R.I.P Milo

My Liberty of London collection. LOVE it.

Well tragedy has struck the small town of Edinburgh today. I am out of Milo. :( I was treating myself to a Milo once or twice a week from my wee trusty tin Mum supplied me with before i headed over and now it's over. For anyone that knows me well knows i have been having Milo for my breakfast for only the last 17 years of my life. Oh well.. There is a website in the UK that sells Aussie food. It has Milo, not to mention Twisties, Allen's lollies, BBQ Shapes. So if i feel like spending way too much on for Milo than what i should i might do that. No doubt with drawls will start soon. Here come the Milo sweats.

Not much else to report really. The weather has been the usual cloudy with spots of sunlight. It hasn't rained too much but I'm told by BBC weather (personally, sure) that this weekend will likely be a wet one. Not too bothered on that front as i lie low until the job situation improves. Plenty of cross stitch and window shopping to be had. On the job front, i have made it to the second stage of an interview process for a job at Work Directions. I had a telephone interview and now i will have a 2 hour interview next Wednesday. Pretty full on. It's going to be a computer test of some sort and then a panel interview. My last two jobs were panel interviews so i think i know what to expect (no doubt you do to Sacha!). Other than that not much to report. I probably apply for about 3 jobs a week. But this week things did seem to pick up. As it nears the end of the holidays the job boards get busier apparently. Next week I'll get kept busy by festival season. I think it officially starts on 7th August, so there will be heaps going on in the streets to check out, plus i have ticket to see Rhys Darby and Wil Anderson stand up next week. Excited about that!

Yesterday i shouted myself to one of my favourite days. Seeing a movie and then doing a bit of shopping. I headed to Ocean Terminal, a big shopping centre on the shore of Leith (by big, i mean like Scottish big, so half the size of Warringah Mall!) and went and saw The Taking of Pelham 123. It was a good film, Denzel Washington never disappoints. Plus, John Travolta played quite a good bad guy. I didn't think he had it in him. Although he was quite good in Pulp Fiction. So yeah, see it if you can. After the movie and a big dose of popcorn i went to Mandors Fabrics. It's one of only like two fabric stores in Edinburgh and when i went there a couple of weeks ago i saw they had a sale on Liberty of London fabric for the month of July. I absolutely love this fabric and as it costs abut $50 a metre in Australia i thought i might get some during the sale to take home. I bought some beautiful prints and i cant wait to make them into something! Mum and Dad can take them home with them when they visit. ;)

Ummm what else....

Gee i think i spoke to soon on the whole weather thing, as i look out the window of this Internet cafe i cant help but notice that it is bucketing down with rain. I need to get myself a hard core umbrella as they £2 job Dad got me doesn't cut it in this weather. Sorry Dad, i know you did good. Plus, i might even purchase some wellies down the track, how cool are they and clearly just not justified in Australia. I also might even get a raincoat for the first time in like 20 years. I'm bringing the rain coat back.

So what will i be doing over the next few days?

I thought i might head to the seaside of Portobello. I'm told it's Scotland's answer to the beach, so that'll be interesting! I'll have to wait for a better day and make sure i bring a hate as apparently it's like always windy there. I might even go to Aberdeen but i gotta find out more about the place to see if it's worth it. I think i will also succumb to purchasing a mobile broadband dongle and i am getting a bit sick of my trek to Maccas to use WiFi and the distraction and noise that comes with sitting in the middle of Maccas trying to apply for a job.

Well that's it's from me for now, till next time.

Cross Stitch Number 2

Well another cross stitch down. This was a simpler cross stitch in terms of size but a bad design in terms of the amount of fractional stitches. Not very well designed. Still, overall I'm happy with the outcome...

The Day I Almost Ran Into Prince Charles

Well before i start i must say i am getting mighty sick of using my laptop at McDonald's sitting next to loud foreign speaking kids. It's driving me mental.

Yesterday i had a pretty action packed day at The Gathering 2009. The Gathering is part of Homecoming 2009, Scotland's big festival this year. It is a gathering of clans as well as some International Highland Games mixed in. Plus music, dancing and the like. I headed out early and was stoked to wake up to clear skies. I knew a day in Holyrood Park in the wet would have sucked. My flatmate Totty came along too, so it was good to have the company. She loves the opportunity to watch highland games whilst drinking beer. Wonder if she's Scottish?! The queue for pre-purchased tickets was oddly much longer than tickets purchased on the day and being the organised person that i am i had pre-purchased so i had to wait half an hour to get in. The poor guy keeping the line straight copped so much crap for it. We finally got in and headed to the highland games arena as games were already off to a start. I can't help but laugh to see events happening for things like how far you can throw a rock, or lift a rock, or fling a rock. There more more competitors from the US than there was from Scotland, but there was one lone Aussie from Melbourne competing and Hans from the Netherlands. After some games action we spotted some uniformed men so we followed them into the tent they were heading in to.

