For those of you who have sent me postcards . . . THANK YOU! (see previous post here) My "Postcard Wall" is starting to come together. Keep those postcards coming!
On a completely unrelated note, I actually finished my "to do list" today. It feels very strange. I don't know what to do now. Help!
Monday, September 29, 2008
A lesson in Scottish food and drink
So, I volunteered to make dinner for a friend of mine tomorrow night. I decided early on that a Mexican theme would be the way to go. This meal will include many things, one of them being sangria (okay, so it's not strictly Mexican) and a dessert made out of jello . . . again, not quite Mexican, but I planned to make it a triple layer of jello in a tall clear glass, using jello that loosely represented colours from Mexico (i.e., red, green, and either orange or yellow). I freely admit that my jello dessert idea was borrowed from someone else (and also that it is really really good).
Off I went to the local supermarket to pick up all the ingredients I would need. Lesson 1 that I learned has to do with the dessert. They don't have anything called jello over here, so I was stuck in what I hoped was the right aisle looking for something similar. I found a box with the word "Jelly" on it, which looked similar to the Jello boxes from Canada. After reading the directions I was a little skeptical (it called for putting the jelly "cubes" in the microwave!) but I had no other option, so I placed three different flavours into my basket. The other problem with the dessert idea was that they didn't have that great of a selection for different flavours: I ended up having to get red (strawberry), orange (orange), and purple (black currant). Not very Mexican, but it'd have to do.
I came home and decided to make up my first layer of the dessert. I grabbed the strawberry package and opened it up. Inside was not powder (as would be expected from Jello) but a block of cubed gel. The only way I can try to explain it is that it kind of looked like a filled ice cube tray, but it was completely made of jello. What you do next is put the gel cubes in a container, add 100ml of water, and heat it in the microwave for 1min. Surprisingly, it seemed to do the trick and I now have two layers of jello-like material chilling in my fridge.
Lesson 2 had to do with getting the ingredients for the sangria. I needed club soda, but as far as I could see at Tesco there is no such thing as Club Soda. I think I was in the right section: I could see tonic water, soda water, flavoured water, etc, but nothing with the word "club" in it. In the end, I went for the water with the word "soda" in it and I hope that it will be the right thing. I will find out tomorrow night!
I find it both frustrating and amusing that even though we speak the same language, there are so many different words for the same thing!
e.g. Canadian pants = UK trousers, while UK pants = Canadian Underwear
Australian thong = Canadian flip flops
Canadian pavement = UK road, while UK pavement = Canadian sidewalk (this one was very tricky when I was working with kids and wanted to tell them to get on the pavement, i.e. off the road, but that would have meant the complete opposite to them! I had to be VERY VERY careful of what I was saying!)
Off I went to the local supermarket to pick up all the ingredients I would need. Lesson 1 that I learned has to do with the dessert. They don't have anything called jello over here, so I was stuck in what I hoped was the right aisle looking for something similar. I found a box with the word "Jelly" on it, which looked similar to the Jello boxes from Canada. After reading the directions I was a little skeptical (it called for putting the jelly "cubes" in the microwave!) but I had no other option, so I placed three different flavours into my basket. The other problem with the dessert idea was that they didn't have that great of a selection for different flavours: I ended up having to get red (strawberry), orange (orange), and purple (black currant). Not very Mexican, but it'd have to do.
I came home and decided to make up my first layer of the dessert. I grabbed the strawberry package and opened it up. Inside was not powder (as would be expected from Jello) but a block of cubed gel. The only way I can try to explain it is that it kind of looked like a filled ice cube tray, but it was completely made of jello. What you do next is put the gel cubes in a container, add 100ml of water, and heat it in the microwave for 1min. Surprisingly, it seemed to do the trick and I now have two layers of jello-like material chilling in my fridge.
Lesson 2 had to do with getting the ingredients for the sangria. I needed club soda, but as far as I could see at Tesco there is no such thing as Club Soda. I think I was in the right section: I could see tonic water, soda water, flavoured water, etc, but nothing with the word "club" in it. In the end, I went for the water with the word "soda" in it and I hope that it will be the right thing. I will find out tomorrow night!
I find it both frustrating and amusing that even though we speak the same language, there are so many different words for the same thing!
e.g. Canadian pants = UK trousers, while UK pants = Canadian Underwear
Australian thong = Canadian flip flops
Canadian pavement = UK road, while UK pavement = Canadian sidewalk (this one was very tricky when I was working with kids and wanted to tell them to get on the pavement, i.e. off the road, but that would have meant the complete opposite to them! I had to be VERY VERY careful of what I was saying!)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Silly Osprey!
