[number four]

Go to the modern art gallery.
A friend and I headed off on a sunny but chilly Saturday afternoon to the Dean Gallery of Modern Art. Those days are my favourite days in Edinburgh - bright blue skies but freezing cold ears!
The walk to the gallery was lovely... Down to the West End and by the Waters of Leith, through the Dean Village :) A magical place.
Saw the BP Portrait Gallery awards, there were some stunning and awe inspiring pieces there. I was amazed at the talent. As usual, the winner wasn't my favourite. But it was an interesting and enjoyable afternoon all the same. Finished off with the biggest mug of Starbucks coffee, I was on edge for hours...!

Twenty One Things...

...to do before I'm twenty one!
A few friends and I compiled a list (that is ever changing) of things I should try to accomplish before my birthday on March 11th:

1. smash a Cath Kidston mug with a baseball bat
2. get a massage
3. go on a day trip by myself
4. go to the modern art gallery
5. ask someone out
6. get something pierced
7. go out dancing
8. spend a day dressed as a chav
9. complete a 24 hour fast
10. read something I've always wanted to
11. in one day, buy the Big Issue every time I see someone selling it
12. grow my nails i.e stop biting them!
13. go up Blackford Hill/the Pentlands
14. go to a whisky tasting session
15. read my flatmates a bedtime story
16. cook my friends a lovely vegetarian dinner, especially those who are scathing about my vegetarianism!
17. read the book of Joshua in the Bible
18. watch a sunrise
19. go to a classical music concert
20. write a fan letter to someone I admire
21. ..?

Things I did in 2009...

What did I accomplish in 2009?

* put my blender into use and started making soup
* survived taking four courses at uni in order to change my degree
* had my first birthday in Edinburgh
* passed my first year at Edinburgh
* saw some brilliant films either big blockbusters, little ones in alternative filmhouses or curled up on the sofa with great friends
* visited Cardiff and Barry Island
* went to Somerset
* saw friends in London and then 'Hairspray' and 'Romeo and Juliet' with the lil sis
* volunteered
* spent two weeks in the highlands with my family
* spent three weeks in America with some great friends
* kind of got over my fear of flying i.e. I didn't cry too much. Perhaps it would be better to say I didn't let my fear stop me from doing what I wanted
* climbed Mount Laffayette in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
* went to NYC
* ate lots of new American foods for the first time
* saw the White House, lots of cool art, monuments and museums in Washington DC
* went to the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, an amazing experience
* survived an American public bus
* saw my first baseball came
* returned to Edinburgh for second year
* had to say goodbye to a close friend
* enjoyed sewing at the cath kidston shop
* had many a wonderful breakfast at a number of little cafes in Edinburgh
* kept on with the Swahili
* visited friends
* wrapped up my Christmas gifts in brown paper and beautiful ribbon
* saw the new year in at hogmanay

Hogmanay, welcome to 2010

2010 was welcomed in with a fabulous bang! Fireworks at Edinburgh's Hogmanay with some of my closest friends was just wonderful. The street party was lively and noisy, chilly and splendid! New Year, New Start as they say... I have a number of resolutions, both private and public...
I want to:
fill my sewing box and learn how to sew again!
make my scrapbook of summer 2009, mostly my trip to America
start a scrapbook of life :)
do some art
more and more baking
take lots of photos with my new camera
make time for my friends, especially those far away and those who will be leaving soon
put my lovely writing sets to use
enjoy Edinburgh :)

I'm currently snowed in at home, hoping it's not going to affect my train back to Scotland this weekend. It's been fun walking around in deep snow to get necessities like milk and tea bags... perhaps another resolution should be to do something about this caffeine addiction. Games of Trivial Pursuit are always fun... ha!

All this snow is definitely Bon Iver weather:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0yaQ20dpWI

Merry new year <3

Reading, watching, listening...

I've just finished reading Tim Butcher's Blood River which records his journeys through the Congo overland and by boat on the Congo River, following the river as it meanders through the country in the footsteps of the explorer Stanley. It was an eye-opener with some interesting insights into the Congo and Africa in general with regard to development and the failures the continent has encountered. Although I enjoyed his writing, Butcher's attitude at times irritated me and whilst I understand his expedition was tough, sometimes his negative outlook was too frustrating.

As Christmas has just been, along with it comes a number of movies! The family settled down to watch Wolverine the other evening. Such an incredible movie about the character of Wolverine pre-XMen. I really enjoy it from start to finish! Laura and I just watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, another favourite! The movies, though great, will never quite capture the magic of the books for me. I enjoy my own imaginations of Hogwarts and co.

The new Snow Patrol CD has been featuring in my life ever since I bought it as a gift for someone! Mumford and Sons always enchant me. Bon Iver's been a resident since we had the snowy icy weather. As Tall As Lions will always be entertaining me, especially since seeing them live. Acrobat is a continuing favourite song by the

Another year over...

Well I've just celebrated a lovely Christmas with my wonderful family. I received some beautiful gifts, each one hand chosen for me and that was obvious. I'm a very blessed girl.
The end of the noughties is upon us... what a decade it has been!
Thinking back to where I was at the turn of 2000, just beginning my time at secondary school. For me, this decade will be a time of Lord of the Rings; Harry Potter; The Beatles; an obsession with the 1960s; a longing to travel by VW campervan around NZ; some lovely family holidays in Scotland and France; exams, exams, exams; realising who my friends are; becoming my own person; taking a gap year and learning more about God; beginning to get the travelling bug, facing my fear of flying to get to Uganda then America; starting my new life in Edinburgh at university; witnessing the start of the 'war on terror'; obsessing over Jane Austen; some very bad fashion faux pas that will hopefully never emerge on facebook; school uniforms; my first trip to London's West End to see Billy Elliot, later to see Hairspray; growing up...
Here's to the next ten years and may they be full of many happy memories also!

Summer Sun

Wandering to the south of England with fantastic friends and splendid sister.


Lyme Regis - a place full of beautiful things; pebbles; imported sand; a cob where many a foot has trod; scrummy scrummy food; home made bread; paddling; beach huts; hills; dinosaurs...
Exeter - home of a cathedral; many a charity shop; a beautiful Quay; lemon curd flavour ice cream; a place to make home-made diaries; to bake cookies; to watch a lot of Wimbledon...


London - wandering around Covent Garden picking up a new hat and some 'fro-yo'; sweltering heat; watching Michael Ball parade around in 'Hairspray'; Trafalgar Square (eventually); Picadilly Circus (accidentally); the tube; Platform 9 3/4...


I just read the beautiful 'Purple Hibiscus' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's set in Nigeria and narrated by the young Kambili as she experiences such a difference between the rich and poor of Nigeria; and the Catholicism of her father and the indigenous religion of her grandfather. It was written so richly, I loved every second of it.

Just started 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe, an inspiration for Adichie and many other African authors.

Listening to As Tall As Lions - Maybe I'm Just Tired