A bit of exercise for a change today whilst Good Samaritanning helping free two cars stuck in the snow. The first one even resorted to another pusher and myself fetching shovels from our cars. Both incidents were just after I had parked up in town for the dreaded Christmas shopping and that should have provided enough warning as to how frustrating an afternoon it was to be. Saying that I knew beforehand I was not going to be rolling around in thralls of ecstasy as I trudged through the slush and when Alison invited herself along to make it a family day I knew that this year was not going to be a one visit trip. Even though we split up and gave ourselves an hour before meeting back up I felt hamstrung to get Ali's presents. Added to the fact that I couldn't remember what I had already bought online for people I ended up getting some cards, paper and bows and vowing to check my e-mails when we got home to see what I had ordered. I did manage to smuggle a couple of little things in Bethany's pushchair which thoughtfully came in see through bags and despaired at the knowledge that I would have to return down town and once again suffer my hatred of crowds.