Cup of Tea Tuesdays- Shoesdays!

I would like to introduce you to my new sneakers. They are just my cup of tea!
 A Uk resident politely pointed out that it will be unlikely that I am to do any sneaking, hence why they call them trainers. I however, being self aware and knowing I require a little more support for my arches when training for triathlons, am more likely to be sneaking than training in the near future. So once again, Potato-Potahtoe-Tattie!

Anyhow, here are my new shoes! They are some kind of wonderful!

Kitschen shoes by Converse! And yes, I have a decorative stump just lying around for display purposes! You can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of my interior decorating!

It is no secret that I like me a good pair of Chucks, and in keeping with my recent keenness of primary colours, I was naturally drawn to these kicks. Pictured are little blenders,  very cute cuckoo clocks and  tiny curtains. I call them my housewife shoes, and the fabric designed by Michael Miller (though Cons give no credit) is called 50's Kitchen, so being the golden era for this term, I was not that far off!

Kitschy pattern + Kitchen paraphernalia = Kitschen! Bitchin'

These are perfect for my first 'summer in Scotland which has thus far included plenty of socks!

Ps. Many Scotland shoe stores will give you a generous student discount, just bring along that student card with your best studenty mug shot on!

If you loved the retro pattern and are looking for a new fabric site, don't look any further. Click this for a link to Michael Miller Fabrics! I especially like the Gnomes, Western and Sophia collections. Enjoy!

erin x edinburgh shoe stores

I have two p?

If I have to pay 30p, then I am taking a damn picture!

You pay to eat, you pay to sleep, but would you pay to pee?

You will in Europe! Toilets (aka bathrooms or washrooms which I should point out do not show up as real words in my ever annoying UK edition of spellcheck) in train stations require a 30 p payment before letting you inside to do your business! Despite being a new concept to me, this is often the case in shopping malls and public places. 30 pence might seem like a small price to pay but to me it was the principle.

My free-peeing North American mentality makes it difficult to justify this cost to relieve my constipation.

This system serves to make alot of money out of me and my tiny, tilted, low-lying, extra spastic bladder; I stand to loose my ability to 'pee freely'! I boycotted pay toilets until just recently when nature didn't call, it hollared and in no uncertain terms!

So with no other public toilet options in sight so as to continue the boycott, I sucked up my pride, pulled out my coins and paid 30 p to pull down my pants. The hardest part was just getting my head around having to fork out for what I have come to expect is a free service. So I had to blame the whole ordeal on my standpoint and change my expectations in the Edinburgh train station that day!

So how much is fresh running water and sickeningly scented soap worth to you? Have you ever put any thought into whom polishes that porcelain after you have passed your poop? You might, as you are rifling around trying to find exact change before you are allowed to tinkle! The cost actually pays for the upkeep, says the internet, so question answered.

Have you heard the term 'Spend a Penny', which is used in replacement for Canada's 'Going to the John' (or insert the term 'shitter' here if you are from somewhere further north like me)? Well I guess I learned the origin of the saying that day, in addition to learning about inflation in the UK.

In conclusion, I suggest you keep some change handy if you order a tea or a cocktail on the train! 30 p to be exact, I know, and I have the picture to prove it!

So when in Rome.....You pay to pee

Our foray at the Farmers Market

Today (wow, I started writing this two weeks ago) we took a wander down to the Edinburgh Farmers Market. Walking hand in hand, eating things on tiny toothpicks, taking pictures and treasure hunting for farm fresh produce is something very special to us. The first time my husband and I spoke was when he was off to the local farmers market in my home town. Shortly after, one of our first dates was a morning bike ride the the Trout Lake farmers market in Vancouver. So in addition to filling our fridge and cupboards with locally grown produce, supporting the farmers at the most primary level and knowing where our food is coming from, we are in fact quite sentimental about the experience of weaving through stalls and chatting with folk.

This Market runs all year round, every Saturday from 9am until 2pm. It also happens to run in the rain, which we found out the very wet way! It did not deter us, but rather resulted in us investing in some hot lunch of steaming hot venison haggis, neeps and tatties (aka Scotland's signature dish with potato and turnip mash on the side). We were informed that venison haggis was in fact the original, and the sheep version Scots know and love was introduced later. Our meal was totted as being nature's waterproofing, meaning that once it is in you the cold, wet weather can no longer penetrate.

Moving on, the market boasts 55 stalls and is set under the stern shadow of the historic castle. The castle terrace is transformed into a lane of blue and white striped awnings. Items are both local and from as far afield as the west coast Scottish Island of Arran. Something, as a North American, to consider is the scale of Scotland which is hard to fathom both by map or via blog. Scotland from east to west coast is just over an hours drive wide, so local could mean over the border in Northern England or nearer to Galsgow. In tangible terms, Southern Scotland is the distance of a Sundays drive to Vanderhoof, or for my Vancouverites a drive over the Lions Gate bridge during rush hour. I digress...

