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Seaside homes. It’s such a charming little town.

They have a golf course right next to the ocean. Pretty cool. This is the golfer I met. Thought I’d get a picture with someone famous.

Here’s who he is, if you’re interested.

At the beach!

This big rock, only about a mile or two from shore, used to be home to a state prison. There’s still a lighthouse there and in the summer a boat will take tourists to visit. You can read more about this gigantic rock here.

Bass Rock

We walked about 2 and a half miles to Dirleton, a small town nearby that was home to the ruins of a castle. I started feeling more and more at home as we got further out into the country.

Winter wheat!

Harvested wheat.

But then we came to this field. No idea what this is.

Charming street in Dirleton.

Our little, shaggy haired, booger, enjoying the ride.

It ended up being a pretty long walk, but it was worth it after we bought our tickets, walked through the amazing gardens, and rounded a corner to see this.

Wow.

We were pretty impressed. Just imagining the kings, queens, knights, servants etc. who lived here was a little too crazy for my brain to handle.

View from inside the courtyard.

The courtyard ruins.

Read about the castle here.

The king, queen and prince.

Just checking on the lowly subject outside our castle.

It was a great day. I’ll leave you with a couple pics of the royal couple with their little prince.

In these two months many things have become very normal. Here are a few:

• Walking EVERYWHERE. I keep thinking that surely I must be getting in shape, but then there are times I find myself huffing and puffing, pushing the stroller up a hill and wonder if I’ve really made any progress. Many times we just don’t go somewhere because it requires walking and we don’t want to pay for the bus. I suppose it saves us money, if on nothing else than gas. I’m not really sure that either of us are up for the challenge of driving on the wrong side of the car and road yet anyway. We ARE finally remembering to look right first when crossing the street.
• Hearing people walking and living life above us and beside us, and in general having neighbors so close by again.  : ) Oh well, I guess they have to listen to us too.
• Having groceries delivered to our kitchen table, yay! It is very interesting though, ordering online. I can’t get a feel for how big the packages actually are and grams really don’t mean anything to me yet. It’s hard to imagine 500 paper clips worth of sugar. On that note, I am getting pretty good at knowing where 350 degrees farenheit is on my oven. It’s one notch above the 150, 150 degrees celsius that is. Impressive, huh?
• Flipping a switch every time we want to use the shower, appliances or an outlet. Sometimes I still forget and wonder why my straightener isn’t hot yet or why the eggs aren’t cooking.
• Rolling out dough with a cup.

Not that you really needed a picture of that.

Now for some randomness. These things really didn’t need their own post, but thought you might be interested in some extras. These items are free.

Randomness Part 1:

We visited the National Museum of Scotland and posed with the Dolly the Sheep. It wasn’t near as exciting as we thought it might be even though our friends warned us that it wouldn’t be. She looks like a regular dirty, old sheep.

This museum is amazing. It will take us several visits to get through it all. It’s a teacher’s field trip dream–or nightmare–depending on how you look at it. But it is very kid-friendly in that many displays are interactive and there’s a room just for kids and babies. Zachary had fun in that room just looking at himself in the huge mirrors on the wall.

(On a side note, Edinburgh is very kid and baby friendly. We see other moms with their babies and kids all the time. There’s a ton of free stuff to do on a rainy day, and on a nice day the playgrounds are awesome.  They have all the fun things that are “too dangerous” for playgrounds back home.)

Zachary and I visited the art gallery with some new friends.
Here in Edinburgh many of the museums and art galleries are free. The nice thing about that is you can go for just a little while and not feel like you need to spend the whole day because you paid an arm and a leg to get in. I can only handle so much “culture” in one day anyway. Both the museum and art gallery are very close to New College, so if we ever felt like it Bubba and I could visit them while we wait for Daddy.

Randomness Part 2:

I LOVE Charity Shops. They’re just like thrift stores back home, except much smaller, I can barely fit the stroller in most of them. They are EVERYWHERE. Every non-profit organization seems to have their own Charity Shop. You can find just about anything at these places… clothes, books, small appliances, anything for the kitchen etc. etc. Not much different than Goodwill, but oh, so much more fun.

