Unfinished business

Oh yes, thank you for waiting! Where was I? So after my gigantic emotional meltdown, I went out and bought a tea flask which did a great deal to cheer me up, add to that the tea and new infuser I also bought and I was in a much better mood. I sourced (read: bought) a sketchbook, pencil and eraser and doodled the afternoon away. My host asked me if I wanted some soup and I told him I was going out to eat at that vegan place everyone had been recommending, so then I had to actually go. Aux Vivres was my first vegan restaurant, I ordered a thai bowl and a mug of earl grey with an enormous amount of lemon. It was gorgeous and I sat all evening sketching the room and feeling idylic. The staff were fantastic and so friendly, though my waiter didn't seem able to grasp the fact that I only had one day left and couldn't possibly check out all his recommendations before leaving the city. 

The next day I got up made a flask of rubarb tea, visited the cat cafe and took the metro the the biodome which was pretty average. Then I walked up to the botanical gardens and insectarium. It was beautiful, and overwhelmingly picturesque. Finally another sunny day and the warm breeze smelled like moss and fountains and flowers. I spent a long time in the alpine garden meditating and listening to the chorus of crickets. I also spotted black squirrels and chipmonks, I wished I could bring that moment home with me to share. 

I was so tired I just wanted to go home, the ache in my legs was fierce and I was sleepy as anything, but I had to stay out, the botanical gardens was open until 9pm and after dark would be celebrating the 'gardens of light' lantern festival. I ended up walking over to the children's play area and laying on a giant rope spider's web because I thought it looked comfortable, it wasn't, but I felt too cool to get down. Finally night fell and the lanterns were worth waiting for, the chinese garden looked incredible with huge hand sewn lanterns decorating every corner, and out across the lake opposite the pagoda. 

I almost walked 2.5 miles home because I was feeling invigorated but thought better of it. 

The next day I got up and worried. I packed as best I could, putting my old boots in my bag and my new triumphs on my feet. As I'm sure you all know, I then went out and bought more tea than any one sane* person needs and then went on to stuff my Jake boots full of it.**

I visited the cat cafe one last time before I left and walked to the base of Mont Royal, I never did get round to walking up it. 

The less said about my journey home the better, so in short: 

I met a lovely old man on the metro. 

The bus to the airport was so stressful I had to take a diazepam. 

In the airport I did manage to buy a 'Canada' patch, I've been buying one for each country I visit. 

My plane was a red eye (overnight) and I didn't sleep, they only turned the lights off for 3 hours and insisted on serving a meal at midnight.

I made my london connection fine, but had to take the Jubilee line at rush hour to get from the airport to paddington, not fun! 

I arrived at cardiff train station... but an hour early because I forgot my phone was on amsterdam time and I caught the wrong train. Luckily they didn't notice and I didn't even realise I had until mum asked me why I'd arrived an hour early. (She was of course there to meet me, even with the time difference!) 

I came home and went to cubs that evening incredibly tired and jet lagged.

I want to go back. 

*Luckily, I'm no sane person.

**I went through security twice, no one checked the tea in my boots.

Adventure time, come on grab your boots!

Yes, well, what did I get up to today you ask? Boot shopping! A country girl like me (as if) rarely buys shoes, my last pair were my beloved docs a year and a half ago. Lets face it, the only time I ever need new shoes is my shoes actually fall apart... Or if I find myself in a city, where there are many boots to tempt me. You can't see this, but I'm wearing my embarassed face, I like to think of myself as being above all that shoe nonsense that women get so much flack for. Shoe mad? Not me, I have one pair of each type of shoe, as is proper! One brogues, one converse, one vans (daps), one DCs, one boots (Dr Martens of course)... Oh, no... Wait... Boots... 

I must convest a shameless love affair I have been having with not one, but two pairs of Dr Martens down the street (no one tell my tea, it will get jealous)! 

I stumbled across two very different boots on a routine hunt for a raincoat yesterday, and fell hopelessly and irrevocably, head over heels. One a pair of eye stingingly bright yellow Adventure time ankle boots with two little Jake faces on them, boots for a childish yet edgy free spirit (read: five year old) and one a pair of dark brown, soft leather,

12 hole triumph boots with ribbon laces, boots for interesting, sophisticated person, in touch with nature and blah, blah, blah, cut to the chase. No you can't get 'em in Britain, no, neither of them. I've wanted the triumphs a long time, I've wanted the AT yellow monstrosities for a day. How long did I spend hassling the staff in Neon? Who knows, may have been anywhere up to two hours. Did I buy the bloody boots? Yes. Which ones? Both, with insoles and a pair of Levis dungarees to boot (Ha! See what I did there; boot).

Well, that was my day, (after all that life changing decision stuff I needed a lie down), how was yours? 

Jake boots (and Jake the dog, reference for those not in the know).

And a photo, NOT A SELFIE, of the triumph boots. Yes, I know, telepathically, which you like better.