Christmas Shopping in Somerset

 

Heading Down

At the end of my holiday in Cornwall with Lucy and Mandy (please see my earlier blogs) we talked about when we would see each other next. It's a matter of regret that we live so far apart and meetings have to be planned and organised. I suggested that a trip to Somerset for some "Christmas Shopping" would be a good idea and tentatively arranged it for the beginning of December.

So, the last day of November found me heading West once more for a long weekend with Lucy and Mandy. As it happened, the day of my arrival coincided with an important appointment in Taunton for Lucy and the awkward matter of getting her car to the garage to get the clutch fixed. How she got it there without a clutch is worthy of a blog entry of its own and I'm sure she has described the episode fully elsewhere.

The journey down to Taunton was an easy one and I arrived almost at the same time as Lucy and Mandy returned, with the car and a working clutch. After greetings, we were soon heading off into the town centre as I'd promised to take Mandy around the shops in order to get her Christmas presents for Lucy. During this time, Lucy was obliged to remain in her favourite coffee establishment chatting to a friend. The shopping trip was successful and after collecting Lucy we headed back home.

By this point it was time for me to book into my hotel and to be honest I was approaching it with a degree of apprehension. Although I've stayed in hotels before and come and gone in my female identity, this was to be the first time I'd actually booked in as a woman. It was all the more nerve tingling as I'd stayed in the same hotel a few months before, but then I'd booked in as a man, (even though I'd spent most of the time there coming and going as a woman).

However, there were no problems and the young man on reception was very nice, even calling me Susan. After the day's exertions it was great to relax for a while. I took the opportunity to repair my makeup and change into a dress for the evening before heading back to Lucy and Mandy's for an evening meal.

A Trip to the Seaside

Les Trois Dames en Rouge

We'd discussed at length how to spend the weekend and it had been agreed that the Sunday would be spent shopping in Taunton. So for the Saturday we'd settled on a trip to the seaside and had decided to visit Weymouth. The day dawned bright, but very cold with a heavy frost. As I stood in the hotel car park scraping the car windows, it occurred to me that this was another first for me as a woman - although one I would rather have done without.

By the time we headed into Dorset a fairly heavy and patchy fog had descended, but fortunately it didn't affect the coast. The weather in Weymouth was bright sunshine, although on the chilly side. We spent most of the morning touring the town centre, as well as taking in a coffee stop. The town was one of the venues for 2012 Olympic Games, staging the sailing events for both the Main and Paralympic Games. It was rather a shame, therefore, that we felt an air of the town centre being a little run-down. This is something that affects so many British coastal resorts these days so it can only be hoped that the town will gain some long-term benefits from the events of the summer.

Observing the Scene

Following lunch in the town we headed for the sea front to take in the sea air and enjoy the December sunshine. We had quite a stroll, taking in the main promenade and then out to the pier and harbour. Of course most of the paraphernalia of the Olympics had gone by this time. In fact all we saw was a rather sad and dilapidated piece of sand sculpture that was in the final stages of falling apart.

Soon it was time to head back to the car park, but not before a brief walk out to Radipole Lake, which is an extensive local nature reserve. Lucy decided that she wanted a photo of herself with the local aquatic bird life.

Then it was back to Taunton, via a Dorchester supermarket to pick up supplies. Once back in Taunton we enjoyed a fish and chip meal from the local chippy and as ever it was delicious.

Sunday in the Town Centre



Christmas in Taunton

We'd always planned that the Sunday would be close to home with a shopping trip to Taunton town centre. As is the usual practice, we walked into town along the side of the River Tone. Over the course of a very wet 2012 this river had seen an awful lot of water pass through it and only a week before my visit it had been seriously high. By now it had dropped to a safer level although by no means back to normal. In quite a few places there were signs of the debris that had been washed down in the most recent heavy rains.

The shopping in the town was as enjoyable as ever although we all agreed that it was far busier than normal for a Sunday. But given that Christmas was only three weeks away it wasn't really surprising. I picked up a lovely houndstooth pencil skirt in Debenhams and at a reduced price too. I was also after a particular dress from Bonmarche which I wanted for a forthcoming Christmas party. They had the dress, but in dark maroon instead of the black that I wanted, so I decided to wait and try again nearer to home.



Look - No Water!

We had a lovely lunch lunch in The Coal Orchard, one of the towns pubs where we received a friendly service. Heading back home, we went via Vivary Park, the town's main park which had just reopened after the latest bout of flooding. The flooding on this occasion had been so bad that the BBC had been using a photo of the flooded park gates as a backdrop to their apocalyptic weather bulletins. Thankfully by now the waters had receded and we were able to enjoy this lovely park once more.

After our stroll in the park we headed back home where we enjoyed a nice Sunday roast, courtesy of Lucy's dad. Then, sadly it was time once again to say goodbye to my lovely hosts for the last time in 2012. The year had been a very significant one for me in my progress as a woman and this had been very much down to the help and encouragement of these two lovely friends.

Heading Home

The journey home on the Monday was uneventful and I made good time. So I decided to stop at Basingstoke and see if their branch of Bonmarche had the dress I wanted. Although I drive past the town often when heading to and from the West Country, it must be nearly 30 years since I'd actually been into the town centre. Even if things hadn't changed over the years it was going to be pointless relying on my memory to find my way to a suitable car park. So I was at the mercy of the local road signs and after what seemed like a lot of roundabouts I ended up in a car park, although I had no idea how close to the shops it was, let alone Bonmarche.

So, I was very surprised to find it was not only the main shopper's car park, but Bonmarche was one of the first shops I saw when I emerged into the daylight. There, though, my luck ran out. Once again they had the dress, but not in the black as I wanted. Once again I decided to try elsewhere. For 11.00 am on a Monday I found the town centre very busy. But of course it was the Christmas rush still having its effect. By then I felt I'd had my ration of shopping for a while and decided to head on home.

For the record I tried again near to home but again couldn't get the black dress, so I ended up with the dark maroon dress that I could have got in Taunton. To make matters worse the party I had bought it for turned out to be a very unfortunate episode and consequently it was only worn for a short period. It's still in the wardrobe awaiting a suitable occasion.


So, that was my Christmas Shopping Weekend in Somerset, and a very enjoyable time I had, thanks to my hosts.

Thank you for reading this.

Susan XXX