November So Far

So I have been pretty quiet this November, not that I haven't been up to anything, just haven't'e gotten around to posting anything up here. And I was making such progress in October, there were loads of posts. Anyway here is November so far, in pictures.

They have started setting up the Winter Village, it is meant to be a little bit different this year, for one thing, the Big Wheel is not in its normal place and it is not the same big wheel. It is amazing how fast they can build it though! The Christmas tree they were putting up as well was huge! I will have to see when they are turning on the lights, but It will be impressive!

I havne't been up to too much drawing lately, but I have been doing some wee sketches, here are some poppies I was attempting the other day. 

And finally, I nipped into the National Museum and they have a brilliant Kabuki exhibit on right now. I have to say it is amazing, the Museum usually is! I will need to go back soon and check it out again. I only got to look at it over my lunch break. Maybe I could have a wee wander around the rest of it as well!

Sanding In the Sun

So a whole weekend of work on the flat, for me turned out to be a whole lot of sanding. You would think with an electric sander it would have been a breeze, oh but no, that bed frame had all the nooks and crannies in the world! For Gordon and Dixon it meant wallpaper and lots of it. The did the ceiling and some of the hall, and the hall is a pretty big undertaking, its basically two stories on the stairs and they basically got that finished, so its pretty cool! Its all coming together and now that it is getting a bit more finished and polished looking it is really becoming a home.

And here it is, the bane of my existence! It wasn't really that bad, but it did take ages especially the legs and that cut section on the front of it, on the Saturday I didn't use gloves to get into the cracks and it probably worked better, but I definitely have sore fingers and almost no nail left on my index fingers. But hopefully it will be all worth it. Plus it was beautiful out, so I couldn't really complain, I got an excellent sunburn on Sunday just to show how gorgeous it was!

And this is what Gordon and Daniel were working on, the ceiling is papered in the first picture and painted Daniels favorite colour, Magnolia! It was a bit hard to get a good picture of the paper, with the lights on or off and the sun! So you will have to make due with what ya got! I am pretty excited how it is turning out!

I couldn't help getting a bunch of apps for my new phone so here's a picture just playing around with some of them.

The Zoo With The Canadians

So it started out as a rather cold and clammy day in Edinburgh, but it was definitely going to be an excellent Monday. As you can see it was a bit foggy and overcast, but I was meeting, Caryn's boyfriend's family, Lynn, Jesse and Sue. We were getting an early start to go to the zoo! So no matter the weather, it was going to be an excellent day. And it was! We didn't prebook for the pandas, but still ended up getting excellent tickets at a time that totally worked for our timeframe and zoo climbing layout! The new Penguin Rock was awesome, now all the penguins can be together, which is doubly awesome cause that meant a rockhopper (my favorite) was in the Penguin Parade for the first time that I have seen. I do not have photographic evidence of this because he got a bit tired on the way and was brought back by a keeper, but it was still awesome!

The sun bears are one of my favorites, they look like they are wearing too big pajamas, and the pandas were awake this time! So the bears were awesome! The koalas, though technically not bears, were not on display because they are getting a new habitat, I believe because they are getting a girl koala. I was a bit disappointed because I sorta bigged up that they were the only koalas in the UK, but what can you do.

The penguins were nesting the last time I was there, and I don't know if this is the same ones now but they have layed eggs and 15 of them had hatched by that point, so we got to see baby penguins! And they are way cuter than what I think they look like when they are the big grey/brown fluffball in my mind, they look like penguins put through a shrinkray! 

Of all the big cats, Mowgli the Black Jaguar was the most active, that we could see, we just got there when he got up from the back and came strutting down, we got some excellent photos of him. The rest were sleeping, except for the Scottish Wildcat, which kind just looks like a really hard housecat! The tiger was pacing quite high above us so I got fragments of him, perhaps I can piece them together.

We had excellent timing throughout the day as well, when we went through the indoor there was a lady there for the brass rubbings you can do, but she ended up telling us more about the rhinos they have. And how the Zoo works with them until they are 6 years old when they are old enough to meet a lady and settle down, but til that time, they are worked with so that vets can get near them, which is pretty cool. So that means that next year they will probably be heading in separate directions, but possible two new wee ones will replace them. So they can grow up to be responsible Rhinos too.

The otters were out! The were playing and eating and chasing eachother, it was awesome, I always wait and look and try to see them, but never have any luck. But this time I saw them running amok! It was excellent, see what I mean about good timing.

The Pygmy hippos are pretty excellent too, last time I was there, the wee hippo was just a tiny sausage and now she's almost the same size as her mom! Crazyness! This picture is mostly for Caryn.

Now hopefully this video works cause it is awesome, the Sun Bears rock.

I sometimes get a bit anxious about meeting people, especially people who I have never met ever before. So I build it up in my head that it will be really awkward and I won't speak to them. I'll just sit there and point at things of interest but do not explain or anything. Annnnd it usually turns out that it is awesome and I have a great time. So I need to push myself to just do more things because otherwise I wouldn't have met Lynn Sue and Jesse, all of whom were awesome. 

So yes an excellent Monday.

In The Post

So we have still been busy, busy, busy with the flat, and so have the plumbers and electricians. Now the electricians have not only put a hole through the downstairs neighbours ceiling but when using the ladder in her Garden, broke a dog dish that came from Canada. So I would have to say she is not best pleased. Not only wrecking stuff in her house but they have damaged the floorboards at ours and when replacing them, made a real mess of it. So that probably means that Daniel and Gordon will have to redo them, which shouldn't be the case but at least it will be done right. Oh the hassle. But hopefully soon they will be done what they are doing and we can carry on doing things properly.

In other news, I have replaced the missing Doctor for Sarah and he is in the post. I am currently really liking drawing on envelopes. Its a good bit of fun! Plus I got Tardis stamps this time. As long as they do not get thieved!

 

 

Annnd for the first time I think ever I went to the dentist today and I didn't need any fillings! Whoooo! So all in all I am feeling pretty good about today, I am hopefully going to the house for some more wallpaper removing and perhaps it will be nice and sunny later and I can have supper outside! 

So these are some photos of bits around where we live now, I am pretty excited to be living in this area again, and can't wait to have some time to ourselves so I can have a bit of a walk down to the shore and stuff!

And some of Edinburgh, of course.

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

Wild West Edinburgh

Its been a pretty long week this week, a guy at my work was on holiday so I was working 8 days in a row which wasn't brilliant, so when the weekend came, I wanted to make the most of it. I have been snooping around the website for the Edinburgh Farmers Market for a wee while now, but I have been procrastinating, and thus have not ended up going. So I finally went and it was a beautiful day. One of the vendors I was really interested in looking into wasn't there but I got some great Isle of Arran Cheddar infused with herbs. Which I am hopefully going to make scones with. Hopefully, if Dixon doesn't eat all of it.

From the Farmers Market I went for a wee wander through Princes Gardens, St Cuthberts Curch and Graveyard, and around the back of the castle. The clear day made it a really lovely walk. So spring is really on its way for us, this time last year we were seeing the end of the daffodils and this year its just the beginning. 

Now I knew I was supposed to meet Mhairi at some point and it was only about 11:00 so knowing Mhairi I had plenty of time. So there is a back alley in Edinburgh that for some reason or another is mocked up to look like a wild west street. I had found out about it a bit ago and found where it was, I think the Cantina is the emergency exit for the Morningside Library.  Its a pretty cool bit of randomness tucked away in Edinburgh.