Some of you may remember that I posted a while back about a webcam where you could watch baby ospreys as they grew up and started to learn to fly. Well, each winter these ospreys migrate to Africa (who can blame them with the winters that happen over here?). The two chicks that fledged the nest at Loch Garten in the highlands of Scotland were fitted with radio transmitters so that the wildlife biologists that are interested in them could follow their route. They've also made the signals, and therefore the paths that the birds are flying, available on google earth so that people with an interest can follow their progress. For the past 4-5 weeks the two chicks have been staying in southern England (in different areas) eating lots of fish and not venturing too far. One, the male bird named Deshar, had been based in the very south west of England for ages when he finally decided to make his move, so to speak, on Friday. However, instead of flying ESW across the channel to France, as I and most other people would have expected him to, he's flying WSW. The problem with that is that there is absolutely no land that way until the Azores (see image below). The experts think he's actually been flying without a break for two whole days! What will happen to poor little Deshar? The satellite won't pass him again until tomorrow, so I just have to wait to find out . . . the suspense! It's almost as good as an episode of Eastenders! ;)
Friday, September 26, 2008
What did you do today?
(Feel free to tell me via the comment section)
As for me, well, I walked 13 miles today and am now very tired.
THE END.
P.S. I also have VERY sore feet.
As for me, well, I walked 13 miles today and am now very tired.
THE END.
P.S. I also have VERY sore feet.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The reviews are in and the verdict is . . .
Not guilty! Oh, wait - (must remember to save that excuse for later) - what I meant to say was: Undecided! As in, I am still undecided about the new job. There are both good points (e.g. the hours of work) and bad points (e.g. the pay). Plus, it's hard to really get a feel for it cause they're currently short staffed so I have yet to have a "normal" day. Plus, on Wednesday, it looks like I will be running my section all by myself after only working there for a week because no one else will be in. It should be interesting because I don't yet have passwords or anything for the computers! I wonder how much trouble I can get up to?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Day the Bank Died
That’s right ladies and gentlemen . . . . the mighty Bank of Scotland (and all its associations: Halifax, etc), turned out not to be very strong in the current economy and had to be BAILED OUT by Lloyds TSB (a competitor bank) before COMPLETELY collapsing. I can still get out money which is good, but it is seriously making me think about how safe the banking industry really is. And it makes me sad to know that the Bank of Scotland is no more. Just like Bookworld. Hmmmmm – I wonder if Andy banks there? (Ali, you’ll understand that one!)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Picnic Lunch
I went on a hike on Sunday and when I stopped for lunch, this was my view. Just thought I would try to make you jealous!
(you can click on it for a larger image though you may need to click twice!)
(you can click on it for a larger image though you may need to click twice!)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Lots and lots to say
I have much news to fill you in on and I am happy to finally have some time to do it. I have a few days off so I am trying to catch up on many of the things I have been avoiding/unable to do lately.
New job
The last time I posted things were still quite up in the air about when my start date would be for my new job. I did finally get my background check about a week and a half ago and I thought I would then be good to start. But, I managed to get a little more drama in my life when I was told that actually they were missing a reference for me. Why they couldn't have told me this while I was waiting for the background check to finally come through I don't know. Again, Admin is so frustrating! So, I had to do some serious scrambling to sort everything out (I will spare you the details here) but eventually (as in yesterday) things finally did come together. And, I am happy to report that I will be starting my new job on Tuesday. Finally! I am really looking forward to it.
Financials
Ah, the financial burden of moving 12 times in 5 years has definitely caught up with me! Things are starting to get a bit more under control, but this month I was faced with the challenge of trying to somehow squeeze another £100 or so from my budget. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money. But, it turned out that there is a way. Basically, I am currently on holiday from my current job for the next 3 weeks and that has solved my financial issues for the month. Too good to be true you ask? Well, this is how it works. I am on holiday from my current job so they are going to be paying me for about 30hrs of work per week, but during my holiday, I will also be starting my new job, which will also be paying me for 30hrs of work per week . . . .so in total I will be paid for 60hrs work, but only do half of it! Yes, I agree, it does sound too good to be true, but I am going to go with it for now.
Allotment
For anyone who may not know in the uk you can rent small plots of land (called an allotment) to grow flowers and vegetables on. In Edinburgh these allotments are primarily managed by the Council and there can be a wide range of people with allotments in the same area of land (sometimes as many as 100 allotments together). I decided that I would really like to have my own garden, and since I don't have access to any land in the flat I am currently living in, an allotment would be the way to go. At the moment, with soaring food prices and a shift towards more organic foods, the demand for allotments is quite high. I knew there was a waiting list for all allotments in the city, but I was expecting to wait maybe a year or so before I could get my own special plot. However, when I called the Allotment Officer I was informed that the process could take as long as 4-5 years! I now have an application form and I had better fill it in soon so I can get the process started.
Zoom Airlines
Zoom, the budget airline I use all the time to fly back and forth between Canada and Scotland has gone bust due to increasing fuel costs! They went under several weeks ago taking with it the only airline that did direct flights from Glasgow to Halifax. It was also the cheapest option by far. And, this means that I will most definitely not be able to afford to go home for Christmas this year. It's a shame, but realistically I very likely might not have been able to afford it even if Zoom was still here. Plus, I have to look on the bright side - I would much rather come home for a visit next summer when I can go to the beach!
