Oh my god, first day back at work and I had 116 emails. The world of Woolies just falls apart without me 

Anyways at last I can write about my day in Basingstoke, not the most glamourous of towns, but there are definate signs of improvement, and Liz Hurley has settled down there according to the Basingstoke Observer 

The first thing you see when the train pulls into the station are 2 huge blocks of flats painted YELLOW. I think they are the new luxury flats that are advertised in the Metro. Well they definately stand out from the rest of the suburban houses.

I was quite terrified I had made a terrible mistake travelling 1 and 1/2 hours, as the first shops I saw were Wilkos, Woolies, Smiths, Boots all in crumbling old buildings that you had to get to via an danky tunnel. It was not looking promising, doors were hanging off there hinges, the pavements was cracked, seats were rusty. Eurgh, what had I done!

Then out of nowhere rose this gi-normous brand spanking new building. And inside was every shop imaginable. The marble floor gleamed, floor to ceiling windows twinkled full of gorgeous goodies. I had found my shopping heaven. Not as big as Reading but bigger than Uxbridge, enough to keep me occupied for a day. And outside was a huge Vue cinema and food court including Nandos. The other side had a Chicago Rock cafe, Zizzis and a Wetherspoons, so I presume there is a night life, although the people seemed pretty much like Uxbridge people. The only thing missing was a Starbucks (shock horror) which I was actually craving for that day. Typical. I ended up having a tomato, cheese and pesto panini from Benjis and it was mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I left Basingstoke with a gorgeous warm black Firetrap coat that I got for £43, down from £145 (I love out-of-season sales – the reductions are unbelieveable)

Even more amazing are Virgin trains. The seats are the most comfy ever, and especially after a day of shopping,  I was in heaven again!