Walking the Same Way

Someone told me once that sometimes, when you're walking though life, you meet people who are walking the same way. And these people you walk with... they usually have their eyes on the same things that you do.

My friend, Linette, came for a visit a little over a week ago. The funny thing is that Linette and I haven't even really known each other all that long: we're friends of friends who meet once a year for a coffee at Christmas time and talk yarn. On the surface, it seems strange to open your home to someone you've only really spent a few hours with...

...but we're walking the same way with our eyes on the same things.

It's always nice to have visitors who have similar interests to your own. Having Linette over meant that I could indulge in exploring antique shops, markets, and of course, yarn stores, without having to rush and with someone to muse over our respective discoveries. I joked that I might have bought more souvenirs than she did, and what of it? How often does one have a "staycation" anyway?

I hadn't had anyone stay over as a guest since we moved here nearly two years ago, and so my brain was full of things we could do. The planner in me made an itinerary, complete with rest stops and necessary cafes. The dreamer in me just said, "Whatever. There's so much to see and do. Let's just see what happens."

The first day, we went to Coombs, and wandered through the mishmash of stores along the road by the market. I brought home a lovely vintage military shoulder bag, something I've been covering for a while. It'll be a good bag for hiking this summer, perfect for a water bottle and a sandwich:

It's where we found City Style Barbie.  Imagine Barbie in Canada in the 1980's, power shopping at The Bay, and then giving her hair a quick tease and hairspray spritz before she meets up with Ken for a drinks and dinner.

The box is unopened and priced at just over $150. She's In there, waiting in her Chanel suit. We wondered how many little girls had one... and the disappointment they felt the first time they tried to run a brush through that hair. What a world.

I managed to bring home slightly more useful treasures (even though Barbie would have made a great conversation piece). I found this cute ceramic egg separator, which I appreciate as much for its looks as for its function. It'll be a good excuse to make some custards and angel food cakes. It's a great world when you are given excuses to make cakes, eh?

We visited a lot of antique stores while she was here, and we played a lot of, "what do you think this is?" I learned that this is a cast iron pan for ebelskivers, which are Danish-style donuts. You can buy new ones at Williams-Sonoma, but I think this one is cooler... even if it's so heavy that you need to bend your knees to lift it.

Linette is also a foodie like me, an therefore supported me fully when I decided to buy a 10 pound box of red peppers (it was $10, how could I turn it down?) Our collective cooking skills allows us to get through about a dozen during her visit before we admitted defeat and froze the rest:

And, as foodies, we appreciated the cute little fox in the lemon poppy seed muffin she got at one of the many cafes we visited:

We went somewhere new for me, which made it a true staycation. Damali Lavender & Winery was a site I cycled past last summer during my bike challenge, but never had a chance to visit. It was well worth the wait:

That house is the b&b you can stay at, and all those shrubs are lavender bushes getting ready to bloom. Even without the flowers, the place smelled peaceful and lovely, and made us talk with airy voices until we drove away. I brought home a bottle of dessert wine, flavoured with berries and lavender, and a vial of lavender oil. I've been putting drops of it on cotton balls to put in a dish next to me while I do my evening yoga:

And I might have bought a little yarn. I mean, what sort of knitting friend would I be if we didn't visit a few yarn stores along the way? And what kind of knitting friend would I be if I didn't pave the way to the till? This skein of 100% laceweight silk from Handmaiden crept into my hands and stayed there. The colourway is called Raven, and it is a perfect name: the blacks and blues on the shimmery silk are exactly like the raven's wing:

And a bargain buy of discontinued Marvel for $3.00 a ball. I'm picturing a swingy little cardi to keep me warm from the dreaded air conditioning of the summer. Gah, I hate air conditioning:

And, of course, we sat about an knitted and talked about our families, our jobs, and our dreams. I've made lots of progress on my shrug, and she made a lot of progress on her shawl.

As I sit here, I realize that I have yet to photograph the pair of socks she made for me as a gift. Socks! For me! Without even knowing my shoe size! And, and and... they fit perfectly! I must make sure I get a good photo of it in daylight to show them off. What a lovely gift.

And yeah, that's what it means when you are walking the same way: you appreciate the same things, and you feel grateful for any time you get to spend with someone who is striding along with you. What a great little holiday for the both of us.

And I even get to walk a bit of the way in my own handmade socks. Woohoo!