A Day Out With Index

Edinburgh won 14-9 against Glasgow last night, in case you were wondering. Not the most rivetting of matches and the atmosphere was pretty pants cause there were about 600 of us in Murrayfield... we filled one side of the stadium. But fun nonetheless, I got to meet some new people and shout my lungs out!

Today Index went for an afternoon of fun, sledging on snow-less slopes. I'm now officially the most bruised I have ever been, but these bruises are signs of fun. Just as my muddy clothes are.

Joel and Jennifer going down back to back. He smiles now... just wait a while when he gets to the bottom...

A five person race to the bottom. Joel won no contest, and there were zero crashes. Well done! Tim about to attempt the harder slope... the steeper one with a wee dip. He came out alive. Mikey and Emily in it together, for better or for worse. Well Mikey made it out alive! Kidding. So did Emily, she just stayed down to look after their daughter Anna aka Wee Bou.

Edinburgh in black and white - view from the Craggs.

The Goodbye Cake and Cramond with Brittany. Finally.

On Thursday and Friday, I was by myself with the children. So Friday afternoon, Rosa baked a lemon cake, with lemon icing and we turned it into my goodbye cake. Felix put candles on it, and I wore Shrek ears. We took lots of pictures, laughed a lot and watched tv, since their parents were out. Later on in the evening, their dad got back but I think the cake was gone by that time. It was so yummy!

On Saturday, I moved house, with the help of Laura and her wee Ka, Patrick. Fantastic help. I got bruises on my arms again though, and Khris called me a junkie. Ops. So I wore long sleeves most of the week.

Brittany and I finally made it to Cramond later that day, we caught a bus and walked around the town, up the river Almond and found a waterfall. I loved the waterfall, and the 3 men fishing in the river, because it was getting to be low tide in the sea near by, the river was also pretty low. It was beautiful. Because we'd walked around the river, and along the shore, and around the village, we went to Cramond Inn and had dinner after a bit of faffing around working out how the place worked and how we would get served - do you order at the bar, sit and wait for staff to come and take your order, find a table and take it in turns to go up to the bar to order not forgetting your table number which is not written on the table (the latter was correct). By the time we'd finished, it 2 hours to low tide, and therefore safe and possible to walk onto Cramond Island, the main purpose of our visit, I think. It was about 7:45pm, and at the time of year, in this country, getting dark, though not too dark. However, what we did not realize was just how quickly it does get too dark. By this time though, we were half way to the Island on the Causeway. Fog started to come in, and the seagulls were screeching as they do, sounding like a girl's screams. At some stages, we could hardly see where we were putting our feet. Well... whether where we were putting our feet was wet or not. It was a little eerie and I felt like one of the Famous Five, going to Smugglers Top. Enid Blyton would be proud of me for going all the way to the Island, without crying or running back the other way screaming. The trick is to keep on laughing about it. We did.

The rest of this week I've been getting my room sorted, going to classes, getting to know my new flatmates - Stevo, Katy and Arpita - and chilling out with them, cooking lots and then yesterday, my colleague Penny who drives into Edinburgh from Fife daily offered me a ride to Ikea, so I went and got a bookcase. Only thing is, she couldn't drive me back so I got the bus back, with my 20kg flatpacked bookcase. It was fine really, but now my arms are bruised again, and even more so than before. So it's looking like the long sleeved shirts are not going away any time soon. And then it'll get to winter weather. Though I may look like a junkie, on the upside, it built muscles in my arms, and I have a lovely bookcase. For a tenner. Bargain! Tonight, Edinburgh are playing Glasgow in rugby at Murrayfield. Some friends and I are going to go down and see if we can get tickets at the gate. I hope so, I hope so!

On The Move

Again. I'm moving. I've been thinking about it seriously for a few days now, yesterday morning I decided. Yesterday evening I looked at a flat and told Christina I am moving there. On Saturday, Laura is driving her car round to help me move. It's all going so fast, but to be honest, I can't wait. I can't strike a balance that pleases both Christina and I. So I'm not moving far, the flat is beautiful, peaceful, welcoming and the people I'll be living with seem lovely. Now I've had a taste of independence and lived independent for 3 years, it's extremely difficult to revert back to being dependent on other people's schedules (especially 6 people's schedules) and fit in the things I am committed to such as work at Little Foxes, uni, Ecosoc committee, my childcare course, Index (church student program) and still find time for myself amidst endless laundry, endless dishes and fairly demanding, though accommodating children. I've found it extremely stressful. I'm amazed at how smoothly the flat hunting and moving has been so far and cannot thank God enough for that! That is the main news. Other news is that classes have started back, 2 days in, I can say that they have been fairly interesting so far, so I'm excited about that. Principles of Ecology and Global Environmental Processes are the two courses I'm taking this semester. The latter is quite geology/geography inclined, but still interesting. There is a "heavy hurricane storm to hit the UK". It should hit Scotland tonight. That's quite exciting in my eyes. It's hurricane Gordon, though it's lost a lot of power as it's come to cooler waters. So it'll just pull up a few trees, maybe cut power in some areas... Nothing major. Never been in a hurricane before. Though right now it's really warm, though extremely windy. Is that characteristic?