We had entered the military tent and just cruised around looking at memorabilia with beer in hand. After checking it out we went to get out from where we got in and it was closed, so i thought, 'OK, we'll just go out this exit'. Whilst making our way out i couldn't help but notice how professional the military men were all standing in line, straight faces, no talking. It wasn't till i nearly bowled Prince Charles over heading out the exit that i found out why they were all so serious. I kid you not. I had to start walking backwards as Charles and the leader of the Scottish Parliament (i found that out later from Totty) walked inside. I was so shocked but managed to start snapping away. I knew i wouldn't be able to walk up to him with my camera and say, 'I'm a hugh fan, think i could get a picture?' By this time Totty and i had practically wet our pants from laughing at the shock of the scene. Hands down made the day.

After that bit of excitement we headed to the official merchandise tent as we both decided we'd need to buy something to remember the day by! Another long queue but i got my t-shirt and then it was time to find some food and drink. The line for haggis was too long to wait (yeah, cause that's why i didn't line up) so we had the choice of Venison burger or steak. Given Venison is basically Bambi, i opted for the steak. It was then back to the games arena for some tossing and caber throwing. I tell ya, that caber doesn't go real far, which aint surprising. We also saw some tug o war action too. Then it was on to the Acoustic tent for some music and the arts and craft fair...of course! I felt slightly left out whilst there given i had opted not to wear tartan. I'm told by some Scots that the more tartan someone wears the more English they are. The English are clearly just jealous of the get up. I should have at least worn a Jimmy hat. I was keen to try some whiskey and they had a whiskey tasting tent so we bought our whiskey tasting glass and 3 tokens and headed in. I was a bit nervous drinking whiskey as i've never been a big fan and i'd already had several beers. They were only serving half nips so it wasn't much. I tried a Taliskers, Salisberg, and an Oban. I think i like the Oban best but dont think i'll be a big whiskey drinker any time soon.

We then made sure we got to the Music stage in time to see the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Dad had mentioned them so i thought I'd check it out. They basically do covers and make bagpipes cool. After their first song, 'Smoke on the Water' they did Coldplay's 'Clocks' and it was awesome! They are a real crowd drawer and it was packed around the stage. It was by this point that the day was slowly drawing to a close. I checked out some of the Clan Tents then we headed back home. Unfortunately i couldn't find the Wilson clan tent. I loved the fact that i could walk to the event. It's all nice and close.

I had planned to head to the Walkabout restaurant/bar to see the Wallabies play the All Blacks but the excitement of the day, namely seeing the Prince, had taken it out of me so i called it a night. An early one too!

Prince Charles



In his kilt get up



A piper band



Having my first wee dram



My flat mate Totty with her new hat

Scottish roots

I'm writing from my little spot in Maccas using their free WiFi and watching the passing parade on Princes Street. I cant believe another week is almost over. On Monday i headed over to Glasgow to meet my grandmother and uncle and spend the day with them. I didn't really know what was planned but i was just happy to tag along. I took the 'much cheaper than a train' opotion of catching a coach (as in bus, not horse and carriage) to Glasgow. It only took one hour, 10 minutes to get there and it was practically empty. I had a bit of trouble finding the St Andrews Square bus station in Edinburgh as it was tucked behind Harvey Nichols. So i only just made it before the bus left. When i arrived in Glasgow i thought i'd heard someone call out Rebecca. Given i was in a foreign place i didn't think for a million years it was directed at me. But it was and it was my uncle. I thought it might be strange to see family overseas but it really wasn't. We walked down to their apartment and i got to see some more of Glasgow city centre. It's a nice city but not as picturesque as Edinburgh. It kind of reminded me actually of Sydney, around Martin Place with it's mix of old and new buildings. I got to their apartment had a bit of a chat and then we were on the road. I was enjoying the luxury of them having a rented car. No buses for a while then; yes!
Our first stop was my great great grandmothers house. This is pretty cool to see. It's heritage listed to it hasn't really changed at all. Pretty crazy to be in the same place my great great grandmother was. It was my first link to Scotland i experienced which was nice also. It was pouring rain on and off during the day so the stop at the house was kept short .We then headed to the nearby church to see the grave of my relatives, the Barrie's. I only hope i am related to J.M Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. After checking out the grave (jealous Dad?) we headed into the Trussocks. The Trussocks is kind of like the highlands. It's all about the scenery.
We stopped off at Muddock at a garden centre that also had a restaurant. My grandmother and uncle have made this trek so many times it's practically their 'local'. They kindly shouted me to lunch and we had a great lunch for a couple of hours. As i was limited in how much time i had, as my bus would be heading out at 6pm we ony made one other stop. I cant remember now where it was but we stopped at a Wool Mill that sold all things Scottish and a lot of cashmere/wool stuffs. I didn't buy anything but had a good look around. It was then back into the car for the head back to the city. I had a non-flexible ticket so i really wanted to make sure i got the bus. I hung out in their apartment when we got back for about an hour then i headed back to the bus and back to Edinburgh. I had a great day and was glad i caught up with them whilst they were here.

