It is my last week of winter break, and I've decided to sit down and write a blog post before I jump back into my busy college schedule. The title of this post is a line from Tennyson's Ring Out, Wild Bells, a beautiful poem for the New Year- I won't insert the whole poem, as it is a bit long, but here is a stanza (You can read the rest at this link):

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

2013 was a year of intense activity, but also a year of settling down and becoming at ease with previously unfamiliar surroundings and situations. Some big achievements for the past year were:

• Moving into a flat

• Getting my driver's license

• Completing my first year of college and entering my second

In 2014, my main resolutions fall under the categories of education, organization, and communication.

As with the last post, my ramblings about the past two months are sorted by activity:

U.K. End of Semester

Academics

Ladies Luncheon Room

• On Saturday November 9th, I took a trip to Glasgow with my Art History class to visit the Burrell Collection and Kelvingrove Museum. I'd been to the Kelvingrove already last year, but it was still a very enjoyable day trip. We had to choose from a list of works from the latter half of the 19th century to do a visual analysis report on- I decided to study the Ladies Luncheon Room, part of the Ingram Street tea rooms designed by Mackintosh. I really admire Mackintosh- in fact last year I stayed in Glasgow for a few days to focus on his architectural work- so the essay was about as fun as an essay can get.
• During the week of November 18th I had an particularly intense period of essays and projects due. I had to give a presentation for Sustainable Development, write my essay on the Ladies Luncheon Room, submit a project to my online course, and research and write an essay on bees for SD. It was not very enjoyable, but I guess it is kind of what college is about.
• Studying for exams was stressful, especially since I spent the first revision week traveling (see below). However, I felt like I was much more calm and stable than last year. The exams themselves went all right, though I've always been really horrible at timed writing (I'm quite scatterbrained so find it extremely difficult to write an essay from start to finish- I usually jump around, which isn't possible on paper). After my Art History exam, I went on a short bike ride to Balgove Larder, a lovely farm-shop just outside town which I'd never been to before.
• My online design class has been rather disappointing- I won't go into detail, but basically the way they the way they teach some aspects of the course seem really nonsensical to me. They are constantly making mountains out of molehills, which is really irritating because it does not simulate real world design work.

Design Team

• I've continued to help teach Photoshop classes on Sunday afternoons. It is a really great experience- explaining the program to students forces me to think about it in a whole new way.
• The Design Team committee went out for a Christmas dinner before exams at a nice restaurant called The Dollhouse. It was nice to be able to talk as a team in a relaxed atmosphere rather than in the usual meeting setting. Towards the end of exams we also went out to a new pub called the St Andrews Brewing Company, which serves local and eclectic beers. I tried a sample of one that was made with sourdough yeast, which was probably the best tasting beer I've ever had. Unfortunately they ran out just as I was ordering, so I got a beer with hints of berries instead.

Design Team (sadly missing Allison)

After Design Team Meal

Canoe Club

Thornthwaite Scout Campsite

• On the weekend of the 23rd, I participated in the BUCS Wild Water Race in Yorkshire, England- my first ever kayak race. We left Friday evening and drove about 5 hours to the Thornthwaite Scout Campsite. When we got there it was dark, but luckily the cars that came before us had already set up most of the tents. We spent a little while all huddled together chatting in one tent, but soon we all decided to get some sleep.

When we woke up in the morning everything was frosty- luckily our club had decided to pitch camp under some trees and on higher ground than some of the other clubs, so we were spared from the worst. Around 9:00 we drove over to the River Washburn where the event was to take place.

Thruscross Dam Releasing

When we arrived we were all very impressed with the huge man-made waterfall- really just water being released from the reservoir, but still amazing. Our captain went to the leader's meeting, and the rest of us went on a walk to inspect the river. The more experienced kayakers in the club gave us some guidance about the different features- what to avoid, what to expect, etc. Then the captain gave us a rough idea of what time our turn was for the classic race- I was supposed to go in the afternoon, so I had a long time to wait.

Racing

When it was my turn, I grabbed my gear and headed for the start of the course. I got in my boat, and after a couple of minutes was told I could go by the people keeping time. It was really, really strange being alone on the river- on every other kayak trip I had been following someone, or at least been near another kayaker. The river itself was also different than most of the others I had experienced- it wasn't very wide and therefore there were more trees and rocks to avoid. I did fine up until the main rapid. I didn't quite have a powerful enough stroke to make it though the hole at the bottom, so lost my edge and fell in. Luckily it was in an area with a lot of safety people, so I was able to get back on the river again pretty quickly. My time for the race was 22:15, because of the swim and getting back in the boat (best time was 9:13). After my race, I was supposed to be in a team race but it had gotten too dark. We went back to camp, had a meal provided by the Durham University Canoe Club, and then relaxed in a tent until the dance started. Unfortunately, the DJ was very weird (he kept playing super cliché songs like the Macarena and Cha Cha Slide) so most of us could not be brought to dance. I ended up just going to bed early.

The next day we went back to the river, and this time I raced first thing in the morning. It was a sprint, so was only a small section of the river, and my time was 1:57 (best time was 1:26). When everyone was done, we packed up and drove home- we did not stay for the awards ceremony as we would have to wait for several hours until it was to take place. Overall, our school did pretty well- we tied for 7th place in event points with the University of Edinburgh and apparently we have the best kayaking girls in all the U.K. (for the K1 race at least!).