Hope this helps you find your way to the freshness!

The Edinburgh farmers market website is a great way to plan your Saturday morning. In one handy spreadsheet it lists all the merchants and which weekends they will be present, so you can plan your meals around their attendance. There is even a Slow Food demonstrations on the first Saturday of every month if you are so inclined! The joys of shopping for seasonal produce is just that, it is seasonally available in a county with a shorter growing season and climates better suite to raising livestock. Diets are no longer dependant on what is available locally, but rather we rely heavily on imported goods to satisfy our expectations of a varied and ever more interesting menu. Importing goods dates back to the eighteenth century in Edinburgh specifically, so it is no wonder we exist today consuming with little regard to regional growing restrictions, growing conditions or the effects geographical locations has on production of crops.

This leads me to my next point, which is having to adjust your idea of what farm means. Walking into the market area your olfactory system is overwhelmed with the smells of many cooked meats. Fried Aberdeen Angus burgers, spit roasted whole pig, smoked local venison, barbequed Cumberland sausages and bottomless pots of steaming haggis to name a few. Sheep are better suited to Scotland damp climate it seems, and there is no where more evident of this than at the stalls of this farmers market. It truly makes you think about how many fresh things we are importing in at all times, no longer leading lives where we are satisfied with what our particular area can provide us with. What am I trying to say exactly? Succulent blueberries and gorgeous peaches are not to be found. Game pies and sausages outnumber the vegetable venders. And Scotland is really good at growing things on their farms that have four legs! My ideas of green things has gone out the window, but that is okay, because it has made me think about the ways I eat and how I can amend them. Toto, I don't think we are in Vancouver any more!

So, this is what you will find! This week at least!

Pies, but no sweet fruits to be found here! Pies are more commonly savoury, hearty and packed full of meats! An example is this 'Rabbie Burns Pie', wild rabbit cooked in red wine brandy,topped with Haggis!

This mother-daughter duo sold jams, jellies and chutneys! Also punnets of strawberries and spring asparagus too!

A kiosk by Spokes, the local Lothian Cycle Collective handing out Edinburgh cycle route maps and campaigning to improve conditions for cyclists in the city, promoting safety too! This cause is close to our hearts since Lumberjack (my husband) was hit while on his bicycle a few months back(whilst wearing his helmet and riding with his lights on)! So keep up the plee for bike lanes in the Burgh please!

Arran Cheese of awesomeness! Plenty of samples and an invite for a tour of the fromage factory when we are on the island! Yes please!

Something you would only see is Scotland! A stand serving hot, fresh Poutine...Nope...Porridge!

This is the World's first Porridge bar!

(note- the castle in the background, wha? I know!)

This is what I took home with me! A wheel of Isle of Arran smokey garlic cheese, cheddar with crushed stem ginger and a hank of traditional hand spun, hand coloured wool from Kate Sharps own flock of sheep! I am so in love with the colour!

Some Scottish strawberries, a loaf of bread made by Lumberjack and a big pot of tea was perfect on that rainy afternoon! mmm, so nice to share!

I totally recommend making at stop at the farmers market if you are in town. It is busy and delicious and will provide you some insight into Scottish cuisine and Sottish culture. Check out the Edinburgh Farmers Market website to see when your favourite suppliers will be present and find out when the food you love is actually in season! A mighty tasty way to spend a Saturday.

missing greens but loving what Edinburgh farmers had to offer,

erin x

You can creep on Edinburgh!

When we first made the decision to move to Edinburgh, I of course was a tad curious about what it would be like. So, I put my internet surfer hat on and scanned through a multitude of images, videos, travel sites and the like. It is always so exciting and out of context to view a city for the first time via someone else's perspective, ie. photo. But unlike my online Edinburgh immersion, life surprisingly does not come with a photoshop button. So upon arrival, one must take the high street (pictured) with the ripe alley behind the fishmonger's (not pictured).

That being said, this site displaying Edinburgh's web cams a-plenty was my obsession. My Lumberjack and I were still courting at the time, and I would often daydream about our future in what seemed like such a far off place. This little stream of Edinburgh images helped my imagination along, while also telling me the current temperature out too! Practical? Yes. A tiny bit creepy? Oh you bet and I realize that fully only now. But you can tell yourself you are just popping in to contrast the weather conditions with where you are at in the world, you know, like Dads do!

