It’s time for the double duvet, the electric blanket warming the feet, taking out that one favourite scarf that has no purpose the rest of the year and admiring the first snowflakes outside the office window. The new season has arrived, in all its glory. I am a sucker for all seasons and I am totally ready for this one! Especially living in this fairy-tale city and all the twinkly lights that come with it.

Opinion poll

I am not sure the locals feel the same way. I have been warned about the annoyingly cold winters by many people. Not sure I agree with it all. So far, I’ve come across two types of Scots. On one hand, the Scots that are freezing when it’s absolutely mild outside (where I seem to be the tough one). On the other hand, the Scots wearing shorts when the chilly breeze makes you want to drink hot coco all day. People have a different perception of what is cold and what is warm. Nothing different than Holland I guess.

Fall

Autumn weather has been pretty great. Most rain I’ve seen was in the summer time – go figure. This season, eight out of ten times I open the shutters in the morning and see a blue sky. A small sense of disappointment there too, because that means no justification to take alternative transportation to the office. With winter upon us and days turning pitch-black before 5pm, taking the car or getting a bus has increasing appeal, even though cycling is still the quickest way to go due to the bump to bump ride during rush hour.

Duplicate

My parents came to visit a couple of weeks ago. Second time they were here. This time no IKEA visits and building of closets. Just hanging out. Young parents often talk about having a mini me. A small representation of their own flaws, quarks and personality. Well, that is how I feel a bit when I’m with my mum. I consider my mum often a personal double. Especially in public. Someone who has, and understands, my line of thought. And yes, someone with a similar fashion sense too. The drugstore visit, looking for the best yet cheapest shampoo, was wee quality time. Cheesy perhaps, but true. These two always look out for me and know pretty much all there is to know. It was groovy having them around.

Coastal adventure

That weekend I had an away game in Aberdeen, the Granite City. Driving 2,5 hours back and forth for a hockey game near the sea where the autumn wind and winter temperature are pretty ruthless, might not seem like the ideal ‘family coming for a visit’ schedule. But in this case, I think it was. My dad loves driving - never a punishment for him - my mom enjoys having me around - no matter what we do - and I get to play hockey while catching up with my folks. En route was quite nice with the afternoon sun shining its light on the Scottish hills and the radio playing family music albums. By accident, I ran into a place where they had the infamous butteries that were recommended by a local friend and we had a nice pub dinner in the city centre of Aberdeen. This all makes me almost forget that the game itself was pretty bad. I wasn’t really on top of my game. But hey, you can’t win ‘m all. And at least, it was injury free.

Boiler alert

For the next day I was going to do touristy stuff with my parents. It was rather unfortunate that this particular Sunday morning my boiler broke down. Warm water and heating are the basics to have in the house. I had to get it fixed asap. With the customer friendly hours to stay close to the house between 12 and 6 (!!) I had to wait for the boiler guy. An excellent way to spend the day. Hence, I totally lost my spirit.

Imagine my surprise when my mum rang the doorbell shortly after, to keep me company and help out with some stuff around the house. Exactly the mental boost I was needing, even without knowing it. And you know what the weirdest thing is? Last time my folks were here, the boiler broke down then too. I don’t know what to make of that, but you gotta love the irony. 

Something else happened during their stay. My dad spotted the first grey hair on my skull. I have no issues getting older, adding new years to the scale, but I gotta say that that was indeed quite significant. No matter where I live, aging happens to us all.

A warm house

And speaking of a warm house: last week I threw a housewarming party together with my roommate. Living here now happily for four months called for a celebration with our neighbours, colleagues, sports mates, international friends and Dutch friends who were here for a visit. It was great to have all these social groups together, blending in the way they did. I was a happy camper, couldn’t have asked for more. And it was BYOB. It’s time to start planning the next party I’d say 😉