PhotoSoc and Ents

• PhotoSoc put on a student photography auction and event on November 14th. I helped out setting up for the event with Ents, then enjoyed watching the auction as a PhotoSoc member. Professor Kathryn Rudy of the Art History department, who has a hilarious sense of humor and taught some of my first-year lectures, was the auctioneer. I also did another Bubble Bath show with Lavin and Ryo.

KnitSoc

• Unfortunately, I still did not have time to go to many KnitSoc meetings in the past few months. I'm doing projects on my own and I hope to go more next term.

Life About Town

• My friend Lavin and I went to the Around the World in 80 Minutes Concert put on by Big BUSTA and the Music Society's Concert Wind Band to see our friend Ryo perform. I was really impressed both with the bands and with Ryo, who flawlessly and naturally switched off between conducting, playing a trumpet, and doing percussion. It was great to go to another event at Younger Hall- the last I had been to was the Freshman Induction during my first week.

Travel

• During revision week (the week set aside to study), I went and visited my extended family in Israel. It was really spectacular to visit a place so steeped in history that is also such a vital part of living tradition- for full details and photos, see my trip blog here: nathalieinisrael.blogspot.com/

Floating in the Dead Sea

• Right before leaving to go home, I went on a short trip to the Dunmore Pineapple, the Falkirk Wheel, and the city of Stirling.

The Dunmore Pineapple is an architectural oddity built in the 18th century with a pineapple shaped cupola. It was really awesome- I definitely recommend visiting if you are in that area. There was a short trail to get to the building with some lovely Scots pines and an interesting ruin.

The Falkirk Wheel is a giant rotating boat lift, an engineering marvel that replaced a series of 11 locks between two canals in 2002. Unfortunately, I did not get to see it in action, but it looks like this when it is moving:

I found this paragraph from an article really amazing:

"Based on Archimedes’ principle, floating objects displace their own weight in water, so the caissons always weigh the same! Always remember the classics. By this method, the wheel is always balanced, allowing the most mind-blowing statistic about this wonder to exist—the Falkirk Wheel uses only 30.2 horsepower to rotate! In just over five minutes the wheel makes a half rotation, moving 600 tons to its new canal, using a measly 1.5 kW/h. The same amount of power used to boil eight kettles."

We visited Stirling on my first trip to Scotland in 2009, but for some reason were not able to spend much time exploring. I really enjoyed the city- in fact, I'd have to put it high on the list of my favorite cities in Scotland. I loved how the town was placed on a slope- it made getting lost impossible, and it was awesome seeing how the buildings progressed through time (the castle and oldest structures were at the top, while a new shopping center was at the base of the hill). I arrived in the evening, and checked into the youth hostel, went for a walk, then got some dinner and went to see the second Hobbit movie.

When the movie ended around midnight, I walked back into town. It was very eerie- the wind had picked up significantly while I was inside and was screeching and howling as it swept through the narrow medieval alleys. Nobody was on the streets, and dead leaves were spiraling though the air. I felt like I was in some sort of scary story, like the kind Bridget and I used to read under the covers with a flashlight. The hostel looked fine during the day, but the full moon lighting up the church-like exterior and the surrounding gravestones was a bit too much for me. When I got inside my heart was beating pretty fast! It was hard to sleep that night because the near gale force wind was so strong it shook the entire building.

The next morning I got up early and walked over near the Church of the Holy Rude and John Cowane's Hospital to look for a geocache. I wasn't successful, but it had snowed during the night so I got a great view of the hills of the Trossachs lightly dusted white. Then I went over to St. Mary's Wynd, on the other side of the hill to get a view of the The Wallace Monument (I even found an interesting little raised lookout). After that, I went over to the Old Town Cemetery. It was really an unusual graveyard- the features I found most interesting were The Martyrs Monument, The Star Pyramid, and The Ladies Rock. From there I visited Stirling Castle, which was very impressive- I especially liked the stories on placards throughout the castle, like these about the Great Hall (taken from Stirling Castle website):

"Two royal baptism celebrations were held in the Great Hall. The first was at Christmas 1566, when Mary Queen of Scots hosted a three-day spectacle for her only child, the future James VI. The entertainment culminated in a banquet in the Great Hall. The guests sat at a round table, in imitation of King Arthur and his knights, and the food was brought in on a mobile stage drawn by satyrs and nymphs. A child dressed as an angel was lowered in a giant globe from the ceiling and gave a recitation. The banquet ended with a great fireworks display – the first ever witnessed in Scotland. 

The second celebration came in August 1594, when James VI celebrated the baptism of his firstborn, Prince Henry. The climax was a banquet, the highlight of which was the fish course. This arrived on a model Ship of State, over 5m long and more than 12m high, floating on an artificial sea. As it sailed around the hall‚ 36 brass guns on board fired off a salvo."

You can find more short stories on this page. I also liked the interactive mini-museums within the castle and the tapestry workshop.

After visiting the castle, I went down the Back Walk to the Stirling Art Gallery and Museum. It had quite a few nice historic exhibits including an old dollhouse and projector. Finally, I stopped by the Thistles shopping mall, then took the bus back to St. Andrews.

