left for home.

Then I accompanied the Man of the House to get a tow bar fitted to the back of his car - but I’m not going to tell you what it’s for until later in the week. Hopefully, all will be revealed on Wednesday.