HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: SHOPPING
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Spending money is always a bummer
WORD OF THE DAY: SHOPPING MOJO
Like clock-work I was awake at 8.30am and the sun was high in the sky and not a cloud to be seen. You could already feel the heat of the day that early through the windows. It was going to be another glorious day. Things were still touch and go with Faron’s dad, so Amy preferred to be in the city and ready should a call come rather than be at the cottage we would be closer for her to make the dash to be there for Faron. I hurt my back this morning as I was walking down the stairs at the cottage. It just feels like a pinched nerve or something, but man it really hurt. I didn’t mention it to anyone as I didn’t want to worry them and I am hopeful it will just fix itself over the next few days. So after a cooked breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs and toast we were on the road at 12 noon. With goodbye’s to Shaun’s parents and a very sincere felt thanks we hit the road. I ended up sleeping the whole hour ride back and we decided to take a small detour and headed to a major shopping mall for the afternoon. Well why not. We were back in the city, so Amy felt better and I hadn’t hit any western shops since Caracas at the end of March and a lot of those shops were high end ‘no way I would find anything’ kind of shops.
Amy was on a dress quest for a wedding that she was going to on the weekend and I was just after some new clothes after travelling with the same wardrobe since November 2011. Even then it was a small change as I needed summer clothes as I was heading to South America and London was preparing for winter and didn’t have much summer stock left. My saving grace was the 2 bags of clothes I had left in a London Hotel when I went to Africa in July, I stored them at the hotel for 4 months and opening those bags in November was like an early Christmas present to myself and an instant wardrobe renewal. Walking into the shopping mall was like a kid in a candy shop. If I found some new bottoms (skirts or pants) would be nice and probably the only thing I would like to have something new of. My clothes are starting to look like backpackers clothes and I would love to get some new items to refresh it and give me a ‘flash packer’ look instead as I am now back in reality and not swanning around on some truck where it didn’t matter what you wore, people expected you to look backpack. If you look like that here in Canada or the USA I am going to feel like a right old dag.
The first shop we went into Amy was looking for a dress and I walked out with a new dress I would wear to shows and dinner in Chicago, Las Vegas and LA. It was perfect, fitted well and a new colour I wouldn’t normally wear of a light grape. As Shauna said it looks great with my tan that has been enhanced with the 4 hours we got in the sun yesterday. We were in and out of shops all afternoon and I found a shop that had a lot if bottoms, and they fit, so I bought 2 skirts, a new pair of shorts and a new top. Ahhhhhh I forgot how good a shopping high feels like. The last shop for the day I purchased a new day dress and a knitted jacket to wear over the new dresses and also the dresses I bought in Easter Island. I can think of 3 things I can toss out of my backpack to make room for the new purchases, the rest of the things I will have to make room, somewhere. I was also able to buy the shampoo and conditioner that I used at Marc’s place that made my hair feel like a million dollars. They were 2 different brands and I am normally a same shampoo and conditioner kind of gal, but really my hair felt fantastic so I am more than happy to not head that rule on this occasion. The only other down fall was that they only came in 500ml bottles. They are far too big for me to be able to pack for travel but Shauna pointed out I can use my current near empty bottles to refill them and then I will decide what I do with the rest. So what a successful day at the shops and I was happy with the haul I had bought. I had a smile from ear to ear. The only bad thing was Amy left dress-less but she did buy some tops and Shauna was more than happy to just be our guide and voice as we tried on the clothes.
We were staying at Shauna’s tonight and then heading to Montreal in the morning. We decided to have an early dinner and walked to Shauna’s shops just up the road from her apartment. We dined at a microbrewery that made their own beers and we ordered 3 appetizers and shared them between the 3 of us. I have to say that I enjoyed the artichoke and spinach dip as it was something that I would never have ordered myself, the perogies and the chicken wings were just delicious. I washed all that down with a raspberry wheat beer with the sun on our backs and a small breeze as we sat on the patio it was a great way to finish our time in Ottawa. As we were sitting eating dinner Faron sent a message that all was stable and that Amy should go to Montreal, so this was good news for all of us as Amy hasn’t been there before either so it would have been new territory for both of us.
We headed home to watch some TV and rest the weary feet after walking around the shopping centre for 4 hours and to just chillax. Shauna was on the morning shift tomorrow, so she was going to be up at 5.45am and leaving the house at 7am. I have a feeling that we may not be up that early and got the low down on how to lock up as we leave in the morning at our leisure. After having a chat with Zeme on Facebook, Aimes headed to bed at 10.30pm and then was back down at 11pm with the sad news that Faron’s dad had just passed away. So my condolences goes to Faron and his family and this also meant that Amy was now not going to Montreal in the morning and heading home. The accommodation was pre-paid and also the tickets to the Cirque Do Soleil show. It was a shame, but something that you would not wish on anybody. So we checked the rail times and there was a 9.55am or a 2pm train to Montreal, as I was still going to travel and decided on the morning train and to just purchase the ticket at the station in the morning.
Another life cut short and as I closed my eyes to go to sleep I had my mum in my dreams, Amy and Faron not far from my thoughts and again the affirmation that I have done the right thing with the direction of my life. This is my story and I wouldn’t change a word.
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