 

• I flew home on December 20th, just in time for the holidays...

Break in California

Family Time

• We celebrated Christmas early this year, because we decided to meet up with relatives on Christmas day (see below). Christmas is my favorite major holiday (funnily enough, the name Nathalie means "Christmas day" or "birthday"). I love the feel of the Mitchell household during December- we have all kinds of vintage and hand-made decorations we put up, my sister and I decorate mini-trees and as a family put ornaments on our big tree, my dad strings lights out in the driveway, and my mom lights "Christmas candles" which make the whole house smell like the holidays. Bridget and I made fancy gingerbread creations- I made a Steampunk-Victorian house, and Bridget made a carousel.

Our Gingerbread Houses

• On New Year's Eve, I burned the family videos of the year onto a DVD and we watched the past year's adventures together as is our tradition. In the evening we watched some countdown and "top-ten" shows, then watched the ball-drop in New York at 9:00 (as we were sleepy and did not plan on staying up until midnight). Unfortunately, Bridget decided to take a shower 10 minutes before the ball-drop, and did not make it back in time, so she stayed up till 12 with my dad- they are both night-owls anyway.
• January 3rd was my dad's birthday, and he had several of his friends over to celebrate. I had fun being a bartender- I used an app called LiquorCabinet where you can enter all the types of alcohol and mixers you have at home and it generates a list of drinks you can make and how to make them. It was nice to catch up with some of my parents friends who I hadn't seen for quite a while.
• It was great seeing Henry, Lucky, and Lucy again! I got a lot of quality time with all three pets. Lucy has recovered very well from her car accident last year- she is very mellow and lovable. Lucky is almost a "lucky 13" and is doing really well- I just made a nice climbing structure for him in his outside pen. Henry is as wild as ever, but very sweet and fun to play with- he just got neutered on Friday and is not happy about the "cone of shame" he has to wear.

Travel

• On Christmas day we went to Disneyland with my extended family from Oregon. I used the application called RideMax to plan our visit before we got to the park, so we were able to go on pretty much all the rides we wanted to and take advantage of the FastPass system. My favorite Disneyland attractions are Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion (when I was little It's a Small World was at the top of my list). Pirates of the Caribbean was excellent as ever, but I was a bit annoyed with The Haunted Mansion because they changed it to A Nightmare Before Christmas theme for the holidays and barely used the cool Grim Grinning Ghosts song or chilling "Ghost Host" voice at all. Overall it was an fantastic visit and probably the most relaxing time I've ever had at Disneyland.

• The day after Disneyland we went to Palm Springs, and hung out with our relatives on the main street. I went and saw the Hobbit again with some of my family members, and we ate out at the Lulu California Bistro. In the evening my relatives from Oregon headed off to Joshua Tree National Park to see the sights and so my cousin could rock climb. My family stayed overnight, then went to some of our favorite Palm Springs shops in the morning (I tried to visit the store of Shag, one of my favorite artists, but it was closed this time). In the afternoon we went to Shields Date Garden, which my dad remembered visiting when he was little. We watched a documentary there about the super complicated process of producing dates, shared a milkshake made with date-sugar crystals, and bought some dates for at home (my dad likes them raw, but I prefer mine in Sticky Toffee Pudding!).

• After leaving Palm Springs, my parents dropped Bridget and I at LAX to fly to Tahoe. Our grandparents picked us up from there and took us to their house in Northstar. We had a great few days spending time with our relatives, playing in the snow, and skiing (though there was very little snow so conditions were poor). Bridget and I did a Photoshoot:

• I made a couple videos on my Contour camera which you can see below:

Univex Model A

• On Sunday the 12th, my family headed down to the famously gigantic Rose Bowl Swap Meet in Pasadena, California. The amount of stuff there was overwhelming, but we had an excellent time looking for "buried treasures" in the thousands of stalls. Back at home in the evening we had a show-and-tell of all the items we had purchased. My favorite find was a 1930s subminiature bakelite Univex Model A camera, that appears to be in working condition and cost less than the online asking price.

Life About Town

• We had "King Tides" in late December/early January which meant that the water levels were way higher and lower than usual. My parents and I were going to take the dogs for a walk on the beach one morning, but ended up having to walk along the sidewalk as the waves were crashing right up to the sea wall and there was a crowd gathered to watch. Bridget and I met up with my neighbor and childhood best friend Ian to go tidepooling during the afternoon a couple days later. We saw a couple of huge red crabs, a sea hare, tons of anenomes, and many hermit crabs. We brought along jars and had a sea glass finding contest- Ian won at around 100 pieces.

• I met up with my friend Kevin from stage crew, and we visited San Marcos High School during crüe period. We had a chat with Mr. Holmes, our teacher, who is sadly but befittingly retiring this year (this spring will mark his 30th year teaching- see article from 2010 here). It was kind of surreal being back in the theater where I had spent so many hours in high school- many of our jokes and memories were still tacked up on the scene shop walls. After visiting the theater we went and caught up with Ms. Teraoka-Brady, the choir teacher, then caught the bus and headed downtown for lunch.

