christmas at the hudon-verrelli flat

©2009 Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli

Christmas this year was very different for us. Even the lead up to Christmas was different - much less busy than usual. We opted out of gift giving/receiving this year because we didn't want to end up with a bunch of stuff that we would either have to drag around Europe with us, or end up shipping back to Canada. That instantly lessened my load as I find it so stressful to try and find the perfect gift for everyone every year. D and I ended up just getting one small gift each so that we'd have something to open Christmas morning.

Being in a foreign country, this was the first time during my 29 years that I didn't do the family thing. D and I just spent the day together, sipping mulled wine, eating cheese and bread, and watching movies. It was really low key and nice. I made us eggs benedict for breakfast and then we had shepheard's pie for supper (Aunt Norma's recipe).

trip to Glasgow & Inverness

Last week my hubby and I did some touring around Scotland. We went West to Glasgow and then north to Inverness and the highlands. I had heard a lot of negative things about Glasgow so my expectations were quite low, but it really was a nice city. We both liked it.





A good friend of mine is getting his masters at the Glasgow School of Art so we visited that fabulous building. I must admit that I'm really envious that he's going there.







In the lobby inside main entrance there are really cool mosaics of famous artists:






We took the train from Glasgow to Inverness. Gorgeous landscape. Because of the mountains and the lush green, a lot of it reminded me of British Columbia, Canada, but not as rocky.

A train station along the way:




Loch Ness:




Urquart Castle:




Inverness:














We had a great time. It was really nice to get out of the city to see some of the Scottish countryside.

good-bye, first UK flat

We moved out of our first flat today. We had only rented our room, one of three in a shared flat, for the month of August so that we'd have a place to live while we looked for something more permanent. Although it had a good location and some lovely features, it wasn't the most comfortable space for us and we're quite excited about the flat we'll be moving into, just the two of us, on September 14.

I took some photos of our room yesterday after we had packed up our few belongings and cleaned.

Beautiful crown moldings:


Very tall window with shutters on the inside:


Our fireplace (didn't work though):


We also had a mouse and the kitchen/living room was prone to slugs:


We have been living in Edinburgh for just over a month now and we have been lucky enough to meet some really, REALLY kind and generous people. The friends we've made have offered us beds in their homes for the next 12 nights while we're homeless. We're also going to be taking a trip up to the Scottish Highlands.

The home we're staying in now is so beautiful and quaint and cozy and clean. We've been here since lunch time today and we're already so comfortable. I'll try to take some photos of it tomorrow so that you'll know what I'm talking about.

Here are a few random shots from around Edinburgh:

this afternoon in edinburgh

where we live

These are just a few shots taken in Edinburgh, the city we now call home.

christmas on the farm...

Ahnabith Gish photo shoot with balloons

These are the photos from the Ahnabith Gish photo shoot a few weeks ago which I mentioned here. I drew the boys' portraits on the balloons for the shoot with local photographer Marki Sveen. At the end, we slowly deflated them and liked the way the drawings skewed. The balloons also looked interesting when they were fully deflated.

summer vacation 08

The boy and I went back to Saskatchewan to see my family during our days off at the beginning of August. I really love going home. I love how perfectly flat it is out there. Most people not from Saskatchewan hate the lack of mountains or hills, but I adore it.






I took Dario to see an old train station near my home town. I did a painting of it a few years that hangs in our home.



My nerdy husband...



On our way back to Calgary, we visited the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. I really liked the fossils - they looked like delicate pieces of art.


It was a pretty laid back vacation - which was exactly what we needed. Sometimes it's just nice to get away from the city for a little while.