When I was old enough to be allowed on the train to Birmingham I discovered The Oasis Market. If you've never been then you're missing a treat. This indoor center full of unique and strange stalls has been around for decades as a mecca for all things alternative.

When I was kid it was the place you went for the giant posters for your bedroom walls, the place where Span went to get her belly button pierced without permission (No holes for me thank you!), the location for royal blue hair dye to make you look 'unique during your first year at uni and the place to find the clothes i chose to wear that others might have called 'hippy'. I recently returned to this forgotten mecca when I was looking for something to wear to a 1920s party. Unsurprisingly, i was in the wrong location for that kind of thing but it did re-awaken some funny memories and rebellious feelings...

Now, my Dad has a photographic studio and apparently there are loads of models willing to do a shoot for free if you let them have the pictures for free on a disc. Dad's embraced this and now has a few female models popping to the studio on regular occasions for various shoots. He wanted to get some red stockings.... I know a strange conversation to be having with your father... where to buy slightly kinky gear... but it's all for artistic purposes so that's ok (??) My first thought was obviously Anne Summers. However, I'm not really sure how comfortable I would be taking my dad into a shop filled with vibrators and other paraphanalia.... What about The Oasis??

So we went and Mum paid for i bought some lovely 'hippy' skirts and enjoyed the stall dedicated purely to fair trade clothing. My Dad spent about 45 minutes saying "wow! I didn't know this place existed. This is brilliant!" promptly went to the cash point and then spent over a £100 pounds on Corsets, fish net tights, Fish net gloves, sexy dresses, Small net mini skirts, a top hat and a black mask....

LOF entertained himself by considering what the shop vendors were thinking as four people who were obviously Mum, Dad, Daughter and Son-in-Law wandered around a shop buying obviously vampy clothing... strange... but very funny! I suppose I should be greatful for the lack of interesting mechanial devices!

Span.. do your parents know about the OASIS? Apparently It's a hit! ;)