• My dad and I went kayaking in the harbor with my dogs during the week we had 80°F (26°C) weather almost everyday. Unfortunately, Henry has grown much more bold in the water, and could not sit still in the kayak like he used to. He kept jumping in and swimming around using his tail as a propeller (see video). It was a struggle to get anywhere, but we did a lap around the harbor and went under the Channel Cat as is our tradition.

George Steedman's Workshop

• My parents and I visited the Spanish Colonial Revival style house Casa del Herrerro (House of the Blacksmith) designed by George Washington Smith and inhabited by the Steedman family. I found the architecture and Beaux Arts landscape really stunning- I especially liked George Steedman's workshop. I also found it interesting that they moved in the same day as the great Santa Barbara earthquake, but the house was undamaged.

• I visited my ballet school and went out for coffee with my friend Lorraine. It was really nice catching up while walking along State Street.

• I fixed up my bike at home- I pumped up the tires, cleaned it, and attached a basket. I got a nice couple of bike rides in- one I did a loop around Montecito, stopping at the beach to watch some surfers and going through the Oak woods near Casa Dorinda. The second I went down to the Farmer's Market and to my mom's office.

• Bridget and I met up with her friend at Hendry's beach and brought Henry along. It felt like a summer's day- I went boogie boarding and relaxed in the sun. The waves were absolutely huge and there were surfers everywhere- I wish I had brought my camera!

Crafting and Hobbies

A Castle Wheel

• For Christmas my mom booked a lesson for me with a spinning instructor in Goleta named Edith Ogella. I've been wanting to make my own yarn for knitting for quite some time now, but was having a bit of difficulty teaching myself, so was really excited to learn from a professional. Edith was really amazing and very patient! I learned about the history of spinning, the evolution of the wheel's construction, what types of wool are best for different purposes, and techniques for spinning itself. I was also very impressed with her vintage and antique camera collection and all the different types of spinning wheels she had throughout the house- from giant early American wheels to petite castle wheels.

• I always get really into sewing when I go back home, because I don't have a machine in Scotland. I decided to make an elven outfit since I had a lot of green felt my mom bought at a yard sale. I made a sketch, but sadly did not scan it in before leaving for Scotland. I finished making a warm brown fleece cape, and made a medieval looking coat, but still need to add the finishing touches.

• I did some shopping for my Steampunk dollhouse at Larrianne's Small Wonders in Ventura, but did not have time to work on it much over break. I hope to do more of my clay miniatures this spring to sell on Etsy.

• I have been learning how to use the 2D and 3D design program AutoCAD with Lynda tutorials- I hope to use it combined with a 3D printer one day so I can make intricate objects without taking the time to construct them. I'm also excited about using it for making mock architectural plans.

• I just ordered my own developing tank and photographic chemicals so that I can work on learning to develop photos at home (I'm following these instructions: http://chromogenic.net/develop). I'm really excited, as this will mean I won't have to send my pictures away to be processed. I am hoping I can still use PhotoSoc's darkroom over the next term, but I have to wait until they arrange another information session.

Back to St. Andrews

• My flights back home yesterday were all right- I flew on New Zealand airlines, which was different from what I normally take (the plane was for a flight from Auckland to London with a stopover in LA- I sure felt bad for the New Zealanders!). Luckily, the journey was only 9 1/2 instead of 11 hours due to the fact we had a good wind and flew more directly (not over Greenland as usual, which is also a shame because looking at the glaciers is amazing). On my second flight from Heathrow to Edinburgh I got a really good view of some fantastic clouds.

• I made it back just in time to eat a home-cooked Burns Night dinner with Sarah and her boyfriend Jonty. Being a vegetarian, I did not indulge in the haggis, but had some nice roasted potatoes and vegetables. I slept like a log last night.

• This morning I went to get groceries and on my way back I had an ultimate fail. I have a hook on my bike where I can hang grocery bags, and it normally works just fine. However, I stupidly made a sharp turn just after getting on my bike, and the bag got caught in the wheel. The spokes sliced through the plastic and somehow managed to rip open a bag of carrots. There were carrots all over the ground and stuck in my spokes, and it was a pretty embarrassing situation- luckily nobody was nearby except for some teenage kid smoking at a bus stop who I think was laughing at me. I regained my composure, threw away the carrots (sadly- what a loss of 69p!), and rode home.

• Tomorrow classes begin again- this term I'm taking:

•Art, Culture and Politics, from 1900 to Now

•Aesthetics

•Rationality and Action

•Sustainable Development: Social and Economic Aspects

I'm excited to get back into my daily routine- well, not that there is much of a routine here in St. Andrews- things have a way of changing pretty quickly around here. Talk to you again soon!

Ah… back in St. Andrews! The flights were very nice- as I landed in London it was unusually clear and I could see Big Ben and the London Eye perfectly. The first thing I noticed after leaving the Edinburgh airport was the air. In Scotland, the air almost always feels crisp and has an "earthy" scent, which only occurs in Santa Barbara after heavy rain. They lost my luggage between flights, but luckily I was able to get it back by the morning when I set off for St. Andrews.

