Yes, this is Winter ..

So, we walked 150 blocks (slight exaggeration) to the Mall ... then walked up and down the 3 stories of shops .. looking in windows, looking inside and stopping here and there ..
Then we walked home, stopping at the produce market on the corner.

My feet have stopped speaking to me .
My legs say they are going on strike.
My heart thanks me every day ..

The weather is fantastic !
Maybe 60º F and all sunshine with a slight breeze.
You can walk on the sunny side and be happy or cross the street and cool off a bit in the shade.
Flowers are blooming, vines are growing some sort of flowers and there are trees still green, some in autumn colors and some bare and wintery looking.

If not for all the coats and jackets you see people wearing, you would think it was summer time .. flowers and green leaves and birds singing.

Yeah, this is Winter in Buenos Aires.

Oh , it will get cold and grey and damp and you will think you will never be warm again but that lasts maybe a few days or a week at most.
Then you see the sun and when you take a walk, the outdoor cafes are full.
And everyone sits facing the sun.
If you watch, as the day goes by, the chairs all move, following the sun.

We went to Alto Palermo , the mall .. this was the scouting expedition, I will be going back prepared to shop and try on and buy. ..
Shoes .. loafers with studs , shoes, soft as butter, flat walking shoes in a light tan color , and maybe a top or a pair of trousers or something ..
I am open to anything ..
I will be glad to try it on and see if it needs to come home with me.

My phone now has a new case, I can drop it with less fear now.
And it looks better than the ordinary black rubbery thing it had.
Now it has a nice little plaid .. a sort of Burberry look .. my phone has gone from industrial  to preppy.

I found my Clinique at the mall too.
This might sound ho hum to most people but for me, this has been The Quest.
You can't test make ups here.
You can't look on your own.
You can't touch.
You can't sniff.
A salesperson has to do it all.
One would guess that the theft of cosmetics here is beyond imagination going by the way they seriously guard Tester bottles.
But in this place, I found a girl that let me touch, chatted with me .. yes, thank you, she speaks English .. she probably learned in a month.
I have been here 5 years and still cannot speak Spanish fluently.
I do speak Spanglish pretty well though.
And now and then if I can't think of the right word, it will pop into my head in French.
I speak less French than I do Spanish so it might all be gibberish and I am completely out of my mind.
But they still treat me very nicely and with beautiful manners.. and sell me the perfect make up base.

The mall was packed with people and I did hear quite a bit of English being spoken.
I saw a bag that I covet .. from a shop called La Martina.
When asked about the price, ( in Spanish) the sweet salesgirl answered in English.
We still can't fool them !

Now it is time for tea and relaxing ..

Not a bad Winter day ..