Building Character and Making Cake.

A cake I made with Kaj. Yum!

Well, I made it through the 50 hours I was left alone to decide everything for 4 kids! Got out the other end completely emotionally drained and physically pretty tired for reasons other than the children (I woke up both nights because I had the flu - first night headache and earache and jaw ache, and the second night I had a temperature and was absolutely boiling). Yesterday evening Christina got home, I went to my room collapsed on my bed and could not stop tears. I don't know. A mix of relief, release of pressure, exhaustion, a sense of accomplishment, stress... I have to say, Nadia was a big help! She came round to chill out on Monday night, and ended up helping Rosa with her homework, and helping me clean the kitchen! I think this is going to be one long year of growing and character building. I just need to remember to react to everything in a Christ-like manner. Even just in the past few days though I've had the reflex to go to the Bible more to find the resourcing and rest I need, which has been amazing. I've had a couple of conversations with Kaj about God and then one with Rosa and Felix too. I've never shared the gospel to children before. I'm not sure how to go about it. Any ideas? Kaj started one of the conversations after having read one of my Bible quotes on the wall. So Leanne suggested I change those regularly and put ones up that tell the gospel story. Also talk about it as fact of truth rather than a belief I have. Oh this weekend was exciting, because I got back in contact with 2 of my childhood friends, one whom I haven't seen in about 16 years, the other in about 10 years. Ankunda, I knew when I was small and my friend Megan knows him and his parents well, especially as she was in Uganda this summer helping them there. It was amazing seeing where Ankunda is now and what he's up to. His brother, Daudi, is now 17 and a musician with a couple of unsigned albums. I got to listen to a couple of his songs online - fantastic! And then James Griffin, who I saw about 10 years ago when we were in London. He was my childhood sweetheart from what I'm told - my friend Ruthie who is 6 years older than me used to make James and I kiss when we were 2, and we have a picture of him and I holding hands going to the zoo. Awww! He's now at uni in Newcastle (I nearly went there - how crazy would that have been!) and seems to be well. He was in Kenya on mission this summer, the "in" thing to do apparently!

The Camp America ball has started rolling, so I need to book an interview - they start happening in just 2 weeks' time. I'm excited but a little apprehensive at the thought of it all. But hopefully this year will be good training for it!

Small Lobsters

That Gold Class ticket to go see the Break Up... Not worth it. Though it was a fun experience, definitely not worth the money, and the film was ok (why did I go see a film I knew there would be arguing in when I know I get tense and annoyed when people argue all the time...) but the ending was absolutely totally pants. But seing Brittany's reaction to the overpriced ticket was quite funny. She almost had a minor heart attack (in her own words). Today I went to watch 5 people from my homegroup Run The Race in Strathclyde (close to Glasgow) to raise money for Tearfund. They did really well! It was a double event, so as the racers were coming through the finishing line live bands started up and we had Praise In The Park. Really good! I also got to go on a pedal boat with Leanne arond the lake. My friend Jen from homegroup and her 2 kids Jez and Karys were in another boat, and another friend from homegroup, Neil was in yet another boat with his two sons, Ross and Fraser. We ended up playing bumper cars in the pedal boats. Fun times! It was fun seeing Leanne again. I got home and nobody home but Marius, so I called my mum and dad. :-D Then everybody got home. Felix went on and on and on about the lobsters he wanted to eat all by himself for dinner. He'd asked specifically for them at the shop. So for dinner, Christina cooked him 4 lobsters. When they got onto his plate, Rosa asked if lobsters weren't usually bigger. To which Christina answered, "They're small lobsters" and signalled with her head not to let Felix know this. Felix overheard that they were small lobsters however, and asked why he didn't get bigger ones. Christina reminded him that there weren't any bigger ones at the shop. At this point, Rosa asked what smal lobsters are called. Christina had no choice but to admit that they were in fact shrimp. So all that fuss about lobsters, for nothing. Christina leaves for Germany tomorrow afternoon. She'll be back Tuesday night. Pray for me!