Who knows, perhaps one day you will see me on one of my adventures, strolling along the High street oblivious to the fact that Big Brother, and YOU are watching!

So these are some images of Edinburgh Castle found in the archived webcam photos. This should give you an idea of what it is like at 10pm, 11pm, 12am, night night castle and then 2pm today! The summer solstice is behind us so the days are only gonna get shorter from here on in! Sad face!

Click Here for a nosey through the Edinburgh live web cam options. May I recommend the Historic Edinburgh and the Royal Mile streaming camera 1.

Sometimes the cameras work, sometimes they don't, so sometimes you will enjoy them!

erin x castle vision 2011

Flower Power

Everybody in Edinburgh knows Vintage = W. Armstrong & Son

Now you do too!

After an accidental thrifting session this morning, unintentional in that I was supposed to be sourcing citric acid for my future Elderflower Cordial, to no avail. It turns out the illusive ingredient has been taken off the shelves on account of it also being an ingredient in making of heroine! yikes! So no citric acid, many explanations that I am too chubby to be a heroine addict, plenty of strange looks and awkward chuckles later, I went thrift shopping instead.

My house now looks like some kind of shrine to Laura Ashley. It must be the fact that summer either has yet to arrive, or did and is just plain unsatisfactory, that caused me to loose myself in a sea of floral prints today. If it warms up, I will wear them with loafers and my white vintage Ray-Bans, if not, with cute cardigans and rolled up jeans.

Pictured above is a 3/4 length high-waisted skirt that looked so fresh with my navy boat shoes!

Blouses! I love buttoning them right to the top lately.
One in floral and one minty vintage Ben Sherman.
We are the Mods!

A sweet little change purse...then Presto Change-O

It truly is a 'change purse'!

It unzips into my newest shopping bag!

Perfect for some impromptu thrifting next time!

All my purchases were 10% off too! Armstrongs offers a student discount which is by all accounts Amazing! So all in all, I got out of the shop with all this for under 20 pounds. Perfect!

I am always one for stopping to smell the flowers and today...they smell a little bit like granny flavoured mothballs, so I better go do some washing up!

Addresses and wee maps to Armstrongs' three lovely locations here!

erin x

"I want to go to there"

While on a day where our only order of business was to take pictures, I saw this. Edinburgh has many events, shows, installations etcetera at any given moment. I tend to miss all of them. This is my complaint about our fair city: I never find out about anything until it is over!

I'm sure this is a "It's not you, it's me" type argument where I should subscribe to a lifestyle in which I both get out more, AND stay in more, searching the internet to find all these art openings, concerts, haggis eating contests, film festivals and seminars that escape me.

For whatever reason, this poster was the icing on my annoyed cake. This exhibit has 'erin' written all over it. I even took it upon myself, as a Women's studies major back in Canada, to purchase a book to this affect when I arrived. I thought to have a well rounded view of the history surrounding women's right to vote, I should know how that came to be in the country in which I would soon be voting in, in addition to the one I was born that was covered in my course. I have never felt quite so detached from a city before now, now have I felt like I had to make quite so much effort to find out what on earth is going on in it!
So, here I am on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, discovering one more event I nearly missed.

Today I ask you,
Is there a go-to guide that helps you pick and choose venues before they have passed like the summer here?
What is your favourite website or zine that tells you what's up in the Burgh?
I want to plan my calendar now, and not a year from now when these things come around again in 2012! Or worse miss them entirely only to here how they were a 'not to be missed' event!
(insert sigh here)
Edinburgh manages to elude even me sometimes, even though as a blogger in the Burgh I make an active effort to engage with it.
"Edinburgh, sometimes I don't love you", a quote by Erin Maguire-Lonsdale

Edinburgh City Guide

This comprehensive city guide to Edinburgh covers all the spots, and all the shops! The always trendy, always up-to-date dames at Design Sponge posted this a few months back, and do not disappoint! This guide should satisfy the culture vulture, the fashionista, the indie film goer, the foodie, the lover of all things underground and all things Scottish alike.

It takes you around Edinburgh by street name or community area, and was something I actually referred to when I arrived. D*S tends to be a reliable source in the style department, and having been written by a resident/lover of Edinburgh, this was no exception.

Of course everyone is after a different experience and is bound to have different tastes, but whether you are taking a tour, thinking of moving, travelling to the capital city or trying to find something in your home town, this guide seems like a great start!

Bravo Design Sponge, you have taken the pressure off me! This would have been alot of work, so I left it up to Eloise!

Enjoy the link, and better yet, Enjoy Edinburgh!

erin x this link

Click Here for your Edinburgh City Guide by Eloise Leeson For D*S