Even after almost seven years in the UK, my geography of anywhere outside London is pretty sketchy.
I keep asking my husband questions like “Kent, have we ever been there?” or “Which one's Sussex and which one's Suffolk?”
Recently, I have been bugging him with “Is that anywhere near Winchester?”, to which I get the answer “Near in English terms or Australian terms?”
The reason for my sudden interest in Winchester is because of The Hambledon , a shop that I read about in a newspaper a while ago and have wanted to visit ever since.
Until I do, I have had to content myself with the website, which has only a selection of what's available in the shop (and none of the clothes) but is nevertheless enough to whet the appetite.
Shops like The Hambledon seem to be very in vogue at the moment – boutiques with an eclectic mix of products whose only real connection is the owner's taste.
So, for instance, you can buy stationery and bath products, furniture and clothes, kids' toys and kitchen utensils all under one roof (or on one website).
Of course, if you don't share the owner's taste, then the chances are that you won't like any of the items there – but, if you do, it is like stumbling on a treasure trove.
Which only makes me more determined to take a trip down to Winchester sooner rather than later. After all, nothing's really very far away in this little country of yours...