Wednesday, August 1

Scenes from a (dying?) Mall.

Today, GOM & I went over to a Mall, to 'window shop', more or less. The current lounge suite is getting very tattered, & somewhat shabby. Gom has ridden his armchair to a standstill, one might say. The mechanism has broken, & is unable to be satisfactorily mended.

And then there is the small matter of the worn out upholstery where he rests his shod feet. "I'm NOT wearing slippers! Slippers are for OLD men!"

Of course, these things are thrown into sharp relief when there is something like a new carpet in the house. The tired old - well it is not actually that old, but it has wear & tear, I suppose you could say.

So we test drove a few lounge suites. None of which we both liked. Oh well, just as well we were only 'window shopping'.

But we were quite shocked to see how many businessess had closed their doors the left this huge complex. The number of empty shops out numbered the tennanted ones. It seemed sad, & we wonder why.

It is not a centre we visit regularly. In fact we probably average 5 times a year. But the thought is, that is always there, & is, or was, a supposedly "Supa Centre" where a bargain could be guaranteed.

Well not any more, & it's only saving grace now, is perhaps it has a large Bunnings, which is a Hardware chain who boast they will match a cheaper rival with a 10% refund. And a large Spotlight store, which is a chain of fabric/furnishing fabric, manchester/ curtainings store. And a magnet for poverty stricken quilters of course.

So after our abortive forays into the (small) world of lounge furniture, we sat in a Subway to have a rest, & a little lunch.

And the Subway is situated on the second floor, so we could look down below, & watch the passing parade as we had our leisurely lunch.

And there seemed quite a volume of foot traffic really. Mothers with toddlers. One little lad had a wonderful time. While his mother chatted to an acquaintance, he got out a chair from each dining setting, climbed onto each seat, & attempted to eat or peel each item displayed as a centrepeice on each table. We were quite amused when he first attempted to bite a fake apple. But our laughter turned to concern when he tried to rip the sheath off a fake corn husk!

And all the while, his mother, who appeared from our vantage point, to be 'watching him' seemed totally unaware of her little darlings acitivities! I suppose she had 'glazed out', as parents do, who spend too much time, shut in, with there little 'darlings'.

And we watched as elderly couples ( such as we!! haha) test drove lounge suites. And, like us, most of them didnt agree about what was good & what was not. Colour wise --& style wise. The good thing with us, is, we can usually find one we both like... eventually.




And, on another note, I wish I had smell enablement. ( is there such a word??)
But this is the reason. My Daphne is now in flower. It seems to be late this year. In New Zealand, it would be in flower for my mother's birthday on 17th July.

As you can see here, it is only just really coming into full bloom, but the fragrance is heavenly! I love it, & in the evening it is just beautiful.
Today has been a day when it has smelt gorgeous, & the perfume has floated into that back yard. Unfortunately, it grew really well in our front garden, which is not visible from our back yard, nor the are where we 'live'. I have to make a special visit to see it, & if the breeze is not in the right direction, we miss all the lovely perfume.

And here is an unkown shrub, which can stand hacking, slicing & general untalented butchering, & it will still bounce back, with vigour & determination, so I have to admire it. Plus the lovely variegated leaves are a nice foliage which lasts the winter & summer the same.
Oh I almost forgot- some of the baskets, waiting to be found homes again, & unpacked in the case of some of them.
I have no idea why that wall appears blue- it is really cream! How odd. It must be the light, I suppose.


Carly Simon, Anticipation.

20 comments:

Alice said...

It's quite a tiring activity test-driving lounge suites. We must have sat in hundreds of them before still buying the wrong one ...lol. We persevered with this wrong one for 15 years until we sold it last year to make way for our son's lounge suite, which is being 'stored' here whilst he is overseas. So when he reclaims the suite, we will be doing the sit down, wriggle and then get up again (if we can). Why is it so difficult to find a suite that will support your hips AND your head and shoulders, and not be so soft that you sink into oblivion?

It's sad to see so many empty shops wherever you go. It still doesn't stop investors building ever more shopping centres though. The thinking seems to be that the more shops we build, the more people will spend, forgetting that most people only have a finite amount of money to spend.

Glad you were feeling well enough to go and 'window shop'.

