Filler Post (with Dinosaurs!)

Madness? No. This... is... a filler post! Hooray!

I promise a full and detailed account of my adventure to Norwich to get my hair done once I have photos to accompany it. But while I wait for Abbi and Paul to upload the pictures, here is this filler post, which is not very exciting, but which does at least have dinosaurs in it.

Because dinosaurs are always exciting.

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Apparently Mundane Things that are Secretly Exciting

Here are some apparently mundane things that are secretly exciting.

1. Tshirt

I buy clothes on the internet! Isn't the future exciting? You know what else is exciting? Firefly.

And we will call it... This Tshirt.

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Not Even a Little Bit Murdered

Ro went home on Monday, after a very heteronormative day in which he went out looking smart for an important meeting, and I stayed home like a dutiful wife, baking pot plants, tumble-drying babies and airing the ceilings (I may not be entirely sure what dutiful wives do). But then the time came for us to part, so I saw him onto the correct tube for Heathrow, and waved through the window as he disappeared.

Although he’d actually stopped looking by that time, so I ended up waving at the woman next to him, who looked very confused by this state of affairs.

 

Live long, prosper, and catch the right train.

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Onslaught of Cute

After arriving in London yesterday morning, Ro and I vaguely meant to do lots of cool things. But Lizzie roped us into helping her colour in some flyers, and we found it strangely therapeutic, so we spent a while doing that with our tongues sticking out in concentration before eventually tearing ourselves away to face the outside world.

We set out with no real destination in mind, planning to walk and go exploring, or at least walk to a restaurant and explore the menu. We stopped to have a look at one of the tacky tourist stores Ro loves so much, and that was when it happened. I fell victim to... the Onslaught of Cute.

Could you say no to this face?

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And Lashings of Ginger Beer!

I should warn you, if you are under 13 and/or of a sensitive disposition, that this blog entry contains one naughty word. So read through your fingers so that you can cover your eyes at the right time.

Anyway, Cambridge!

 

The source of the well-known expression "happy as a snail in Cambridge".

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Taking Stock

Today was my last full day in Edinburgh, and so I planned to go on exciting walks, discover new places, eat interesting food and meet cool people.

I was going to be this guy.

Things I didn't factor in when planning included galeforce winds, waking up late, running out of clean clothes, getting a cold, and being really really lazy.

So instead of doing anything I'd planned, I did laundry, bought groceries, made ginger tea (which I hate, but it does seem to help with the cold), and then lurked in Cath's flat all day, catching up on life and taking stock.

So here is some stock.

Travel injuries: 1 bruise (source unknown), 2 grazes (slip-slop, falling over), 1 lump on head (counter at hostel), 1 mild sunburn (sun)
Celebrities stalked: 2
Books read: 1
Cups of coffee drunk: 4
Cups of tea drunk: c. 25
Alcoholic drinks consumed: 2
Chocolate eaten: 220g
Pieces of fudge eaten: 1
Pieces of millionaire's shortbread eaten: 6
Pita breads eaten: c. 15
Days of eating breakfast for supper: 2
Grocery stores visited: Innumerable
Uses of scarf: Pillow, towel, cushion, headscarf (and even to keep my neck warm, once or twice)
Photos taken: 415
New friends made: 1
Coach trips: 4
Train trips: 0
Boat trips: 1
Acid trips: 0
Laundry days: 2
Spontaneous tickets purchased: 3
Hikes hitched: 2
Couches surfed: 3
Hostels stayed in: 2
Skype calls: 3
Times deciding that THIS song is the best song ever for long journeys: 9
Moments of homesickness: 1
Moments of wanting to stay here forever: 1
Really really sad moments: 1
Really really happy moments: Lots

Next up is Cambridge. So far, I only have a ticket to get halfway there, but I'll figure out the rest of the way somehow. Maybe tomorrow I can be that guy! Brb, buying khaki.

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Nessie Day!

Today was Nessie Day! Because there's not much else to do in Inverness, even if you are interested in castles and cathedrals. And also because Nessie's awesome.

But I'll come back to that.

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My Totally Spontaneous Adventure

Ro left for Oxford on Friday morning to present a conference paper about monsters for other smart people, leaving me to work out what to do with my life until we meet up in Cambridge next week. Friday was a spectacularly unproductive day, in which I hid from the rain in an amazing coffee shop all day, ostensibly to work on my NaNo novel from last year, although I ended up planning my weekend trip until Cath joined me, after which we drank coconut lattes and smoothies like richer people than we actually are.

It was probably for the best. My novel's terrible.

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Shake Bacon Crown!

On Tuesday night we decided to be totally daring and go out at night. So we went to the pub across the road, where I learned that alcohol is so expensive that I could have bought two slabs of chocolate for the price of my drink. The drink in question was actually quite nice, but given the choice, I'll take the chocolate, thanks. Cath joined us later, and we hung out on grubby sofas at the hostel until late.

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I Blame Prince Philip

Today we decided to do the free walking tour (which I've done before, here and in Prague), but it was just starting to rain as we got close, so we chickened out and went for coffee instead. The coffee shop we were passing at the time of out-chickening happened to be the one where J.K. supposedly sat and wrote the early Harry Potters, so it seemed too good to pass up.

Plus, it was cold outside.

HP graffiti in the bathroom.

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You Think, You Wink, You Do a Double Blink...

 Hey look! We're in Edinburgh!

O hai!

We had a very long and uncomfortable overnight coach trip to get here, after which we were sore, sleep-deprived, and hours too early to check in at our hostel, so we dropped our bags and went out into the city, fuelled only by painkillers and chocolate.

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Just Freezing in the Rain (Not a Glorious Feeling at All)

We had another late start this morning, and after packing our lunch like the good thrifty students we are, we set out around mid-morning for Camden Town. Since it seemed warm enough, we did so in jeans and tshirts (can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?).

This awning and this shop seem weirdly mismatched. Or are those just seriously badass pretty dresses?

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More London Left, Less London Right

Today we had another day of perfect weather, and we walked until our feet hurt and then we walked a little more. And then a lot more after that.

We wandered along Fleet Street and down to St Paul's before crossing the Millennium Bridge and taking a walk along the South Bank.

From the garden at St Paul's. Yeah, hygiene, Mary Poppins.

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A New Adventure

Every time I start anything new, I want to sing Les Mis. So here it is, another blog, another destiny! This neverending road to... cookies and Sherlock season 2, hopefully.

For those of you who've missed the story, I've just moved to the UK to do my MSc in Forensic Speech Science at the University of York. I fear that my days of spending ages explaining to people that no, I really do mean York, not New York, are only just beginning.

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