Randomness Part 3:

You know how when you’re on the front side of a situation and you wonder how it’s ever going to work out? You KNOW it will work out somehow because God has been faithful way too many times not to be faithful now, but still, the unknown is just a tad scary sometimes. I feel so far on the other side of not knowing that I’ve almost forgotten all that God has done,  and I sure don’t want to forget. So, here are a few things I want to remember–some things are big, most small.

• Our house was under contract less than 30 days before we were scheduled to fly out and we closed on it 2 days before we left.
• Our visas were cleared and accepted back in July. At one point we didn’t know if they would be because mine and Zachary’s were at first rejected, but after a few clarifications they went right through.
• God gave us the grace to say goodbye to our families, although it wasn’t without many, many tears, more than I’ve cried in a long time.
• We made it through London-Heathrow Airport and to our flight for Edinburgh on time, even though at one point someone “official” said we wouldn’t (he looked at the boarding time instead of departure time on our tickets).
• Josh is loving school, even though we had a feeling he probably would. His supervisor is one of the best, and he’s already made some really good progress on his thesis.
• We have found a wonderful church home at Duncan Street Baptist Church, a five minute walk from our flat. They are a small, but growing congregation of all ages and make it clear that the Bible and the Gospel are central. Just tonight Josh is meeting with some others about forming a small group with some other new, young families.
• Except for a few lonely days at the beginning, wondering what in the world we have gotten ourselves into, we have settled in great. We have found many friendly and welcoming folks at our flat complex. Many are from North America, in the same boat as we are, and eager to share tips and tricks to transitioning to this new culture.
• I’m reminded again how thankful I am that we are in a country that speaks English, although I’m also daily reminded that it’s very different than American English. Just today while ordering groceries I couldn’t find the dishwashing soap because it’s called wash up soap. Clothes pins are called clothes pegs. Thank goodness for google. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one with these questions.

We didn’t snap this pic, but I wanted to include a view of the hill from a distance.

As you can see from the pic above, it is home to numerous monuments. It also provides some amazing views of the city!

And views across the firth (bay).

In the distance the Edinburgh castle is visible.

This is a view to the SE–a look at Arthur’s Seat, the highest of Edinburgh’s hills.

You’ll probably recognize these folks . . .

Zachary is enjoying some sun, as you can see.

The pic below is the National Monument which was intended to be like the Parthenon. Funding dried up and it was never completed, so it has stood as you see it for more than a century-and-a-half.

The walk to (and up) the hill was nice and not too strenuous. For any who might come to visit us, it would be a definite site to visit.

We hope things are well with you, from wherever you’re reading this!

I learned how to use my oven. I know, it seems like a simple thing, but you have to do a little finagling. Push two buttons, twist this one and then turn a knob or two. Despite all that it has this great feature called Circotherm that quickly circulates the hot air eliminating pre-heating. Yeah! I always forgot to do that anyway.

My first batch of baked goods was scones, of course! They’re not the most beautiful looking things, but they tasted good. They’re pretty much a sweetened biscuit, but oh so delicious with a little jam (not jelly, that’s jello over here) and my new favorite  condiment, clotted cream (a mix between butter and heavy cream).  Can I just say that clotted cream is a-mazing. That just might be the only  reason that I make scones. ; ) Add coffee or tea and you have a perfect morning, afternoon, evening or anytime snack.

Side note here, as I was working on supper, after I’d finished the scones, I heard the smacking of lips behind me. I knew it was my sweet boy and didn’t think much of it until I turned around and found this:

What’s the big deal mom?

We laughed so hard. He acted like eating a whole scone was the most normal thing in the world. “Mommy and Daddy do it, why can’t I?” Maybe next time mom will be a little more careful with how close she puts the scones to the little guy.

A couple of days later I baked chocolate chip cookies. (Z didn’t get any of those.)

