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Scottish Update

Typical rainbow shot...it's so beautiful here that sometimes I just laugh.

The newest addition across the road.

Lake of Menteith at Coldon

The dogs sleep outside in a shed. At first, I was mortified. I couldn't believe they kept the dogs outside at night when it's so cold. But the dogs seem to love it. They make little nests in the wood chips and keep all snuggled through the night. I know two dogs in Orinda who would keel over at the thought of sleeping outside. And then there's Thumper...he would actually kill himself if you left him outside in a box of wood chips.

These houses are really gorgeous and their rooftops just kill me.

You can really tell that Spring is here!!

Wow, it has been a long while since I've posted so there is much to tell. David and I spent two weeks out at Coldon looking after Mrs. Callander and the dogs while Sheena and her husband were away on a skiing break in Colorado. Being out at the big house is like being on vacation. When you wake up in the morning the only thing you hear is the birds. No traffic, no people walking down the street...nothing...nada...zilch. At night when we would put the dogs to bed (they sleep outside in a shed and somehow really love it) you can hear the geese squawking away at the lake and nothing else and there are stars like you wouldn't believe. To put it simply, it was great. The only trouble was that it added on 30 minutes to my commute in the morning. Yes, you heard me...I HAVE A JOB! It's not a glamorous job, it's not a big job, but it's a job. I've been temping at the University here and I absolutely love it. I'm doing admin stuff in the Philosophy Department and while you might think that the philosophers may walk around all pensive and broody (some do) most are pretty funny. I love working at the University and hope to continue working there for a while. They must follow protocol and advertise the job and while they will most likely hire internally, I'm still going to apply for the position. I have to say that it is rather interesting seeing college life from a different perspective. I get all the lame excuses as to why they missed their seminar or why their paper is late or why they really really really need and an extension...did I sound so stupid when I was at college?

The campus is really beautiful...well, the scenery is but the buildings were built in the 70's so they are not so pretty. We have a lake on campus so there are lots of ducks and swans tittering about and there bunnies are everywhere. We also have a small, sort of unassuming castle. It's not much from the outside but has the most amazing wood work I've ever seen.

The weather is getting warmer like everywhere in the northern hemisphere. The roads are literally lined with daffodils, the trees are starting to bloom like mad, and most importantly the sheep are lambing. There are babies popping out all over the place and I hope to get some pictures of them soon...they are absolutely lovely.

I suppose that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoy the pics!

Ketchup is really okay...

Okay, so I actually tried ketchup on my cottage pie and really loved it. Perhaps it's my British heritage coming out in me? Strange, I know.

So my interview went really well the other day but once again I was up against 17 other people and so I'm not holding my breath. At least I'm not feeling as bad as before as I found out that there were 150 applicants for the post - so at least they don't think I'm completely incompetent.

On a brighter note, I have my first temping gig starting on Monday. I'll be working at the University of Stirling which is about 15 minutes away from here. I've been desperately searching for a job there but have been unsuccessful thus far and I hope this gives me a way to get my foot in the door there. Wish me luck.

Cottage Pie!

I made my first cottage pie today. A cottage pie consists of minced beef and onions and whatever veggies you feel like tossing in - I chose peas and carrots. After you cook everything and get the sauce just right (my sauce was aided by something that came in a packet), you place it in a casserole dish and cover with a layer of mashed potatoes. Yum. I love the cottage pie but it could sure use a bit of spicing up. David smothered it with ketchup which is the traditional way of eating a cottage pie...hhmmm, I'll pass on that method! I do believe that I'd prefer the cottage pie with a puff pastry dough instead of mashed potatoes but then this would not be a cottage pie but rather a mince pie. It seems that there are thousands of meat pies here and I can't wait to try every one of them.

On a different note, I'm going on an interview on Wednesday at the University of Edinburgh for a job in their International Office. Keep your fingers crossed! Although the commute would be kind of long, Edinburgh would be a beautiful place to work and I could get sushi whenever I wanted! This is only my second interview (went to one at the University of Stirling but apparently they weren't impressed) which is astonishing considering how many CVs and applications I've submitted. And only one organisation has requested information from my references. I suppose it's a numbers game but I'm getting quite tired of the whole business of finding employment...it's hard work!

Night fun

Got to see my first total lunar eclipse last night...very cool. It looked like a giant volleyball suspened in the air. Can't believe you guys missed it!