Easter Holiday

Carol is now on Easter holiday, the Academy breaking up last Friday.

Yesterday we went into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. We parked in Debenham's carpark, arriving a little after 9 a.m. and finding the place virtually deserted. We went down the escalator into Midsummer Place shopping centre, with the sun streaming in through the windows, although we found it was chilly. The weather is somewhat deceptive at the moment. We were somewhat shocked to discover how many shops have closed down, presumably as a result of the recession. Game was on the verge of closing, but apparently has found a buyer. They have, or had, two shops in the shopping centre, one was closed up. It makes you wonder why companys have two branches in the same town. Barrets shoes has gone, including the cafe Let's Eat, down opposite W.H.Smith. That has been there ever since the shopping centre opened in the late '70's and was a good place for a snack. Pity it has gone. There are several other vacant units, including Pumpkin Patch, which sold children's clothing.  Virgin Megastore, which sold CDs, DVDs and so on went ages ago and became Zavvi, but even that has now gone. I begin to wonder where all this is going to end and how many shops we are going to end up with. We eventually got to Waterstone's, which used to be part of H.M.V. but has now been sold to another company, Russian I believe, but I'm not sure. They also  have two branches in the shopping centre. We had a browse and then had coffee in the in-store Costa's. A clever idea to have a coffee shop inside a book shop as you can browse the books over a latte as you decide which books to buy. Carol bought a book on teaching learning disabilities, and I have seen several books I'd like, but may eventually buy them on Amazon, as they are cheaper (with Amazon you pay one lot of postage and packing to cover however many books are in one order. They have their U.K. warehouse just up the road from here at Ridgmont, on the intersection with the Milton Keynes/Bedford road and junction 13 of the M1 Motorway, and we see it regularly whenever we go past.) Carol had a look at the in-store branch of Paperchase, as she love their products and bought a couple of pens. Having finished in the shopping centre we went to Sainsbury's and bought some items for lunch and then came home.