On Tuesday the only big thing i had on was a telephone interview. The job is with Work Directions, who are actually in Australia too and it's for an Advisor position. I think they have like 20 roles going as they are opening up massively in East Scotland. Advisors help people get jobs. Ironic much? The telephone interview was like a pre screening to the more in depth in person interview. I felt it went OK but we'll just see how i go. At the very least, the job interview experience is good. After that, i just chilled out. I get a bit worked up about interviews so i tend to veg once they are over!

Wednesday was much the same in the bludging department. I went to my flatmate Totty's pub at night. She offered to shout me a beer if i wanted to come up for a couple. I love that i can walk to this pub and be there in about 4 minutes! It truely is my new local. I hung out there for a while and Totty kindly introduced me to everyone in the bar and she knows all the locals. It's like stepping onto the srt of East Enders! I spoke with one old guy for ages who talked to me about his experiences of working O.S. He bought my beer as he knew how it felt to be broke. He was a lovely man. At one stage some of the guys were talking across the bar to each other and i swear this is all i heard, 'dheutuie utrhjiatiu eht het ie thha'. It made no sense! This whole drinking and being Scottish thing is going to need my full attention as once Scots start to drink i seriously struggle with what they are saying. After a couple of pints of Tennants i heading back home...well the pub did close so i didn't have much choice.

On a final note, go on You Tube and check out Frankie Boyle. I've been watching a fair bit of this guy on tele and he's frickin' hiliarous. Not as funny as Danny Boyle, but he's close. He always takes the piss out of Glasgow.
Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPSYbeNaa8&feature=related
It's from my favourite show on tele, Mock The Week.

My great great grandmother's house



Barrie grave

Cross Stitch Update 3

Ta da! Finally finished after thousands of xxxxx's.

From the keyboard of a Bonnie Lass...

Another weekend down. It's scary how quickly the time is going yet it does feel like i have been away for so long. I must remind myself when i email people back home and ask what's happening that there may not be all that much to report in 3 weeks!
I had a lazy weekend i must say. The rain has been constant each day, not at all surprising being Scotland. It's on and off so luckily you get a spot of good weather here and there. I spent Saturday basically morning doing my washing. Oh the joy! Then went and did my daily pilgrimage to MacDonalds to use the internet. It's annoying having to do so but gets my out of the flat. I also desperately needed shoes as it has become abundantly clear that my pairs of hot high heels i brought over wont be much good in the pouring rain. I headed on the trusty bus with it's tartan covered seats to St James Centre in the search of shoes. I managed to score a pair of black ballet flats for 10 pounds and thought that they would do the trick nicely. I was in need of black pants too but i got over the crowds in the stores and headed back to the flat. You can tell it's holiday season here with people everywhere, including plenty of school aged children, oddly enough, many from Italy and Spain. I just cant imagine how hectic it will be come August and the festival period!
On the way back to the flat i decided to check out my flat mates bar where she works. It's basically on the way home and it's scummy, so given my great outfit of track suit pants and thongs, i thought i wouldn't get kicked out. I handed over my 2.60 pounds for a Tennents. The local beer. I must say i was rather impressed and think that this will be my drink of choice whilst over here. I did a bit of people watching and it was really nice to see how the local corner pub is like the get together for the local residents. I'm told that residents ususally have an affliation with one bar and they tend to always go there. So when you walk in to the pub, you might find yourself one day getting something along the lines of a 'Norm!'. I love this concept. How very Eastenders. My flat mate says she sees the same people all the time.
I got to talking to John, one very drunk Scot. I must say, i think i only caught about 50% of what he was saying and just responded with a lot of, 'oh, yeah, ok'. I hope he didn't aks me to wear a puffy shirt. One thing that did make me laugh was that he called me a bonnie lass. I couldn't help but laugh and i think he wondered what was so funny. I just didn't think actually said that in normal conversation here. Not to mention that 'yes' isn't in the vocabularly and instead you must simply say 'I'. I still get a kick out of listening to the Scots. I only stayed for one beer as i hadn't eaten for ages and pints arent small.
I got some uber hot Thai food on the way home and ate it along with 2 litres of water when i got home. I'm glad i went to the pub, and i look forward to checking out other pubs. I could do one a night and still never get to see all of them, there are so many!
Sunday was an even more lazy day and i basically did some homework for my job interview next Tuesday. I needed to respond to questions on the company so i had to find out more about them. I also was surprised to get a call from my Uncle & Grandmother who are holidaying in Glasgow at the moment. They rang to see if i wanted to come over to Glasgow for the day tomorrow and naturally i agreed, should be good!

