Where I wonder if honesty is absolutely, always the best policy...

You may remember last weekend I had to go up Hadrian's Wall in Arctic conditions with the husband so Ria saves me from  any sort of outdoor activity, as she is home for a couple of days from Uni in Scotland.  Besides weather is still blowing a gale and so yesterday we went on mission to buy shoes, in a rather smart shop, where we'd heard fantastic sale was in progress. Shop was indeed heaving with lots of well dressed ladies looking for a bargain.

"Wow! They're gorgeous mum, you've got to try them on," Ria says, pointing out a pair of  purple snakeskin peep toes with stratospherically high heels.

"Mmmm, maybe now I'm not working, I should really get something more sensible like these," I say picking up a brown crocodile court shoe and thinking of how I will hide evidence from The Husband who says we may have to build extension on house to make room for my shoes and handbags.

"Sensible?  You?  Hah!" Ria says, laughing, "what about the orange wedge ones with the silk flowers that you bought in that market in France..."

"They were summery and went perfectly with my sun dress," I protest. 

"...and what about the green Lulu Guinness sandals with the see through heels and the pink fifties platforms with the diamante corsages," she says cataloguing my silliest shoes with scary accuracy.

Meanwhile a woman sitting opposite who is wearing a leopard skin coat, beats us to it and tries on the purple snakeskin.

"See," Ria says, folding her arms "too late, they're gone now Mum and they were an absolute bargain."

"They are indeed and unfortunately that's the only pair left," sales lady says, adding fuel to the fire "but if you hang on a second you never know, they may not be any good."

We hold our breath.

 Leopard skin lady finally prises them off. "They're too small," she says.

"Would you like to try them?" Sales lady says, winking as she passes them to me.  Nodding at my woolly boot socks she says  "and here's a pair of knee highs, they might look better with the peep toes." 

"Knee highs for you too?" she says, turning back to leopard skin lady who is about to try a black stiletto sandal.

"No thanks, leopard skin lady says, "I have a fairly serious foot infection which is very contagious, so I'll just  keep my own socks on."

There was a collective intake of breath, it had gone so quiet I think I might have gone deaf and judging by the look on her face, I fully expected the sales lady's body to hit the carpet any second. We look at the purple shoe dangling from its strap in my hand and  Ria says "You know Mum, now I come to think of it, don't you have something almost the same at home?"