Not doing the Christmas shopping with the Brompton

I have left the Brompton at home this week while working and doing the Christmas shopping. Firstly it has been raining. Not at bad as April but the road surfaces are more slimy because of the wet leaves and the residue of grit that has been put down to dissolve the ice. The other reason is the combination of other Christmas shoppers and a Brompton bike in a shop is not a good mix. It is the one time of the year that we wander around in a fog of not knowing what we want or if we have the right thing. In the West End I prefer to make a quick dash and back to the train station with bags. The other thing is that more pedestrians just walk straight into the road without looking. They look out for buses and taxis but forget that there are cyclists. I think they are dazzled by the Christmas lights and decorations and shop signs for pre holiday Sales.