Why am I doing this?

This must be the question asked by almost every blogger who first puts fingers to keyboard. In my case, the motivation is straightforward: bullying. A friend whose opinion I set more store by than I probably should, recently dubbed me "naive" for not seeing the very obvious benefits of operating a blog. The outcome of her stinging censure is now therefore before you.

I remain unconvinced, of course, about this exercise, but am perfectly willing to be proved wrong. What follows therefore will probably prove to be no more, and no less, than a sporadic journal of travels around the UK and beyond looking at new stores and talking to people about them. I'm normally scrupulously polite about everything I see when publishing in print, but imagine that I will be somewhat freer to impart my thoughts without fear of suffering legal and /or monetary penalties.

Anyway, enough of the whys and wherefores. The first meaningful blog will be this Friday when I plan to write about whether the UK debut of fashion and homewares retailer Anthropologie is a cause for mild celebration or just another US import.

If you get to read this, thanks for staying with me thus far. I make no promises about providing any kind of epiphany, but hope to offer the occasional diversion.