You’ve gotta pat yourself on the back when you do a good deed right?  Clive had to go to Cabrini on Wednesday afternoon (not for anything interesting). And I said I’d take him. I am just not into people going off to hospitals by themselves, for any reason.

But I had to hang around for 2-3 hours in Malvern.  Bummer.  I was going to go to the cafeteria and have lunch  – I’d packed some sewing that I could do, and then I thought no, it’ll drive me nuts sitting around for that long.  So I considered going to Malvern Central.  Maybe they’d have a sushi shop for lunch and I could go to Target or DJs.

But then I thought, no I really should go … op shopping.

As I headed back to the car after leaving Clive with a medical type, I googled ‘op shops Malvern’ and at least four came up.  I chose two close to each other.  On Glenferrie Road.

So, hello Malvern Salvos, hello Malvern Vinnies.

In terms of op shop experiences you couldn’t get much different than these two stores.

The Salvos was SOOO organised.  Sizes, colours, beautifully decorated, ace change rooms (I love wooden louvred saloon doors … so … well, Malvern).  Music in the background that I couldn’t help but sing along with, and a gorgeous older volunteer (who was also singing to the tunes and maybe even dancing a bit) and who followed me around discretely tidying up after I’d touched things.  I have this dreadful thing, that is so unintentional, where I find that everything I touch in a shop falls off it’s hanger. It happens everywhere.  And the more I try not to do it the more it happens.  Is it just me?

And …when I was about to drop the 20 items I hauling around over my arm to take to the change rooms she offered me a basket … and … took the clothes I didn’t want to buy and hung them back up after I’d tried them on … ‘It gives me something to do love’.

And … Scarlett (who was having a ‘sick’ day  – she said she had a headache but I suspect she was just needing a day with her mum) was indulged as she loaded the soft toys into a plastic kids shopping trolley (that was for sale) and wheeled it around the shop behind me begging to buy it and everything in it.

Nice.  But sorry Scarlett.  It was just shoes for you.  However I got some great stuff for me!  All, as you can see, in the range of ‘grey’.  My most favourite, that I washed and wore the very next day is the singlety-top dress thing (short at the front, long at the back, looks fab. over a pair of pants) that is the very top picture in this post.  It looks great on.

And then we went to Vinnies.  It was one of those vast, dark warehouse op shops, where nothing is really sorted and where finding something good is super hit and miss.

I am sure I missed lots of stuff, but yep … I had some hits.  Like this little Billabong rashie for Mietta.  How cute.  Perfect for a 2 year old who still needs nappy bathers.

And when the hospital called   – only 2 hours after we left Clive – we weren’t really done … and I still hadn’t actually gotten around to lunch.