Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

And it did!  Today we had probably our coldest day so far I think the high was about 3 degrees celsius/37 degrees Fahrenheit.  We woke up and there was frost on the lawn and it was snowing a little, big huge fluffy flakes that didn't last on the ground so it didn't stay white for very long.

I couldn't get a good picture of the falling snow, sorry.  I'm sure there will be lots more opportunities though.

I don't think we will classify a snowy day as a rainy day as it is not quite so dreary.

Our New Place

So as promised I will tell you about our new place...

It is what they call a semi detached house, we have the second and third floors.  We have a separate entrance that includes a fair number of stairs.  

On the first floor is the first of our three bedrooms, a bathroom, the kitchen, living room, and dining room, all of which are quite a good size.

The second floor is smaller with the master bedroom, ensuite bathroom and the third bedroom.

Our master bedroom is really big with a huge amount of storage and a super kingsize bed.  It has a couple of sky lights that offer a good view of the city and you can even see a little bit of the sea.

We have been working hard on getting everything in its place.  You don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to find a place for it all.

There's No Place Like Home : )

Yesterday was not what we had hoped for.  It started with the property management company telling us that they had not received the paperwork or the first payment from Rik's company.  I felt like crying, but fortunately they were mistaken and we were given the keys to our new place.  So we took our first load of stuff to the house and explored a bit.  It is a really great place, more about that later though.

So after we moved all our stuff, we went shopping.  We bought lots of things we needed, including sheets for our bed.  We were gone for a long time and were exhausted by the time we got home.  So we popped the new sheets in the wash and made dinner.  Then we went to make the bed, hmmm, these sheets do not fit our bed.  Apparently there is a difference between kingsize and super kingsize.  In the words of Homer Simpson... "D'oh!"

Well, today has been a huge improvement.  Our movers showed up on time and were really great and quick.  We went and got new sheets and yes they fit!   

We made a really yummy dinner and have been enjoying some wine along with the UK charts music videos, yes they still play music videos here.  Our current favs are Dizzee Rascal - Dance wiv me, Katy Perry - Hot and Cold, Sugababes - Girls, Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire.  Most of these we on first hearing them dismissed them but they have grown on us like an annoying commercial jingle that you can't get out of your head - Rik says do yourself a favor and check out Dance wiv me, I actually had to convince him that it was a good song.  

For all the electronica fans out there, one word: Scooter!

We'll post some pictures of our place when we have cleaned up.  Also tomorrow we'll tell you a bit more about our place.

 

It's Moving Day!

We are super excited that today is finally moving day!  We get the keys around 10 am and then we have to move our ever growing pile of stuff from our hotel room.  Luckily we are moving just around the corner.

We are not exactly sure when we will get internet hooked up so it might be a couple of days before we can post some pictures.  Or it might give us an excuse to have a coffee at the local internet cafe.

We hope everyone has a great weekend!

Juxtaposition

Rik here ...

Fiona told me about an interesting lunch today.  She was in the local organic sandwich shop getting a good bacon-chicken-cheddar panini, when she was approached by a local who noted her fancy new coat.  They talked for a while before parting ways.  It was just a pleasant example of what a random act of kindness can do for someone's day.  Most people in Scotland are this way.  Maybe not as quick to approach you, but genuinely friendly when you interact with them.

That's why I find the juxtaposition of that experience with some recent signage to be odd.  In most stores you see signs at the register stating that:

"Verbal and physical abuse of our staff is unacceptable.  Any patrons can be refused service."

How much of a problem had to exist before someone decided that a full on ad campaign was needed?  Were store clerks getting beat up regularly?  Even scarier are a brand new series of bus stops ads showing women in ordinary situations with the caption:

"This is not an invitation to rape me."

Say what?  I hope it is only indicative of someone's over-reaction.  Anyway, we've only run into the friendly sort here.  The drunks you do see (and mostly hear) are easily avoided and tend to be more interested in getting to the next bar than hassling you.

Digression - I just saw an ad for a new Burger King burger here - two patties, cheese, bacon and ... pepperoni!  What?

I'm off to London for the day tomorrow.  Skype my wife if possible, she'll be lonely ...

Cheers,

Rik

Cabin Fever

We are approaching our move in date.  And as an added bonus our shipment is supposed to arrive on Saturday.  While we feel very fortunate that we have had a nice hotel to stay at we are looking forward to getting settled into our new place.

Our new place is in the west side of Aberdeen, close to the city center though so we are close to lots of the cultural events.  Mind you we are not far from the countryside either.  Aberdeen is a fairly small city area wise.  Rik is only about 6 miles from work.  I am very lucky because Rik has agreed to live inside the city instead of closer to his work. That allows me to be able to walk to the major shopping that is in the city center. Which is very important of course : )

Rik is especially happy these days as he has found out that the new Bond movie will be opening here sooner than in the States. 