Cross Stitch Update 2

Slowly it's coming together...

The Week That Was

Well i thought i better do a bit of a round up of the week that was to let you know that i am still alive over here. I moved into my new flat last Sunday. I decided on a flat off Easter Road about 5 minutes drive from Princes Street, or basically the 'CBD'. So nice and close with a bus stop out of the front. I'm sharing the flat with two other Scottish girls. One is only there on the weekends at the moment so i am yet to meet her. The other, who is called Totty, which is her surname is 29 years old, a Scorpio (not sure if that is good or bad!?) and has classic Scottish red hair. The night i moved in we had a bit of a chat and she seems really nice. She isn't in the flat much also as she works two jobs, one being a bar job. So I'll have the place to myself quite a bit which will be nice. I've added photos below to give you an idea of what it's like. It's probably about 20-30 years old. It's actually a 2 bedroom flat but the landlord has turned the living room into a 3 bedroom. As the others are out all the time they don't mind, but i will miss having that space. Basically the only other rooms I'll be visiting is the bathroom and the kitchen/dining. One big plus was that it was clean. Others i looked at were quite run down so that was a big factor. The one big downfall is no Internet set up. So at the moment i rely on a daily visit to McDonalds or Burger King to get free WiFi. I can get mobile broadband, but at a cost of 50 pounds to set up I've delayed until i know what is happening on the job front. I'm also reluctant to get home broadband as you cant get it for anything less than a 12 month contract. So basically 'watch this space'.

I had one unsuccessful job interview on Monday. I had to go to the head office on Glasgow for the interview. Bye bye $50 in train fares to get there and back. I guess it was an interview at least. I wasn't satisfied with the feedback. I'm told i didn't have the UK experience. Yes, that is correct but how they measured that in 5 competency based questions is beyond me. Is communication skills, team player, project mgt skills, not universal? I think so! But i found out i did not get it the same day i found out i have another interview for next Tuesday. So I'm working towards that. It'll be back to Maccas for some Internet research on the company. It's a telephone interview, which i hate...but we'll see.

Other than that I've really just been floating around, quite bored! I'd done most of the touristy stuff in the first two weeks and i don't want to spend much money so i cant be spending much travelling Scotland. So I've been watching too much digital TV (thanks to flat mate for the led of her spare TV!!) and lotsa cross stitching. I'm sure Dad can understand now why i had him take it over with him in his luggage. I try and head out each day for exercise sack and i enjoy short trips to Marks & Spencer's food hall. There is some bloody nice food there. I have also done some cleaning around the flat. Whilst my flat mates are clean, they aren't 'Rebecca clean', or should i call that 'Marion Prentis clean' as i have inherited it.

One thing i have done a fair bit of is go to the movies. I have seen 3 movies this week. So here are my reviews:
1. Bruno
I was very funny in moments but totally ick in others. Do i want to see full frontal male nudity on the big screen. Not so much, that's called 'bad naked'. It's one where you have to see it to then talk about it, but you could wait to DVD. It's no Borat. He's resorted to crudeness for cheap laughs. The best scene was when we spent some time at a marine base. That WAS very funny.
2. My Sister's Keeper
I stupidly thought i would be able to get in to see Harry Potter on the first day it came out, but alas it was all sold out. It's freakin' big in the UK not surprisingly. Plus, i was wanting to see it on the first day it came out so I'd hardly be the only one. It was a rainy afternoon and i no nothing better to do so i looked to see what else was on. I wasn't keen on a movie about terminal illness (perhaps it might lift my spirits?) but there was no other chose. It was a pretty ordinary movie and didn't really touch me as i didn't cry at all. I'm some king of robot. I was pissed off to see they totally changed the ending that the book had it was based on. What's up with that? Overall, definitely wait for DVD.
3. Harry Potter
Given it's popularity i had bought the ticket the day before just in case. My verdict? Frickin' awesome! It lived up to all the movies and it was 153 minutes long but i could have seen another hour. It did not feel long at all. I'm saddened to know that this is the second last book to be made into film. No more Harry :( A must see if you like Harry.

