cheating cheaters

I have to agree with Mr McMuffin about the Tutankhamun exhibition. It was worthy in its own right, but a disappointment, because we thought we were going to see the same exhibition as the one they toured in the 70's. I was one of the fortunate people who saw it in London 35 years ago, when I was only 5 and I can still remember so much about it. I kept telling Mr McMuffin about the mummy and the scary statue of Anubis, but we didn't see either. What a cheat.

I am also in a moaning mood about maternity clothing. Being a tall and fairly slim sort of person, it hasn't always been easy to find clothes to fit me, but things have got a great deal better over the last decade. Sadly the maternity market hasn't caught up and apart from Topshop, try getting a pair of trousers with a leg length of 34". Now my skinny flare and 'boyfriend' maternity jeans are great, but not really suitable for work, so I perused the rather more expensive world of Isabella Oliver and found a simple (and pricey) skirt, designed with proportion and balance to suit tall women. I was sold and phoned up (the very accessible) information line and was just about to place my order when I decided to make a last minute comparison of the lengths of the 'tall' and 'normal' skirts. They were both the bloody same. Apparently they make no changes to their cut or stock, they just designate a few pieces suitable for us taller than average types. Needless to say, they did not get a penny out of me.

So, as Gap do not sell maternity clothes in the UK, I have been reduced to ordering anything in a 6L from Ebay and while it's quite exciting, it's not the most coherent way to meet your clothing needs. As a side moan, when did clothing sizes become so large? I'm pretty much a standard UK size 12, but I need an 8 in Marks and Spencer for some clothes and a 6 in Next. Judging by the Gap trousers I got from Ebay, they're doing the same thing in the US and I'm fast approaching a size 4 and I'm not even that skinny! Rant over.