Christmas shopping

Well, what with the weather being so hot and sunny, it's really hard to remember that Christmas is just around the corner. That is until you hit the shops! I have spent the last couple of days doing a bit of Christmas shopping: browsing around David Jones, a huge department store, I was suddenly transported back to London, imagining I was wandering around Selfridges or somewhere like that - I really missed you there Mum, you would love it! I also visited the beautiful Queen Victoria Building, which is full of extremely expensive shops and old-fashioned cafes. I managed to resist buying anything there, but simply walking around the place was a pleasure. They have the most amazing, tallest Christmas tree I have every seen, decorated with Swarowski crystals, which begins with a trunk on the ground floor, the foliage starting at just above head height, and then stretches up through holes in each floor right up to the domed ceiling, topped with a gigantic star just beneath the stained glass cupola. I also loved this clock, which is decorated with scenes from Australian history and shows the day and date as well as the time.