Day One November 23- Part 2

 And so it continues straight on from the other post a few days (maybe a week or 2 ago). By the way, nice post Em. Your bowls are very gorgeous. Actually can I show off the ones you made for me?

I love my delightful little bowls. Aren't they sooo sweet. They sit on the shelf at our desk in the lounge room and fill with buttons and bells, bits and bobs that will evenutally get sorted. Do you spy the one to very left of the 2nd photo. I've been a bit inspired and have been going around and round myself.

So Day One, Part 2............

12.30pm - Post pedicure we floated across the road to the little parisian cafe and sat ourselves cross- legged at the bench right in the window so we could enjoy the sunshine. Actually it was to oogle the clothes shops opposite that we were going to bombard and have a go at ACTUALLY TRYING ON CLOTHES sans children! Oh the excitement was almost too much. A rather lovely coffee and delicious shared platter later we spent 2 hours, woohooo, browsing, trying on clothes, jewellery, fondling beautifully soft handbags and having abit of a laugh at ourselves as it had literally been years since we've tried on clothes together and post children, it's whole new experience!!! Did we make a purchase hmm, actually no that's right. We knew we had a whole week of this ahead so we kept our purses shut and troddled on to pick up the key from a friends place.

3.30pm- Now 5 hours after we left home we had only cleared about 20 km!! Not bad, no stress, no time limits, no children to feed, no sleep routines to follow. We picked up the key at 3.30 and were prepared to head off straight away but Rach had a birthday pressie waiting on the doorstep for me. Awww! It was a gorgeous framed hand-dyed silk butterfly created by our friend and very talented artist, Jude Craig of  Naturally Dyed . After lots of awwwing and checking out they're new front door and outdoor area we head off.

4.30pm- Yeah we're on our way, heading on the highway when Em yells (literally) OP SHOP !!!!!     UUrrrrrrr, can you hear the brakes screach!!  An op shop a day. Really, that's our goal, at least and we had just happened to be passing one we knew was good. A big Salvos to the right, across the traffic, car park right out front, painted toes, big smiles and off we go. OOOhhhhh, it's big, it's organised, there's lots of stuff. We try on bangles, rummage through racks of jumpers looking for woollen ones to felt for craft and look what we find..........

Honestly who gets rid of things like this! A crochet afghan shawl, not quite my colours but fabulous for wintry mountain days. the sad thing is we put it down to look at other treasures and forgot to pick it up again so alas there it remains unless some other lucky soul has found it and given it some love.

And what about this number- oh the nostalgia! I remember having a dressing gown just like this, only much smaller when I was a wee girl. All nylon and flammable that doesn't breathe (no natural threads here baby), but oh the memories of getting rugged up and mum and dad piling us in the car on a saturday night. The 3 of us, myself and my 2 brothers, in our jarmies and dressing gowns heading off in the pale green Ford to my aunty and uncle's for our parents' regular card night. WOW.......all that from a dressing gown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woollen blankets, a dress, a very fine pure wool jumper in a gorgeous shiny leaf green,  a cushion cover, a jar of little metal rings to make crochet thingys, a retro towel, something for a friends birthday pressent which we cannot reveal and $22 later we are ushered out the door at closing time to take a pic of our finds.

Here they are on the ground in the car park. A nice little stash (minus crochet shawl).

5.15pm- Five and bit hours after we left we are literally 30 mins from home- hee hee hee and this time we really are going. 

Sometime later- aahhh we are here, YES, WE ARE HERE!!   Elation, relief, excitement, unload, unlock, unpack,  put New Zealand wine in the freezer, set up craft table and enjoy strawberries and chilled sauvignon semillion blanc on the deck watching the sunset. YES WE ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CALM    RELAX     BREATHE.............................................................

8.15pm-  Hmm without the routine of dinner, bath, bed we are unaware of time and suddenly think of dinner at 8.15!!!! woohoo we're usually chowing down at 5.30 to reach the goal of 7pm kids in bed, but 8.15 !!!!!!

We decide to head out to find food and with not much contemplation head to the resort restaurant and just make it for the 8.30 cut off time. Life in the fast lane hey!?!?!?  Tonight is Steak Night, $30 steak and glass of wine and we are happy not to have too many choices.

We enjoy a generous steak that has been cooked to our liking, a full glass of wine, a pinot noir I believe and we revel in our independance and how grown up we appear. Aren't we clever?! Until Em says, "well what now?" and for some reason I find this completely amusing as to me it's quite obvious that we pay and go home but I manage to ruin the whole charade as I spurt my whole mouthful of water all over the table and my poor dinner companions face as a stray laugh bursts from my throat. YES WE ARE STILL IN THE FANCY RESTAURANT, now both in fits of wild snorting laughter and expressions of complete shock! I can't believe what I've just done and neither can Emma. I am so embarassed and horrified what my dear friend is enduring right now. SO totally uncouth. How on earth can I recover from this abomination of courtesy and etiquette. Sadly, I don't think I can and never will.

We pay and leave trying to pretend nothing happened and drive home (all 2 minutes) and I can't stop apologising.

Pleased to be home and in our jarmies we go about setting up our craft table (a distraction of which I am grateful) and doesn't it look wonderful................................

A whole table of crafty, inspirational goody goodness and many trasures we can't be without. I am now totally addicted to  Mollie Makes  magazine. A treasure trove of crafty,thrifty,vintage, creative inspiration. Pages and pages of crochet, sewing, tutorials and trends. Love, love, love it. Our folders containing our collection of patterns, craft books, threads, wool, my crochet starbursts which will in time become a fabulously colourful cushion cover and all by candlelight. The only thing missing in the photo is the sewing machine which I set up the next day. My friends laughed at me because I took the sewing machine. However I didn't want to get to a moment in our retreat and for either of us to say "oh I wish we'd bought the sewing machine". And because we were only restricted by what would fit in the car, well............why not!!

12.15am - A calming cup of tea, a little hooky crochet and we are off to bed. This is my first night without the kids. My first night of sleeping in a big bed all by myself. My first night not breastfeeding my little one. I wish them Good Night in my thoughts and I'm out like a light.