Sad News

My wonderful Granda is in the hospital and is dying. He is 86yrs old and has had a long and rich life but I wish we could have another year.
So I am flying back to the UK today and flying to Aberdeen from London on Thursday. I know I may arrive too late but I want to try my best and at the very least be there to raise a dram and give him a proper send off.

New Blog: New City

I fell in love with New Orleans. I have only been there for two weeks and neither of those were Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or Halloween. But this is a city that seduces quickly and you soon learn to know what it is to miss New Orleans.

I have so much to write about what I saw, experienced and felt in that city, that I have decided that it is worthy of its own blog. To please go to my new blog at
kursetnawlins.blogspot.com
Or you can also click on the link to the side that says "My New Orleans Blog"

This blog will primarily be for Miami and my other wanderings.

New Car: must be a grown up!!

Yesterday we bought a new car - so brand spankingly new that we haven't even seen it yet!!! Its a Honda "Fit" (for those in Europe its the same as a honda "jazz"). Its a wee car but its a 5 door and the seats fold brilliantly so there is lots of space. Of course because this is America they make a HUGE deal about how much SPACE they have - like they want to say this is a small car but really it is modelled on the Doctor Who tardus and it is mammoth inside. I was extremmely amused by this - europeans know that its a wee car and that's great!!
Anyway the reason we haven't seen our purchase yet is that they are "hot" (not stolen - popular!!) and "cool" so they are all sold before they reach the showroom. We need the car asap as I'm off to New Orleans with our volkswagen and Dazza need to get to work. So we needed the next one that is coming in next week - so we ended up with the "sport" version and no choice over the colour. So what colour is it? It is SO Miami: it's white!!!
So we now have another sizable car payment - wee hee!! But we'd rather buy the car than lease it with all the worry of damage and going over the mileage and then you have to give it back with nothing to show for all your money. We know that Honda is reliable and we should be able to drive the car to its grave.
The big discussion now is whether Dazza gets the new car or me - do we add more miles to the volkswagen that already has a lot of miles on it or do I put them on the new car?
Anyway, I'm feeling very much like a grown up now having bought a car and having a proper job. I suppose its about time now I'm 30!!

N'awlins

Got some amazing news yesterday. I have been offered a job in New Orleans!! I have to leave on Monday for the Big Easy. I am so excited for this new experience and the job. Dazza will be staying in South Beach and I'll come back as often as I can (the job is until May and I won't know until April if it permenant). So my blogging will be sporadic until I find a library to use the computer and I will post photos of N'awlins when I am back in Miami. I know I will have plenty to write about - from the reconstruction, the devastation, the music coming back, the politics of it all and of course the food!! (one of my friends has already told me to skip the gumbo - it's "minging" apparently!? I guess I'm also going to hear plenty of creole in the morning now!!

Raindrop Abstracts

These are some silly photos of some raindrops on my window:

Raindrops keep falling on my head

You would think I would be an expert on rain, coming from Scotland. But I am finding out that there is one type I have not known: Miami rain. It is pouring outside - and I mean pouring, like there is an old woman with a bucket pouring water down upon our heads. It has been like this for two days now and I'm beginning to feel a bit cooped up in our tweeny weeny apartment. It is still warm - 83 farenheit, 27 celsuis. So maybe I'll do an impression of Gene Kelly and go jumping through some puddles. I'll just have to watch out for frogs and toads. There were a group of them outside our window again today - maybe they were having a party as my Granny would say.