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring!

Saturday, I went to Favorit (though it ended up being Starbucks because we were to early for Favorit) for breakfast with Saz my now ex-flatmate. Sad. Good times though. I'm really going to miss her! Later that day was the experience of a lifetime, Sainsbury's shopping en famille. Christina, Marius and his friend Gabriel, Kaj, Rosa, Felix and I all piled in the car and drove to Sainsbury's, the big one. Imagine taking that many kids to a huge store. "Mum, can we get this?" some of the time, and the rest of the time, they all dissapeared to their prefered sections of the shop and to surrounding clothes and jewelry shops. An hour and a half later, everyone piles back in the car with £120 worth of shopping for the week. Such fun! In the evening the kids and I watched Sister Act 2. I don't think they appreciated it as much as I did. It must be a growing up in the 90's thing. I don't know. They didn't get the funniness of it. Day one of the cold. Sunday. Day 2 of the cold and any person who's thought about this knows that day 2 is the worst. (Apparently my work colleagues have not thought this through because they were all cluless when I said it was day 2 of my cold. When I said to mum on the phone that today was the worst day, she immediately said "day 2". Person in the know!) Because I was feeling ugh, I didn't go to church. You can't blow your nose so much in church! But I booked flights to go home to France when the family I live with are going to Florida for a couple of weeks in October. So I'll have the house to myself for a few days, then go to see mum, dad, Joe and Ben, and if I'm lucky I may catch a glimpse of Nathan as he heads out the door one day (his girlfriend Beki will be back!). I went to dinner at Nadia and Laura's then we went on to see the end-of-the-International-festival fireworks. They lastest close to an hour! Amazing! They let them off from the castle.

These fireworks were set off in a way that made them look like a waterfall from the castle onto the rocks it's built on.

Yesterday Ebenezer came round for breakfast, Christoph left to go back to Birmingham, and I went to work. That is about the extent of yesterday!

Today Brittany and I were going to go to Cramond and walk onto an island at low tide, but it's pouring with rain and I had anticipated something a little dryer. So instead we're going to see The Break Up. That's actually pretty cool in itself because we're getting Gold Class tickets. I'm sure they're vastly overpriced for a leather reclining seat and waiter service of drinks to your chair, but it's the only film neither of us have seen and that isn't a horror comedy (?!) or some pretty apauling thriller. So that should be a fun experience.

Next weekend I am left alone with the children... who knows what could happen!

I miss my mum.

I am settled now. Christoph (the dad of the family I live with) is back for the weekend. The way things work here is that Christina (the mum) speaks to the kids in English and Christoph speaks to them in German. So since Wednesday my German has been flooding back to me at an alarming rate. See, in a few months I'll be writing this in German. Won't that be fun for you all! Today is Kaj's birthday. I like birthdays in this family because you get to eat cake for breakfast. Nice one! I went swimming this morning because I was up so early to see the opening of the presents. Only thing, they have classes on in the mornings so the public pool gets quite cramped. So much so I only stayed 45 minutes and kind of got squeezed out. Work is odd just now. One of my colleagues got the sack. So we're adjusting to that and waiting for Sheila to find another male playworker. Hopefully she will and not just settle for putting a female playworker from James Gillespies at Little Foxes! I'm now a third of the way through my SVQ childcare course, which is encouraging. Tomorrow I'm having breakfast with Sarah before she leaves for Montserrat (her tiny island in the Caribbean). It's sad to see her go but so exciting that she gets to go to captain Jack Sparrow's domain. Imagine if she sees him! Waaah! On Sunday I'm going to watch the end of festival fireworks with Nadia and Laura. On Tuesday I'm going to Cramond Island with Brittany. This is exciting. It's not far (you can get there by bus or maybe even walk) and at low tide you can walk onto the Island. So we're going to do that.

I was wanting to go to Paris for a weekend end of September for the 5th anniversary of the French Language Ministry. Unfortunately, Christina needs to go to Germany that weekend so it's not possible. Plus there is no one to replace me at work on the Monday so it's doubly not possible. Bou. But because the next time I'll see my family is Christmas, that will be 5 months since the last time I saw them. So I'm thinking of maybe going over for a weekend for Mouche's birthday or dad's, in November, depending on Christina's schedule.

Quote for the day. "Have you tried some of the crumb cake?" - Christoph talking about the crumble he made. The German accent makes this all the funnier to me.