Aberdeen

'This morning I find myself sitting in the kitchen window of my new home in Aberdeen drinking black coffee with no sugar (my friend Raisa would be so proud) watching the activity below on the street. As our first story flat is directly across the road from a massive sports village the activity is great and the people range from grey hair to young children in football kits. Yet they all move along the street like worker ants that know exactly where they are going. 

The sun's rays which rose above the ocean just a few hundred metres away are finally able to reach over the buildings allowing a blanket of soft golden light to carpet the rooftops of the grey buildings. A lady with a blue jacket and H&M bag rushes down the street as if entered in a speed walking competition. Catching a bus? late for work? I'll never know. A woman with a squash racket pops into the gym followed by two guys  dressed to gym the morning away. Only what appears to be a twenty-something lady pushing a pram is not on a frantic mission to get somewhere. 

In some ways I envy them the knowing - the feeling of 'I have people to see and places to go'. Yet the allure of not knowing and experiencing the unexpected is very tempting. For me at present the unexpected is my only choice as the job hunt has yet to result in a job. 

So for now I will enjoy the new flat and continue unpacking boxes. As my friend, Caeri Dunnell, pointed out on her blog the other day we need to 'be happy and dance to the music of life' and have as much hope as we can!

The sliver lining of not working at present means that I have time to explore of new surroundings and take photos as often as I like! 

This is the promenade in Aberdeen which is just a few minutes walk from my house. 

Dundee in the morning

So the other morning I went with my sister through to Dundee as she attends university there and I needed to use the free internet at the library and just get out of Brechin for a while. 

While waiting for the shops to open I decided to explore Dundee in the beautiful morning light that was bathing the city. 

A Dundee street is painted by the morning rays that rise up over the ocean. 

The fish shop is already a hub of activity even this early in the morning. 

I am fascinated by the butcheries in Scotland as they look so cosy and the butchers wear a uniform with a matching hat that just reminds me of images that I have seen in old films. 

The RRS Discovery was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain. Designed for Antartic research, she was launched in 1901. Her first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their first, successful journey to the Antarctic, known as the Discovery Expedition. She is now the centrepiece of visitor attraction in her home, Dundee. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

That Scottish sense of humour. 

The right kind of light can even make a dreary cemetery come alive. 

I took a wonder around the Mcmanus Museum in Dundee which documents the history of Dundee and its connections to the world. 

I just loved this piece of art work as it is made of recycled milk bottles and it is so colourful that I just can't help but smile when I see it. Wish I could have one in my room!! 

Arriving

Brechin home of a rather old cathedral, farm lands, the South Esk river and my sister. Well now I am getting a tad ahead of myself. Allow me to start at the beginning.  

Arriving at Glasgow airport on the 27th January at 11:30 I managed to clear baggage reclaim and customs with the speed of a seasoned traveller. So feeling rather sure of myself and my adapting to any environment skills I moved towards the arrival terminal, picturing the joyous reunion I anticipated having with my sister (We had not seen each other in two years). 

I never enjoy being the centre of attention so that moment when the automatic doors at arrivals opens and you can see all the people waiting to collect loved ones or taxi fares can be rather intimating. Especially as I imagine all those people eagerly awaiting a certain person to walk through the big doors pushing along a trolley stacked with luggage. And then all they get is me... you kind of feel as if you are a prize on a game show that nobody wants. In order to avoid this awkwardness, that I am pretty sure I have made up in my head, I formulated years ago a strategy of walking though the arrivals doors and scanning the room for the person picking me up without making eye contact with too many people. I move quickly pushing the trolley with the skill and ease of a veteran soccer mom manoeuvring a SUV. I busy myself with the task of making sure that my luggage does not fall off the trolley. And then a sigh of awkwardness-avoided relief that I have passed the crowd at arrivals only to realise that my sister is not waiting for me. So I guess this means my slow-motion-running-with-open-arms scene in the airport is not going to be happening today. 

I move myself and my trolley off to one side in order to stay out of the way while I wait for my sister. A couple approaches the airport doors and stops with their trolley. Dressed in board shorts and t-shirts I assume they must have been on the flight from Australia that landed at the same time as mine from Dubai. The gentleman bends down and proceeds to pull on a pair of tracksuit pants on over his shorts as a woman walks out of the airport and just like that it hits me! The cold gust of wind that blew its way through the open door caught me and travelled up my spine making every hair of my arms stand up. The wind proudly announces 'Welcome to Scotland in winter'!  

I was quickly spotted and befriended by two elderly Scottish ladies who it appeared were also just standing around at arrivals because their friends or family had yet to come and fetch them. After a couple minutes of polite conversation, during which I was mostly trying to figure out what in heavens name they were saying, I realised that some Scottish accents make people sound like they are not even speaking English. I can remember thinking to myself, "What have I gotten myself into?" maybe I could do a quick dash across the airport to the departure terminal and jump back on a plane to somewhere hotter and English speaking. But in reality I took a deep breathe, smiled at the ladies and nodded along in agreement to whatever they were saying. It seemed like the best idea at the time, and in the words of the very wise penguins from Madagascar, "Just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave". 

My sister arrived, after being delayed in traffic as it turned out, and we set off to drive the two hours from Glasgow to Brechin. And that my friends, is how I ended up arriving in the small town, or seeing as not too much happens, the village of Brechin. And now for your viewing entertaining here are some photos in and around Brechin as well as some photos from Lunan Bay (a beach near Brechin). 

The South Esk river that runs alongside the town. 

An abandoned church in Brechin. Many of the buildings in the town are run-down or abandoned but the Scottish Lottery Fund seem to be doing a great deal in order to fix up the heritage sites that have been neglected. 

Even graffiti art seems to have a home in Brechin. 

One of the main roads in the centre of town. 

The town is well known for its cathedral, with eleventh century round tower (Historic Scotland), one of only two of these Irish-style monuments surviving in Scotland (the other is at Abernethy, Perthshire). The tower was originally free-standing, but is now incorporated in the framework of the cathedral. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

A river level look at the icy water and river bank of the South Esk. 

An old derelict boundary wall just outside of the town. 

A relaxing, but rather chilly walk in the farm lands and forest outside of the town. 

Not much light enters the forest as the trees are so densely packed. In strong winds, which the area does get, these trees can often bend to breaking point.  

During our walk it rained a little and a rainbow appeared over the town. 

Walking to the corner shop I made a new friend, the friendly cat. 

Ceri and Luke look on at Lunan Bay, which is a beautiful sandy beach near Brechin. 

Don't let the sun and clear sky fool you it was a very cold day and the sea temp must have been at least nearing zero or below. 

It was so cold that there was no way that you could walk on the beach, must less touch the water, without a coat, gloves and a pair of wellies. 

I was rather surprised by the number of people who had cameras on the beach. And I don't just mean little point and shoots but proper SLR's.