Edinburgh to Alabama

My last week in Scotland was busy. My mom and I went to London for three days and had a fabulous time. On the first day we visited Oxford Street and shopped around. That night we went to a performance of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”. The acting was great and I was entertained the entire time. The next day was really wet and rainy so we passed the time in Harrod’s. I’m pretty sure we spent about five hours in the store and didn’t even come close to exploring the whole place. You could probably spend five hours in the food court let alone. On our last day we headed back towards the West End and explored Soho and Covent Garden. Soho is by far my favorite area of London. I love the mix of shops, restaurants, and theatres.

Back in Edinburgh, we made sure to check off some other must do activities such as visiting Leith and Princes Street Gardens. On our last day, we finally got around to going to Holyrood Palace. We chose the perfect day as there was a military parade scheduled. It was so cool to see all the bagpipers and men in uniform march into the palace. After Holyrood, we headed back to the flat to pack and clean. Once we had our four suitcases and two carry-ons packed, it was time for dinner. We decided to have our last meal at our favorite pub, The World’s End. It was the perfect last meal. 

As the title suggests, I am back in Alabama. My mom and I got home just before midnight on June 1st. Slowly but surely I am adjusting to the time change and Alabama heat. While it feels good to be home, I will always hold a special place in my heart for Edinburgh. I will especially miss how you can literally walk everywhere there. This past semester was incredible. It was everything I imagined and more. I made lifelong friends and grew up so much. Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Hellos and Goodbyes

Princes Street Gardens

This past Saturday my mom arrived in Edinburgh. It was so good to actually see her in person. Unfortunately, she arrived to one of the wettest days we have had this semester. However, we braved the rain and ran errands all over the city. The weather has been much better since. This past week we have shopped, climbed Arthur’s seat, and eaten a lot of good meals. She also got to meet a lot of my friends.

Brooke, Mom, Me, Kate (the lovely Yvonne took the picture)

Arthur’s Seat

Yesterday, we took a day trip to York, England. I visited York in high school and have been wanting to go back all semester. We visited York Minster Abbey, Newgate Market, and just wandered around the city center. Today we are going to Calton Hill and St. Giles Cathedral here in Edinburgh. Tomorrow, we are off to London for three days. We don’t have too many plans set in stone other than seeing Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” tomorrow night. I absolutely love Agatha Christie so I am very excited to see the play. 

York Minster

York’s Shambles

While I am super excited and happy to see my mom, this past week has left me a little down. Almost all of my friends have left Edinburgh and are back stateside. The bulk of them left Saturday and Sunday. It is safe to say Edinburgh is not the same without them. I’m pretty sure the city has lowered an octave since their departure. Fortunately, I will stay in touch with everyone and I am already making plans to visit them in the coming year. Plus it will be nice to have friends from all over the U.S. once I graduate from college and end up in a different city.  

As for me, my semester abroad comes to an end in just under a week. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by. For now I’ve got to go and make sure I spend every last moment wisely.

Benalmadena Beach Bums

Back before spring break my friends, Brooke and Yvonne, and I planned a trip to the Costa del Sol of Spain in order to escape Edinburgh’s chilly temperatures, gusts of wind, and cloud coverage. We also wanted to go on a trip and do absolutely nothing. This meant lounging in the sun and avoiding museums, cathedrals, galleries and other educational attractions. I think it is safe to say that Benalmadena exceeded our expections and then some. Benalmadena is a town just west of the city of Malaga and is a major holiday destination for UK families and couples. Sometimes I forgot we were actually in Spain since so much of Benalmadena caters to UK vacationers. The highlight of the trip was definitely the accomodation. I really lucked out and found a fantastic deal with a resort online. We ended up staying in a condo with a great balcony right by the beach. It was so nice to not stay in a hostel. Here’s what we did:

Day 1:

We literally spent all day on the beach and on our balcony soaking up the sun. Some of us (ahem, Yvonne) got a little burned. Even though we did nothing remotely physical during the day, we were exhausted that night and just sat on the couch and watched a movie.

