Croc additions

It wasn't until I packed my green crocs that I noticed underneath, the words "Made in Canada" - which explains all.

Since being here and seeing so many croc wearers, I've also noticed q few croc accessories. Yesterday, we came across a shop selling "turbo straps" and many of the "little girly" croc wearers have customised their crocs by fitting specially made jewels and little button-type shapes (flags and fruit etc) into the holes. Is there no end?!

 

Joined the croc club

We drove out of Toronto today, to St Jacob, a Mennonite village where there was a Farmers Market. As we arrived, the heavens opened and this was the first stall we saw.

I tried on several pairs. This was only a small selection- there were as many crocs again on the other side of the board, more inside the stall and still more through the other side on the next pathway. Colours included silver and a kind of gold and did you note the price?! At more than 2 CA$ to a £, $34 was a snip!

The Mennonite girls running the stand were running to and fro looking for different sizes in different colours for their customers, whilst squeegeeing the huge puddles which were forming all the time. Of course, they were very conservatively dressed in their long, dark dresses and bonnets - and black crocs!

This pair came home with me - Mark chose the colour!

Holiday shopping

When on holiday, "normal" people go to the tourist hot-spots, to the museums and the galleries, perhaps.

Where do the Thomases go but to Lee Valley Tools? Someone, on some blog or other had recommended these Watchmaker cases and I felt I needed to see them in person. I've heard people from outside the UK wax lyrical about Lakeland Plastics before and thought that it was a little sad...but here we were, in our element amidst the tools and hardware.
But the Holy Grail was there. One will come home with me, and more will be ordered...

Later on this morning, whilst I browsed in The Paper Place Mark found a seat and settled down to wait patiently for me as I looked around this fantastic store. The delightul ?owner? came over and asked if I was the wife of "the guy over there reading the Lee Valley Tools catalogue" and when I admitted that, yes, I was, she also went into raptures over the place!

Good to know we are not the only people to find pleasure in odd places!

BTW, The Paper Place is a terrific source of bookbinding stuff, things Japanese and - surprise surprise - paper!!  

Holiday photo from Canada

Well, I suppose it saves glueing the posters to the wall?
(photograph shows a telegraph pole in downtown Toronto)

 

In case of boredom...

I've reached the stage of making piles of things to pack tomorrow, and simply have to have a supply of distractions in case I'm bored. The boredom threshold of a gnat is something I aspire to.

Here in the pile, there are
Four novels: The Kite Runner - started on the Como trip but not half way through, The Sea (John Banville) Booker prizewinner, State of the Union (Douglas Kennedy) and A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve (because we'll be in The Berkshires too)
My ipod loaded with music, talking books and podcasts, including Cast On and In Our Time , favourites I don't normally have time to listen to properly.
My ipaq PDA with my address book, diary and, most important, Bejeweled and Bubblet
Knitting - hoping to conquer that second sock syndrome
Sketchbook/Journal - will try to keep a record of what we do
Artpack - everything but the kitchen sink - crayons, paints, glue, pencils and more
Sudoku book - might have to share this with Mark since he's discovered Sudoku himself
General Knowledge crosswords - Mark's Mum cuts these from the Saturday Telegraph for me, but never includes the answers.

..and last but not least, our baby laptop, so that we can keep up with family and friends, upload our photographs and play spider solitaire.

No room for The Bible and Shakespeare!