Merry Christmas

Well, my good friends :

a MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

Winter Solstice

Today, my good friends, it is official the Winter Solstice - which means that it is the longest night-shortest day. So on the positive side : days will only get longer as from today... (do I already feel a touch of spring coming?)

Today we had a Christmas lunch together with some European-instution-offices here in Edinburgh (all two or three people offices - so it's nice to have the lunch together). The food was lovely and we had some wine and it took us untill 16 pm to get back to the office, so just in time to check the last mails, update the blog and go home!

It was again a beautiful sunny day and i know i always seem to rant on about it, but that is because it has such a positive effect on me. also because we are one floor higher - with a spectacular view (and lots more natural sunlight coming in) we (my boss and me) do not seem to feel as "depressed" (in the most light way of the word) by this dark winter-time...

and just as a demonstration as to how cheery we decorated our christmas tree, you can the see the photographic evidences here below! Merry Christmas everybody!

the music-box of Pandora

ok, i officially started the Kristof-is-in-the-xmass-mood-festive-season... i felt i was missing out on all the xmass fun - i still haven't had the time to visit the edinburgh xmass-winter-wonderland and german christmas-market... So i decided to take some action. Starting with my office : my background picture now is the most cheesy christmas-backgroung i could find (other suggestions are always welcome, i like to change)

And a new website i found is www.pandora.com which is i think a great thing. You give in a song or artist you like and the site creates a "internet-radio" with music of the same "nature" as your favourite style/song/artist... and if you type in for instance "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" then you can listen for ever and ever to all the favourite Christmas carols... which - i must admit - I have been doing since this morning...

I just read on the internet news that Fairy Tale In New York from the Pogues was elected in The Netherlands as most favourite xmas carol... but i had never heard of it... so what are your favorite Christmas carols?

victorious

Yesterday night, i ended up in a new pub here in Edinburgh, the Southsider - to pre-celebrate the birthday of Jodi - an australian girl i got to now during the catering sessions on saturdays with Helene's company. (Jodi's official bday party is on saturday btw). It was interesting to talk with her australian friends, and so i discovered that Aussies don't really have different dialects per region - which i found (boring as it may sound) highly interesting...

We also played a couple of games of - and now i have no idea how to say this in english - "table-football"! A game of which i am not a great fan because back in Belgium, all of my friends with whom i played it before, would always win... but yesterday luck was on my side - my great skills and the superb technique lead me to a glorious victory (or more probable : the fact that the three australian people probably never ever in their life played this game before helped a lot as well...)

Now it's looking forward to the xmas holidays. I have one week holidays between christmas and new year. Joris's mum will be visiting, as well as two friends from Belgium (will stay one night) and our good friend Ann is joining us for the Hogmanay celebrations! huray! let the party-season begin... (but not yet, because tonight and tomorrow night i am working with Joris in the restaurant)...

Wall to Wall

what a day today... at least if you are sitting inside behind a window... as my boss would say (and probably it is a very common expression) : wall to wall blue skies... not a single cloud hanging over Edinburgh today... very nice... the only down-part : i have got to shut the curtains here in the office because otherwise i cannot see my screen... (is that really necessary?)

Did a lot of cleaning this weekend and Karine moved out, so we have our spare room again... it is a bit weird because she has been living with us for a while now, and the room has lost its previous function, so it is a bit lifeless now...

i would like to make a whole chicken in the oven tonight, but have not really an idea how to start... i checked some internet-pages but nothing inspired me... i want to do something with lemon, lots of garlic an fresh herbs... all tips are welcome!

Back in Town

Well it is good and strange to be back in Edinburgh after one month of holidays... and a lot of things have happened during that month...
My sister gave birth to a healthy boy, Dylan, but you have read that already of course. I met up with lots of friends and family, went to lots of parties, met new people, had unexpected meetings with old friends, I played with my old band “kabaal” again (still feels great – I really miss to play in a band), went to see my old colleagues, had a mission with my boss in Brussels and we went to a reception organised by Scotland in the European Parliament… loads of very nice things… last weekend I came back and I immediately started working in alli’s restaurant, together with Joris, who is unfortunately having some back-problems…
It was a great month in Belgium, but yesterday-night it felt also good to be back in Edinburgh, Xmass-feeling is in full swing, the relaxed meetings with friends, Edinburgh castle…