Day 2:

We headed to Malaga to catch the bus to visit Nerja. The town of Nerja was absolutely stunning thanks to its mountains and views of the Mediterranean. The Balcon de Europa offered great views of the Mediterranean. Nerja also had the best gelato by far. Surprisingly, it was way better than the gelato in Italy. After wandering around the winding streets, we ventured to the Nerja caves. The cavern is about 3 miles long and was pretty spectacular. After the caves, we made our journey back to Benalmadena.

Day 3:

That morning I walked around the marina with Brooke. The marina reminded me a lot of the marinas we have on the Gulf of Mexico back home. There were tons of restaurants, shops, and really nice boats. For the next several hours, we sat around waiting for the clouds to break. Fortunately, we were able to catch some late afternoon sun from our balcony. That night we headed back to the marina with Yvonne in tow for dinner and ice cream. 

Day 4:

Our last day was basically a repeat of day one. All we wanted to do was sit on the beach and soak up as much sun as possible before heading back to Edinburgh. 

This trip was a fantastic last hurrah in mainland Europe. After such a relaxing trip, it has been hard to get back in school mode. I turned in my Scottish Lit final essay yesterday and have two exams coming up. However, there is more fun on the horizon. My mom comes to Scotland in a mere 7 days! 

 

Isle of Skye

I am playing catch up as per usual. However, I have a good excuse for my lack of new posts…EXAMS. Considering I have been out of school since April 5th, reviewing for exams and writing my Scottish Lit final essay has been quite the challenge. 

During the third weekend of April, I went on our last IFSA-Butler sponsored trip. Our destination this time around was the very rugged and beautiful Isle of Skye. Here’s how it went down:

Day 1:

We met at Pollock Halls bright and early to get on the buses. Our next stop was Perth to meet up with the IFSA students from Glasgow, St. Andrew’s, and Stirling. In Perth, our giant group marched into the grocery store in order to pick up snacks for the bus. After getting the goods, we made a stop at the Queens view on Loch Tummel. The Queen’s View was made famous by Queen Victoria and offers really incredible views. The next stop was a little town called Aviemore for lunch. The weather was really nice so we all sat outside and enjoyed our lunch. After lunch we visited Culloden Battlefield. It was really cool to actually see Culloden since it has been mentioned in practically all of my classes here in Edinburgh. Culloden was the site of the last full-scale battle to take place on British soil and  also marked the end of the Highland clan culture of Scotland. After our brief Culloden visit, our next stop was the the town of Broadford in Skye. In Broadford, we checked into our rooms, ate dinner at the inn, and had free time. 

Day 2:

We woke up and had a really good breakfast at the inn before heading to Armadale Castle and Gardens. After wandering around the gardens, we stopped in the town of Portree to grab lunch. Next, everyone in IFSA split up in order to hike the Old Man of Storr or go on a bus tour around Skye. I chose the hike. The hike up the Old Man of Storr was quite challenging due to the strong gusts of wind. A few times I actually pictured myself flying off the mountain. Fortunately, the views from the top were amazing. After the hike we headed to the cute town of Portree. I wish we had more time to explore Portree. They had a lot of cute shops and cafes. Our last stop of the day was the fairy river.  Legends say that if you wash your face in the river you will never grow old. I was too cold (and lazy) to put my face in the water….looks like I’m just going to have to flaunt my old looks. We then returned to the inn to have dinner and free time once again. 

Day 3: 

We left Skye and stopped at Eilean Donan castle for a brief photostop. Our next major stop was in Glencoe. Glencoe was where many parts of Skyfall were filmed. It is also the location of the Massacre of Glencoe. To this day, many Scots hate the Clan Campbell for their role in the massacre. (Let it be known that I have two dear friends with the last name of Campbell and they are wonderful people). Next we had a rest stop at Tyndrum before heading back to Edinburgh. On our last part of the journey we actually got to watch Skyfall. It was really cool to see some of the places we had just visited on screen. Also, Skyfall is a great movie.

Hopefully, I can squeeze in a few more blog posts during the few weeks I have left in Scotland. 

Spring Break in Europe

I have a lot of catching up to do. This month has been chock full of fun and new experiences. I would love to write about every single thing I did over the past month in great detail but my blog would become a novel. This is why I have decided to use the wonderful bullet point to highlight most of my spring break. Here we go!