Banff

Rik here ...

When we saw it on the map, we just had to go.  How often do you get to go to the original Banff?  It was also kind enough to be on the coastal trail which runs north out of Aberdeen along the ocean.  We thought it was a nice opportunity to drive away an afternoon and see some good scenery.  Our final destination was going to be Duff House, an old manor house in the town of MacDuff (a destination on its own for those inclined to literature).  We saw some amazing scenery and really put the old Renault Scenic through its paces.  Just outside the town of Crovie we were going up and down hills with 17 and 20 percent grades.  With the roads a little slick with rain, I was a little worried about slippage.   But Fiona managed to get us around safely and we finally made it.  Duff House (hard to resist walking around pretending to be Duff Man from the Simpsons) was impressive.  Fully restored and decorated with appropriate art and furniture, you get a real feel for how the other half (more like other one tenth of one percent) lived back in the day.  Not sure we'd put it on the list of things to do for other visitors, but we enjoyed it.  Another long day brought us back to the hotel.  We're really looking forward to moving into our own place ... nice as this is, it ain't home!

Castles, Birdies and ... birdies - part 2

So after we finished our fish and chips and deep fried Mars bar (yes it is incredibly tasty - and that is coming from a guy that is not huge on chocolate) we figured we had an afternoon to kill and no destination. I managed to talk Fiona into driving about an hour south to a small college town. This small college town also just happens to host a small golf tournament every once in a while ... St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.

I was really just hoping to get a few shots of the Old Course and be able to say I had been there, but it turns out that there is more to St. Andrews than the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. The University ("uni" as everyone here says) ensures there is an interesting mix of people. There is also a wonderfully walkable centre of town with lots of history. We managed to get into the old cathedral before it closed and climbed to the top of St. Rule's tower. What a sight! The tower itself is a little claustraphobic, but worth all 157 steps. We didn't have time for St. Andrew's castle, but I guess we'll get a chance to go back - we definitely recommend this place for all visitors touring Scotland.

The highlight still remains the Old Course, a beautiful example of a links course. Even mid-October it was in great shape. I looked down the 18th fairway to the green and could envision the grandstand positions and all the greats saluting the crowds after winning the British Open. I don't know if they let the plebs play, but if they do, I promised myself we would play it before we left.

We're off again today, this time to the north and a place that may seem a little familiar ...

Castles, Birdies and ... birdies - part 1

Rik here ...

We went on our first excursion outside of Aberdeen yesterday. We came back late after a full day of trekking and were too tired to tackle the blog last night, so it's a Sunday morning posting. French toast and early morning Brit videos on TV are trying their best to distract me, but I'll try and stay focused.

Digression ... our favorite Saturday/Sunday morning routine has been hard to pick up here ... eggs and tea while thoroughly dissecting the local paper. The Press and Journal is the more respected of the local papers, but we're not finding it up to snuff. It's a little too locally focussed. Actually people say the reputation of the P&J can be best seen in their lead headline the day WWII broke out: "NorthEast Man Grows Largest Onion". Looks like they could use a few more hard-hitting, professional journalists like my sister (see her latest series in the Edmonton Journal...)

Anyhoo, we started out for Dunottar Castle, located in nearby Stonehaven. Although it is just a ruin now, it is an incredible sight. Perched on a cliffside over the ocean you can see what a formidable defensive structure it must have been - it held off Cromwell for quite some time. It still has tunnels, dungeons, passageways and a multi-story tower. After getting our fill of history we went Discovery Channel on the tidal pools located in the bay under the castle. Being prairie kids we both appreciate a good tidal pool and boulder strewn beach.

I managed to appease my inner child by skipping several flat stones, my inner geologist by marveling at the massive conglomerates, my inner historian by learning about the 167 Covenanters who were locked up and tortured in the castle, my inner ornithologist by snapping some birdie picks for my sister and trying (unsuccessfully) to find puffins and, finally, my inner cardiologist by finding and eating a deep fried Mars bar. And it was barely past noon!

Enjoy the pics ... I'll continue the story of the day in part 2 ...

Like riding a bicycle (with four wheels and an engine) ...

I decided that I wanted to venture out a little further this weekend and go exploring outside of Aberdeen so I asked Rik if he thought renting a car would be a good idea.  He thought it was but under one condition ... that I do the driving.  I was a little daunted by the idea of driving on the left side of the road, but willing to try. 

