retail therapy

An enjoyable morning photographing stills from Woody Allen's 1997 film "Celebrity", followed by a rousing raid on the city centre shops where we were able to achieve at least some of our targets.

Successes: my wife's suitcase. Whilst in Palestine recently, she had realised her zip was on the point of failing, which is very worrying mid trip, so I promised I would get her a really good one in time for her to go out again in early December. Choosing John Lewis, my wife's eye was immediately drawn to a case in the Samsonite range with a finish like metal, though it wasn't. What it was was incredibly light, less than 3KG, which for a 100 lire capacity bag is pretty amazing. The cost: £299, unfortunately, but you've got to pay for quality: last time we paid £120 and it lasted less than 2 years.

Failures: My jeans. My wife promised to buy me a pair of Diesel jeans in return for the case, but in the event I found them to hang too low on the hip for my preference. I tried several other lines, including Calvin Klein and the inevitable Levis, but none proved to fit the bill. I told her my real dream was to have a pair of Armani jeans, and she liked it, though in fact it was something that had come into my head quite spontaneously at that moment. But it does sound fun, and even if I have to subsidise her a bit, I think we can afford it.