Helen

I know, I haven't written anything for ages and ages. I can't really be bothered, whenever I'm on the internet I'm applying for jobs! Which is what I'm doing now as well. The last job I applied for had 90 applicants! That's hard out. I'm still doing my insurance job which will be until Christmas. Then in the new year I'm hoping that an interesting, permanent job comes along. I've started volunteering at the Botanic Gardens once a week - cataloguing the rare Scottish plants in the herbarium. It is basically data entry but I get to look at all the specimens (which should keep all those employers who say that I have no UK experience quiet and I'm a plant nerd so it's interesting!).

In other, more exciting news, it's getting cold and dark! There's a bit of daylight as I bike to work but by 4pm when I finish it's dark! Getting colder too. There was a bit of snow on the Pentland Hills (close to Edinburgh) this morning, just a frost in town though. It's getting harder to motivate to do exercise but luckily my flatmate is a runner so we're up in the dark twice a week complaining our way round town for 1/2 an hr.

Yesterday, some mates and I went mountain biking in the Pentlands - my toes were numb before we left town and by the time we finished by entire feet were numb - weird feeling to walk around! Note: cotton socks just don't cut it. It was cool though, we biked out along the river through the autumn leaves then up into the hills where there was deep mud and soggy grass. It was great but a bit strange biking home all covered with mud through the Christmas shoppers on the way home! I keep meaning to take my camera, yesterday would've been great , but I forget. I'm still riding my £30 bike with shocks (and some of the gears) just for show, but I have been in the bike shops test riding...

One of the girls is going to introduce me to Scottish winter hillwalking. She asked if I'd used crampons and ice axes before! Apparently she's going to start me off on an easy hill that won't put me off. I'll let you know...

My birthday was good, went biking ( I sense a theme...) and to the fireworks display. I was about to put a photo in but it's on my camera, not my usb, which I don't have with me, sorry.

I also went down to London a couple of weeks ago, just to hang out with people I'd known for longer than a couple of months. I did go to an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, but that was one afternoon out of 4 days. So what did I do the rest of the time? Well my cousin and I watched the first 18 episodes of Prison Break (quite good going I think), he didn't have the last 6 so we are saving them for Christmas. I met up with Colin and we spent the afternoon in the pub then the evening in a different pub. I saw an old school friend, Jo and her husband for tea and we had a cousin get together as well. It was a very relaxing holiday...

So not long til my bro comes over for a visit, and Christmas. I'm going to Ireland for a couple of days to stay with my flatmate and her family, and the winter festival is starting next week here - iceskating, ferris wheel, etc...should be good.