Shopping in Limassol...

Today was the Crafty Ladies shopping trip to Limassol and I decided not to take my camera just in case I left it somewhere and decided to rely instead on my trusty Blackberry or the Bloody Blackberry as John calls it!  So I will apologise in advance for the quality of the photographs which are not up to their usual standard.

My first dilemma of the day was what to wear because I knew it would be warmer down in Limassol but no idea how much and not knowing exactly where we were going or what time we were coming back I didn't want to get cold so I opted for layers and hoped that I didn't look too much of a country bumpkin out on a day-trip (which was exactly what I was!!).  I remember all those times I went to London and refused to carry an A-Z so I wouldn't look too much like a visitor!  It was really nice to get the chance to dress up for a change and go somewhere different.  

The plan was to go to Jumbo first (a cross between The Range, Wilkos and Dunelm) followed by a fabric shop and bead/button shop, then lunch and more shopping at My Mall followed by the Mosaic shop.

You can see what a really beautiful day it was when John dropped me off at the Farmyard in Kathikas to wait for the mini bus to arrive.  I was joined by Carol, Jane and Pauline.  The majority of people got on the coach in Polis, and two others joined after Kathikas so there were twelve of us in all with a very patient driver called Theo.

I dont know if these photographs will give you an idea of what Jumbo's is like but it is like an enormous warehouse piled high with STUFF all at very reasonable prices.  I could have gone wild in the aisles save for the fact that I couldn't remember the pin number for my card so I kept to the cash that I had taken.  

I did manage to get the kitties a huge cat basket - once they have taken to it (jury's out at the moment) I will post a photograph.  I got some rugs, candles, curtain tie backs, little Christmas gifts for Mum (I am struggling to find things for Dad and John) and could have spent more - John would have loved it so I am hoping that maybe he and I can go together one day - it only took just over an hour to get there although I dont think I would be able to find it again.

I did not really have any need to walk around the fabric shop although I am sure it was fantastic as there was soooo much to choose from - I would like to get into dress making but I dont have a machine nor the room to house everything that goes with it so I went on down to the button/bead shop which was an absolute Aladdin's Cave with buttons and beads in every colour and style a crafter could possibly want.  I did buy some buttons because where I have sewn the curtains together by the kitchen I wanted to tidy up the stitching and make a bit of a feature of the join.

On the way back to the minibus we passed the most fantastic electric shop which stocked just about every kind of electrical Christmas decoration that a person could possibly want.  There was a huge display outside - the trees were absolutely fabulous with absolutely fabulous prices to go with them!

Inside, the shop had a million and one decorations which were stunning and there was something to suit every pocket - I didn't buy anything as we have plenty of Christmas decoration but if I had been looking for new things then I could have spent an absolute fortune here and you have to admit the display of illuminated animals is rather sweet!

Next stop was My Mall.  I went there with Mum and Dad sometime last year or possibly the year before and managed to get some lovely rugs for the sides of our bed - John hasn't been.  This is a Mall like most people are familiar with and has a food hall upstairs which is where we all headed first as we were starving!!!  Five of us opted for the Bamboo noodle bar as I remember eating there with Mum and Dad last time I went.  The food is really good, cooked fresh to order and plentiful.  I hadn't realised how much I had missed a good Chinese meal and I wasn't disappointed - nor were the others that ate with me.

The one unusual aspect of this Mall is that the ground floor is dedicated to a skating rink which is open to the public and I keep threatening to take John because when I watch Dancing on Ice he questions "how hard can that be???"  Bloody hard I can tell you!!!  The floor above the rink has a Costa Coffee and you can sit in a circle looking down at the people on the rink below.

The decorations at the Mall were absolutely out of this world with a fairy woodland theme.  In fact we thought that all the decorations we saw as we passed through Limassol on the way home were stunning - not sure what there is in Droushia (if anything!!).

The final stop for the day was to the Mosaic shop - I think I am about the only person in the group that doesn't do mosaics and I don't really want to get into a new craft at this stage as I have so much for card making and jewellery making in the cupboard.  However, the shop was absolutely fascinating with tiles of every colour - I could see that for some of the ladies it was like being a child in a sweet shop!

It was a fairly quiet minibus on the way home as we were all exhausted having had a really lovely day.  John was there to meet me at the Farmyard and help me bring my purchases home.  

 STOP PRESS - I have made contact with one of the blog followers who is neither family nor friend - how exciting is that - technology is such a wonderful thing!