9.15.2009

It's brilliant!

For the most part, we've been able to understand everyone over here in Scotland pretty well. But you'll still run into folks that have a much heavier accent, depending on where they're from and how fast they talk. To give you an idea of how we are occasionally lost in conversation, I made up a stupid sentence using some of the stuff we've heard here. It's probably not in the best context but you'll get the jist:

Scots speak: I took me spurtle and tattie and footered about toon for a wee bit, searching for a hough. Forby I was pissed! Brilliant.

Translation: I took my wooden spoon and potato and wandered around town for a little while, searching for a shank of meat. Besides I was drunk! Cool.

Using the word "pissed" to mean drunk instead of angry is so wierd to me! I realized what it meant when we were out one night with some buddies from Mike's work. I was giving one of the guys a hard time for being a punk and told him I was suuuppperrrr pissed. They all laughed and said, "Really!? Brilliant!"

So I've been falling down on the job with such a long gap between blog entries, as well as not taking as many pictures! The honest truth isn't that we haven't been off on some amazing adventure, we've just been settling comfortably into everyday life here in Aberdeen.


Mike has joined the company's football (aka soccer) match every Wednesday after work, Steve returned to Scotland this past weekend so we're back to group dinners and happy hour ventures, and I've picked up a bit of freelance work as well as some part-time dog walking. I love it! The doggies are all the cutest things and, while they make me miss my own even more, it's nice to be around some furry creatures. I generally walk an hour to three in the mornings, depending on how many dogs I've got to take. It's always in serene wooded areas and trails, very relaxing. Here's a couple pictures of my dog walking ventures as well as my own pups at home, can't forget about them!!!!



MY DOGGIES, JERSEY & SHINER!!


We did make it out to the Highland Games in Braemar about two weekends ago. What an experience! Seeing grown men doing their best to launch giant wooden poles (cabers) or yank each other down during tug of war was, um... different. But they take the games very seriously and it's an incredibly popular event. I gotta hand it to the guys too, they're really tough--for instance, the weight that they toss over the bar high above their heads weighs 56 lbs! It falls so hard that sometimes it's difficult for even them to pull it out of the grass.


The queen also made an appearance just over half-way through the games. She wore a bright yellow hat and sat in her special "house," as Mike calls it, during the rest of the games. And part of her security team even wore kilts... I mean, it's not like the security guys in suits and ties were exactly blending in! I also enjoyed one of the best desserts EVER. Chocolate gateau with cream, fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce. Yum-o. Mike also tried a vension burger with carmelized onions.
THE QUEEN IS IN THE YELLOW HAT

DELICIOUS DESSERT AT THE GAMES


Local and somewhat popular foods in Aberdeen appear to be fish and chips, salmon (it's delicious here), lamb, vension, animal kidneys and livers (yuck), chips (fries--they were served with my pizza at one restaurant), black pudding and haggis. We haven't tried the last two, and don't really intend to. But we are still cooking pretty often and get fresh fish weekly. Their produce and fruits are also really good, smaller in size than we usually see in the States, but still means fresh and healthy eating for us at home.


Our first Texas visitors arrive in about one month! My older brother, Jesse, and his wife, Leigh Ann.... we can't wait! It'll be the motivation I need to finally finish putting up ALL the clothes that we didn't yet fit into our tiny closet. We're planning a getaway of some sort for our three-year wedding anniversary next weekend, plus a trip to Paris in early December! That will be followed by a much anticipated visit from my mom and step-dad as well as one from a good friend of ours, who we hope will spend New Year's with us in Edinburgh. So I'll soon have exciting updates and pictures to share as we travel... If you're looking into a trip overseas in the forseeable future, check out this sight: luxurylink.com. It's got some great hotel packages all over the world, including the US, and is a fantastic way to find some incredible hotels, see photos, read reviews and more. You can bid on any package of your choosing, starting with the minimum bid required. All the packages include your stay plus a couple extras, like discounts to local attractions, dinner for two, breakfast every morning, etc. Bon voyage!


1 comment:

  1. Great reading! Loving the blog! Mom
    (I have to post anonymous because I can't figure out the 'profile'..)

    ReplyDelete

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