Generosity and Shoes (N.B. not Generosity *with* Shoes)

This week, I have been the recipient of outrageous acts of generosity from others and it's made me question if I am (or ever was, or will be) generous enough when I do have an income.  I feel indebted to my people. Rather a lot of gratitude this week.  I "didn't buy" a lot of things.  I didn't buy dinner or the heavenly, fragrant, intoxicating splash of Glenmorangie Signet whisky when I was out with a girlfriend last week, nor did I buy dinner when I went out with my family this evening.  I didn't buy the airfare interstate to spend some time with a favourite family member and some friends.  Yes, I can't wait to spoil my friends and loved ones when I am back in the game.  Right now instead, I share the love by giving them my time and energy.  I am a distracted listener at the best of times; now I take the time to focus...properly.  Clean all the things.  Cook fricken dinner, for a change.  Make pizza from scratch (packet scratch, not scratch scratch. Gluten free pizza is a tricky thing.).  Invoke my domestic goddess. etc. 

Here's another thing that remains un-bought: a camera! Mine disappeared into a paddock full of waist-high artichoke thistles with thorns sharper than a goanna's claws, and tougher than the needles you'd use to sew the mainsail for a yacht entering the Sydney to Hobart.  Le sigh.  What this means is that I can't yet take photos of What I Didn't Buy*.  No photos yet of the flash of colour or shape that caught my eye in a shop, what suckered me through the door to make me brush the fabric with the back of my hand, stand back and see where it fell to, what it might do at the waist... how would I tie that thing?  What sort of lingerie would, or could I wear with that?  Does it float around and tactfully skim a generous booty, hinting at a thigh, or does it cling to curves and make grown men cry?  

or the amazing shoes that I scrutinised, turning them over and over again from every angle with a hard eye like a gem grader would investigate a rare diamond: leather? cotton? woven? knitted? Glued, stitched, nailed?  Cheap plastic soles one step removed from cardboard, rendering them useless until you fork out more money to a shoe repairer for a decent heel and sole to be attached? Or something that reveals a designer who has not cut corners, one who has a reputation to consider?  Tanned, polish-able, or cheap scratchable paint coating - maybe I want a scratchy paint effect... Vinyl (rare is the vinyl shoe that does not end up in landfill within a couple of years!)? Where were these shoes (boots, sandals) made? Brazil ...  Spain? Of course. The best-looking, best made, best quality, longest lasting, most eternally stylish, most-commented upon, most flattering, and most comfortable shoes, upon further investigation, almost always reveal their origins as one of these two countries - occasionally Portugal, or less often these days Italy or France... rarely if ever China - sorry China, but you know why.

*I'm looking for a DSLR that someone new to DSLR's might enjoy using, if that helps.