It was a get out of town kind of day
Ok, this totally wasn’t my fault. It’s been a warm day, the sun was shining, and I got an email from a nursery, 50 km out of town, that they were having a May Day sale. Buy one get one free on roses! Roses! Geraniums, dahlia tubers, cacti…well, actually I stopped reading because they had me at roses.
So Chloe, mom and I drove out to buy ridiculous amounts of roses and then on to have a nice lunch, in a country cafe, on the patio, in the sunshine.
Our table wasn’t going to be ready for a half hour and so I left them my cell phone number and we walked down to the antique mall and had a good mooch around.
C’s objective was to buy that little pearly clutch she didn’t buy when we were there last time, remember?
And we generally had a lovely time hamming it up and trying not to buy everything in sight. Do we look like 1940’s movie stars? (Well, disregard the hoodies and the iPhone)
C saw some lovely bunting made from creamy, lacy, embroidered triangles held together with a ribbon of pom-poms. How cute is that? We decided we would make our own.
We looked into every corner and got some fantastic ideas.
Look at this little cupboard, perfect for our mason jars full of beach glass. How hard could that be to make? One ornate thrift store frame plus some bits of wood and my skill saw.
Over all the excitement about the roses, I somehow managed to lose my reading glasses somewhere in the nursery. That’s because I tend to hang them from my T-shirt and they tend to slip off. Usually I notice and pick them up but not this time, but found a really nice vintage pair at my 1.25 strength. Chloe found her clutch, and a pretty lacy blouse, and mom got a copy of The Diary of an Edwardian Lady. She loved my copy. Isn’t that the loveliest book? I’ve got a copy in Vancouver and one in Oxfordshire.
Well, my phone rang much too soon. Our table was ready and so we reluctantly left the antique mall and walked to the restaurant.
We shared a bunch of appies, looked at our loot and thought about how lucky we were to be sitting outside in the sunshine.
When was the last time you got out of town? It’s such a good idea. 🙂
Jeffrey Brunner
Why is it that pictures of food elicit such a primal hunger response? And when you try to replicate what you saw, your appetite is satisfied long before a single bite has passed your lips? In my case, anyway, my hunger can be sated merely by cooking! I’m incredibly skinny, so it’s not a good thing!
Veronica
Aw Jeffrey, skinny people tend to live the longest according to Michael Pollan. I think that in my case it’s the whole sensual pleasure of the food plus company plus surroundings plus situation. Take one out of the equation and it becomes less. 🙂
Raina
Looks like such a wonderful day! I love browsing through antiques. I was supposed to go to Vancouver tomorrow for work but my trip got cancelled. Life is kind of hectic here with the new job. My kitty is pretty sick again so that is worrisome as well. Off to the vet again. Hope you are doing well.
Veronica
Aw Raina, nuts! Would have been lovely to have you here. Poor kitty. Our sweet older cat in England is off his food a little and that’s concerning Robert quite a bit. Let me know what’s going on. In the meantime, I’m sending you serious strength and love vibes. (PS. I’ll be in Calgary late June)
Vee
The first day of May could not have been spent any more wisely! Roses, lunch out, and shopping? It’s simply not possible to go wrong with that list of activities. Yes, your daughter and you do look like 1940s stars. It was very easy to overlook the hoodies and cell. ?
Veronica
So true Vee. I didn’t really think about it too much but now when someone ask me where was I May Day some lovely memories will surface. 🙂
michellepond
You definitely look like ’40’s movie stars! We had sunshine yesterday. Now we have rain and (wait for it) maybe snow!
Veronica
Noooo! Oh Michelle, what the hell! It’s May! I hope the sun comes out really soon again.
Kristen Zayon
What a lovely day! It’s one of the down sides of living in Alaska that with our sparse population, getting out of town is an entirely different prospect. Getting out of town here usually involves fishing, hiking, or snow-machining. I love a good hike, but I am more of an antique market and cafe sort of girl than a fisher or off-roader. Still, if you are looking for peace and quiet, we’ve got it!
Veronica
Hi Kristen, I’ve only been to Stuart Alaska, via a freighter ship, and in the summertime. Not sure that really qualifies me as a visitor. One day thought I plan on a through visit. Chloe is in love with the book Into The Wild and is determined to go live there for a while. 🙂