Not So Green

I guess compared to what it's been all winter, this probably looks pretty green.  But Scotland stays vibrantly green all year round, so this is looking a bit dreary to me.  I'm sure spring and it's blooms are just around the corner, but for now, I'm missing my back garden in bonnie Scotland.

Frozen Falls

'Nuff said.  The bottom literally was frozen. 

Yoghurt Berries?

I like the odd stuff I see in nature.  These look like they are made of yoghurt.  Or yogurt, if you're American.  I'm not going to taste them, though. 

QML

I spent five horrible hours in QML (that's the Queen Mother Library, for those of you not from Aberdeen).  It was miserable.  It's a terrible old grimy clausterphobic building, and they didn't want to let me in since my student id has expired, despite the fact I'm doing corrections for a degree from here.  And they wouldn't let me take out a three-hour heavy demand book I needed for the same reason, even though it's the only copy they have.  And I had both my old id and my letter stating my corrections.  Jerks.  I hate that place. 

So I didn't take a picture of it.  Or rather, I did... but I'm not using it.  I'm using one I like instead:

Scott's View

We spent all of today driving around in the Borders, seeing the four famous abbeys-- Melrose, Dryburgh, Jedburgh, and Kelso.  They were amazing.  I wouldn't mind being a nun if I had a setting like those.  Wow. 

As we were driving between the two, we saw a sign for 'Wallace Statue' and 'Scott's View'.  We weren't sure what either of them were, but we needed a pretty picnic spot, so we struck off to find them.  They were only a mile or so off our route (or so they claimed), but the statue turned out to be a thirty minute walk round-trip once you got to the carpark.  I didn't want to risk missing any of the abbeys, so we opted to drive a further half mile to explore the View.  It was well worth it, I think:

I'm guessing it must be Sir Walter Scott who gives it the name, as we saw his grave at the abbey just before we stopped here (Dryburgh).  I read Rob Roy earlier this year, and had just finished Ivanhoe, so I was quite inspired by the view and the grave (both were unexpected).  I love the Borders, and am so glad Paige is based in Stirling so things like this aren't so prohibitive to get to (from Aberdeen it would not be a day trip, that's for sure!)

Autumn in Narnia

I am feeling poorly today, and the weather has been awful.  But I needed to go in to meet Paige on campus with her passport, so we could rent a car for the weekend.  I've never needed more than my driving license for rentals, but hey.  Whatever, Enterprise.  What. Ever. 

So I couldn't find my return bus ticket (of course) and I had to buy a single (of course) and wait in the rain (of course).  But it wasn't raining when I got to Stirling Uni, and I had some time before Paige was done with all her duties that day, so I decided to walk around the lake on campus.  The leaves were turning and it was lovely.  I fell on my bum on the wet pavement (of course) trying to bend down to take a photo of some vividly coloured leaves-- I blame my stopped up head for messing with my balance.  Anyway.  It was still lovely.  Although it would have been nicer if someone had been around to laugh at/with me when I fell over.  That always helps, when I'm laughing at my clumsy self.  =) 

It was a gorgeous afternoon, on a gorgeous campus.  Stirling may not have the architecture of my King's College, but it's the best landed. 

Up With the Sun

Not that that's so hard to do these days, with winter fast closing in.  I caught the Megabus this morning around half nine to go meet Paige in Edinburgh for her birthday weekend extravaganza, and was awake before it was light.  I was greeted with this sight as we were nearing Stonehaven:

Gorgeous.  I love this place. 

Lucky Duckies.

Okay, so technically they aren't ducks.  They're goose.  Gooses.  Geeses!  Geese.  Erm... that word just looks weirder and weirder. 

Anyway.  It's a sure sign of fall to see and hear these birdies on their travels south.  Which makes me a wee bit jealous, as it's getting assuredly colder and darker here in the North East. 

Walking on Sunshine

After days and days and days of chilly and rainy and gross, today was glorious!  I didn't have anything I needed to do, but I couldn't stand to stay inside.  So I heated up my lunch and hiked up Broad Hill, then wandered into toon and just kept walking in the sunshine-- except for the brief time I was in Starbucks with Lynch. 

I love gorgeous autumn days like this. 

Bunnies!

I had a meeting with Brian at 1 to prep for Monday.  I was expecting more of a practice thing with questions and all, but instead it was more of a 'what to expect when you're expecting... your PhD viva' and what the process is like and all that.  So it was helpful.  I'll tell you all about it another time. 

After that, I had two hours until my (possibly last) counselling session with the university counsellor I've been seeing for more than a year now.  It wasn't worth going home and coming back, so I headed to the Hub to enjoy the last Fresher-free day and get some Subway.  I got a seat by the window, and was distracted for quite a while by this little guy:

He was having quite a time.  It was so windy that he kept getting his ears blown all around.  But he must have been hungry, cos he stuck at it for ages.  I felt bad for him out there in the cold wind, but I enjoyed spying on him.