after 2 days of straight rain-- the sun has never been so beautiful!

Sunday was my turn to cook Sunday Night Dinner for the flat.  I made my mum's famous Chinese Glob with a fresh batch of almond cookies!  Such a hit! 

What a monstrous earthquake in Pakistan!  7.6-magnitude quake!  Over 35,000 deaths and tens of thousands injured!?  Unbelievable.  It's moments like this I wish I was able to help and be there- but no I'm being selfish, or so I feel.  For now, all I can do is send money with the Red Cross.

Aurelie, Emily, and I went to the diving society ceilidh Tuesday night...my brazier decided to fall apart during the first tune- luckily a knot kept it in place for the rest of the dance!  Also- I was dancing with a true, burly Scot in a kilt one song when his sporran loosened and socked me right on the thigh.  To make matters worse- the metal sporran flew off onto the dance floor.  Picture this- a big man in a kilt running after his pouch in embarrassment.  Too cute.

Emily invited me to accompany her to the dairy farm to see hove clippers in action. (Remember: she's studying to be a vet)  I couldn't pass it up.  We spent hours in the frigid barn watching workers sculpt cow hooves like an art.   

I made the girls pancakes last night!  I even flipped them up off the skillet as everyone Ooooo'd and Ahhhh'd me.  Cooking is actually fun.  Me cook?  Ha.  "Let's eat them like Americans!" one flatmate yelled out. "Yes!  In big stacks with forks and knives!" yelled another! Sadly I didn't have syrup to make the experience complete but it was a blast, no doubt. 

Fryeburg Academy (my high school) gymnasium burnt down yesterday morning.  I've already looked at numerous photographs of the building ablaze.  My first reaction:  This must be a joke.  No way.  My second reaction:   So many memories burned away.  My third reaction:  Old building, basically an embarrassment to the Academy- this means a better one is on the way!  My fourth reaction:  Good god- it's really gone.  I remember all the doodles and hearts I put up on those walls- all the performances on the stage- all the concerts- graduations- laughs- tears-- so many memories in that pile of rubble. 

Another ceilidh tonight.  Then I'm off to my weekend getaway to Inverness tomorrow morn at 7:45AM.  Finally- Highlands and Loch Ness...Scotland has so much mysterious beauty...extremely intriguing- pulls me right in.  I love it.

Now the question is:  Get back to my Dickens or read some Investment and Securites handouts?  Hard call.