The Game Masters

Hello! Back again this December, I didn't know if I would post again before the year was out. I have been super busy working and my days off have been busy too, so this is the first time I have had a chance to actually sit down and post about what we have been doing.

It was my birthday not long ago now and we had some pretty excellent plans, firstly Dixon was going to make me breakfast, but we went out the night before. And boy were we hungover! So we went out for breakfast! We were planning on trying a new place for it, but they stopped serving breakfast at 12, ridiculous! So we went to an old standby, Pappi, and I of course got waffles! They had their new coffee machine installed now, and the coffee was amazing! I didn't get a photo for you of breakfast but you get the idea if you have seen them before.

After eating I for one felt a whole lot better, I think Dixon was putting on a brave face.

Afterwards we went to The Game Masters Exhibit at the National Museum of Scotland, you got to play everything from original Donkey Kong and Pac Man on the Arcade machines, to The Nintendo 3DS, Computer games like Warcraft and Starcraft, PS2 with Shadow of the Colossus, which I have wanted to play again for ages. All the way to indie games for the iPad, with loads of info about their creation and concept art for some as well. It was really cool!

I was hoping to take a lot of photo as we weren't told you couldn't when we went in and there are no signs posted, but my flash went off and this guy came hovering over and said, "You can't take any photos in here" So I was totally fine with this and said sorry and whatnot. Apparently, I didn't sound sincere enough because he felt the need to come closer and say, "If you take any more I will have to ask you to leave" I don't know if that was necessary, but he wasn't on the job too much when other people were snapping away and he was playing Mario 3 on the SNES.

Anyway that didn't dampen my spirits too much, and I had a lot of fun, though Dixon almost had to drag me away from Sonic 2. And he got me a wee souvenir from the exhibit, a Pac Man ice cube tray!

We did also plan to head down to the Christmas market, and get some Mulled Wine, got ice skating and go on the big wheel, but my hangover had not gone away as much as I though it had when I was in the museum. So we just went for a bit of a walk through and then home again to see Gail Gordon and Hayley.

100 Happy Days 29-35 and More

So at the beginning of this week I though that my next seven of the 100 Days Happy would be all about the new cross stitch I was starting, buuuut  I had amazing news on Friday. My application for permanent residency has been approved. So that shifted the whole week completely! Not that the new cross stitch isn't going well haha. But here they are, seven more days.

1. Mailing Birthday cards to Canada

2. New Cross stitch pattern, its gonna be huge!

3. Walking to get more thread, and the castle was being beautiful

4. Making Leak and Potato soup, YUM!

5. Celebratory Thai!

6. Lemsip for the cold

7. Sherlock and the Great Mouse Detective comparisons for the win!

To go into Friday a bit more, Dixon and I went for a meal, and to see the paper lantern terracotta warriors, that were on display too. I popped to see them in the daylight and at night, and it was more impressive to see at night but way harder to capture. But still really cool. And afterward we went to Chang Thai, for, you guessed it, Thai food! The food was so nice as the service was brilliant. I got a type of curry I had never had before, and Dixon had steak, and was feeling manly, and got it spicy, it was really spicy. But everything was so good even if it numbed Dixon's lip! So it was a brilliant day all around.

So this weeks Friday will be a Happy Day that will be hard to top!

We also had Champagne and Gingerbread with Gail and Gordon on Saturday, so that would have probably qualified for Saturdays happy, but I totally forgot to take a photo! I suck.

Birthday

I made it just in time to talk about 2013, its been a crazy couple weeks and I should have had about eight posts up here, but unfortunately work and loads of fun has kept me away. So I have a few things to cover but mainly today I wanted to talk about my birthday!

It actually kind of started the day before, Dixon had a gig with the Cyanide Pills, and it turned out to be an awesome night, they were brilliant. And at 12 people sang me happy birthday, it was excellent! Dixon had drank half the singers bottle of brandy though so he was pretty pished and we left pretty shortly after that. But Still an amazing night, Dixon got a record and a T Shirt and they gave me a bag and some badges! So that was really cool of them.

Now the plan of action for the next day was that Hayley was taking me on a Ghost Bus Tour, that I was really excited about, it was an old style double decker bus with lamps and stuff on the tables. And Dixon was going to go out for a drink with Shaun and maybe meet us after. But on the way he showed me a reservation for David Bann, I was so surprised and excited, I have wanted to go their since being a vegetarian. And it did not disappoint. Everything I had was brilliant from the cocktails to the dinner to the atmosphere, it was perfect and I could not stop smiling. Hayley evev went a step further and brought cupcakes down to the restaurant and they lit them with a 25 on them and brought them over. It was a brilliant night.

