Pussycat, Pussycat. Where have you been?

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I've been to London to visit the Queen!

Ola! Well it has been a while between blogs but rest assured I am alive and well and we have been doing soo many activities.
Alissa, Sam and I went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace on Saturday which was such fun. I am very much looking forward to heading back to Lizzy's pad in the winter to get a closer look as there were sooo many people around it was impossible to get a good pozzie. The gaurds did look very dapper in their costumes though, I love! We then took a tour around Lizzy's digs to see where she hangs her hat and such. We got to see the state rooms and the gardens and where she does her fancy-smanshy knighting people and such, and we even got to see the Royal Throne! Which is really just an arm chair with HRM embossed in it, but very exciting none the less. We also saw her secret door that leads from her bedroom to the main dining room... not so secret any more. Amongst other things like the grand stair case, the court yard, some old-skool art and some fancy dresses and such it was quite an interesting experience. After that we hit up Covent Garden and purchased a few goodies before I headed out to my loves house in Fulham (Jessica) for a night of dancing, dancing and more dancing with her ever wonderful Swedish entourage. Brilliant.
Sunday night not only saw the arrival of a few hang overs (surprisingly not me) as Alissa, Wayne and Ham had gone to the Walkabout (Australian Pubs scattered across UK) for a few snake bites and one or two shots, but also the arrival of a very jet-lagged mum and dad. Alissa cooked everyone a roast and a lemon meringue pie (spelling?) and we all headed to bed early in anticipation for our trip to Edinburgh on Monday.
So here we are, our last night in Edinburgh and all I can say is that it is BEAUTIFUL! And I cannnnnnoooottt wait to spend New Years Eve here for the official Hogamany street party with the amazing backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, it will be very memorable indeed!
Sam and I caught the train to Edinburgh on Monday which was roughly 5 hours, we managed to pass time quite quickly watching movies and Entourage and they even have free Wifi on the trains! Technology is incredible isn't it?! So we arrive around 6pm on Monday and met up with Alissa (who was here for "work") and mum and dad who had arrived a little earlier in the day and we had a few quiet, or not so, drinks with some of Alissa's pals in the local pub. After a massive seafood dinner we all stumbled to our respective haunts, mum and dad in a posho B&B, Alissa in an all-expenses paid for hotel and Ham and I in a 6 bed shared dorm.. glamourous! At least the beds are comfy!
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent on the hop-on-hop-off bus around Edinburgh, seeing all the major sites and dropping in to yet another one of Lizzy's cribs (her Primrose holiday home as Ham calls it) Holyrood Palace House, it's where she spends her summers. One massive mofo of a palace but it doesn't have a scratch on Buckingham. We can't all be picky queens though, right?
We also had a look around the Royal Yacht (no longer in use- too many complaints from the taxpayers) the Brittania. A very interesting tour and might I say just another Palace on water? She sure knows how the keep things schmancy!
Today (Thurs) we were supposed to be doing a tour up to Glen Coe, Invernes and swinging by to see Nessie on the way (who I was adament I was going to find by the way) but unfortunately the tour company screwed things up royally so we had to get on another tour that went to Loch Lomond (or Loch lame-o) via Glasgow. The tour was fine, we saw another castle (Stirling Castle) which was interesting, although I am a little over castles atm took a boat tour down Loch Lomond, where some nut bags were wakeboarding- it was about 10 degrees air temperature and the water would have been well freezing!! We saw lots of hills and greenery- so Scottish and I managed to catch a few z's as well. We've just had yet another massive feed and are heading off to sleep, tomorrow we intend on seeing the 3D-Nessie Experience at a theatre on the Royal Mile before heading off to catch out trains and planes.
All in all a very wonderful experience in Edinburgh and the sheer beauty of the place is amazing. To walk down the street a look up at the Edinburgh Castle sitting atop a cliff face (or inactive Volcano? did I make that up?) is truly spectacular! And might I mention, an Edinburgh Summer is much like a Hobart winter, a tich nipply if I do say so!
Another 5 hour train ride before arriving back in London tomorrow for jam-packed weekend (mum and dad's only weekend in London so we're trying to cram in as much as possible) before heading to FRAAAAAANCE on Monday which I am beyond excited for!!
Ok dear friends I must be off, 3D Nessie awaits me in the morning.
Adios x

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