I tried to be as organized as possible when packing to leave Canada. All the things I thought I wouldn’t need for a while went in the biggest suitcase, things I wouldn’t need until I actually hit Orkney went in the next biggest, and so on and so on with all five pieces of luggage. Needless to say, the last day or two of packing became more about jamming things into every nook and cranny, and less about an organizational master plan, and there were a few things I had to jettison due to lack of space figuring I could replace them here in Scotland.
Well, with no furniture in the house, I haven’t really unpacked – I’m just living out of various open suitcases and piles on the floor (a dresser is coming next week, along with a coat rack). Imagine my frustration when I discovered I hadn’t packed any woolen hats. No toque, no knitted beret. I did find that I had packed a baseball cap (did you know Brits don’t wear baseball caps? No one does.) and a sun hat. A sun hat! In Orkney! I left behind the winter wear and packed a sun hat; what was I thinking? And only one pair of gloves. Seriously, what an idiot.
So yesterday I went into a shop and looked at locally made woolen hats. Beautiful knitted hats made here on the island. I won’t tell you how much I paid; suffice it to say, that little brown toque is going to have to last me for years. But I’ve done my part to support local, and at least my head was warm this morning on our walk.
A P.S. to this post: I dug around in one of the suitcases 30 minutes ago looking for my Dad’s old pen knife and came across: lined woolen mittens, 4 more pairs of gloves, my favourite toque from the Vancouver Aquarium and my favorite woolen beret.
So I’m still an idiot, just for a different reason. Sigh.
Too funny. Bright side…you are supporting local!!