Janu'ry In a Few Pictures

My husband got me a new (to me) camera for Christmas.

I thought I'd share a photographic journal of January (Janu'ry, if you're Scottish) with y'all.

I think I've mentioned I want to be a photographer just take a decent picture.

I also want to be a musician. 

My husband is a musician, a gifted one. 

So I'm slightly perturbed when I pick up his fiddle and attempt to play Ashoken Farewell and it sounds like a dang racoon scratching his grabby little claws on a chalkboard.

Now that I've painted that word picture for you I want you apply that to me and photography.

Some of these photos were taken with a Canon 400D with a Sigma 28-70mm lens and some were with an old school iPhone.

I'm not telling which are which.

Y'all I'm basically a nocturnal animal carrying around a fancy camera, hoping for the best.

January in Scotland gives you a whopping 7 hours of daylight. 

So we tried to finish school at breakneck speed to get out and enjoy the day, no matter the weather.

This day the wind was gusting at 80mph.

I've lived in colder places than Scotland, but it's damp here y'all.

And damp cold is dang cold.

(I think I could be a Scottish tourism bumper sticker designer)

The country got ready to celebrate Mr. Robert Burns 

(Look! They used Zapfino font on the Haggis packaging--I'm a font nerd).

The thing to eat on Burns Night is haggis, neeps, and tatties.

Then I went to the American section of Tesco for another show and tell lesson of extortion.

The Jerky - $2.61

The Oreos - $9.15(!!!)

And the Smuckers Goober stuff--WHO eats that?

Any of y'all Americans?

I have never yet met someone who does.

S'nasty.

We found this amazing headband...

If Caedmon is around he always opens and holds the door for our neighbour, Ms. Sophie.

Teach your boys to be gentlemen, they're a dying breed.

Pretty rooftops outside our flat.

(Obviously I refuse to use the auto focus)

Mark's men's Bible study group celebrated Burns Night.

Mr. Alex did a uber fancy version of haggis, neeps, and tatties.

We did the uber ghetto version of haggis.

Our sister church, Portgordon Community Church had their monthly movie night.

It was the Frozen sing-a-long film they showed.

All those little Anna and Elsa's...

It. Was. Hilarious.

We'll see how long this one stays up...

here at our house we play a game called ugly face contest.

It's usually played around the table after dinner and results in hysterics.

He had a special voice with his face.

He won.

Airby had occupational therapy.

To celebrate Burns Night we all headed up to Baxters... 

(think Campbell's soup factory but with gift shops and restaurant)

Baxter's was having a haggis hunt.

What's a haggis hunt?

Good question.

I still have no idea.

The kids hiked around the woods looking for wet stuffed animals.

Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely pancake from the restaurant.

And I saw this thing in a gift shop.

Not sure, I think it's whiskey, 

but my currency calculator says it's a $1,770.71 bottle of NOPE.

There was a bright rainbow in town that started at the Baptist church...

And ended at the North Church.

Looking north across the Moray Firth you can see the snowy peaks in the highlands of Caithness.

Some days are hard.

Lindt truffles help.

So does Glitter Berry Juice--

it has glitter, GLITTER in it.

Win.

Another wild weather day we decided to go gawk at the sea.

Sea gawking is a favourite hobby of ours.

This is me trying to take amazing pictures of the waves.

Obviously I'm in the picture 

so here's to Mark Anderson for the photography win.

Quaint little Findochty is a favourite spot of ours while sea gawking.

(40 bonus points if you pronounced that right)

Thus ends our January in photos. 

We hoped you enjoyed your stay.

We know you have a choice of blogs to peruse, we're happy you've chosen to hang with the manual-mode-masked bandit.