So yes, many films were watched. That'll do for a while...especially as i have exhausted the list of whats out. Coco Chanel comes out next week so i may see that and might see The Proposal again, as i loved that.

Well this is PLENTY from me for the moment. I'm conscious of not making these long as i hate them long and my brother will just give me shit.

Till next time.

The Kitchen/Dining come Living Room



The essentials for my kitchen cupboard. Now all i need is BBQ Shapes...



My bedroom. It now has a TV under the window and it is neater now given i took this whilst unpacking.

Carrot Tops

So i had a thought (OMG, I'm sounding like Carrie Bradshaw!) do redheads in Scotland get picked on like they do in Australia? One must assume that rangas get picked on in Australia because they are a clear minority. But here, well they are everywhere! My flat mate is a ranga but i don't dare ask if she gets picked on for it.

Just a thought......

Cross Stitch Update 1

Well i thought given that i am spending a fair bit of time on cross stitching i might bore my HUGE list of followers in an update on how it's going. So i committed to cross stitching a chart called 'Retro Cat'. I chose something with not many colours and easy for the plane trip over. I didn't end up doing much on the plane at all as i found i basically watched movies and tv shows so the cross stitch had been off to a slow start.
But when you are unemployed and have seen all the sights then you find you have a LOT of spare time...so here's to my first update of the cross stitch.

Angus the Westie

I just had to show you a picture of my wee mate Angus. He's a Westie that I met at Bannockburn. Is he not the cutest thing ever!? I must buy one when I get home.

Wallace is da Man

A trip to Stirling was on the cards today. Stirling is a town about one hour on the train outside of Edinburgh. It is quite well known for various historical points in time which is why i headed there. I got the train from Waverly in the morning and luckily Dad organised a off peak ticket as the prices are a riiip offf. 7 pounds one way, so it's about triple what we pay for CityRail to Blue Mountains for example. I'd heard about a quilting shop in Linlithgow (through my 'crafting contacts') that i wanted to check out so i got out at Linlithgow before getting back onto the train for Stirling. I was after a particular Beatrix Potter fabric and thankfully whilst they hardly had any, they had that print! Excellent. That will be shipped home with Dad for me to eventually use when i get home.
Back on to the train and off to Stirling. Once i got into Stirling, we made the uphill walk to Stirling Castle. You know if you are heading to a castle you are going to have to walk some hectic hills. After sweating up a storm getting to the castle we were there and it was surprisingly crowded.
I checked out the castle and again is amazed to be walking the same ground as someone such as Mary Queen of Scots or Robert the Bruce. Crazy. It has been beautifully restored where needed to get an idea of what it would have been like. After a look around the castle it was time for a tour of the Argyl's Lodgings. Argyl's Lodgings were just down the road from the castle and is an example of a 17th century mansion owned by aristocrats. Our tour guide was soo Scottish. He was short, had red hair, pink toned skin, blue eyes and a thick accent. He reminded me of my grandmother actually! We could walk around the lodgings as not much apart from the bones of the mansion are original. Most of it had been restored to reflect what it might have looked like.
After checking that out it was back to the main street to find lunch. As always we are after something cheap we we hit up Greggs, which is a UK version of subway and very cheap. Love it! We were a bit on the clock so we had only a quick lunch to then navigate the buses that got us to Bannockburn. Here there is a monument to Robert the Bruce because he won some war against England here with William Wallace. They were THE DUDES of Scottish in the early days. It was only a small museum and i wasn't particularly impressed with the monument. I guess once you've seen the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Monument in DC it is hard to find something better.
After waiting for the buses FOREVER we made our way to the William Wallace memorial. I was really keen to see this as i reckon he's pretty cool. And it's not just because he's Mel Gibson in Braveheart! The guy was like Dick Winters, and totally beat armies triple the size of his own. The monument was quite impressive on top of a mountain top with views over to the castle. It was a killer to check out though as it was three floors of stairs and 240 odd to get to the top. Typical monument with small spiral staircases. The museum within the monument had on display what people believe to be Wallace's actual sword. I'm sceptical but for no reason other than it would be amazing if it were true. One thing that goes against the Braveheart movie is that Wallace was a 6-7 foot ranga with a beard. Not very Mel Gibson.
So the monument rounded off the day and it was a easy train trip back to Edinburgh and into the apartments at about 8pm. I enjoyed another Marks & Spencer frozen dinner of spag bowl. It's not too bad but i don't think I'd want them every night. Mum - could you cook up some meals and ship them over???