Here are a few things I discovered.

Two bags of chocolate chips only equals 1 ¼ cups. So very sad. Thankfully they’re not too expensive.

Brown sugar comes in a much smaller package than I’m used to.

Not all eggs come in a dozen, but isn’t this the cutest egg carton you ever saw?

I hand mixed cookies for the first time, I miss you, dear Kitchen Aid mixer, but I am so glad I brought my mini ice cream scoop.

Another day I found out that a cup work fine for rolling out pizza dough, it just might not be a perfect circle. I never could get a good circle with my rolling pin anyway. Now I just have a good excuse.

Our flat is now smelling a bit more like home now, or… maybe we’re just getting used to it.

Earlier this week I was excited to find my very own study desk in one of just a few study rooms we have as post grad students. This is basically a cubicle I can call home–I can leave books and papers there, etc.

The Student Card that Does Everything (sometimes)

Now that I have my handy-dandy student card, I thought I’d try entering a secured side door which opens up that wing of the building to a side street (i.e., I was taking a shortcut). I held my card up to the entry pad. It read it, then displayed: “Enter your PIN.” I entered my pin. Nothing. Tried it a few more times. Nothing. Oh well, I’ll just walk around the building and go through the front door.

By the way, this is not the actual staircase.

So my card successfully gets me through the front door, and I’m off… up stairs, turning this way and that, up more stairs, working toward the study room (it’s a bit of a maze to navigate the building). Then I hit a secured door. I swipe my card. “Access Denied,” comes the response. At this point I’m starting to sweat a bit. Literally. I had walked just over 30 mins in the cool of morning to get to school, then another 5 mins up stairs in a warm building.

I try again. Nothing.

Back toward the front door I go to see if I can get some help from the office. To my delight, someone is able to jump on a computer and do the trick that makes my card work for that door.

Back up all the stairs and down all the halls I go. Now I’m sweating. I approach that secured door once again. Swipe. Click. I’m in.

Now it’s up a few more flights of stairs and I hit the study room door. More security…

On the Brink

So this door is secured by a sort of combination code lock. I enter the combo I’d been given, then turn the lock knob and push the door. Nothing. I try again. Nothing.

I should have mentioned that this study room, as compared to the other, is known as the “quiet” room. It’s the room you request if you’re the type who likes silence when you study. I thought, Sure, I like quiet to study.

So given this is the quiet room, I beginning to think I might be disturbing other students by my trying to tinker with the door lock.

I try again. Nothing.

Then I hear the door click from the inside and realize what’s about to happen. The door opens.

“Hey, sorry,” I say.

“Did you turn it clockwise?” comes the response.

“No,” I answer.

There you go. Simple as that.

I’m In!

Now I’m in. All I need to do is find my desk. It’s number 3. So I walk down a row of desks and they all look empty. Hmmm. Where’s the number? I couldn’t find any numbers on the desk.

Now I’m thinking I’m going to have to disturb somebody to help me find my desk. Great.

But just then I spot a little circular sticker on the corner of a cubicle with a number on it. Aha. Now I’ve found it. So I discover my cubicle and sit down, taking off my sport coat which is suffocating me by this point, and breath a sigh of relief. A quiet sigh mind you.

Quiet

So this room is very quiet. In fact, it’s so quiet that I feel like just the sound of my bag’s zipper is too loud. So I carefully unzip the compartments, take out my computer and papers, etc. Every noise seems to echo off the walls. I listen for a moment just to try to hear even the typing on a keyboard. Hmmm. I have to type eventually.

Welcome Noise

A little time goes by and some more people come in to study at their desks. I’m a bit relieved now that I discover a certain amount of human noise seems permissible. Eventually someone comes in and sits just to my right and just to my left. There are partial cubicle dividers on either side that prevent you from seeing anything but the other person’s shoes and lower legs.

Funny side note. Someone comes in at some point and all at once a loud sound comes screaming out of his computer–it’s the unmistakable sound effect played by a mac when it is started up. “Ahh Crap,” he says, almost as loud as the sound of the computer. I don’t blame him. I probably would have done the same. Maybe it was his first day, too.

