My first full day in Florida and it is spent clothes shopping.

I love clothes but hate clothes shopping in the UK. I find the shops too fashion-orientated and the clothes designed for tall, skinny 16 year olds. I like fashion but also want classics I know will last and finding items that fit and flatter is hard. Add to that a hatred of packed shops, queues for changing rooms, rails and rails of boring clothes and entire shops filled with the latest colours, which always seem to be pastels or brown when I want something turquoise.

But here it's a different story: empty shops, wide aisles, changing rooms you can walk straight into and then there's the clothes...

There were 3 of us shopping and our ages went from my 37 up to early seventies. Our heights, sizes and preferences varied wildly and yet, in the same shop, we all managed to find armfuls of things to try on. Why is that not possible in the UK?

As a colour junkie I was overjoyed to find a wide array of dresses, blouses, cardigans and shoes in beautiful, lush, rich, jewel colours. Many of these will go with what I bought last year in New York and already I'm looking forward to wearing them and getting a colour injection as I get dressed each morning and go about my day.

Worn out from shopping we had dinner at the chain Ruby Tuesdays. I positively avoid chain restaurants in the UK as the quality of food is so poor. But again here it's a different story. So frustrating. Still my frustrations soon faded away after a couple of drinks...