winds of change

it is cold and windy, with the occasional spells of sunshine...giving deceptive illusions of the prolonging of summer...and sporadic rain showers warning me of the eminent change of weather. i am no longer in continental Europe, where people still enjoy some glorious warmth in early October. a fact i have to rehearse as i find myself needing more layers and more cups of tea to stay sane.

first week
it's been a week since i arrived back in Edinburgh in the drizzle...(a re-play of my arrival in Germany 2 yrs ago?), a few days of stressing about flat lease etc., telephone line, matriculation papers (some big confusion and administration problems?!), the collection of my boxes from the airport cargo (after encountering some glitches with transport arrangements), banking options (would be nice to have better interests paid to me for my savings...but there're so many new rules re. overseas students and it doesn't help when i have not been in the UK for the last 2 years...), and walking everywhere (as opposed to cycling)...have left me feeling exhausted this weekend. there are still quite a fair bit to sort out...e.g. unpacking my boxes and setting up my wee office (yes i have the privilege of having a room to myself...which is connected to another larger room which is used by Jon, the post-doc. most PhD students share a room with others...apparently). also i should get the computers, email accounts, programming software etc. sorted...(although i have managed to get my laptop connected to the university server! yippee!). i mustn't forget to register with the NHS!!! even if i dread seeking medical consultations from them... hmmm and i am looking for a bike...in particular, a classic Dutch-style bike! they are wicked!!! but rather unpopular here in the UK. i'll keep popping in the 2nd-hand shop to see if there's anything suitable or until i give up...would be nice to have a bike soon... i miss the old silver frame bike which i had for free when i arrived at Ute's flat! it has a lovely back-pedal brake which is just so cunning. it's simply instinctive! i don't know why most bikes have both brakes at the handle bars...?! anyways, i miss that bike which i used to call mine...

my new bearings
...home... is no longer the walk/cycle ride from the city centre passing the Österberg, nor that which is surrounded by similar chalet-like tile-roofed houses which are painted in different colours. rather, it is a walk/cycle along the tree-lined paths cutting through the meadows from the university George Sq campus, and through the Bruntsfield links into Greenhill... the route grants me the magnificent view of Arthur's Seat (the hill which in my opinion, looks more like a sleeping sphinx rather than king Arthur's seat!) and the Edinburgh Castle. the buildings are no longer the once-familiar chalet-houses but are instead, stone-walled, majestic, and a wee bit cold. i wander about down the road from where i live to the big supermarket called Safeway. supermarkets are opened till 10pm or later here... i am spoiled for choices! but i pay the cashier pounds instead of euros which means things cost a lot more... along my way there, there is a shop selling cheese (Mellis...a very posh cheese shop. i go in just to peek at what's on offer and smell the cheese!), there's St. Lucas ice cream! which makes really good ice cream, there's Peckham's another posh shop with lovely produce, wine and treats, there's the down to earth Engine-Shed shop with handmade organic produce, a cook's shop, a few exciting oriental restaurants (Nepalese, Thai cuisine)! and even a shop dealing old and new cameras... nearby is an indoor swimming pool and a few other cafes. Doodles, a craft shop which lets you paint your own pottery is about 10 minutes walk away! i'm looking forward to going there with Hannah... sometime.