Unwelcome Noise

It’s not long until I notice my desk shaking ever so slightly. Hmmm. I wondered if maybe a big truck went by the building and caused a little vibration. No. There it is again. It feels suspiciously like when a person shakes their leg nearby. Please no!

A Leg Shaker

Yes, it’s true. I look down and see the leg and foot of my neighbor needlessly bouncing up and down. Now it’s in my peripheral vision, too. This is bad–a personal pet peeve.

I begin imagining ways I can ask him to stop. Maybe I could wait until he leaves and leave an anonymous note. No. We’re adults. Why can’t I just ask him? No. I should just learn to cope, which I did.

A Purge Typer

A bit later I begin to notice someone nearby typing very loudly. The best way to describe their typing style is to call them a “purge typer.” It seems like they store up a line of text in their mind, as if holding it until it’s about to burst, and then release it all through their fingers at once, spraying the keys with fingertips like bullets. Then repeat. The blasts of the keyboard come in waves with space in between each blast. And “blast” is no exaggeration. I could nearly hear the keys crying out for help.

The Nutcracker

A bit later I hear the unmistakable sound of someone eating nuts. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Oh no. Another pet peeve of mine. Just ask Mel. We often play music when we eat.

Conclusion: Silence Magnifies Small Noises

Yes indeed. A room can be so quiet that the little noises become big noises and more distracting than if the room was generally not so quiet. So I’ve invested in a nice pair of noise-cancelling earphones to try out next week.

Dusty, posing in our old 5-acre yard.

That’s not so bad, and we live on a fairly quiet street. So there’s much to be thankful for, but I was super thankful to read before we moved that you could get to the country/nature very quickly from wherever you are in the city. Edinburgh has several very large parks. Look it up on a map of the city. There are quite a few green spots.

We got the chance to visit one and it was so refreshing. Holyrood Park is about a 10 minute walk from our place. Once you enter the park it feels like you’ve left the city.

The perspective isn’t quite right in this pic: Those hills and cliffs are much bigger than they look here! The top is over 800 ft above the city!

In the pic above, we walked up the path you see to the right of Josh (or his left). This led us to a paved road that goes around the park/hills. We walked around about a third of the way and then found a nice (though steep enough!) path to begin the real ascent.

But along the way there were some nice sights… 

See the golf course?

That’s not a lake; it’s a loch! No Nessy, here, though. The sea is in the distance.

The view past the flower is toward the East looking toward the sea.

More flowers.

And then the climbing really began! It gets pretty windy on top of a 800 ft+ hill which is virtually treeless.

A look upon part of the city to the southwest.

Zachary did well considering the chilly breeze up there!

In the pic below, Josh used the zoom lens, a full 300mm in. Clouds and mist had moved in about the time we got to the top, so the pictures appear a bit hazy as well.

Here’s the famous Edinburgh Castle, with roots spanning back to the 12th century AD, though human settlement on the old volcanic rock goes far earlier than this.

We definitely will be hiking up there again in hopes of more sun for pictures, if not just to enjoy the views.

When it was still cold enough outside to be burning wood inside, I noticed my hands as I placed new wood in the stove. It then occurred to me that my hands were going to change in the near future. See, my hands were dry, calloused, and a bit stained (you know, the stains you get when you work on engines or tractors or cool stuff like that). I’d burnt them plenty of times arranging the wood just right in the wood stove, scraped them working on the tractor, and I now came to feel that sense of pride (silly, isn’t it?) that one feels when in such a condition.

One of the first fires in our stove.

It was in this moment I was reminded that in seven or eight months (which is now a thing of the past), I would be flying with my family to take up PhD studies at the University of Edinburgh. I likely would give up cutting, splitting, and burning firewood, using a tractor for various tasks, and the feeling one has when living in the country (that is, where your nearest neighbor’s house can’t be seen, where you hear coyotes at night rather than cars, and where the stars in the night sky seem to multiply themselves before your eyes). My hands would become softer and cleaner. I would live in a smaller space with neighbors only a few feet (or meters [or metres]) away, perhaps similar to the city apartment in which my wife and I began our journey.

