Thrift Thursday & the Poncho
magikquilter May 1st, 2008
Shopping has taken a back seat to crafting this week as I have been getting caught up on all my various works in progress, WIP’s to crafters, some call them UFO’s…unfinished objects…but a science fiction lover like myself needs an alternate expression! Speaking of that last week we went up to Westfield where my son and I bought some books at Borders and then in a little Asian shop in the pedestrian mall I found a stunning poncho wrap that has large paisley swirls allover it in red with slashes of purple throughout. Last year at David Jones I bought a merino wool wrap in similar shades of red and purple but this is slightly different as it is a poncho style and though acrylic it is a much thicker and also at a third of the price of the merino I can wear it more often without wondering if I am going to catch it or worse…forget it when I am in a coffee shop somewhere.
While in Bondi Junction we trudged through driving rain to the charity shop to look around and for CJ to donate several of his shirts, he is getting into the more vibrant colours now which I love. While we were in Myer he was about to go into the changing room and I was making myself comfortable in one of their squishy leather armchairs when I felt someone staring and looked up and saw Mike Whitney who used to play Australian cricket and is now a television presenter. CJ then went off to try on his clothes and wandered in and out while I unobtrusively observed the various guys at the counter making their purchases. Mike stayed for some time, saying its like Pretty Woman …he had two gorgeous stylists with him… CJ later said he thought it would have been to select his television wardrobe for the show…smart casual as it is a show about whats on in sydney each weekend.
So once he had gone laughing about being a kept man again I saw an Italian looking gentleman in cargo pants and t shirt and clogs who had bought some gear return…he seemed to be having some trouble wandering back and forth and going behind the counter looking in the staff’s bins etc so I asked if he had lost anything as I remembered seeing a Myer docket on the floor somewhere in the men’s department. I pointed to where I could see a piece of paper on the floor…he went to get it, laughed and said “this is what she calls a docket” to the various staff. I said again that I had seen a docket somewhere but could not remember where. He asked the cashier to go upstairs to the “office” with him to explain it all to the management and just as she started to get ready to go with him I saw the Sportscraft rep sauntering up with a smile on his face and he waved the docket at me, smiled and said to the gentleman “the lady said she saw it so thought it was worth taking a look to see if it was still there. The Italian gentleman thanked him and went on his way while totally ignoring me. So there you have two different men of similar age with hugely differing public personas…one jovial, nothing too much trouble, smiling and acknowledging the public while the other seemed to expect preferential treatment. Mike Whitney is really well known in Australia and could be forgiven for being a primadonna yet was absolutely delightful in his normalacy while the other man was totally obnoxious and soured everyone’s day a little. When Mike left the store everyone smiled and chatted about how truly lovely his personal shoppers were and also a little about cricket matches etc. When the other chap left it was totally different…there was relief certainly and many thanks were expressed to me by the staff, we all chatted about CJ’s purchases and on the way out we thanked the reps from various companies for their help and advice. What I love about Australia is that there is no working class…anyone who works is as valued as the famous who are famous because of their work. This chap seemed to have a servant mentality and more power to the staff for treating everyone with the same courtesy.
So we also saw a few actors from various television shows as we went about our shopping and coffee drinking. We cannot do this unobtrusively as people really stare at us…whether it is the mother and son thing being cute or CJ being 6′2″….. at times it has been difficult as people really stare at him. The beard and his height and his unfortunate good looks all contribute to this but we choose to think that people think he is a rock star or someone they have seen somewhere.
That day I found several things at the charity shop ….an offcut of fabric, a pair of turquoise prescription sunglasses and three brand new glass bead necklaces. The fabric was $1.80, the sunglasses $8 and the three necklaces $12 Total $21.80.