Hamish was a bit distracted

•  When I arrived in town, one of the first familiar faces I ran into was the town cat Hamish McHamish. He stopped for a moment to greet me, but then continued his business wandering through a garden. I've never taken a taxi in St. Andrews (I'm trying to keep it that way), and it was a really nice day, so I rolled my suitcase to my new flat. After a little while, my flatmate Sarah, her parents, and the landlord arrived. We all went upstairs into the flat and made sure everything was in order for us to live there for the year. Then we began to move in- I only had my suitcase at the time, so I helped Sarah a bit with her belongings.

The other day I overheard someone saying that "time doesn't exist in St. Andrews", and really it doesn't. I've been here two weeks, and it feels as though it could have been a year or a day. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint exactly where you are in history, especially when you walk seamlessly from an ancient cathedral ruin into a cutting edge science facility. I like the fact that time means everything and nothing here- it is well suited to the kind of person I am. The following are my most recent adventures:

•  On Monday, my first full day back, I tried to get up to go to pre-season fitness training with Canoe Club, but decided to go back to bed after breakfast due to jet lag. When I awoke again, I headed to the boat shed to help clean and rearrange the kayaking kit. When that was done, I went home for a little while and then walked to the sports centre to go to a yoga class (again with Canoe). There were so many people stretching in the gym it reminded me of images you see of people praying at Mecca.

Yard work

•  On Tuesday, I had to spend the whole day waiting around the flat for my boxes of stuff to be delivered by the storage company. I really disliked the company and will never use them again, but I won't go into detail about that just now. I wanted to be as productive as possible, and we didn't have any internet in the flat yet, so I ended up pulling weeds from our front and back yard for several hours (yes, it was that bad). I also rearranged some random blocks of concrete into a path, and chased away some spiders that were getting a little too comfortable on our water pipes.

•  On Wednesday, I went to slalom training and white water safety and rescue practice with Canoe Club on Grandtully. To tell the truth, I was really nervous because I hadn't gotten much practice all summer. It ended up being okay- my group did safety and rescue first, which involved learning techniques for rescue on land and then learning how to safely swim/ throw line in whitewater (see this video: Basic WW Safety and Rescue). It was nerve-wracking to willingly throw myself into a grade 2/3 rapid without a boat, but it was really helpful for building confidence for if I capsize. In the afternoon I did slalom practice with a professional coach, and I'd have to say slalom is probably not my calling. I find going down a river exciting and challenging enough without having to do the added maneuvers to get around the slalom poles. It is supposed to be very good for learning to precisely control your boat though. That evening I decided not to go on the Intermediate and Advanced trip out west, because I felt I needed more "river refreshing" and had a lot of prep to do for the Design Team Pinhole Camera Workshop.

•  Over the weekend, I went to the Border Abbeys, simply because I wanted to take a trip somewhere before school started. I hadn't done much traveling down south, and thought it would be interesting, so made a list of places I'd like to see. I then plotted them out on a map, and looked up bus routes to see what was feasible for a day trip- the Border Abbeys (four ruined religious buildings from the 12th century) made the most sense. I got on my first bus around 6:30, and was in Edinburgh by around 8:30. I ran a few errands in the city, then took my second bus to Melrose, where the first abbey was located.

•  Melrose Abbey was very impressive, even in its state of disrepair (it was being worked on when I was there). I saw the memorial plaque for Robert the Bruce- his heart was supposedly buried somewhere on the premises. I also got a glimpse of the Melrose pig- a bagpiping pig sculpture near the top of the building! It was difficult to see between the scaffolding, but I got a picture.

•  Next, I took a bus to the nearby town of Newtown St. Boswells and walked a couple miles on a forest trail to get to Dryburgh Abbey. There was a really pretty suspension bridge over the River Tweed that I passed by, as well as a very ornate and impressive gate with a cow pasture behind it. When I got to the abbey I found that I had it all to myself- I love that semi-remote or lesser known landmarks rarely have any tourists, especially on rainy days. I did my usual "ruins rounds"- making sure to go up all the decrepit spiral towers, tunnels, and to find the best gothic architectural features. Then I went and paid my respects to Sir Walter Scott, who was buried there at his request.

Red= expected route, Blue= actual route

•  The final portion of my trip did not go as planned- I wanted to take a short bus ride to Jedburgh Abbey, but when I got on the bus the driver did not clearly explain that I had to get a transfer halfway through. Instead I assumed it was a loop route, and that we were going to go back the other direction if I waited long enough. It didn't help that my phone GPS decided to stop working. Instead I ended up in Northern England at Berwick-upon-Tweed (I did get to see a glimpse of Kelso and Smailholm tower though, so it wasn't all bad). Though I would have liked to stay in a hostel there and continue back in the morning, or explore Northern England, I had been planning on a day trip so did not bring a passport (so wouldn't have been able to check in at a hostel) and thought it best to get back home. Luckily, there was a straight-shot train to Edinburgh, so I took that and ended up getting back to St. Andrews before I would have if I had done my original plan.

Basilica

•  The next couple days consisted of doing some errands, banking, and other general housekeeping kind of things. The most interesting errand was to the botanic gardens to pick up my basil plant, Basilica, which I left there over the summer- it grew at least a foot and a half! I also finished getting materials ready for the pinhole camera event. Then Freshers Week really began…

•  On Tuesday, I met with my counselor to discuss the following year, and then went to the union to meet with Design Team. We talked about our plans for the new PR team, our website and stock photo database, and where we currently stand with design work. Afterwards, we set up the workshop and were astounded by the amount of people who showed up- we didn't even have enough supplies for everyone. I led the Freshers in the main construction of the cameras, while the rest of the team assisted people in putting them together and discussed what we do in Design Team. Overall, I think the event was a success.