April 8 – Edinburgh to Paris:

– Arrived in Paris and made the journey from Charles De Gaulle Airport to the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris to check into our hostel

– Explored the surrounding streets and settled on Falafel for dinner

April 9:

– Took the metro into the city center and walked along the river to the Eiffel Tower

– Grabbed lunch at a cute boulangerie

– Musee d’Orsay – my favorite museum of the many we visited. I really enjoyed the neo-impressionism exhibit

– Notre Dame

– Bastille Monument

– Dinner with John, Emily, and Heather at La Maison de Verlaine. Not only was the food delicious, the restaurant had a lot of character and history. Ernest Hemingway actually lived in the building for a brief period of time. After dinner we strolled around city.

April 10:

– Visited Versailles with my friend, John. It is safe to say I have never seen anything like the Palace of Versailles. Everything was so ornate and grandiose.

– Explored more of Montmartre – Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the highest point in Paris, and walked by the Moulin Rouge

– Visited the Eiffel Tower again. However, this time around it was dark. The Eiffel Tower at night is beautiful. I can see why people think it is so romantic.

April 11:

– The Louvre

– Champs de Elysees

– Arc de Triomphe

– Overnight train from Paris to Florence. This was definitely an experience. Fortunately, we shared a cabin with a cute family from California but originally from India. The father actually got his Masters from Auburn. Small World!

April 12:

– Woke up bright and early at the Florence train station. After getting lost, we finally made it to our hostel. We then freshened up and hit the ground running.

– Duomo and Bell Tower

– Explored the many markets

– Walked along the Arno River and on the Ponte Vecchio

– Walked to the highest point to view the city of Florence

– Pizza by the Duomo

April 13:

– Visited the Academia to see the David. Even though there is an exact replica of the David, I would definitely recommend seeing the real one. It was really amazing.

– Basilica of Santa Croce

– Train from Florence to Rome

April 14:

– Visited the Colosseum, Palatine, and Roman Forum

– Trivi Fountain

– Pantheon

– Plaza de Popolo

– Spanish Steps

April 15:

– Metro to Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel

– St. Peter’s Basilica

– Park overlooking the city

April 16:

– Spent the day with one of my oldest friends, Julia. This was probably my favorite part of Spring Break. Julia showed me around the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. We also visited the Borghese gardens and did a lot of catching up. That night we had dinner at a place called Dar Poeta. It had the best pizza I have ever had. I couldn’t have asked for a better last day in Italy.

April 17:

– Rome to Edinburgh

My travel companions, John and Emily, and I covered a lot of ground. We also ate a lot of wonderful food and delicious gelato. I never imagined  myself seeing so many important historical and cultural sites. This break has been unreal in the best way possible.

An Edinburgh Easter

St. Giles’ Interior Panorama (Credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Easter! This was my first time to celebrate a holiday without my family. Although it made me sad, I made the most of it with the friends I have made while studying abroad. 

St. Giles’ Exterior (Credit: Internet)

This morning I attended an Easter service at St. Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile with my friends, Ivy and Jenny. St. Giles’ is considered the “Mother Church of Presbyterianism” and dates back to the 14th century. I had never been to St. Giles before so I figured Easter would be a great time to visit. I was right. The church was decorated with beautiful spring flowers and yellow banners. The lighting was also amazing thanks to the sun shining through the stained glass windows. The very beginning of the service was definitely my favorite part. The cathedral was silent and then all of a sudden the choir started to sing. The choir was in a different part of the sanctuary so you couldn’t see them. All you could focus on was their powerful voices being carried throughout the sanctuary. It gave me the chills. If you ever find yourself visiting Edinburgh, definitely attend a service at St. Giles.

 

After the service I headed over to Jenny’s flat to meet friends for a late Easter lunch. We made the lunch potluck style and each brought a dish. My contribution was smoked salmon pinwheels and orange juice and champagne for mimosas. We also had roasted carrots and parsnips, roasted asparagus, egg salad, potatoes boulangere, rolls shaped like bunnies, brownies, and plenty of Easter candy. Everything was delicious and I couldn’t ask for better friends to celebrate Easter with.

