The Hairy Coo "Free" Tour || Scotland | Travel Diary

On our first full day in Edinburgh, we took a tour with The Hairy Coo Tour company. This was a "free" tour, in that we put our own value on our experience and pay at the end accordingly. Allowing anyone on any budget to get a great experience.

At 8:45am the sun was just rising and we jumped onto the bright orange mini bus, designed to look like a Highlands hairy coo (a.k.a cow said with a Scottish accent). Our tour guide and driver was Donal, the founder of the company and a proud Scotsman.

Our first destination was the Firth of Forth bridges, all three of them. Quite a confusing tile for a newbie to the region, but to clarify: there are three bridges over the estuary or "firth" of Scotland's River Forth. To add another alliteration to the mix, they all cross from Edinburgh to Fife.
Each bridge was built in a different century and in a very different style, this was to accommodate for the previous bridges "short comings".

So you have the Firth of Forth bridges leading to Fife. Phew...I reckon they might as well add another bridge into the mix just to make it more difficult.

The two bridges from the 19th and 20th century are easily visible in the picture below, and if you look closely over on the far left side you can see the 21st century bridge starting to take shape.

Edinburgh Hogmanay Torchlight Procession || Scotland | Travel Diary

As part of the annual opening celebrations to Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival, there is a Torchlight procession on the 30th December. We decided to be a part of the tradition, and carry a torch ourselves, along with 8,000 other participants!

Butternut Squash Cake || My favourite recipes || Foodie Friday

As the weather gets cooler, I am always looking for reasons to use my oven. Warmth AND good food? Yes please.

As a child and up until recently I HATED pumpkins, it was one of those foods that no matter how much my parents tried, I just couldn't stomach it. All until I started baking with them.

After a quick internet search I came across a recipe on "My baking addiction" and Oh. My. Gourd (ha ha) it turned out to be amazing!

Sweet Potato and Orange salad || My Favourite Recipes | Foodie Friday

 This recipe is a family favourite in my house. My Mum passed it down to me, and she got it from my Aunt. In New Zealand we tend to use "kūmara" which is a New Zealand variety of sweet potato, but your average "sweet potato" will work just as well. This salad is perfect on the side or on its own. A mixture of sweet, sour and crunch, this salad recipe is always a crowd pleaser, and is super simple.

Incredible Bonfire night in Lewes || The Brighton side of life

Lewes is the Bonfire capital, boasting the worlds largest Bonfire Night celebration on the 5th of November, with 3,000 participants and 80,000 expected spectators. This small town of 16,000 locals, grows immensely for this annual tradition.

"Imagine a head-on collision of Halloween and Mardi Gras and you're well on your way to picturing Bonfire Night, Lewes style – barrels of burning tar, processions of thousands of fiery torch-bearing crowds, massive bonfires and firework displays" —Rough Guides, Daily Telegraph

We left Brighton at 4:30pm to catch the train to Lewes. The trains were crowded but running regularly to accommodate the mass influx of people. We arrived early and trekked our way up to our chosen vantage point, where conveniently, the Pelham Arms Pub was right across the road.

Happy Halloween: Pumpkin carving and sugar skulls || The Brighton side of life

The festive season is upon us as soon as the leaves start to change, and it is noticeably more infectious living in the Northern hemisphere, where pumpkins are actually in season, (as opposed to in New Zealand where Spring has sprung) the weather gets noticeably cooler and the leaves scatter the footpath. I have found myself  "falling" for the season, with all its orange hues, the excuse to drink lots of warm comforting tea and the opportunity to expand my winter wardrobe. Cute cozy hats, come at me!

Who doesn't love a good bear or fox hat?

With pumpkins in almost every shop window, we made an event of it with our fellow Kiwi Brighton-ites, by having an evening carving pumpkins and muling over cider. An activity thoroughly enjoyed by all, at very little expense.

Lemon Drizzle Cake || My favourite Recipes | Foodie Friday

I originally searched for this recipe after getting Game of Thrones withdrawals in between season. For those of you that don't know, a main character in the book/TV series is Sansa Stark, and she has a soft spot for lemon cakes. So here is my version of it. I have made this recipe many times for my friends and have received great praise.