I met my friend C in Manchester today. We decided a bit of shopping and some lunch was a good idea. We spent some time looking at clothes; then gorgeous household stuff in Heals. A trip to Selfridge's followed - we were planning on eating at the sushi bar but both decided it was a bit intimidating. Plus it appeared chopsticks were compulsory and for some strange reason I can only use chopsticks when I've had a few drinks! So we opted for tapas instead.

After lunch we surveyed a few more shops. In a great shoe store C found some cute shoes and I was thrilled to find little press-in decorations for my Crocs. I bought a pair of Crocs last year and loved them so I got another pair recently. My feet hurt so much it's important to have comfortable footwear. The decorations press into the holes in the Crocs and look great (well, I think so!!) I also got a steamer in M&S.

We had coffee in the station and said goodbye. Just a nice, relaxing day, really.

I took these two photos with the Olympus compact. Quite a lot of the centre of Manchester was destroyed by an IRA bomb some years ago and modern buildings have been built subsequently. I noticed these two old pubs right opposite from a very modern shopping precinct. I liked the juxtaposition of traditional and modern, which you can't appreciate from these photos as the old faces the new across a busy street.

I'm feeling a bit tired and shivery tonight; am hoping I'm not headed for a cold. Early bed for me I think.