The little tractor that could! Now Garold is the proud owner.

Was I sad? No, not really. I was (and am) thoroughly excited to join my family in an adventure in Edinburgh, to continue my PhD studies (for I had already done coursework in the states) in a great University, mentored by a world-class scholar, to be stretched and pushed in a new cultural setting, etc. I suppose I could describe the realization as sobering. I realized I would give up some things I really enjoyed to do some other things I would also enjoy (i.e., trade hands).

I’ve learned much during our short two years at our cabin in Gower. I’ll miss the wood stove, rumors of wolves nearby, toms gobbling in the Spring mornings, starry nights, the smells of cut hay, the sounds of the idling tractor, the proximity of Kansas City, but just as I had not fully appreciated these pleasures prior to our coming here, so I’m confident there are many pleasures to be enjoyed as we turn a new page in our lives. I anticipate a few: cool, wet (but green!) mornings in Edinburgh, late summer sun and early winter dusk, unique landscapes outside the city, New College camaraderie, learning English (again), a beautiful (and quite old by American standards) cityscape, watching performances on Edinburgh’s many pipe organs, Scottish festivals, city walks, new friends, a wonderful library and a great faculty of Divinity. I look forward to many others.

One morning at our place during the winter of ’11-’12.

One of the first things we had to figure out when we got here was how to grocery shop. We definitely weren’t going to let ourselves go hungry. ; ) We’re still figuring things out, but here’s what we’ve found so far.

#1 Don’t put more in your basket than you can carry home.

This is a really hard one for me to remember. In the States my goal was to plan a months worth of meals and shop for that month all at once so I wouldn’t have to make multiple trips to town. Thankfully we have a stroller (excuse me, “buggy/pram”) that carries our baby AND our groceries.

#2 Order your groceries online and have them delivered.

Are you serious?!?! SIGN ME UP! I’ve spoken with several moms who have recommended buying groceries online. Not only will this be great for budgeting, but I can order more than I could carry myself AND I don’t have to get out in yucky weather with a baby. Some grocery stores charge a small fee, but there’s one that delivers free of charge. I CANNOT wait to try this out. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Me? Excited? Not a chance.

#3 Don’t go shopping when everyone else is out too.

That’s a no brainer and isn’t really any different than from back home. The main busy times are in the afternoon when everyone is headed home for the day. So, shop in the morning or see #2 above.

#4 They DO have some of the same things we do!

For some reason I figured I wouldn’t find any of my favorite things like peanut butter, good quality fruits and veggies or hamburger, or pepperoni. I guess I didn’t really know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise they do have all those things.

The beef tastes a little different, but it’s not bad. I don’t think this farm girl can cook without beef anyway, so we’ll deal with the slightly different taste. Someone told me it’s because they feed their cattle what’s left of the beer after it’s done brewing. Not quite sure how the whole process works, but I’m assuming that means the left over barley hulls etc.? Hmmm, makes sense. Corn feed beef tastes different than grass fed beef tastes different than barley fed beef.

#5 Some things aren’t the same.

Their bacon here is more like ham. It looks like American bacon before you fry it, but it ends up looking and tasting more like ham. That’s one thing we’ll miss. As of yet, I have not been able to find sour cream. (This is obviously for yours truly, NOT my hubby, for those of you who know us well.) I may have to do without it. Loaded baked potatoes, tacos and chili just aren’t the same without it, though.

#6 There are no Dillons, HyVees, Price Choppers or WalMarts.

BUT, they do have very comparable options. Asda, I’ve heard, is like WalMart. We also have Sainsbury and Tesco.

The grocery store we frequent most often…so far.

Well, that’s the low-down. I’m sure we will find out MUCH more as we continue living here. We have lots to learn, but are having fun in the meantime.