Bank Holiday Monday!!

YAY! for random holidays that you have NO clue what they're about! Puffin had off work today for a "bank holiday."  From what I understand they are just a reason not to go to work.  The banks are closed on these days (for no obvious reason) so schools and companies are usually closed too.

What do you do on a bank holiday?!? Visit the local trash center and have lunch at a garden store, of course! DUUUH!!

This is the trash center near our house.  Since our trash is only collected 1x every TWO weeks, we make regular stops here.  The trash men will only take what you can fit inside your "bin."  Any additional bags of trash or larger items (like all the boxes from my Amazon shopping sprees! :) ) can be dropped off here and put in the "general waste" bin.  They also have bins for batteries, tvs/computers, appliances, scrap metal, and recycling.

After our trip to the dumpsters, our quest for pumpkin began!  Since we moved I have been in search of pumpkin pie filling...even though I brought 2 cans with me.  I knew they sold it here because I had found it on the local grocery store website.  However, every time I went to the store and asked for it people looked at me like I was crazy.  Alas we found it and grabbed all the cans from the shelf!  Sorry, Aberdeen friends!! :)

We then went across the street to the garden store to look for actual pumpkins.  I don't know if I'm just ahead of schedule or what.  Don't pumpkins become available in September in the States?  I'm happy to have found out they WILL have them here...just have to wait a couple more weeks!  Even the Starbucks will have Pumpkin Spice Lattes...YAY!!! (Starbucks here does not have all the "specialty" drinks they do at home)  Oh, and after you've carved your jack-o-lantern and its sat outside for weeks, the Aberdeen City Council suggests that you "recycle it" by cooking up some yummy sweets!  **EWWW** Maybe since they're not sitting outside in 90F heat at this time of the year it is actually ok?? IDK...nor will I find out!

Anyway, when Greg came to Aberdeen looking for houses, the realtor told him to meet her at "Dobbies" for lunch.  He pulled up to find it was a garden center.  Gardening is a big deal here, so once you get past the idea of eating in a spruced up Home Depot, the café inside is actually pretty good for lunch!  We come here for lunch quite a bit on pretty days and today was a gorgeous autumn day to sit outside with my Puffin!

 

 

One thing is for sure - the slow, "simple" life I have now become accustomed too makes me enjoy the little things a lot more than I ever did before!  Happy Autumn y'all!