View of Stirling from Sitrling Castle



The Palace within Stirling Castle & the Royal Lawn



Robert the Bruce Monument at Bannockburn



The William Wallace Monument

I peed on the Queens Yacht

Another day of flat hunting. I had two flats to go see. One off Easter Rd in a modern flat with two other Scottish girls and one in a tenement with four others from all over the world. So i headed to Easter Rd for my first flat. I got there and after the disastrous flat of yesterday was pleasantly surprised. Of course the room looks smaller than it did in the photos but it's still a fair size. The land lord showed me around so i only saw the two girls but didn't get to really meet them. Overall i was pretty happy with the flat and it felt right. It doesn't have a lounge room which kind of blows. It just has a kitchen and dining area so it looks like I'll be spending more time in my room watching the TV in there. That was over and done with in 10 minutes and it became clear to me that it was quite close to Leith on the water so i decided to just head down there and suss it out. The land lord kindly drove me to Ocean Terminal, the big mall in Leith. I had a walk around but most stores don't open till 11am on Sundays so i had to just hang around and fill time in. I was keen to check out the The Royal Yacht Britannia which is on show next to Ocean Terminal, so i thought hey...lets go today!
The Britannia was the official boat of the Royal family from the 1950's until 1997 when it became decommissioned and is now a tourist attraction. It has been kept as is since the Royal family used it. It was the boat that Diana and Charles has their honeymoon on. Mum said it was really good so i was quite excited to check it out. As it was Sunday morning it was very quiet so i was stoked about that. I could freely walk around without people everywhere with my audio tour. The Britannia turned out to be all that i hoped. Talk about luxury! I saw the Queens bedroom and Phillips. Interesting to note that they have separate rooms. He must snore. The dining room and the drawing off it was pretty kewl. Very fancy and interesting to note that Clinton and his misses (Hillary, not Monica) had stayed on the Britannia. There was even a car on the Britannia for the Queen when she docked in places. The tour took about 1.5 hours and then it was time for lunch. So i hit up lunch at Ocean Terminal and again, the sandwich came complete with crisps. Every sandwich here seems to come with potato chips!
I was in the area of a fabric store i wanted to suss out so i headed on the bus and went to Mandors. I was a bit disappointed. Australia has it better for fabric stores than Scotland i must say. They did have Liberty print (and on sale!) so I've kept that in the back of my mind.
After the fabric store i walked to the first flat to check out. It's amazing how you know in about 10 seconds whether you like a place or not. As soon as i met the creepy Ukrainian guy that lived there i thought not. He had been told that Australia was currently 30 degrees and i told him that it wasn't as it was Winter and he didn't believe me. That was enough to know we wouldn't get along. Idiot. After seeing that, this mornings flat was looking more like a go-er but i thought I'd sleep on it none the less.
After checking out the flat it was back to my apartment. These days of getting my stuff together and finding a place to live is tiring! On a final note, i bought Dawn French's biography 'Dear Fatty' and it's super funny, must read.