So today I went to go pick up the car by myself.  I carefully planned my route back to the hotel and had my GPS to tell me where to go.  I got in the car and figured out where all the important controls were and headed out. I have to say it was easier than I thought it would be.  The main thing I found that you have to get used to is all the cars parked on the side of the road.

I'm looking forward to getting out and about this weekend.  We're going to try to get to see some castles, and maybe make some headway on the list of requested photos.  I got a little bit done already today ...  for all those that requested sheep ...

 

I think Rik's been converted...

Everyday when Rik comes home from work he has added a new word to his repertoire... 

New words he's been using on a regular basis...

a wee bit

sharp (a bite in the air)

nip (go to: as in - nip down to the shops)

shops 

heaps (a lot)

loads (a lot)

cheers, thanks 

mobile (cell)

I have to say that it is rubbing off onto me a wee bit as well.  

A couple more...

This is a picture of Victoria Park, it is just down the road from our place. 

Lawn bowling, anyone?

Some pictures of Old Aberdeen.

These are from our walk on the weekend. We went into Old Aberdeen, it was really pretty.  When we arrived at King's college, built in the 1400s, there was a bagpiper in a kilt outside the door of the chapel and we realized that there was a wedding, so we sat outside and waited for the couple to come out.  We heard the regular wedding march and then the bagpiper began to play.  The couple came out in full Scottish wedding garb, the groom in a nice kilt and tuxedo jacket and the bride was just beautiful.  Then a lot of the guests came out to take pictures of the couple and lots of the men were in kilts and many of the women were wearing fantastic hats, which is a tradition here.  It was really neat to see. 

Bad luck for Barney

Rik here ...

Just wanted to let you know, despite some pretty hard cheering from Fiona and I, Raymond "Barney" van Barneveld succumbed to the "the Power" Phil Taylor in the 2008 Grand Prix of darts.  It was closer than the score indicated and Barney could have won if he had been able to close legs the way Phil could.  As much as I can cheer for Barney (or the Canadian world champ John Part), if I had to choose one man to play darts against aliens with the future of the planet at stake, it would be Phil.  The man is just money.

Otherwise a pretty ordinary day - recovered from our walk yesterday, did some laundry, did a little shopping (a Wii is now hooked up in the hotel room) and found a great pizza joint.  I find you alway feel a little more at home in a new town once you've found the best pizza available (a la Candelari's in Houston ...).

Cheers,

Rik

Our first real trek...

So we went exploring today, down to the beach and then into Old Aberdeen.  It is really gorgeous here, have we said that before?  Here are some of the pictures we took today.  By the way I am working on your picture requests, I will try to take them as we come by the subjects...

Rik, tagging in.  I just wanted to enlighten everyone to what is probably the most underappreciated televised sport - darts.  Wow.  It's got everything - excitement, drunken fans, crazy commentators, drama and sharp, pointy objects flying at high speed.  We have only been watching for a few days, but have our favorites (Phil Taylor rocks!) and are able to comment on strategic blunders (he should have hit that treble twenty instead of missing it) and statistics (Mervyn King and his sub 50 double out percentage).  Be aware when you come to visit, leave your NFL/NHL/MLB/NBA at the door, grab a pint of Tennents and let's watch some 501!

We got it!

We went house hunting today, there were many to choose from.  They were all very different places so it made it difficult to choose one over another.  Then ... we saw it.  It was the place that we hoped we would get and it was just right.  

It is an upper flat in a nice granite building. It has bold colours which will be nice on gray rainy days. Really gorgeous details, high ceilings, new kitchen with really nice appliances.  From our bedroom window we can see all the way to the sea, so we can see the whole city center and all the rooftops. Here are the pictures that were on the listing, they don't do to much justice to the place though so you'll have to come see it in person.

We made an offer and they confirmed it, but unfortunately we won't be able to move in until the 24th.  So a little longer in a hotel for us. 

Home Cookin'

A sort of split personality to the day today.  Started out quite nice, with more blue sky.  It quickly turned gray, though, and has been raining on and off most of the day.  We'll call it half a day in ye olde rainy day counter.

I came home to a nice surprise.  I suspected something was up when the hotel hallway didn't smell like disinfectant, but garlic.  Fiona had gone off to the store and used our meagre, closet sized kitchen to whip up a wonderful Italian dinner, complete with garlic bread and a nice wine.  

We're excited about going house hunting tomorrow.  We've also started looking at some other "necessities" like a car and TV.  The cars are intriguing, because you have to take everything you know about North American cars and throw it out the window.  Here, Skoda is actually a reasonable choice.  We're thinking it will be one car only for us.  Gas is about 1.16 a litre (8 USD per gallon), so I'll be bussing it and we'll continue to do this odd thing we see others do around here - walking - as much as possible.  TV is depressing.  There is almost nothing on.  In a way that can be good, it will get us outside more.

