It’s Autumn. Well actually, no, no it isn’t. It’s August and it was definitely on Friday when I went into Manchester in search of a swimming costume and clothes appropriate for a warm holiday. Only you see, on the High Street it is is officially OMG AUTUMN and summer is done and fully dusted – despite y’know summer lasting for another whole month. Now don’t get me wrong I love the colder months and loathe summer, I’m a thick tights and boots kinda girl rather than well anything summery but I’m hopping off on a couple of warm weather breaks in the next few months and this necessitates swim wear. Could I find any in Manchester? Could I bum-holery.

New Look had been designated an entirely summer free zone, Primark (yep that HUGE one in Manchester) had one small rack and I kid you not there was one bikini and the rest were size 6 bikini bottoms and Marks and Sparks had become dedicated to back to school and sod all else. Every other I shop I entered was in full on November mode, summer is GONE, GONE I TELL YOU. You’d think in August you would still be able to get a bloody swimming costume on the high street, well you know what thought did – he stuck a feather in the ground and thought he’d grow a chicken.

So anyway, the other night I popped to Sainsbury’s to buy a birthday card when I happened to notice the clothing section was in the throes of a huge sale. And guess what? The Sainsbury’s cup over runneth with swimming costumes, tankinis, bikinis and beach cover ups in sizes 6 – 22! I picked up two swimming costumes at £5.40 (which were previously £18 a pop) each, a pair of black bikini bottoms and a tankini top for next to nothing. Sadly the recently launched Tu for Sainsbury’s website seems to only offer this bikini top for £1.25 online so if you’re after a swimwear bargain, other than a lime green bandeau, yourself you are probably best popping down to your local branch of Sainsbury’s.