Dippold Pinhole Camera

•  On Wednesday, I went to another advising and visa check appointment, and then I biked to the boat shed to help out with the Canoe give-it-a-go session. I basically just made sure everyone had a name sticker, sorted kit, and helped with the refreshments, but it was pretty fun. In the evening I went to a KnitSoc committee meeting at the VIC, which is one of my favorite restaurants in town.

•  On Thursday I was free, so of course I decided to "find work" for myself. I ended up doing Ents crew all day from 11am to 10:30pm, which I really enjoyed. I spent most of the time clearing the venue and setting up for a concert, but towards the end I got to do a small sound setup for RockSoc.

S Club in its prime

•  On Friday, I spent more time in the union, printing flyers and collecting film from people who made the pinhole cameras (unfortunately we haven't been able to develop it yet- it is kind of a long story). In the evening I went to the Canoe Club Freshers' bonfire, where I met some very nice new students who had many of my same interests.

•  On Saturday I did more Ents crew, this time setting up for the 90s band S Club 7, of which only two members remain. I'd have to say I liked prepping the venue more than the band itself, which was a little past it's prime (though I think that was the point). With Vengaboys and S Club 7, I'm certainly building a repertoire of teching failing 90s bands! After the band and the bop, we got the union ready for the Freshers' Fayre. It was another long day in the union- 5pm to 4:30am!

KnitSoc table at Freshers' Fayre (photo credit Tonje)

•  On Sunday, I went back to the union to man the Design Team booth at the Freshers' Fayre for a couple hours, then the KnitSoc booth for another couple of hours. It was way more crowded than I remember my Freshers being- I was going to sign up for the Photography Society there, but decided it was better to shoot them an email instead. That evening we did our Design Team social in the union bar. I had started feeling sick (Freshers' Flu!) that afternoon, but decided to muddle through the social. I met/ got to know some really interesting students who had tons of worldwide traveling experience and had been everywhere from Figi to Colombia to Thailand. After spending more than 24 hours in the union the past few days, I was super excited to leave!

KnitSoc flyer

•  On Monday, my classes officially began. I love my schedule- I only have class from 1-3 on most days! I'm also in the nicer lecture halls this year- an added bonus! I'm taking "History and Theory of European Art, Architecture, and Design from the French Revolution to Vienna 1900", "Sustainable Development: Environmental and Ecological Aspects" and an online class through Open University called "Design Thinking: Creativity for the 21st Century". I can't wait for these lectures: "Women Photographers of Victorian Britain", "Muybridge and Technologies of Vision", "Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style", "Art Nouveau in Europe", "Threats to the biodiversity of Bees", "Agricultural systems and ecology", and "Evaluating Marine Protected Areas". On Monday evening, I helped with KnitSoc's first meeting of the year. I'm the publicity officer, and designed the flyers and redid the Facebook page earlier in the week, so was interested in who would show up- we had a pretty good turnout.

•  Yesterday, Tuesday, was fairly uninteresting, just getting back into the swing of taking classes. Today I'm supposed to go on a "field trip" to West Sands beach with Sustainable Development- it is a really nice day, so it will be great going to the beach! This evening I'm probably going to an Ents meeting/social.

So that is about it in the overly detailed account of my life! Talk to you again soon!

The end of the school year went well. Unfortunately, I was so busy I didn't have time to write a decent blog post! Of course, I forgot to write one when I got home, so now I have some catch up work to do. Today is my last day in Santa Barbara before I head back to Scotland. The weather is sensational so I'm sitting on a bench in our yard with Henry, our wire fox terrier. I'll do my best to describe most of the important events of April through August (yikes!), so sit tight for an incredibly long post...

•  On April 26th I attended the "Aqua Ball", which was put on by the Swimming, Canoe, and Lifesaving clubs (I designed the tickets- see below). I chose to go to the potluck beforehand, rather than the dinner, and brought a cake and a salad. The ceilidh was fun, but everyone who went to the potluck was a bit late, so missed a few dances. All in all it was a great night!

•  The next day I got to try out doing some event photography with my friend at TEDx St. Andrews. It was a nice challenge to deal with a lighting and setting I wasn't used to. It was exciting to listen to the TED talks as well- the ones I enjoyed most were about medieval manuscripts, musical theater, and a childish approach to life.


•  The day after that, I took photos at SSS Wild Water Racing, a kayaking competition put on by our Canoe Club. I snapped photos like crazy during the event, and ended up with about 1300 shots. My favorite races to watch were the duos. Overall, it was a very busy weekend!

•  The next few weeks were revision and exams, which were generally uneventful except for the following occasions:

•  I made sourdough, which involved making a starter of yeast and water, "feeding it" and caring for it for a week, then making the bread. The end product looked nice, but unfortunately I did not like the taste as much as I had hoped (I tried two more starters over the summer as well- still haven't found perfect one).

