Stoneview

Yesterday we slept in a bit and then headed out to Garden in the Woods for a relaxing stroll through some gorgeous garden. As usual I took many many pictures of all the beautiful blooms. The diehards can find a complete set in the Flickr set here which also includes all the photos from MmePurl's visit.

We made a brief stop at Knit Purl which is new since MmeP lived in the area. We both exercised great restraint and left without purchasing anything. We were still on a mission to find a travel tea mug with strainer like mine (we'd searched at the Concord kitchen shop with no luck) and Jason said he'd found it at Teavana.  Someone really needed to get in some seafood while visiting so we grabbed lunch at Legal's in the mall and visited Teavana after. I got a big 1 pound size cannister which has tea brewing temperatures and times on the back, very useful. I bought the most expensive Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea ever (I'd misunderstood the pricing) and am sorely disappointed with that as the stuff I get from Teazone in Somerville is not only much less expensive but also of a decidedly higher quailty. I do not recommend Teavana's tea but we were trhilled to get the travel mug as it's out of stock everywhere else. Our last stop on the way home was the Yarn and Fiber Company. Debbi loves this shop and has been trying to get me to go there for ages. She has had her first pattern published there and I wanted a copy. I also wanted to see what the shop was like having enjoyed their booth at the Knit and Crochet show last summer and I have to say they have a fantastic selection and a very welcoming shop.

Yesterday morning there was a final flurry of preparations for Madamepurl's arrival. The garden looked it's best and the house was fairly tidy. She arrived mid-morning and we headed off to Concord. We grabbed sandwiches and something for the evening's dessert at Concord Teacakes. Then we popped in to Quilter's Way for a peek about.

Then we popped over to the town center where we browsed the book store complete with requisite bearded book vendor. I picked up a copy of the current Cook's Illustrated so I could try out the cookie recipe Jerseyknitter recently raved about. We also visited my favorite little antique shop and button source. Of course I had to grab a few buttons while we were there. I'd also found some nice buttons at the quilt shop. After that we headed home where I made salmon with fennel, leeks and carrots in parchment packets. It took longer than expected but when they were done they were really delicious. Sadly I forgot to photograph them for you but that just means I'll have to make them again soon.