Easter Lunch Minus Jenny & Yvonne (Credit: Jenny)

 

The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy so my posts are going to be even more sporadic. This coming up week is our last week of classes and then I am off to France, Italy, and the Isle of Skye for Spring Break. Once I return it will be time for exams! Fortunately, I have three weeks free of exams so I am going to squeeze in a few more trips before my mom comes in mid-May.

 

 

MARCHing On

Benmore Center in Argyll (photo stolen from internet)

It is hard to believe the month of March will be over in a little over a week. Over the past few weeks I have been balancing papers with fun and I think I have done a pretty good job. Unfortunately, I have one more big paper due next week. On the bright side, it will be smooth sailing until exam time in May. That’s enough about school though. Let’s get to the fun.

During the second weekend of March I visited Argyll. This trip is one of two IFSA-Butler planned for us. Argyll is in western Scotland and is known for its lush nature and wildlife. To get to our destination, the Benmore Center, we had to take a ferry which was very exciting thanks to the choppy waves. The Benmore Center looks like a castle from the outside, but felt like summer camp on the inside and I for one love summer camp. After we got settled in and had dinner it was time for a night hike. My group cheated and used a flashlight to avoid the giant mud puddles and stayed dry for the most part. Other groups weren’t so lucky and came back pretty filthy. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to participate in some outdoor activities. My group went kayaking that morning and mountain biking that afternoon. The kayaking was pretty brutal thanks to the freezing temperatures and wind. Thankfully, our group leaders brought us some hot chocolate to warm us up. Mountain biking was a lot drier and wasn’t nearly as hard. That night everyone (100+) kicked back and watched Braveheart. On Sunday, we took a scenic route and had a photo op at Loch Lomond before heading back to Edinburgh. The weather was stunning in Loch Lomond, but that wasn’t the case in Edinburgh. We encountered sun, rain, sleet, and snow in a matter of hours. There really is no point in even checking the weather forecast because it can change within minutes.

Activity Group

Loch Lomond

Snow Greeting Our Arrival

This past weekend I visited London with my friends John and Emily. We were fortunate enough to stay with family friends of John in Kensington. I had already visited London and was dreading how busy and big it is. However, this time around I absolutely loved it. I think it was because I actually had time to take everything in and explore the city at my own pace rather than being herded around on a tour. It was also nice to see London without feeling the effects of jet lag. On the first day we visited Big Ben and Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and The British Museum. After such a busy day we were starving. Fortunately for us, there was a wonderful Italian woman also staying with the family. She cooked all of us dinner both nights and it was divine. The next day we visited the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, the Manet exhibit at the Royal Academy, and Kensington Palace and Gardens. On our third day, we went to the 11:30 service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and strolled around Covent Gardens before heading to King’s Cross to catch our train back to Edinburgh. The service at St. Paul’s was really something. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting London. The details of the cathedral and the choir were absolutely stunning. Thankfully, I will be returning to London in May with my mom!

Big Ben

British Museum

Kensington Gardens

A Week in Ireland

Ireland’s Coast

So as I mentioned previously, last week was “Innovative Learning Week”. My friends, John, Grace, Jenny, and I spent the week traveling around Ireland. It was so much fun and the Irish are so friendly. Also, the weather was pretty good for the most part. Here is my day by day breakdown:

Day 1: We flew from Edinburgh to Cork and checked into our hostel. Since we didn’t have any plans set in stone, we just wandered around the city and looked up places we wanted to visit.

Day 2: We woke up bright and early in order to go on a Cliffs of Moher day trip. On the way to the cliffs we made a quick stop in Limerick. Next we visited Poulnabrone doulmen, a Neolithic burial site. As we arrived to the coast, the clouds started to break and the sun made an appearance. The coast was so beautiful. After a photo opp, it was time for lunch at Fitzpatrick’s Pub in Doolin. If you ever find yourself in Doolin, I highly reccommend Fitzpatrick’s. Their seafood chowder was incredible. After lunch it was time to see the cliffs. The Cliffs of Moher are truly amazing. I felt like I was in a scene from a movie. The only negative was the wind. I seriously thought we were going to fly off the cliffs due to the gusts of wind. The highlight to the Cliffs of Moher was bumping into my friend Chelsea. Chelsea is studying in Dublin and just happened to be on a day trip as well. Small world.

