On Our way to hogmanay!

So, we have some very bad news. Our charger for the macbook has been destroyed, meaning we no longer have access to our computer at home. However, the bright side is that the first apple store in london just opened on regents street and ellie has an appointment to see if her charger is under warranty. If it is not, then we will have to wait to buy one from the states and have it shipped here because here the apple chargers are £59.00 which is double of what it in the states.

Bad news aside: Merry Late Christmas everyone! We had a very lovely Christmas. London literally shuts down on Christmas. There is no tube running, no stores open, no pizza places. So we had to stock up at the grocery on christmas eve and it was a mad house. People were bumper to bumper with there shopping carts and there was hardly anything on the shelves. We managed however to snag some materials for banana pancakes and some chips and hummus. That night, Christmas eve, we went over to Georges mums house where she cooked us salmon, potatoes and brussel sprouts and we had minced pies for dessert with red wine. She bought us some really cute little slipper/socks and gave us a Christmas cake. We mostly just drank wine and watched television. George was out with his friends so it was quiet.

Christmas morning we awoke around 9:30 and opened our stocking that ellies mum had sent us. Then we got up and ellie made banana/chocolate chip pankcakes. Afterwards we set about opening our gifta. We had received many packages from our families and so that was really thoughtful. Heres a little list of what we received and thank you to everyone who sent us presents or cards, it made us feel at home. I got a change purse from my brother and sohmer, plus an album of my niece sohpia, I got two books that I have been wanting from my mom, some bath and body works perfume and lotion, some amazing bath and body works sleep socks and matching blanket, a purse from forever 21 and some candy, all from my mum. From Ellie, I received this other really cute owl change purse and a gym membership which I have been wanting for a while now. From her mom, I got some face wash and face lotion and some target candy. Ellie got the same socks from my mom, some money from her mom, a necklace from her aunt, some candy from my mum, and I got her an umbrella, a starbucks gift card, a scarf she had wanted and a haircut voucher. Oh and of course, my brother Joe put money in our account so we could go on the london eye and also so we could do pretaportea, which is this amazing tea time at this ritzy hotel where everything is shaped like fashion, so for example the cookies are shaped in the exact color and scheme like a hermes scarf or a gucci purse or a pair of manolo blahnik heels. I am really excited to go.

After we opened our gifts and ate our pancakes we settled in on the couch and caught up on some nip/tuck and then ate some pizza from papa johns that we had ordered the day before in preparation and drank some beer. We talked to our families and I got to see Sophia in the onesie that I bought her that says I LOVE LONDON.

Later that night Lauren came over after she had dinner with a co-workers family from ghana and we played cards and hung about and the next day it was back to work for me, while lauren and ellie got to hit the sales on oxford street at the top shop.

Last night, we went over to Gaelles flat as she had been away for a week or so for the holidays. She went back to France, to her home, and got to go skiing. We missed our bus and had to wait a long time for the next bus, but that was soon forgotten once we were in her cozy little flat and as we were walking up, we saw Masih and Masih's boyfriend also walking up and just back from their holiday in Istanbul. Masih is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She is from Iran and is a really serious journalist. She has had a really crazy life and is the leading source of iranian journalism for the new york times and has written a book about her struggles and the oppression in Iran. She is extremely well-read and is so courageous as she can not return to Iran for fear of her safety since she has been on the cover of the new york times with out her hijab(head covering) on and if they find out in Iran, she could die. Because she writes out against the Iranian government, she has extremists who want to kill her and so she has to be in exile for the time being with the fragile political climate of iran. She has a son in Iran and she is divorced now because she caught her husband having an affair with her best friend and her husband wanted to take her best friend as his second wife but she left and lost access to her belongings and her son.

Enough about that, but gaelle had anoter french friend over and we ate the cheese that she bought back from france. You heat it up in the stove and then serve it over potatoes. It was unbelieveable and so rich, exactly as amazing as you picture true french cheese to be. We drank red wine and chatted and showed each other pictures on our homes on google images and gaelle showed us her pictures from france. Her friend antony was from cannes where they have the film festival. Overall, it was really nice to be warm and eating cheese and drinking red wine with interesting international people.

Tonight at midnight we are off to edinburgh by night bus. It will take ten hours and we are going to be prepared with snacks, cards, books and a case of stella. Nex time I write it will be with pictures of scotland and hopefully a blog with our christmas pictures and some old ones we haven't put on yet. Happy New year!!