Hard candy and white cotton undies.

So, I am training my replacement at work. Today, they asked that I leave her to her own devices to see how things go. This means I have nothing to do all day. Not a thing. I'm in the spare office so I feel like a big man, having an office all to my self and a big window overlooking Montreal. I guess this is what executives feel like. Your own office, no actual work to do or at least someone to do it for you and you sit around, surveying the city or blogging about your candy cane collection until it's time to assess whether someone is doing a good job for you or not.

I think I will also get gout and order the beheading of some peasants while I'm at it. The thing is, even though it was more or less an order not to work, I still have to pretend that I am working somehow. I mean, they don't want to come back and find me knitting or playing with Hotwheels on the carpet. Which is annoying because it's 3pm and no one has checked on me all day and there is so much I could have done had I known. I even brought my paper and ink to knock off some stellar christmas card but alas, I am not truly free to do as I please. Still, the office to myself is nice. Montreal is grey and cold and snow dusted. I should just wander around The Bay.

I recently did an underwear drawer re haul and went to The Bay for replacements. I bought a slip to wear under skirts so they wouldn't ride up on my tights but it was so hard to find. There were only 3 kinds of slips in the entire lingerie section. They were in the old lady part, with the cotton night gowns and industrial beige bras that have padlocks and kidney and spleen support built in.

I decided that this time, I would go for the nicest, whitest, cotton underwear I could find in the spirit of minimalism. With my slip, and white cotton underwear, suddenly, the idea of a long, loose flannel night gown started to seem appealing. Might as well look for a hard candy dish while I'm at it and some terry cloth slippers and a nice little book of crosswords to do while I'm waiting for the grand kids to come over...

Way, way east of Montreal, the big grey clouds are parting to reveal a sky that is the palest robin's egg blue. The smaller, white clouds there are touched with pink as the sun has already begun to sink. It'll be pitch black by 4. Tonight, the fire place will be aglow and the bed will be warmed by yours truly early. It's hibernation time. Get ready for me California. I will be coming soon.