Happy Hogmanay!

Yes, I'm well aware it's almost the end of January.

Where have I been?

Well, it definitely wasn't to see the Queen despite her relative closeness.

For the past few weeks I've been chained to my desk programming and writing reports for my upcoming assessment (upcoming in like two days). In between these moments I've been keeping up to date with the devastation in Brisbane (my home for the last 8 years) and other parts of Australia (including Grafton which was my home for 14 years). I also may or may not have become slightly addicted to watching The Vampire Diaries and may have neglected the blog a little in order to watch Elena and Stefan make out. I'm a sad, sad individual.

But before the floods, 150-year old vampires that are supposed to look 17 but are actually 30, and the numerical solvers Geoff and I spent Christmas and New Year in, and just out of, Edinburgh.

I've never been anywhere that celebrates Christmas and New Year like Edinburgh. And the weather was almost balmy! It was 5 degrees some days. A whole 5 degrees.

I'll make a separate post about the restaurants we ate at while we were visiting that beautiful city but for now let me just share some photos of my Christmas and Hogmanay experience.

Mulled wine at Sofi's.

Hot cider at Roseleaf.

Christmas day.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Roast Vegetable Cous Cous and Stuffed Mushrooms

Hogmanay Torchlight Procession.

Princes St during the procession.

New Year's fireworks.

New Year's Day haggis feast with neets and tatties. I used Macsween.