I loathe shopping. Not just with a capital L, but LOATHE it.
But, and this is a big but, even I can tolerate a trip to the boring old supermarket when I have beautiful views all around me.
This isn’t Asda, or Tesco, or Safeway (as was) in Newcastle, in Gosforth, or Kenton, or Cowgate, or Heaton or wherever. This is a trip to Morrisons in Gibraltar, with the Bay of Algeciras and Spanish hills, on one side, and on the other, the indomitable Rock.
The supermarket is the same as any boring old one anywhere, but the walk there and back is wonderful. Now if only it wasn’t for that bit in the middle, I could almost like going shopping.
Yesterday was a glorious day, and I wandered around the streets, wearing a huge alpaca/wool pullover, thick jodhpurs, boots, and two T-shirts. I did think if I had been in the UK I would be wearing shorts and a T-shirt – pretty much like a lot of the tourists who were wandering around.
And when Partner came home after work, he promptly took off his overalls and trousers, and desperately pulled on his shorts.
After the recent ola de fria (cold wave) in Europe, it seems like we are having a Feburary ola de calor (heat wave) in winter. We’re looking at more than 20 degrees today in sunny Gib.
roughseasinthemed 
Heat wave here in the UK as well – I am off to the co-op in a minute to see if there are any sell-by date reductions to be picked up. Sadly there are no magnificent views along the A46 Grimsby to Lincoln road but the walk will do me good!
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yeah, Grimsby to Lincoln doesn’t have quite the same ring to it :D
gotta walk the dog right now :)
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Used to enjoy a nice bask in the sun back in the day with a nice cold bottle of Kronenbourg from the wembly or the matchbox bars. Are they still there? Almost right by South Barracks.
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Wembley bar, def. Matchbox????? Tell me more?????
Will post some south barracks pix though (have some) – given me a new idea of a series of shots – ta :)
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If my memory serves me right the Matchbox was somewhere between south barrack road and scud hill? it seemed to be just around the corner from the Wembly, Its been about 25 years, good times though :-)
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Can’t think of any matchbox. Will have a wander there though and take pix of something that might have been a pub :D if I can identify suitable buildings. Thanks for the info. And there is the Edinburgh too past Sunnyside, I think that claims he reputation of being the furthest south pub.
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I was basking in the sun on my patio this afternoon in sunny Wimbledon, it was only 13 or 14 deg but got myself out of the breeze so it was really warm and I was only wearing a long sleeve shirt and tracksuit bottoms.
Blu
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Tough you – sounds like in Gib you will be a shorts person all year round :)
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Shorts – nah – ain’t got the legs for them.
Blu
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I don’t think I’d mind a trip to the supermarket either, with views like that. :-) its stunning!
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I love the walk – just hate the supermarket! :D
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Hang on a minute, I need to switch the electric heater on…
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hmmm, ok it’s on here too :D
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glad you enjoyed your shopping trip. thanks for sharing the views.
today (or yesterday for you) it was sunny in bits, shining gloriously onto the snow-capped local mountains, but also overcast in other bits. and cold everywhere – with some mix of sun and snow, but no snow sticking to the ground.
20 degrees sounds very nice and warm :)
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and what a cool photo collage, by the way!!
:D
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Thank you. I really wanted to convey a sense of the views being all around, so it seemed the easiest way to do it, rather than have successive pix of them. You did inspire me to start fiddling, but as I don’t have a photoblog ;) any collages I do have to fit the story.
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Snow looks lovely when it is sunny – we get that in Spain, snow on the hills and sunny everywhere. BUt cold and overcast weather makes snow look so cold and uninviting.
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Do you have a new camera? Great pictures. I hate shopping too but at least you do have very attractive surroundings!
I am not sure why we came up as anonymous in our comment on your other blog – will try typing our name into box!
M & B xx
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Hello MBB. I wish (to the new camera). It’s been on the list of Things To Buy (which is hardly a long list) for ages, but I keep making do with this one while it keeps struggling on, even though it does eat batteries for breakfast lunch and tea.
Oh, do you know that you can use your facebook login (if you are still on, unlike me) as well? That way a piccie should come up too :)
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Ha! That did it!!!!
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:) I think WP and Blogger make everything as different as possible just to be difficult :D
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Like you, I loathe shopping, but I could get used to it if the scenery was like this :)
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It has to be done, so might as well make the most of the decent bit and minimise the bit in the middle. The one where you part with money, fight with trolleys, well, you know how it goes.
I’m always bemused about the myth that women are avid shoppers. Even my clothes start falling apart (and get mended) before I can drag myself into A Shop to buy something new.
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Clothes shopping – shudder! I hate it. I have friends who love shopping and do it with gusto. They quickly tire of their clothes and pass them on to me, bags at a time. I take out what I like, try them in the comfort of my own home, and pass on the rest. Much better system! And cheap ;)
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Hehe! Sounds like my neighbours in Spain. She’s much fatter than me so when she really can’t squeeze into stuff any more it comes my way. Like you, I take what I like/fits, and the rest goes into the church clothes recycler for Africa (I think). I have learned the wisdom of Cheap is Good over the last ten years.
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I’m no great shopper either, but as my Morrison’s is just minutes away, go there. But yours because of the walk/views enroute is magical – maybe it’s worth those extra pence you say they charge :)
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I think your new market town looks pretty too, but I confess to being a sea woman. I love living near the sea, and being able to see it all the time. And the Rock is just beautiful as well.
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You didn’t have to rub it in, re being/living on the coast :(((
Sold my self short as said before, but trying to make the best of it, but the coast although closer than when in Oxford is still hard to reach when car less.
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As a kid I lived between the North Sea and the Lancashire Atlantic, mid-way between them both, and a fair drive back then. Since then, with the exception of Beds when working in London, we’ve always lived on or extremely near the coast. No public transport to the seaside?? :(
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It looks beautiful. You are right shopping is better with views. I even think the Target parking lot is Ok if the seagulls are flying over and calling
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We tend to drive once a week sometimes for the heavy stuff, so my walking trips are to top up. I could get the bus, but it’s as easy, fast and healthier to walk – I build a slight detour in on the way there to go past the boats, but we’re only talking minutes. And on the way back, I usually stop half way to enjoy the views.
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sounds like a pleasant trip – especially if able to wander by boats…I’d like to walk to do errands, but it’s quite a distance and I might get run down by cars (driven by texting drivers) around here.
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Living in a small space like Gib, – everything is in walking distance :) And in Spain, in the pueblo, the same. Although sometimes we do cycle to the next town for shopping – and there are good cycling laws in Spain for drivers to keep their distance (two metres) :)
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Funny. I LOATHE shopping too! But it does look pretty where you are.
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I thought you spend most of your weekend driving from one side of the Melbourne to the other foraging, I mean sourcing decent veg :D It is pretty though, and I’m going to enjoy the walk (but not the middle bit) this morning too.
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Yeah, I like EATING decent vege, but I HATE wasting my whole day getting them. Don’t remind me of this hell of a trip!lol
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[…] buy the first round, and we shall toast Thornberrie, who mentioned The Wembley Bar and The Matchbox in the comments here, so was my inspiration for this post. If I get round to it, I may even turn it into a series of […]
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