Poulnabrone

Coast overlooking Galway Bay

Cliffs of Moher

Day 3: We woke up grabbed some cornflakes from the hostel kitchen and explored the city of Cork some more. We visited St. Finnbarre’s cathedral, University Cork College, and Cork jail. I was definitely jealous of Cork’s campus. The University of Edinburgh is very urban so it was nice to actually be on a typical college campus with sprawling lawns. After walking around for several hours, we worked up an appetite and grabbed fish and chips from Lennox’s. I have never seen so much food in my life. After lunch, we caught a bus to Blarney Castle which is right outside of Cork. Blarney Castle was amazing. If I could, I would live there. There are walking paths, gardens, streams, and so much wildlife. I also got to kiss the Blarney Stone which means I have the gift of eloquence.

St. Finbarre’s

Blarney Castle

Day 4: We checked out of our hostel and caught the train to Dublin. Once again, we didn’t really have plans so we checked into our hostel and explored the Temple Bar area of Dublin. Temple Bar reminded me so much of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There are pubs on every corner and musicians everywhere.

Day 5: We went to the Book of Kells exhibit and Long Room at Trinity College. We then went to St. Stephen’s Green and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Our next stop was a tour of the Guiness Factory. The tour was okay. I think I would have appreciated it more if I actually liked Guiness. Instead of getting the complimentary pint at the bar, I opted for an orange soda. Pretty hardcore.

St. Patrick’s

Day 6: We had another early morning in order to go on a day trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland. On the way we stopped by Drogheda to see St. Peter’s Church which contains the skull of St. Oliver Plunkett. We also visited Monasterboice, an early Christian settlement known for their high crosses. In Belfast, we took pictures with the murals depicting the religious and political divides. We also visited the Irish Republican History Museum which contains items from the period known as The Troubles. I found Belfast really interesting and kind of eerie. The Protestant/Catholic divide is still present but it is nothing like it was in the past. There are still peace walls with barbed wire that divide the city though. After touring the museum, our tour guide gave us a few hours to explore the city. We decided to head to a pub for lunch and more importantly to escape the cold. Belfast was freezing. After lunch we went to the Belfast library and visited the Europa Hotel. The Europa Hotel is actually the most bombed hotel in Europe which is pretty spooky. There are quite a few documentaries on the hotel and the religious conflict in Belfast that I want to watch since my knowledge on the subject is extremely limited. My only regret was not going to the Titanic museum. We just didn’t have time to fit it in to our busy schedule. We did get to see the harbor where the Titanic was built though.

St. Peter’s

High Cross

Belfast Mural

.

Day 7: During the morning we visited several museums. That afternoon, I got to see my friend Chelsea again. This time our meeting was planned. We went to lunch at one of the first coffee shops in Dublin and walked around the city for a few hours. It was so nice to see a familiar and friendly face. That evening John, Grace, Jenny, and I went on the Literary Pub Crawl of Dublin. We went to five different pubs and learned about the writers that visited them. Our tour guides were very entertaining and informative.

Day 8: By this day, we were running out of things to do. We decided to go on a walking tour of the parts of Dublin we had not seen yet. We also visited Christ Church Cathedral.

Christ Church

Day 9: I think it is safe to say we saw most of Dublin by day nine. We spent most of the morning  just walking around aimlessly because everything was closed. After lunch we grabbed a table at a pub to watch the Scotland vs. Ireland rugby game. Even though we were in Dublin, we were rooting for Scotland. Fortunately, Scotland won. That evening it was off to the airport to catch our flight to Edinburgh. It felt good to get back to Edinburgh. I am really glad I chose to study abroad here.

Presently, I am working on a history paper. I also have about a week of down time before I’m off traveling again. In other news, it is March! It is so hard to believe I only have 5 weeks of classes and 3 months left in Scotland.

