The Winter Glow

I have probably mentioned the narrow window of daylight around here come winter. The days are short and the nights are LONG. So long that it's easy to convince yourself that it's time to wind down around shortly after 4:00pm rolls around. For instance, yesterday, my housemate locked us in at 6:00pm because she figured that we'd be in for the night! We were.

Anyway, didn't mean to get carried away about the darkness. The topic for today is the light. Light in winter is precious, but it's also strange...in a beautiful way...well, to me at least. It's almost as if sunrise and sunset collide to make it. Enough talk, this is a show & tell post:

Sunrise* to Sunset**

*Obviously that sunrise wasn't insanely early, as I make it a point these days not to wake up insanely early

**The Sunset picture was taken at precisely 3:24pm

Thanksgiving at 9 Habost

This year's thanksgiving was my first Thanksgiving spent in Scotland, and it was pretty good...if I do say so myself. Here's some pics taken on the night...

Pic #1: Our heavy laden coffee table. Please mentally add freshly baked rolls to this picture.

Dinner was a bit weird without an actual table, but it's not like I've never eaten a Thanksgiving meal without a normal table. My dad's side of the family puts the kids at a gorgeous Korean Tea Table every year. I've long since grown out of that category, but that doesn't mean I don't remember the awesomeness of it.

Pic #2: Spreading the Thanksgiving cheer.

We headed across the street for the weekly Ness Melodeon Club get-together (I attempt to play the guitar with them), but this week came with food and the appropriate headgear. See mine? I felt like I was rediscovering my native american roots...I'm 1/4 Chickahominy on my mothers side.

Pic #3: Not only did everyone try our very American vittles, but they also voluntarily conformed to the dress code!

That made my night!

A Soup Discovery

Having chicken noodle soup when I'm sick seems instinctive after 20+ years of positive reinforcement. I think most Americans can relate. Remember the Chicken Soup for the Soul phenomenon anyone? That proves it, I am not alone here.

Anyway, rewind about a year and a half, and I'm boarding a plane to Scotland completely unconcerned about leaving the material comforts of home. Well, maybe at the back of my mind I'm wondering about Mountain Dew and Raid... My point is that I assumed that chicken noodle soup would be there when I needed it, in such a technologically advanced country.

Technically it was I suppose... just with an unidentifiable exotic tang. What is that? What is that tang? Whatever it is, it does not belong in my ultimate comfort food.

Enter Baxter's Chicken Broth.

It says Chicken Broth, but it should say Chicken & Rice Sunshine Soup. Thanks to the latest wave of sinus-related achy-ness, after a year and a half, I've discovered this perfect substitution. Yes, it's out of a can, but remember, I am American and that actually adds to its appeal.

What is the most Haunted city in England?

York! The answer is York! How do I know? Because the leader of the excellent York Ghost Walk said so.

So what in the world was I doing in York? Well, I decided that going straight to London and back would be a waste of a train ticket, so I tacked on an extra day and stopped off in York on the way home. It turned out to be one of the best ideas I'd had all month. Here's a few pics:

The old town wall is still in place...just in case?

York Minster was supposed to be the main event...

I ended up spending most of Day 1 in the shops instead...

I would not consider myself superstitious...but after the creepy ghost walk,

coming back to a convent felt pretty good. Something about knowing there

were nuns all over the place was comforting. I mean, who could get

spooked in a room named St. Luke's Room?

What can I say... I live a charmed life! Most of the time... Tonight, however, I feel a cold coming on and my yucky green tea is...well.. yucky.