The Royal Yacht Britannia



The Queen's Bedroom



The Royal Dining Room



The Drawing Room

Searching for Nessie

So today Dad and i headed to our tour of the Highlands. It was to be an epic day from 8am to 8.30pm, but i was determined to see Loch Ness and a taste of the Highlands. The tour left from the castle and there was 19 of us on the tour. Dad and i were the only Aussies. I would have been the youngest by about 10 years too. So we headed out. I had no idea where we were and was quite tired from getting up early so i didn't really listen closely to tour guide in the morning. His name was Alistair and he liked to be nicknamed Ally. It seems that every second guy in Scotland is called Alistair. We went passed Stirling Castle and the William Wallace monument. I hope to actually visit them at some point. We made a stop at Kilmahog and it was then that i started to feel colder. The scenery by this stage was quite beautiful. I got to meet Angus the highland cow. Funnily enough i was actually quite keen to see one of these cows. Sad? Yes.
Then back on to the bus for more travel through the highlands. As we headed through the landscape was rockier and the mountains bigger. I even started to see Lochs. We then stopped in Glencoe. The scene of some serious battle or something. Some MacDonald clan people were killed. I tuned out. Again, the landscape was quite spectacular. then back onto the bus en route to our next stop for lunch. We stopped at Fort William for lunch. There was not much to choose from but i have noticed that the Scots and perhaps UK-wide love their refrigerated sandwiches. It seems unusual to find a sandwich shop where they make them fresh! It was here that i bought a cashmere scarf for me and one for mum. I couldn't resist, they are beautiful. 20 pounds is too bad either. After a lunch of hot chips (to warm up!) and a sambo it was...yes you got it right...bus time!
Now we end up at Urquhart Castle and it's pretty cool. There's not much left of it but it's beautiful and i love how it's laid out besides the famous Loch Ness. The castle was destroyed in some war so there isn't much left of it but enough to figure out it's lay out and how it might have looked. Luckily the rain that was to come had not come at this point. So the skies were clear and great for photos. After looking around the castle we headed onto Loch Ness to search for Nessie. On the boat cruise i actually found myself looking for something in the waters even though i don't believe the story at all. I guess i got sucked in by the hype hey.
After a lovely half an hour cruise we were back on the bus for the long stretch home. We did get to break up the trip and stopped off in a small town for a snack. Given the time, about 6pm, we decided to just have dinner there. So fish and chips it was and it wasn't too bad at all. I was pretty tired by this point so i put my ipod on for the trip home to keep my awake.
We got into Edinburgh on time (shocking for a tour!) and then headed back to the apartment. After some television watching it was bed time. I might add that the TV in the apartment is shit. You really need digital. I so miss any American or Australian tele. I'm over BBC and all things Andy Murray.

Urquhart Castle along Loch Ness

The Castle

So Edinburgh Castle was a busy attraction when i got there. Lcukily when i had got to the ticket booths the rain had came down 5 minutes earlier had finished. My first Scotland shower! I'm sure there will be many more :)
The Castle was quite magnificant to walk through. I loved the William Wallace & Robert the Bruce statues overlooking the gated entrance. It was amazing to walk through something so old and imagine living in a castle. The Scots sure do have a colourful history, especially in war so it will take a while for me to get my head around it all. Especially so many years of it. I watched the one o'clock gun go off. I was waiting to take the shot and when it actually went i frickin' got a shock and ended up taking a picture of sky. Dammit! I had trouble seeing past a couple of tree trunk Germans who stood at the front of the crowd in front of me the shrimp. Thanks.
After the castle it was time to head to Princes Street. Ooooh yeah, the shopping mecca was finally located. As suspected, it was love at first sight seeing TopShop. I was loving it. So much better than shopping online. And woul you believe it, i arrive on the first say of their sale. MUST RESTRAIN.
After getting that excitment out of the way i also went to the local JobCentre to apply for my National Insurance Number. Your NI number is basically a tax file number. I'll need that for when i get a job. It was a lot easier to get than anticpated and it should arrived in my mail in about two weeks. Check. Then i headed to 3 Mobile & Vodafone to compare what they have as i really need a phone asap. I need to be contsctable locally for when i look for a flat and for jobs. I ended up going with Vodafone and bought a really shit 30 pound pas as you go phone. Less features than the Nokia i bought 2.5 years ago. But it'll do. Cheap rates to call home which is a plus, only 5p for one minute.
After all that excitement i headed to Subway for lunch. God bless subway. It's everywhere and it'll be a cheap lunch and dinner if need be. then on to St James Centre shopping mall to look around and for Dad to go to his football shop. It was here where i finally found a newsagent that sold my cross stitch magazines. Phew! By this point in time i was quite tired and ready to head back to the hotel. I could still feel the jetlag. So off to the apartment for dinner and some serious sleep.

One of the stack of Scottish shops on the Royal Mile



William Wallace - Freedom!!



View of Princes Street from the castle



Heaven!!



One of the many piper buskers on the streets. Go boss.