Sourdough

•  I went on a couple outdoor excursions to take a break from studying. I paddled in the sea with Canoe Club, which was great for exercise, but it was very windy. On the way there I was towards the front of the group, but on the way back I really lagged behind due to the fact I had to paddle against the wind predominantly with my bad arm. I also went to the botanic gardens to do some reading for philosophy and take some pictures.

Gaudie

•  On the eve of May 1st I participated in the traditional May Dip and Gaudie activities. As the sun was setting I walked with some friends to Younger Hall wearing my red gown. After everyone had gathered we went in a procession (with a bagpiper and a choir) towards the pier. We were given torches, which, I'm not going to lie, were quite dangerous- the flames were very big and there were many sparks, not a good combo with the red gowns, wind, and cobblestones. On the pier we did the normal loop, going towards the sea on the wide part, then up a ladder, and away from the sea on the skinny part. The torches at night reflecting on the water looked unbelievably beautiful.

•  After that, we went to the canoe club castle and then over to a house party. The party lasted the whole night, though many were very sleepy by the end. I won the cereal box game, in which you have to bend over to grab a cereal box (which gets cut progressively shorter each round) in your mouth without using your hands. We also played a celebrity name game and Ring of Fire, neither of which I am a big fan of.

•  As soon as the sun started to rise, we walked out to the beach, stripped off our clothes, and ran into the sea. The North Sea was so cold that the second I went in I couldn't feel anything (I can't imagine what it would be like for those who went in completely nude). We ducked underwater, then ran shivering back to the shore. Afterwards, we went to someone's house to get hot chocolate- a perfect ending to the event. See a video to the right (not exactly the best footage, but gives you the idea)

•  Finally, I finished a sweater with owl motifs on it. The pattern is by Kate Davies, my favorite knitwear designer.

•  In the last few days of the semester I spent some time packing up my dorm. My mom arrived on the 22nd, the day of my last exam. She is an ultra "packer", so I got her approval on my boxes of belongings before sealing them up and giving them to the storage company.

•  My mom and I had a great couple of days in St. Andrews, I really enjoyed showing her all the sights and sounds of the city I had experienced throughout the year. Now that my mom and dad have visited, I'm hoping Bridget will come!

Last night in St. Andrews

•  After St. Andrews, my mom and I took the train up to Inverness and explored around the city for an afternoon. I think the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery was what we liked most. The next day we took a bus to the Isle of Skye, which I'd been wanting to visit for several years. The bus ride over was wonderful, there were waterfalls, lochs, wildlife, and beautiful mountainous landscapes. Even my mom, who doesn't enjoy road trips, marveled at the scenery. We got to Skye just as the sun was setting, and it felt like driving into another world.

•  We stayed the night in Portree, the largest town on the island, and wandered throughout its streets in the evening and early morning. At around 9, we met with our tour guide, a man born and raised on the island. My favorite places we saw were: 

Faerie Glen- mysterious small hills with terraced edges that were not man made

The Old Man of Storr- a mountain that looks like an old man

Kilt Rock- a cliff with the appearance of a kilt

Staffin Beach- a beach where the last man in Scotland to swim his cattle to an island annually to graze did his crossings (see link here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-12430571)

Quiraing- a landslip near Meall na Suiramach with one of the most picturesque views I have ever seen

Lealt- an area of cliffs, the sea, and waterfalls
Red Hills- a panoramic series of hills

•  In the evening we went back to Inverness, and then in the morning on to Edinburgh. I showed my mom some spots that I love in Edinburgh, like the Scott Monument, Grassmarket, and Arthur's Seat. We also went geocaching in Greyfriars Kirkyard and found the the Heart of Midlothian. My mom suggested we go up to Carlton Hill, as neither of us had been there- the monuments were really spectacular! We liked the Nelson Monument the most, which had a time ball.

 

•  The next day we flew to Belgium, and were in Bruges by early afternoon. We stayed in Bruges for three nights- our hotel was beautiful and historic, picked out by the ultimate trip planner, Mark Mitchell. Bruges was a wonderful town, but was incredibly touristy. We found the difference between the "tourist streets" and the almost empty streets if you went a block down really strange. However, we didn't let the crowds get to us too much. Here were my favorite locations in Bruges:
The Groeninge Museum- a museum with a fantastic selection of Flemish art

The Basilica of the Holy Blood- a chapel containing a vial of holy blood, which has an interesting ceremony
The Sint-Janshospitaal Museum- a museum with art, archaic medical equipment, and an awesome ark-like ceiling

The Belfort- a large tower in the center of town with wonderful views
The Historium- I only like the memories with my mom here- the experience itself was odd. It was a Disneylandesque recreation of Bruges during Van Eyck's era and was kind of over the top

The canals- our favorite spot was a little ways away from Blind Donkey Alley

The sweet shops- the best cookie I tried was called a Dentelle de Bruges

The alleyways- they were pretty picturesque and well kept

Fast food pasta places- perfect for Nathalies
Dill and Camille- a store with very cute gardening and cooking supplies, like a better version of Sur la Table 

 

•  The next city we went to was Ghent, which was mainly to visit Jan Van Eyck's famed Ghent Altarpiece, which I had studied in art history. With all its detail, you could stare at it for hours (see this awesome site: http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/). We also went to a museum called the MIAT or Museum of Industrial Archeology and Textile, which doesn't sound very interesting but is one of the best museums I have ever gone to. I love anything industrial revolution related, and am currently very into textile production, so I found it fascinating. Afterwards we went to some great antique shops.

