Catching my breath...

I can't believe we're nearly 3 weeks into 2008. A happy new year to all 5 of my readers! It feels like a lot has happened since mid-December, a series of minor adventures in the grand scheme of things. My job ended on the 19th of December and culminated with a horrific office Christmas party with scenes that I still can't get out of my head. A couple of days later, Dave and I flew to Edinburgh Airport where we were heartily welcomed by his wonderful and warm parents. We stayed in the beautiful house near the sea in Fife, Scotland and made day trips to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Scotland is truly a heartwarming country and I loved my time there.

Me and the family. This was my second time meeting the Blackwood Family and they are truly loveable people. I love his sisters and the squabbling that went on between them made me miss my own sisters. The 'rents are fantastic people and I loved talking with them. I heart all of them.

Opening our presents Christmas morning. It was a madhouse - wrapping paper flying through the air, shouts of "Oh my god, thank you!!!" and crazy generosity. Blissful.

Dave's younger sister, the talented and pretty Louise.

Trifle - yumm. This British dessert is comprised of sponge cake soaked with sherry, a layer of Jello, or as Dave's mum kept reminding me, jelly, and a layer of whipped cream. I couldn't eat this on Christmas Day because I was absolutely stuffed to the gills, but when I ate it the next day, I fell in love with it. Sweet without being nauseatingly so, trifle is a fantastic dessert. The different textures complement each other rather than fighting for supremacy, so it all goes down rather nicely. I probably wouldn't make it because it seems rather labour intensive, but I would definitely eat it if it was on the menu.


Ahh, mince and tatties. A distinctly Scottish dish. It's a simple ensemble of stewed mince meat, a side of potatoes, steamed cabbage and suet (flour) dumplings. It's a really easy dish, but I loved it. Comfort food comes to mind.


The beau and I in a pub in Kirkcaldy. I think it's called Wetherspoon's. My fro is growing.

Gringo (Graham) and I. Lovely chap.

Dave's wee sister, Caroline and her friend Claire. We were having a photo shoot in the loo. I didn't care, I was quite tipsy at this point.

Took a scenic walk on the Fife Coastal path. It was an overcast day but the sights were really pretty, especially this waterfall that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

A rickety, old pier. I wanted to walk on it, but I didn't want to fall off and either bash my head on some rocks or get wet, so I didn't.

A beached anchor we stumbled upon on our walk.

At the end of the day, Dave and I got pretty tired (we were both sick) so we had his Dad come pick us up by the side of the road. He then drove us to the lookout point and I started snapping the sunset. I must say, sunsets in Scotland are spectacular. Then again, dusk is spectacular anywhere in the world.

Same day, same locale.

One more.

Yes, I'm a grown women, but the silliest things still crack me up.

We went to the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow one day and it was brilllant. I don't remember how many hours we spent in there, but it was time well spent. This war armor from a Micronesia (??) was made out of the teeth of sharks. Cool.

The various expressions of man are represented on these heads.

This reminded me of something out of Jurassic Park.

The Kelvingrove from the outside. Not only was it a beautiful and well laid out museum, but it was free! My kind of outing.

I will be travelling once again very soon, this time on a couple of solo trips. First up, I'll be off to London and Paris! Check back here soon for pics and commentary.