Ooot & Aboot

After settling into the apartments i showered, changes, and headed out to the nearest Tescos. We brought breakfast stuffs and some frozen chicken and vegetables for dinner. I was keen to find out the quality of frozen foods over here, Mum tells me they are better, so we'll see. I also visited Superdrugs to buy a toothbrush because ironically i forgot to pack one. I got back to the apartment and headed straight to bed! I managed to sleep until i woke up at midnight, wide awake. Then i tried getting back to sleep by going on the Internet and managed to sleep till i got up again at 4.30am. Ah the joys of jet lag. Whilst checking the net i got the 'thank you for your application; email from Edinburgh Fringe because alas i didn't get the job. I was disappointed that i didn't get a job but equally it wasn't a job i actually wanted to do and it did only go for 3 weeks. Onwards and upwards.
I was keen to get one of the biggest attractions out of the way so i headed to Edinburgh Castle. It's not hard to miss! I walked the scenic route via Candlemaker Row where there is pub after pub. Or should i say 'inn' after 'inn'. I'm keen to get to them over the next couple of weeks. I reached the famous Grey Friers Bobby statue. I was really excited to see this as i just love the story. I suggest Googling it! Walking the streets of Edinburgh in itself is an experience. So many old buildings and nothing like what i am familiar with based on my current travels. It's really quite amazing. I also love that if you look down any alley way you will see Edinburgh Castle. It's not every day you see a castle in the middle of a city.
I then got to the Royal Mile. The famous street that stretches between the Holyrood Palace & the castle. Hence the name. I love the stores on the Royal Mile. Basically shop after shop and Scottish good. Beautiful cashmere scarves and crazy tartan outfits. Note to self: i must restrain from spending.
Heading along the Royal Mile i reached the castle. It was a REALLY humid day so i was sweating like nothing else and probably about 27 degrees, quite warm. What i have noticed whilst walking around is that it is a smaller city....you wouldn't even want to compare it to NYC!

Edinburgh Castle



Candle Maker Row

Grey Friers Bobby statue & his namesake bar behind

Stairs on a Plane

So I managed to sleep the night before my flight. It must have been the 12 odd months of getting used to the fact that I was doing this that helped me sleep. But it surprised me none the less. I'd spent the previous weekend worried about luggage and how much Singapore Airlines would slug me if my luggage weight was over. With luggage there is always two schools of thought. One is that they say 20kgs but really mean about 25kgs, and the other is that they are going to be strict to get the excess baggage money out of your pocket. I tried to be cautious and ended up only 2kgs over. We (be 'we' i mean Dad and i) had managed to book our seats online over the weekend so we had seating in the 'upper deck' of the A380. Love it. We got to the airport to find that we could have 25kgs and that we weren't over. Phew, no money to spend. We had two hours to kill at the airport before boarding so we grabbed some lunch and i bought a koala soft toy complete with an akubra hat as a reminder of home. They started to board the plane about an hour before take off. Given the size of the plane they would have to. Economy on the lower level had to go somewhere else to load and the smaller economy class on the upper deck loaded in the ususal way (sounds like cattle right?). The plane was rather fancy-pants inside. Dad and i had two seats at the window, i took the aisle as i knew i'd be getting up a lot. The plane went off on time and was surprisingly quiet. The food was great and the service was impeccable. I definently rate Singepore Airlines. I was able to get up a lot to move around yet i still felt like i wanted to run a marathon. I did make one discovery that i was curious about, i found the stairs! I'd wondered if the passengers could go up and down the stairs, and they can, so i did. It was a good opportunity to stretch the legs and so crazy to see stairs on a plane.
After a stopover in Singapore where i tried to sleep off a headache on the floor of the terminal, we headed back on board for the longer lef of the journey, to Heathrow. By the end of the longer leg, i concluded that unless i can fly Business Class the long distance flights are not for me. We got into Heathrow and after travelling on about 6 escalators, 4 tunnels, 3 sets of stairs, and a bus, we were finally on the British Midlands flight to take us to Edinburgh. Heathrow is frickin' huge. I knew i was closer to my goal when i started to hear a whole heap of Scottish accents....which i still love to hear! All the flight attendents had Scottish accents. A nice and quick flight and we were FINALLY in Edinburgh. I was absolutely desperate for a shower and change of clothes as i had been hot the entire time during the flights over. I wore only a singlet most of the journey in the plane over, it just wasn't cold on board. Funnily enough the first person to see when leaving the plane was a dude with red hair. Yes, i was now in Scotland. It wasn't as warm as London (30 C) but probably about 18 C.
We got into a taxi and it was at this point that i was sightly scared about not being able to understand Scottish people due to the accent because of the life of me i could not understand the driver! We got into Toll Cross and into our self-contained apartment. It was a case of you get what you pay for. Overall it was clean enough but it was quite run down. Having said that i was thankful to have somewhere to sleep and shower and it not be a hostel...

Check out the little shelf next to window



Stairs!

My apartment is on the third floor, and accessed through the blue door underneath the awning next to the yellow sign.