wednesday walkabout--"to liberty and m&ms" *cheers*

Another Wednesday has come around and I was blessed with work being cancelled which meant no having to be home by a certain time to head to work.  Woohoo.  Today's walkabout was in a section of central London. I actually managed to cross a few little bits and pieces off my list today.  The main stop was....

I caught the tube to Leicester Square Underground Station where the longest escalator in the system is. It's 161ft 6ins with a vertical rise of 80ft 9ins.  Facts supplied by a recently purchased London travel game.

First location located was the Australia Shop.  Oh my, simple delights!  I haven't seen some of these products in so long.  I bought a couple of goodies to share at the Australia Day book club meeting I'm hosting next weekend.  Yum.

 Second location located--and the main stop for the afternoon--was M&Ms World.  Did you know it existed?  It's four floors of crazy m&m everything.  It's a bit ridiculous really but fun to visit.  I mean, do you really want m&m tshirts, pjs, pencils, plates, jewellery!?  They did have some fun displays though.

And the colours for the taking!!  Don't you just love it, Vi? He he.  They had a fun "Discover Your Colour" scanner.  You stood on the platform while it loudly proclaimed it would scan you and tell you what colour mood you were today.  My colour mood was "Cream: You have creative talents unknown even to you!"  I'll accept that.  Though I suspect it chooses a colour based on what you're wearing as I had on my big, off-white coat.  I also came across some recycling.  He he.  Clever, though I wouldn't pay the asking price.  Funky and funny that they are old m&ms packets.  Good on 'em.

 Third location located was Liberty.  I've been here before.  It's not somewhere I'd shop though they have some lovely stuff.  But again, to justify the expense?  But it is a magnificent building.  Even just the outside is fabulous and inspiring and inviting.  It has such an earthy, basic appeal.  Perhaps from all the wood involved in its structure.  It's more warming than plain hard, cold stone.

And I entered in through the stationary room.  Oh, I swooned!  And I was tempted but I slowly moved on.  The staircase was all wooden full of exquisite carved detail.  It was really impressive to look down the stairwell.  And then from the second floor (there's like five or so) there's an open space through the floors above.  Actually, if you go along to the next area there's another one too.  It's quite a big store and fascinating to see. I made my way up to the fabric area and dawdled through.  Most of it's not a style to my liking--a bit floral for me--but I did find some I liked.  I ended up purchasing some fabric covered buttons I'm going to attach bobbypins to and stick them in my hair.  Or something like that.

 Finally I went back underground and came out at Shepherd's Bush where I went to Westfields Shopping Centre and did a little shopping.  I did manage to come out with the things I hoped to get.  A pleasant spent afternoon and now I've posted my walkabout and I've got a parcel ready to post to my nephew for his birthday next week.  These odd coloured m&ms and some other things are coming your way, Zachary!