25

Tuesday was Isaac's 25th birthday, and it was (I thought) a marvellously delightful day. I took the day off from research and enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in and snuggle with my lovely husband. We enjoyed an almost traditional breakfast and spent most of the day relaxing, talking, and generally unwinding--even though life is a lot more gently paced in Scotland, it still feels busy sometimes! We'd been hoping o take a stroll along the Coastal Walk, but a light drizzle kept us inside, and we enjoyed some of the online BBC TV shows and did some sudoku puzzles. Isaac made a large quantity of American biscuits in the afternoon, and I followed that up by cooking dessert and supper while he enjoyed a chance to catch up with family and friends via Skype.

Supper was local lamb chops smothered in garlic, lime, and spices; peas; and rice. We supplemented this with some pear cider (a mutual favourite but a nice treat for Isaac in particular).


After supper Isaac opened most of his gifts, although we broke into the basket earlier in the morning to dig out the (local) fresh-roasted coffee. Most of them are comestibles, as it seemed imprudent to buy lots of large, exciting presents we'd later have to lug several thousand miles around the world.


Last but not least, we finished off the birthday dinner with more of the local coffee and my first attempt at a yellow cake--the cake wasn't bad, but the icing was too runny and thus was drizzled over the cake as a sauce.



Yesterday Isaac received probably his biggest and most exciting birthday present: a brand new job! He'll be working as a chef at one of the local coffee/tea shops, baking scones, making soups, and compiling sandwiches. His cafe is right down the street from the library and my research building, and I'll easily be able to structure my study hours around his work schedule.

That's all for today!