Swedish meatballs

The first time I ever went to Ikea was when I had first moved to London from New Zealand. I had some friends who had lived over here for a year and had discovered its delights about six months earlier. They raved about it. And after flicking through a catalogue, I was pretty keen to take a look. The only problem was that we didn't have a car. We lived in East London and the easiest one to get to without a car was the Brent Cross branch. So we set off, and after lots of browsing, decided to buy a shelving unit for our bedroom. It was heavy. We spent ages in the packing department, binding it up with paper and string to make carrying it easier, but it was a horrible walk back to the tube, and then travelling through central London with a package almost twice as tall as me was not fun - even on a Saturday when the tubes are supposedly quiet. I think at the time I swore I would never go back. (That shelving unit travelled with me for nine years from one flat to another, and I was most upset when it was left behind by Number Two when we moved into our latest house. I don't think he realised how much effort it took to lug it from Ikea to home all those years ago.)
Even though the first Ikea experience was pretty horrific, the joys of looking at fully-furnished rooms and even homes laid out must have been enough of a draw for me to repeat the process several times over the following years. I think I only ever bought picture frames though.
And then when I moved into my first home with Number Two, another visit to Ikea followed, although this time I managed to talk a friend with a car into taking me, so I could indulge in the purchase of some flat-packed furniture along with my obligatory picture frames. Who would have thought you could get an entire dining suite into the back of a VW Golf?
My trip to Ikea this time was a bit different. Apart from the fact that I was driving myself at last, this time I was shopping as a mother, and my eyes were opened to a whole new world. Brightly painted wooden toys, cartoon bedroom furniture, lovely colourful bedding sets, cuddly soft toys, and tiny little chairs. And so many children! When we got to the restaurant I was amazed at just how many babies and children had been shopping with us - it's such a huge place that it's not till you get to the restaurant you realise just how busy it is. I had the fortune to be there with my friend, both of us having left our children at home with their daddys, so we could browse at leisure, and eat our Swedish meatballs in peace (actually, she had fish). But it certainly seems to be much more family oriented than it was when I visited it nine years ago. Or is that just because I see the world differently now?