I haven't forgotten you, blog!

Hi everyone

Been awhile since I've posted, someone needs to give me a good kick in the bum with this blog every now and then! All is well and settling down in our new apartment, been there for over a week now - time is going so fast, can you believe it's mid May already? Before I know it summer will be over (hopefully not before it begins) and we'll be braving lots more wind and rain than we are at the moment.

Despite all the talk about the weather, Edinburgh's been quite good to us Aussies. April was incredibly mild and it hardly rained at all. It's been a little bit damp here for the past week though, some days it will get better in the afternoons while other days the sky stays grey all day. On Monday it was quite nice and sunny after a dreary weekend so I went for a big long walk after work but after an hour it started to turn and I got caught in the rain, no biggie though I just put my hood on and kept walking for another half an hour. I walked around the fringe of the city centre, it's the best way to discover which buses go where, find cheaper restaurants, and help me to generally nut out the city. I came across the Royal Commonwealth Pool which is quite rundown, so much so they admit it in their brochures however they are closing it next year to build a new one. Reminded me of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, think that's looking a little bit worse for wear these days. I used to love going there when I was a kid for some reason even though the diving pool was never open. Not that I would have had the guts to jump off the 10m plank anyway, but it's nice to have the option.

Been going out lots and still meeting new people. I'm trying to save a few pounds and shed a few pounds by laying off the beer but it was a friend's birthday today and we went out last night to celebrate and somehow I helped to devour a bottle of red. Never mind. We went to a really lovely place called Iglu, a tiny bar/lounge/restaurant. So nice! We wanted to treat ourselves and share a cheese platter but the kitchen is so small they had actually run out of cheese! I’m just trying to think back and let you know what else we have done over the past few weeks. I’ve seen a few gigs at this place called Cabaret Voltaire, mostly up and coming bands or singer from the UK but last Monday an Australian brother and sister duo called Angus and Julia Stone played. I think they were in the JJJ Hottest 100 this year, really lovely laidback melodies. Julia is this tiny little thing and looks a lot like my my cousin Ben’s fiancé Nicki (I’ve got no idea how to spell her name, so many different ways hope it’s right). I’d never seen them live before so it also took me awhile to get used to her ‘Joe Cocker’ moves on the stage when she sings. A bit strange at first but by the end it was endearing. Angus is a real cutie, a bit shy but his voice is gold. There was such a serene air in the room when they were playing - I think Edinburgh was charmed that night by those two Aussies.

Speaking of gigs, Cara let me know Josh Pyke is doing another tour of the UK (he was last here when I was in NY or around that time – not long ago) so I will be there with bells on in June when he comes to Glasgow. Hopefully I can recruit a few people to enjoy his tunes as well, really love his stuff. That’s why I’m so annoyed – my mp3 player and noise cancelling headphones were stolen out of my room at the backpackers (Briony and I were sharing a twin room, you’d think we wouldn’t have to lock everything away. They didn’t even have lockers in that room. I’d love to know who it was that took it, it was a crappy, clunky player of no value or use to anyone but me. I hate that my music is gone and also that someone got into our supposedly private room but I’ve filed a police report and will file a claim with travel insurance to hopefully replace the items. Whoever took it I take heart in the fact that karma will come back to bite them on the bum soon enough. Rargh. Interestingly, Briony’s hairbrush has also been taken. What a weird item to steal but it’s nowhere to be found and she never took it out of the room so we can’t come to any other conclusions than that. At least these items are replaceable, and they weren’t our passports. Enough of the venting, what else can I tell you about?

Rang home on Saturday night after going out to watch Eurovision to catch Mum by surprise for Mother’s Day morning in Australia. Sounds like all is well and Mum and Dad are busy planning to travel to Europe later on in the year. I am so excited for them as they have not done an overseas trip before, I know they will love it. And what better excuse to travel and to come and see me? I can’t wait to take them around Edinburgh and do all the touristy things and all the rest of it. A snap decision was made at about 3am Sunday morning that we would go to Glasgow on the train with our housemate Lawrence and his partner Stuart to go shopping. So I got up a did a bit of washing before heading down to the train station and 50 minutes later in the early afternoon we were in Glasgow. It’s apparently a lot like Melbourne, a bit industrial but good live music scene and nightlife in general. And shopping, which is what we went for. I only bought a £7 top to lounge around in but I’ll definitely return when I have some more moolah to spend. Briony found a jacket for £12 which was a complete bargain and is really nice and warm. I’ve been on the lookout for another jacket so hopefully I’ll get a bargain soon too. A lot of the fashion is really ugly here at the moment, all that baggy knitted cardigans which have no shape and pinafore dresses and tops with big buttons. Ugh. I need to find some inspiration soon before my Aussie clothes fall apart!

I purposely haven’t written anything about how life is going in our new apartment because I want to put up some photos. So, next post I will take you on a grand tour of Apartment 2F1, 53 George IV Bridge. X