Friday 17 April 2009

Friday 17 April Birthday Shopping, Police Helicopter and Work

This Day In History

Up very early this AM as we’re off to Town today to buy Mummy’s birthday presents (97 next week and she still doesn't look a day over 80). Rode in with Deb and left her at work whilst we walked into Leicester. Got onto New Walk at the Museum and we then walked down, passed the Catholic Church and all the old town houses, once the abodes of the wealthy but which have now, in the main, been converted into offices, to Kings Street where it terminates in front of
Leicester City Council's New Walk Centre Building.

To the Shops

Walking up Kings Street be came to Belvoir (pronounced Beaver) Street and preceded on until we reached Denhams the Jewellers
Where we bought????
I’m not exactly a frequent frequenter of high class jewellers but if they are all like this I’m impressed, the staff were so helpful, and did not once berate me for bringing two monsters, sorry children, into the shop with me.

When we had finished there we continued into town, we stopped at TBC and bought ???? after which we bought ????
By now Nat could no longer contain himself and threatened to wee himself in the street and cry like a ikkle baby if I didn’t take him to the games workshop shop

and leave him there to play Warhammer 40,000. Well, I don’t normally give in to blackmail but it was a chance to dump the little s… As usual, the place was busy with teenage nerds fighting wars armed only with dice and tape measures. I’m still not sure how the place stays in business as they don’t appear to charge anyone for using the gaming facilities. I presume that they must sell these people lots of models and books and sh*t…isn’t it. Leaving Nat has happy as a pig in poo Han and I walked on until we reached the Heart Foundation charity shop. I popped in to look at the 2nd hand books and stayed whilst Han tried on all the clothes in the store.

The Apple Store

Craftily, I guided Han toward the Apple Store, telling her that it now sold clothes for beautiful girls like her (Sucker!!!). Oh, the joy, Oh the joy, Oh let the joy be unconfined, iPhones, iMacs, iPods iIs iN iHeaven! Apple products truly are things of beauty but my god are they expensive! Steve Jobs makes the rapacious Bill Gates look like a philanthropist, which of course he now is. If there’s anyone who can gouge an extra buck outta you it’s gotta be Apple.
Their latest offer, via O2, is a case in point. Because sales of the iPhone 3G have virtually stopped, in anticipation of a new model appearing in June, we are told we can now get an iPhone for free if we sign up for a £34 pm contract with O2 (previously you paid, in addition to the £34pm, another £99 for the 8GB phone and £199 for the 16GB phone). What’s not pointed out is that this is a 24 month contract not an 18 month one as before so in point of fact you’ll be paying approximately an additional £200. Crafty Jobsy.

The Siren's Call

It was fantastic in there, I played with an iPhone for about 15 Mins and when I looked round I discovered Han had vanished! I’d got so absorbed that I hadn’t noticed her go off and play on an iMac! Luckily for me the security guard had and he pointed her out to me. I’ve never ever let either one out of my sight when we’ve been in town before.
Like Ulysses, who was tied to the mast in order to resist the Siren's calls, perhaps, if you're to resist the call of the iPhone, you should be tied to your kids before you enter the store!

Anyway, Han was safe and happy and having great fun on a Mac. I had a look at them too and ended up chatting to one of the store staff. Yes, it'd a definite maybe, we're getting a Mac.

Give Generously, Feed the Children

We eventually extricated ourselves away and had a wander around the rest of the place, including a very brief trip through Waterstones where Han dragged me passed the Sony reader and wouldn't let me stay and play. Immediately after we'd left the centre and were in the street Han announced both that she needed the toilet and that she was hungry. Luckily, as she cutely pointed out, we were passing a McDonald's where, as she said, she could have a happy pee followed by a happy meal. I think I was ambushed. We checked Nat was OK first; he was happily playing Warhammer with the other nerds, then we went to MacD's, as we were running low on cash so I had nothing. After she's finished and after she had generously given me 2 fies and half a chicken nugget Han and I we left to fetch Nat, who was now hungry..AHHHHHHHHH.

Got him a Subway and made our way back to New Walk Museum. Got there just before 1Pm, I had a sit in the foyer while the two of them explored the ground floor. Deb called and we agreed I'd bring the kids to her in about 30 Min's. We went upstairs and discovered a new kids activity centre which they made use of until we had to leave. Car park, car,rest, drive, home, bed, up for 6, to work!!!!

Another Siren's Call

On the way to work we passed a whole load of Police cars on Aylstone Road. They had their blues and two's going like the clappers (hence the heading) and the Police helicopter was flying back and forth over head. I've no idea what had happened, I've checked the Leicestershire Constabulary news feed but there's nothing there.

At work tried to cancel some holiday days and book some others but, as usual, becaue we work nights and overlap days it didn't do either properly. Eventually got it sorted. Fairly quite night.

The End.

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