Look what I found!

Brianna and I went to Denmark today to do some shopping since we're having some friends over for a meal Saturday night. The pantry's pretty bare at the moment so we had to buy some provisions and definitely some meat!
But while there we went into the Denmark Co-Op. I've never been in there before. I may regret having gone in there today! Such a lot of lovely pretty things!



















We spent over $20 there!
Buttons for a top I'm knitting for Brianna.












Also a DVD cleaner that'll hopefully help us play my "Bones-Series 4" discs which are a pain to get the DVD player to read, pins, needle threader, clear plastic press studs and point protectors for knitting needles. Then we decided we DEFINITELY needed to leave before we got into real trouble!


The Red Cross Op Shop was open so, just before getting the shopping done we thought we'd just duck in and see if they had anything interesting. Were we in luck!
Brianna found a jigsaw puzzle that my Mum had and I found-the MOTHERLOAD OF CONES!!















The large cones in the peach, green and saffron are in some cotton blend because when I burnt some strands it didn't melt or smell plasticy. It kind of burned away into nothing and smelt kind of woody. It's all 3ply but I have some dress patterns and shawl and bloses as well that I'd love to have a go with this stuff! I knit up a small swatch and I'm just waiting for it to come out of the washing machine to see how it washes up. It knits lovely with such a soft drape. Aaaahhhhh.














I also got some vintage knitting patterns. In the end we donated under $20 to the Red Cross!
Then, struggling hard under the desperate compulsion to look for more op shops and try my luck, we went grocery shopping instead. It came to under $200.
But it wasn't nearly as much fun as looking through the Co-Op or Red Cross :)

I finally thought of what I want for my birthday this year (even though it was actually 3 days ago)

After the meal we went out for on my birthday, hubbie asked me what I'd really like for a present.
See, he'd intended to take just me out for dinner but I thought the kid's would like a night out too. Also I didn't like to leave 18 yr old daughter having to chaporelle her 15 yr old brother without any warning. He's a special little individual...even if he does tower over us! So there were the four of us out for dinner.
At the only restuarant opened in Walpole (besides the Pub) on a Monday night.
The food was lovely but the ladies serving were...more mature than one normally finds wait-staff at most establishments.
And the lady serving us was partially deaf.
And she shook.
But she was really lovely and helpful. The other lady who brought our meals out from the kitchen was of a similiar generation but she still had her hearing and seemed steady enough.
After our mains, which everyone was happy with (except for a nasty experience with some battered onion rings!) we ordered desert.
No-one but me like the deserts. The kids found the creme caramels a little tougher than they were used to and Greg had difficulty getting through the jelly that made up his trifle...and lime isn't the best flavour to choose for trifle.
But anyway, we survived the night, and I was reminded again why we NEVER take Jordan out without a couple of Grandmothers to keep him in line and entertained. Long waits for food and nothing to say are not environs condusive to Jordan's particular brain chemistry! We go to the counter to pay.
$165 for the nights meal.
Oh. My. God.
If I'd realized it was going to come to that much I'd have left the children at home, I'd have suggested driving to Denmark to buy Chooks! $165!
But hubbie has been very kind and asked what I'd really likeas a present. Three days have passed now and I don't hyperventilate nearly as much as I did after we paid the bill. I finally had a thought.
I would like some knitting books.
So I've ordered 2 books from Fishpond. Both are sock books, one's a toes-up pattern book and the other's sock patterns from both the west and the east. Japan especially has some really beautiful patterns that you just don't see here.

So I've ordered them and now I just have to wait...
And be good. No more big spend ups for me! We just can't afford it!
Keep Knitting :)