West Highland Way
I have decided that next summer I would like to hike the West Highland Way, a long distance path that goes from just outside Glasgow to Fort William. It's a distance of 95 miles (152 km) and goes through some absolutely spectacular scenery. Hiking and hill walking is something I really enjoy, but do not do enough of . . . hopefully this goal will encourage me to get out more often and get much fitter, as I will need to be to tackle this walk! If I am feeling really ambitious, I could then continue from Fort William on a different walk that goes all the way to Inverness (73 miles, 117km) called the Great Glen Way. Would anyone like to come over and walk with me?
New job
The last time I posted things were still quite up in the air about when my start date would be for my new job. I did finally get my background check about a week and a half ago and I thought I would then be good to start. But, I managed to get a little more drama in my life when I was told that actually they were missing a reference for me. Why they couldn't have told me this while I was waiting for the background check to finally come through I don't know. Again, Admin is so frustrating! So, I had to do some serious scrambling to sort everything out (I will spare you the details here) but eventually (as in yesterday) things finally did come together. And, I am happy to report that I will be starting my new job on Tuesday. Finally! I am really looking forward to it.
Financials
Ah, the financial burden of moving 12 times in 5 years has definitely caught up with me! Things are starting to get a bit more under control, but this month I was faced with the challenge of trying to somehow squeeze another £100 or so from my budget. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money. But, it turned out that there is a way. Basically, I am currently on holiday from my current job for the next 3 weeks and that has solved my financial issues for the month. Too good to be true you ask? Well, this is how it works. I am on holiday from my current job so they are going to be paying me for about 30hrs of work per week, but during my holiday, I will also be starting my new job, which will also be paying me for 30hrs of work per week . . . .so in total I will be paid for 60hrs work, but only do half of it! Yes, I agree, it does sound too good to be true, but I am going to go with it for now.
Allotment
For anyone who may not know in the uk you can rent small plots of land (called an allotment) to grow flowers and vegetables on. In Edinburgh these allotments are primarily managed by the Council and there can be a wide range of people with allotments in the same area of land (sometimes as many as 100 allotments together). I decided that I would really like to have my own garden, and since I don't have access to any land in the flat I am currently living in, an allotment would be the way to go. At the moment, with soaring food prices and a shift towards more organic foods, the demand for allotments is quite high. I knew there was a waiting list for all allotments in the city, but I was expecting to wait maybe a year or so before I could get my own special plot. However, when I called the Allotment Officer I was informed that the process could take as long as 4-5 years! I now have an application form and I had better fill it in soon so I can get the process started.
Zoom Airlines
Zoom, the budget airline I use all the time to fly back and forth between Canada and Scotland has gone bust due to increasing fuel costs! They went under several weeks ago taking with it the only airline that did direct flights from Glasgow to Halifax. It was also the cheapest option by far. And, this means that I will most definitely not be able to afford to go home for Christmas this year. It's a shame, but realistically I very likely might not have been able to afford it even if Zoom was still here. Plus, I have to look on the bright side - I would much rather come home for a visit next summer when I can go to the beach!
West Highland Way
I have decided that next summer I would like to hike the West Highland Way, a long distance path that goes from just outside Glasgow to Fort William. It's a distance of 95 miles (152 km) and goes through some absolutely spectacular scenery. Hiking and hill walking is something I really enjoy, but do not do enough of . . . hopefully this goal will encourage me to get out more often and get much fitter, as I will need to be to tackle this walk! If I am feeling really ambitious, I could then continue from Fort William on a different walk that goes all the way to Inverness (73 miles, 117km) called the Great Glen Way. Would anyone like to come over and walk with me?
Monday, September 08, 2008
Fireworks!
Each year, at the end of the Edinburgh International Festival of the Arts they have a pretty big fireworks display. I'm talking HUGE. The fireworks are set off from the castle and they last for about an hour. They are also set to music, played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from Princes Street Gardens (right below the castle). This year, the musical selection was taken from pieces by Dvorak and Brahms.
Here is a selection of some of the fireworks I saw:
The view from Hanouver Street.
The view from there was pretty poor really, so after a bit we moved to Castle Street, which, as the name implies, has a great view of the castle.
The view from Castle Street.
The finale!
And the best part - all of this was free!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Postcard Collage
I have decided to create a collage of postcards that people have sent to me and put it on my wall. That means, that I am going to need quite a few postcards! So, if you are reading this, you are charged with the duty of having to buy a postcard (from no matter where you are, and from any trips that you might take) and fill it out and send it. Weird, wonderful, beautiful, strange, and comical postcards will all be accepted. I will, of course, respond to all postcards with one of my own, as an added incentive!
Happy postcard hunting!
Happy postcard hunting!
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