•  The last place we went was Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and the "capital of Europe". I made a map of all the places in the city I wanted to see, and planned the most efficient schedule for our single day there. First we went past the Art Nouveau Musical Instrument Museum building, and to an underground museum called the Coudenberg. Then I sneakily took my mom past the Mannequin Pis, which she did not want to see because she thought it was vulgar. After that, we headed to the central square, which had some of the most amazing building facades I have ever seen. I fell in love with the statuary on the outside of the Grand Palace. Next, we went through the very long Saint-Hubertus Royal Gallery building and stopped in a couple bookstores to look at Tintin comic books. Then we took the subway to Victor Horta's house, which was what I wanted to see most in Brussels. Horta was an instigator of the Art Nouveau movement, and his house was stunning. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside, but there is a picture I found online to the right. Lastly, we visited the Atomium and "Mini Europe" in a kind of jumbled together theme park called Brupark. Mini Europe was cool, but pretty weird, and admission was overly expensive- I thought they should have given me a discount after their creepy turtle mascot grabbed me and tried to get us to take a souvenir photo- yikes!

•  When I got back home, we had just about a week before leaving for Marin county to go to my cousin's Bar Mitzfah. The ceremony was very nice, though it was kind of sentimental seeing the last of the five of my aunt's children "become a man". I also got to go to one of my favorite shops, Susan's Storeroom, and see my friend Victoria who was working up north over the summer.

•  We then went down to Stinson Beach, a pretty remote foggy beach town 35 miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge. I had a really wonderful time playing with kayaks and paddle boards with my younger cousins. We ended up making a silly video about the crabs we caught in the lagoon with my new underwater camera.

•  On the way back home we visited San Juan Bautista, a historic California town with a great mission, view of the San Andreas fault, old-fashioned downtown, and awesome antique stores. My dad says that he wouldn't hesitate to move there if Santa Barbara didn't exist.

 

•  Sometime in June or July we went to the Mullins Car Museum, and got a "private tour" from my dad. I got to see the kind of car my dad almost owned in his story of the "one that got away"- a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic he saw in a garage that was stolen or moved the next day when he came to get it. I also saw a 1925 Bugatti Type 27 Brescia Torpedo that was found on the bottom of Lake Maggiore in Italy- according to legend a man put it on a float in the lake so he could get out of paying taxes, but the chain broke and it sunk.

Cucumber I grew

•  I went to a permaculture lecture at SBCC to aid in the creation of my garden at home. I really liked the speaker, Christopher Shein, and ended up getting his book. My garden did really well over the summer- I moved the box and raised the bed an extra foot to allow for more growing room. I also made a bench, sunshade, and trellis on the sides with the help of my dad. I grew many lettuces, two types of basil, several varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, a bell pepper, chives, parsley, and cilantro.

Poodle Parade

•  I also went to the annual French Festival and Greek Festival with my friends and family. I really liked the dancing and desserts at the Greek Festival and entering our dogs in the "Poodle Parade" at the French Festival.

At Bridget's Birthday Party

•  Bridget's 16th Birthday was on July 26th, and she celebrated by having an elaborate 1920's Around the World themed party. Almost everyone dressed up and they played musical chairs and bagels on a string, had a dance party, and watched the movie "The Fall" which is about a stunt performer and a little girl in a hospital.

•  Another fun thing I did was to glean oranges at an orchard in Montecito through the program Food Forward. We picked over 3500 pounds!

•  Bridget and I also planned a lemonade stand, to support research for Colony Collapse Disorder- unfortunately we didn't get very many customers, perhaps because we were too old or the spot we chose was difficult to park in.

•  We went on a couple of side trips over the summer- my favorites were to the Getty with my dad to visit the Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future and Gardens of the Renaissance exhibits, and to downtown Ventura, where there are many antique stores and new up and coming shops. I also went to a few garage sales and swap meets- which we Mitchell's always enjoy. The best things I got were several vintage cameras, including a brownie camera which someone gave me for free because they thought it was "gutted" and could not be used. It is in perfect working condition.

•  In February I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck- to the point where I could not turn my head to the left for an entire day. For the next week, I had to sit on the left side of the lecture rooms so I could look right. Slowly it got better, but by April it started getting worse again. Over the summer, I decided to have it checked out, and went to a spine clinic. After X-rays and an MRI I learned I had strained my trapezius muscle (goes from shoulder to neck). I was advised to go to physical therapy, which I doubted at first, but helped phenomenally- I would definitely recommend Hayashida if you are in SB!

•  I just got my driver's license, which is very exciting. I'm glad that I waited, as I feel much more confident now than when I began driving at 16. My parents are happy that they won't have to "chauffeur" me anymore, and I am happy I won't have to take the bus all the time (though I do love public transportation).






•  I also helped my dad do a few projects in his garage including inventorying Alfa Romeo books/manuals and photographing and posting items on eBay.

•  Last, but not least, I experimented with pinhole photography over the summer, which you should hear more about in my next post!