So if that wasn't enough I also was spoiled with presents, Dixon got me an amazing new set of Creepers, and a build it yourself SLR Camera, which as you can see below, I didn't wait one second to open it and start building! Hayley got me some of my favorites, pajamas and socks, the best of gifts as well as the Jelly Bellys and Candle which smells amazing. Gail and Gordon we awesome and got me a new hairdryer and straighteners because both of my old ones were old and dying and perhaps a bit dangerous!

Plus I got to have amazing phone calls from Camille Caryn Mom and Marsha, and messages from James Tina and Payton.

and Lea, giving me the Stink Eye, for my birthday.

So best Birthday yet all around. Bring on 2014.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey.... Stuff

It is my pal Sarahs birthday this month and I got her a signed 50th anniversary book of Doctor Who and when I saw the Doctor Who stamps I knew it was going to be a very Doctor Who themed gift. Which was great because it got me out of this painting slump I have been in. Even when I bring everything through and sit down and get ready to paint, I just haven't been doing it I am not sure what it is but whatever it is, its not good. So whooo! New painting as well. I hope she likes it. I usually struggle with persective and geometric things and this time was no different. But it was still a lot of fun. The picture of it is on a slight angle that I didn't notice til now and its been posted away so there is no going back now. Now I just need to watch more Doctor Who so I know whats going on! But where do you start?!

Now I have been having a painting slump I have been in baking mode, which has been super! This is a loaf made from a recipe on Paul Hollywood's program on the BBC, and I can say I haven't made as good of bread as this since high school, so I am pretty chuffed! Its a filled loaf with roasted veg pesto and mozzarella.

I also do not say enough about my niece and she is awesome so here is my niece with her mom (my sister) and my Grandma! Isn't she awesome. 

And an obligatory instagram of Edinburgh

Happy Belated Birthday

So yesterday I went into town to meet Gail for some tea and scones and for the demonstration of my new sewing machine. I know I haven't mentioned it, mostly due to my lack of blogging, but for my Birthday Gail and Gordon got me a brand new sewing machine! I am super excited to be sewing again, I used to sew almost everything I wore even if it was just altering a guys t shirt to make it fit nicer or something. So it was pretty cool to get a proper demonstration so now I know that I am for sure threading the machine correctly and doing a button hole correctly.

 

 

I am hopefully going to get a pattern of some kind, I think a skirt and try to make one soon, it will be fun to see how I get on with something like that again. I am pretty comfortable altering tshirts and things but making a whole new item will be something I haven't tried to do in a very long time.

 

Also later on yesterday after my massive scone and latte (ooh fancy) I went about town to have a look for some painting supplies and such, and Beth called me to see if I wanted to go to a movie, but unfortunately our timing wasn't very good, but in the end we went to see a map makers exhibition at the National Library of Scotland as well as the Turner exhibit at the National Gallery of Scotland. Both were very cool, the map making exhibit, though short was very informative and interactive, so it was fun to be there. That Turner exhibit, though not my favourite part of the Gallery was very pretty and it was just nice to be in the Gallery again, you forget that there are things like that on your doorstep sometimes, so looking at all the amazing paintings in there was excellent. Plus both were free! You can't beat looking at amazing and interesting things for free!

 

 

Speaking of my Birthday I should also say that Daniel got me a new pair of boots and a record. As well as Hayley got me a new set of PJ's and socks! So all around it was a pretty excellent year! My new boots are awesome, they are by Vegetarian Shoes and they are so comfy. I am usually pretty prone to blisters and the like and I wore them all day and night on my birthday and only had the tiniest blister on one ankle, so excited! So now I want more pairs of them they do another boot called an engineers boot that I have been ogling for some time now.

 

Busy Busy

So I had another productive Saturday off I managed to put down the videogame I couldn't put down on wednesday and actually paint! Something about when Dixon is away to go skating, I can really be productive. So here are some wee previews.

 

These paintings are turning out to be a lot of fun! I am really enjoying thinking them up and putting them out there. I do need to get onto the next few soon, because I think I have a lot of painting to do in my future! But so far it has been fun. Its made me draw and paint things I normally wouldn't think to paint.

 

The newspaper was giving away free lego all this week and because the shop that you had to collect it from is not close to my route to work or home from I haven't got any of it! Buuut Dixon got a lift to the shopping centre and picked it up for me even though he isn't the biggest lego fan let alone Lord of the Rings fan. My own little orc!

 

And finally last but not least it was my awesome brothers birthday and through the magic of technology I was able to send him a birthday present on time and everything! Though not a card, thats still coming!! Sorry!!

I did get him one of the best movies of our childhood!