T minus 26 hours!

The Farnum family countdown is quickly heating up! Kendall, Charlie, and Gregory touchdown at 12:30pm Monday. 

In the meantime, I'm currently surrounded by a gaggle of very excited French children. One assumes they're on their way to something Fringe-y. (It's the monthlong festival in Edinburgh. Music, plays, and comedy sketches abound. My city has been overrun by temporary tents, tourists, and travelers. 

Off I go to church this morning, and then back to the frantic attempt to get a draft of the dissertation in before I take off for the Highlands with my family. 

Goodbye, Hannah!

With very little pomp and circumstance but a great deal of find farewell and adieu...off pops Miss Hannah to the airport to fly away from me. 

Given that she's going to Chicago to stay with her baby nephew, she is perhaps not really all that sad about this state of affairs.

In any case, I waved frantically at her bus as she placed her hand mournfully on the window glass for one last moment. It was all very fake-traumatic.

And with that, my flat is back to a lonely 2 people. I've got Mary till Monday!

Going to the Games

I had a very British day.

I had train troubles whilst traveling but made it to Glasgow. 

I then proceeded to watch Wales, England, and Scotland all lose their various rugby 7's games. I do now know the majority of rugby's rules, though! Or at least the basic play.

Mary and I wandered from the stadium to Glasgow's Science Discovery Centre for lunch. Totally adorable. On the way, we stumbled into a rally for the Yes Campaign (pro-Scottish independence). The rally was also very pro-Palestinian. Given that Mary had an English flag wrapped around her from the rugby game, we didn't linger too long. 

After free whiskey samples near the Games Grounds, the evening's entertainment included the England v. South African and Northern Ireland v. New Zealand netball games. I learned a great deal - including the fact that I apparently enjoy netball. I also really enjoy watching sports when the teams are evenly matched so things are ethnically interesting - and in an atmosphere of non-mob mentality and extreme sportsmanship (e.g., the whole stadium applauded any time either team scored. It was very refreshing). 

We were also joined in our block of seats by Prince Edward and his family.

All in all, a rather lovely day. :)

Another visitor!

I have a flatmate for the next two weeks! Mary, the primary Marshall Scholarship staffer, is taking annual leave to volunteer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which kicked off Wednesday evening in Glasgow. Mary is staying with me and commuting in. 

Sunday, she's scored me tickets to rugby and netball matches. Let's see what these two British sports are all about, eh?

Back in the swing of things

Hello and welcome back to Edinburgh. 

Hannah's brother came over to the UK and they are touring the Highlands. I went to church on Sunday, watched some telly, and had a conference call. I'm working every day this week and next in the Open Access office at the uni to make up for some of the time I was gone and help them in their final push, as the project I was hired for is ending. 

And life is in all more or less back to normal. So now that life is back to normal, I really should start work on that blasted dissertation...

There's no place like...

...home

Hannah and I are safely back in Edinburgh, and I've just finished a full day back in the office for the first time in some six weeks.

Edinburgh is home...but it's looking less and less like my beloved, quiet city. Because it's Festival time! Tents, trucks, rides, stadiums, people...everything is everywhere. And it's just going to get worse. Or better, of course, depending on your point of view. ;)

Hello again, you beautiful Scottish capital. It's good to be back.

The Burn

A group of Marshall Scholars, along with some plus ones - including Hannah - are spending Monday through Thursday of this week at the Burn, a country manor house in the east of Scotland near Montrose and Dundee. We trained up from London on Monday and, happily, had an uneventful journey - last year, the train got delayed by some three hours.

Tuesday we explored the gloriously ruined Dunnottar Castle, had lunch in a harbor town, and frolicked on the beach of a nature reserve.

Wednesday morning was our distillery tour - anyone for breakfast whiskey?

We are now unscheduled for the duration of our stay until the 2:40pm bus to the Rail Station. Cue the cricket championship!

 Beware of Marshall Scholars playing Trivial Pursuit.

Don't you play croquet in the rain with a designated brolly-holder?

 And if you think Trivial Pursuit is dangerous...just bring out the building blocks.