Digitalgran said...

It is sad to see so many shops empty. The little shops that sold individual clothes etc. these large businesses are taking ove the world. Then when all the little shops close they will charge exorbitant prices for everything.

That plant has a rather strange smell doesn't it, rather nice but different? i think I've got the right one.

shula said...

Daphne. Is there anything that smells better?

fifi said...

I think the herald did a feature on the malls on the Central Coast, how people spent their days there.
Did you read that?

But there is only so much people can actually buy.


I think the full name for that Daphne is "Daphne Odorata", which is possibly apt.

Lee said...

Oh yes. Our daphne is in flower here in Melbourne too. It is lovely, especially in the evening.

Sheila said...

I too wish I could smell the daphne..!
Hope you find a lounge suite, I hate shopping for them..!

Ian Lidster said...

People have written numerous books about ghost towns, but nobody has written one about a 'ghost mall' There's a big opportunity there as such entities abound.
Daphne, eh. One of my favorites. Of course, we get it from the opposite time of year than you.
Ian

Lucy said...

Always surprises me how there seems to be lots of nice furniture in the shops until you want to buy something!
I can just smell that daphne...

His Office, My Studio said...

The malls here in Chicagoland are empty too. Hubby and I shopped for furniture once and that was 15 years ago. I wanted to kill him because he did not want chairs with a flower print and I did. He won and we got stripes.

Jellyhead said...

A 'dying' shopping mall always induces in me a feeling of gloom and foreboding. I suppose the lack of bustle and the empty shops are such a contrast to what you expect, and you think of all the lives affected by a busines gone under.

Your Daphne looks lovely. I don't think I've ever smelt the scent ....

Hope you have a good day Meggie!

Joyce said...

When in Australia my daughter and I always spend some time in Spotlight while the guys go to Bunnings. Good luck with the shopping. I found my last couch (lounge) in an op shop for $3 but it will soon be retired to a nice bonfire.

Ali Honey said...

I can smell Daphne....cause I have some in the house! Strange that mine is flowering the same time as yours........( late Winter very early Spring in NZ )Yours looks really healthy!

meggie said...

Hi All, thanks for all your comments.
My mother loved the smell of Daphne, & I guess that is why I love it so much. I was surprised when this one grew so well, as they can be a bit tricky. That is why I dare not move it!
Yes Fifi, I think it is the Daphne Odorata. I love the slightly citrus perfume.

I laughed at everyones comments about shopping for furniture. It seems to be a universal problem. Laughed about the bonfire Joyce!
My daughter cant wait for us to get a new one, because tatty though it is, ours is still a vast improvement on theirs. It was due for the bonfire when she bought it, 3rd hand, 9 years ago! And it is so low, it causes me great difficulty in rising out of it. I usually have to be hauled up, like an old sea lion! haha.

Leigh said...

It is so true. Once you do one thing in the house every thing else needs doing too.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I don't think we have Daphne here in the US or at least not in my area. I like the leaves on it too. I'm a big fan of foliage even when flowers don't accompany it. I like shrubs that can take hacking too because I am not a neat trimmer.
Wanda

crafty said...

Daphne is indeed the most glorious scent. I can -almost- smell it, I'm usually pretty good at smelling smells that aren't really there, like stuff on TV. Oh well, I'll just have to get some of my own.

Mary said...

Hi Meggie - thanks for stopping by - and how lovely that the first time I call into your blog you have posted about daphne. Mine here in the mountains is just starting to open up but is yet to scent the garden. And I am waiting for my part time neighbour to go back to QLD so I can sneak in and cut handfuls from her incredible daphne hedge! Mary

Stomper Girl said...

I love daphne. And I wish I had some.

ancient one said...

Daphne, that's one I don't know. Don't think I have ever seen any. Don't think I've ever smelled any either.

My nose quit working some time back. Just burning smells (like leaves, motors, etc.) and very heavy perfume is all I can smell. I find rotting potatoes and onions sometimes and wonder how long everyone else has been smelling them...LOL

Anonymous said...

Nothing is more divine than plopping down on the sofa for a nap. My husband and I usually fight over who gets which sofa first. I hope you find the right one.

Mimi