Today was 'venture into the big smoke' day so I set off early, planning to be back in the early afternoon. Well that didn't work ... First stop, of course was the vets so I could collect the cat's special prescription medicine. Unlike most times I have visited things were relatively calm there today so they took the time to ask if i had a loyalty card. It is so long since anyone has asked I had forgotten I had such a thing, so she inserted all the previous purchases. Oddly I still have two more full price bags to get before I get one free ... Then back to Bridgewater to go to the supermarket and Shiploads and the Reject Shop. The latter was targetted due to their online catalogue suggesting they had toothpaste for $1.00 a tube, but apparently not at Bridgewater. I enquired politely, and they actually went to the trouble of checking the online catalogue and tracking down something they could sell me for that price that sort of met the catalogue description. I was pleased, but could have bought some for $1.96 at Shiploads without all the fuss. I also collected a clothes rack. The clothes rack I have at present I broke last time I tried to move it to vacuum it, so it has been serving time in a state of invalidism and not doing so well. So vacuuming behind it has not been happening at all. This one is twice the length, has more bracing, includes a rack at the bottom for the shoes and has a double-height section for hanging skirts and shirts. And at $30 was a bit of an extravagance, but will save a lot of stress and hayfever. Most of the rest of my purchases were fairly mundane, but then I was left with the problem of what to take to a friend's place as a get-well gift as she is recovering from a knee replacement and has also had lapband surgery. So most of the usual suspects were out of the question as you really don't want your get-well present to make the recipient sick now, do you. So I ended up getting her a lavender plant which was not the healthiest plant, but at least it was something. Before I left Bridgewater I noticed a strange click click noise that I finally tracked down to the large (apparently roofing) nail in the rear tyre. Fortunately it was not causing a leak, so I just kept driving in the hope I might make it up to Oatlands before the tyre went flat, and at least grateful it would be daylight if I had to change the tyre. En route I called into the friend's place and we had a good catch up (it has been weeks since she managed to get to Quilting) and on my way home. Made it to the servo and Andrew removed the tyre, patched it from the inside (which apparently should last the life of the tyre, as opposed to the plugs that go in from the outside and last about 6 months) and sent me on my way only $15.00 lighter. Also ran into a familiar face at the servo who finally worked out where he knew me from, but it took me half an hour after I got home before i remembered where I knew him from (he is a local Councillor). So now the rack is installed (along a different wall as it is so long it did not fit where it had been), and the fire is lit and the animals are all fed and I am ready to pop tonight's steak and kidney pie in the oven and sit back and contemplate how much money I parted with today and how I will survive the rest of the fortnight!! lol.