each, peach, pear, plum.

Each peach pear plum, I spy Tom Thumb.

Tom Thumb in the cupboard, I spy Mother Hubbard.

Mother Hubbard in the cellar, I spy Cinderella.

Cinderella on the stairs, I spy the Three Bears.

Three Bears out hunting, I spy Baby Bunting.

Baby Bunting fast asleep, I spy Bo-Peep.

Bo-Peep up the hill, I spy Jack and Jill.

Jack and Jill in the ditch, I spy the Wicked Witch.

Wicked Witch over the wood, I spy Robin Hood.

Robin Hood in his den, I spy the Three Bears again.

Three Bears still hunting, they spy Baby Bunting.

Baby Bunting safe and dry, I spy Plum Pie.

Plum Pie in the sun, I spy...


Everyone!



J+A Ahlberg.

Niki: too much

I went to the movies with Ben and saw Kick Ass. It was funny. Much more dramatic and violent that I had anticipated. I did jump a few times, but at least there were no knee-jerk reaction "It's a big shark!" exclamatories...




Niki-

you write too much on your blog entires.
(Though, you do have an amazing ability to speak a lot normally anyway. True Lomax styleee)

Dear Friends

Dear Friends.
I miss you.
But I am happy.
Very.
Kiss you in la facé soon.
Llegs 11, baby. x

Geometric shapes on the Clyde + swan on floaty thing.


Tough as fuck.


Babe. Dag. Slag.


Talent + talent.

transitions and glasgow

WEATHER. Glasgow is CHANGING! Make no mistake! Weather has officially gone from sombre to joyous. Not suddenly, but still relatively quickly. Like if you take too long in the shower one morning you might miss the tipping point and your in your PJs in dark/cold then in your clean undies in summer.

EXCHANGIES. Only two of my friends I've met who are also on exchange are staying for more than the single semester. So one by one they're all leaving. I'll be seeing Niki and Jess soon enough in Barcelona, but it's still sad to see them go. Please note I am wearing Ben's german football stripe because my only other option of clothing to farewell the lasses was the Mirrorball Suit which went out to the house party the night before. Trond has also left for Norway, but I am bunking at his house with Ben in Bergen around the end of July. With Deb and Arttu gone as well, and Phil in Paris, it's only Gowri, Victor, Cliff, Rohan (where is Rohan?) and I left. But they'll all be gone soon too. Transitions. I will sorely miss all the beautiful friends I have made here on exchange. But I feel we'll surely meet again- if not in Melbourne when they all come good on promises to visit, then in some other place on some other adventure... yes!

OLD PALS. Today Lyall and I am clearing out the flat. Keys will be handed in tomorrow and That is That. End of the Partick Palace. It was good while it lasted, I think I was incredibly lucky to meet Lyall. He is such a legend and I could not have predicted my time in Glasgow would have been this fun. What a dude. Can't wait til he comes to Australia and I can show him off. Tonight will be The Last Supper for us. He's on the boat back to Shetland where he'll scoop the guts out of salmon with a spoon for 3 months. Bye bye Lyall. You're the best!

transitions and endinburgh

I seem to be involved in a perpetual state of transition at the moment.
People coming, people going; milestones; seasons turning...

It's a funny feeling because my entire time here in Glasgow has been held at ransom by the countdown of my return. I have always felt my time here to be a surreal reality- some kind of hiccup in my normal life. Some kind of mistake- how the hell is it legit' that I get to come to the other side of the world, make such amazing new friends, see such beautiful and interesting scenes and get 'credit' for 'attending' university? I know I am returning to normal/usual life and that makes everything here seem strange/unusual. But things are definitely changing. Which means there has been some kind of pattern of living that I have slipped into that makes the strange and unusual quite normal... Talking in circles... I'm happy here and now this transition is going on all around me I feel a bit uneasy...

Mum came and went. It was a 30 year gap between visits but she made it back to Scotland and I think she really enjoyed herself. It was a shame about the Ireland trip not working out but we had a lovely trip to Arran (mum took the photos home with her so have no pics to share) and to Edinburgh. We did a tour of the Real Mary King Close in EddieB which was really good. Edinburgh was built UP rather than OUT. When they built the new Royal Exchange building they just cut off 4 stories of houses and closed off the streets and built above it. The old houses and streets are sitting abandoned under the Royal Mile. Amazing. They used to make wall plaster from horse hair (to keep it all together and stick to the wooden walls), water and ash from cremated humans (steady ash supply thanks to The Black Plague). We walked up to Calton Hill, which is on the 'new' side of town and looks out over the Firth of Forth to the north, and the city and Arthur's Seat to the south.
We saw big fluffy bumble bees, Italian tourists (Scuzi!) and a film crew doing a film where the protagonist plays violin. Here is mum explaining the world and all it's appendages to moi. Mum made it back home safe but apparently is badly jet lagged. I am not looking forward to that one.

Ben's little sister Emma turned 21 on Thursday. She is such a gorgeous girl, really nice. I felt very lucky to be involved in her special bday celebrations. There was mother and father and brother Davis, and boyfriend Godron, and Grandma and Grandpa Davis came up from southern England. And me. We went to a Michellin starred restaurant in Edinburgh and were all put up for the night in a hotel. Pretty amazing! And I have never, ever, ever come across food like it.
The restaurant is Kitchin, run by Tom Kitchin (judge on British Master Chef finale if that helps anyone?). The flavours were like nothing I've ever had before. Look at the menu via the link: I had crab for starter, red mullet with garlic gnocci and seared squid for main, and then pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice cream for dessert. Crickey!
So happy 21st to Emma :)

Icelandic Ash

Couldn't get to Ireland today. Ash cloud, closed airport, etc. Bummer. And damn Ryanair will only refund the leg of the journey cancelled from ash, i.e. we can't get to Ireland, but we'll have to pay for the flight home, even though the trip was booked as a return flight and they won't drop us in Derry... I really hope this doesn't become a common problem. I think I'll take mum to Arran Island tomorrow for the day. One holiday for another. Last time I was there there was still snow on the ground so I reckon it'll be beaut now it's Spring.
Arran in January:

Gone to Ireland

Some things you may not know about Ireland:

The horses have moustaches.

The Giant's Causeway is sick. And the whole rock complex is much bigger than I assumed. Lots of rock. For big giant feet, I guess.

The Irish like muff, but not always each other.
It's always Guinness time, everywhere!