 

Mardi Gras Across The Pond

The past week wasn’t the most exciting, especially in comparison to all of the Mardi Gras festivities occurring back home. However, a group of friends and I tried our best to celebrate and I think we did a mighty fine job. Fat Tuesday, aka Shrove Tuesday, in the UK is a day dedicated to stuffing your face with pancakes. While this sounds enticing, my friends and I decided to buck UK tradition and cook cajun food instead. My friends, Jenny and Emily, made fabulous red beans and rice and jambalaya.  While it didn’t taste exactly like what you would find in New Orleans, it was pretty darn close. Cajun seasoning in the UK just isn’t as spicy or flavorful as it is in the US. Thanks to a care package from my loving mother, I was able to contribute to the dinner as well. I brought Mardi Gras beads, masks, koozies, and banana moonpies. Seeing my friends eat banana moonpies for the first time was great. Hopefully, they developed a love for moonpies and will come visit the Gulf Coast for Mardi Gras to satisfy their future cravings.The only thing missing from our Fat Tuesday feast was the King Cake. Baking a King Cake with foreign ingredients and foreign appliances seemed a little too complicated. Fortunately, I have one waiting for me in the freezer at home in Alabama. King Cake in June? Better late than never. 

In other news, I am off to Ireland tomorrow! The University of Edinburgh has “Innovative Learning Week” next week. Innovative Learning Week is a time where the university abandons traditional lectures for “alternative learning activities”. However, most people just end up traveling. I am going to Cork for three days and Dublin for five with three friends. Hopefully, my blog post next week will be extensive and exciting!

 

Town Mouse vs. Country Mouse

I had the BEST time on my homestay this weekend. IFSA-Butler, my study abroad provider, requires its students to stay with a family one weekend during the semester. I had the opportunity to stay with a family on a farm in Shap, England. Shap is a tiny community in the Lake District of Northern England and it is so picturesque. If you ever find yourself in the UK, I highly recommend this neck of the woods.

Friday: We left Edinburgh around 5:30 and arrived in Penrith around 7:45. A group of us then got in the family’s fan and drove another 15 minutes to Shap. Douglas and Alex, our parents for the weekend, showed us our rooms and had dinner ready for us. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal. After dinner we sat around the table and talked since it was too late to really do anything.

Saturday: We cooked breakfast and finally got to see what our surroundings looked like. We then piled into the van and were off to the town of Appleby. In Appleby, we went to a cathedral, checked out the little town market, and stopped by the visitor’s center. Our next destination was the town of Kirkby Stephens. In Kirkby, we went to a cafe and got coffee and sweets. We then went to a thrift store where I found an amazing sweater embroidered with “Golddigga.” Unfortunately, it was a little to pricey for my student budget. After the thrift store, we headed to a market to get drinks and to a sandwich shop to pick up lunch for a picnic at Pendragon Castle. Pendragon Castle belonged to King Arthur’s father back in the day. Even though it was cold and super windy, I had a lovely time taking in the surrounding views. Our final stop was Kennedy’s Chocolates. I only bought a single piece of chocolate because I was so full from all of the food we ate. The piece of chocolate had a sloe gin filling and it was delicious. I’m seriously regretting not buying more. We then returned to the farm where Alex made us hot chocolate. I’m telling you, we ate like kings. After hot chocolate, the eight of us took their dog, Ginny, on a beautiful long walk. On the walk we saw several pheasants and were amazed by the gorgeous views. An hour or two later we were off again. This time to a little pub down the road. We only stayed there for a bit though because dinner was in the oven. Once again, dinner was fabulous. We even had a cheese plate to top it off. It is safe to say I went to bed fat and happy.

view from the front door

Ginny! She was so sweet!

cathedral

sweater with attitude

view from Pendragon

view from Pendragon

Pendragon Castle Ruins

nature walk

Sunday: We took a tour of the farm. Alex and Douglas have a dog, cat, chickens, and about 70 sheep. We fed the sheep and then went walking along the property. In the wooded area, we stopped by the creek and collected clay. We then stuck the clay onto trees and sculpted faces. Mine was a thing of beauty. After our tour, we went back to the house and had our last home cooked meal before heading back to Penrith. I was seriously depressed since I had no groceries back at the flat and had to go straight to the library to work on a paper. I was also sad to leave the farm and Alex and Douglas. As much as I love Edinburgh and being in the city, there is just something about the countryside. I have come to the conclusion that I’m definitely a country mouse. I would love to go back and visit Alex and Douglas before it’s time to head back to the US. It is always nice to get away from the city. 

sheep and sassy chickens

my beautiful clay face

the crew

farmland