An interesting movie is coming out here on the weekend, hitting on the Scottish theme.  It's called "Stone of Destiny" and stars Robert Carlyle (running from zombies in 28 days later and sequels, James Bond villain, and more).  It is a true story about some Scottish students who broke into Westminster and stole back the a stone that had been used throughout Scottish history in the crowning of their kings.  Looks kind of cool.  You can watch and imagine us walking around in the background.

Cheers,

Rik

Things in Scotland that rock ...

1.  Today's weather.  What a gorgeous day - sunshine and a little breeze with lots of blue sky.  But still nice for walking about.  I think we saw maybe one day like this per year in Houston.

2.  Diagonal crosswalks.  Why don't these exist everywhere?  Cross two streets at once - God bless the Scots.

3.  Scottish toilets.  How they manage to get 100 litres per flush from a tankless toilet is a mystery to me, but it is truly a sight to behold.  The house shakes as the water rushes down ...

4.  Half pints.  One more pint would be too many, but you still need a little more ("om te snoepen" as the Dutch would say).

5.  Uniformed schoolkids.  They're still as strange and disrespectful as anywhere else, they just look smarter.

Anyway, we have had an interesting day trying to find a bank.  It is hard to choose - do you pick the one whose stock went down 60% yesterday, or the one who went down 40% but has a worse position in the mortgage market.  Scary stuff.  Good thing we're not rich enough to have a whole lot to lose.  A good time to be liquid, I guess.

Fiona went out on her first photography assignment.  I asked her for 4 pictures - one of the North Sea, one of a seagull (we'll ask Jul for a positive diagnosis), another of a pigeon in or on an old building and one of something red.  She had trouble with the seagull, but I think she nailed the rest.  Here they are.  We will also be accepting requests for future photo assignments, so this has officially gone from a passive blog reading experience to full-on audience participation!  Be creative.  Remember though, that like my seagull request, sometimes it just ain't gonna happen.

Cheers,

Rik

Think we found our new place!

So I was looking today online for some places to see on Friday and I found a place that is just what we're looking for.  A nice flat with 3 bedrooms an updated kitchen and right down the street from a corner store, butcher shop, cheesemonger, and for my knitting hobby: a wool shop.  Also close by is the city center.  We still don't know for sure if they will allow Casey so we are crossing our fingers.

We are really enjoying ourselves here.  It is so nice to have lots within walking distance.

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow and post them up.

Eastern Wisdom

Rik here ...

We had a good first day in Aberdeen.  I finally made it to the office after discovering (the hard way) that Aberdeen has two bus companies and that they may share the same route numbers.  I went quite a distance the wrong way, but finally got it turned around.  Half and hour late on my first day, though.  What's that they say about first impressions?

Work went well, the office and my co-workers are great.  We're finding our way through the city and are thinking hard about a place in the city instead of the suburbs.  We'll see on Friday, when the relocation service takes us around town.  Hopefully we'll find our new home then.

We are finding Aberdeen has an amazing selection of restaurants.  We went for Chinese today, and it was pretty good.  Nice to see reasonable portion sizes as well.  We had enough room for fortune cookies as dessert.  Fiona's fortune ... "You are heading for a land of sunshine".  Ironic, no?

Cheers,

Rik

We're Here!

We have finally arrived! It is so nice to be here.  

At first glance, it is everything you think of Scotland, rolling hills dotted with sheep, green fields and old granite houses.

We already have been to the pub for a typical british dinner.  It was delicious!

We are very tired and are going to bed very soon.

We'll post more when we have a little more energy to explore some more.

Good To Go!

We finally get to leave!! We were very excited to learn this morning that all of our paperwork is in order and we can now leave.

We are booked on a flight tomorrow at 6:00pm.

We'll let you know what our first impressions of Aberdeen are on Sunday. 

There have been a lot of mixed emotions today, excitement and sadness.  It is really hard to say goodbye to our good friends here because they mean so much.  

Good news

Our paperwork has come in so hopefully they will let us get through the next steps early and we will be able to leave as soon as Saturday.

We have been having a nice time this last week with many of our friends having us over for dinner and letting us do laundry at their house(thanks Trudy!).  This waiting has been a blessing in disguise because we have been able to spend some quality time with our friends.

Hopefully our next post will be the one saying that we are on our way!

Email address change

We took on one of the more enjoyable tasks of moving yesterday... calling utility companies to cancel our service.  Total time on the phone: 1 1/2 hours, total time talking to someone: 15 minutes.  But that is one more thing off our checklist!

As such we have lost our email address and so our new one where you can reach us is brooymans@gmail.com. 

On the list today - sell the car...