MY MUM loves to shop. Scrub that, she really, really loves to shop. If it were an Olympic sport, she would be a record-breaker.
So when she talks about "going to town for the day", you'd better have a whole day to spare.
Luckily, last weekend I had exactly that. Which was just as well as she was displaying a determination to score a pair of Ugg boots and a pair of Per Una jeans that would put Paula Radcliffe's hunger to crack the London Marathon to shame.
Five hours after we left home and a trek around Liverpool's uprooted pavements later, she achieved her goal - a perfect pair of snug black sheep-skin lined boots and some straight leg denims.
And so exhausted was I that by the time we staggered from Liverpool's main drag into the business district and down the stairs from the emptiness of Castle Street into the inviting warmth of the Olive Press, I had swapped my four inch block- heeled boots for her latest purchase.
I basked in the cosiness of this practical yet stylish footwear as I perused the extensive menu at Paul Heathcote's Italian-influenced bar and restaurant. And there is plenty to peruse from snacks, to salads, to chargrilled dishes and stone-baked pizzas.
It was just as well there was plenty to read, as no-one came to take our drink or food order for almost 10 minutes.
Thanks to the endurance shopping, lunch had gone out of the window, so we were both extremely hungry. So big stodgy dishes were leaping right out at me like penne with chargrilled chicken, butternut squash and dolcelatte risotto and my favourite pizza, their stone-baked chargrilled chicken, sweetcorn, mushrooms and garlic butter pizza (only without the sweetcorn - hate the stuff).
As ever, my mum didn't really know what she wanted, but after a few changes eventually settled on the lamb and borlotti bean broth with tomato and root vegetables (£3.95). For her main course - once she had established exactly what focaccia was - she chose the Olive Press burger on grilled focaccia with garlic mayonnaise, dill pickle and fries.
I decided on the baked garlic mushrooms, boconcini mozarella and herb crumbs (£5) and the chargrilled chicken breast with polenta, baked flat mushrooms and roasted garlic cream (£13.75). Dracula was not coming near me.
