Goodbyes

So I had this goodbye party before I left and I drank a lot and cried a lot and had the best time.

It started off at Cafe Crepe on Granville St, with our own room and as the night went on it slowly whittled down to my best friends.

It was my last Saturday and I couldn't go home without going to The Cambie one last time.

So we did.

We all know by now that I LOVE a good beard and a tattoo so naturally I needed one last night in my weekend home and first actual home when I first got to Van.  

The Cambie is popular every night of the week because of the hostel upstairs but also, in my opinion, because of the number of beards and tattooed men that frequent there for the cheapest beer every Friday and Saturday night. If you don't like Irish accents then don't go. 

And in the all-knowing words of the spice girls 

"No no no no 

You know it's time to say goodbye 

No no no no"

Louise x

lipstick and nature

This is the story of 4 girls who go camping. Or rather 4 ladies who survived camping. 

Well first things first. We went camping on Vancouver Island. 4 girls, one car, a ferry, and a bear. 

6am and off we chugged in our car weighed down by clothes that we wouldn't wear and a tonne of food that we definitely would eat. Our ferry ride went quickly with the help of breakfast bagels and the unavoidable reenactment of a particular scene from a well known movie. 

que Celine Dion

We stopped off for mini nature adventures but had to leave because SOMEBODY fell in the river with their clothes on and had to get all naked in front of the car on a busy road with Abercrombie models going past in every 2nd car. 

Chelsey set up our tent. And the fire. Hannah, Tennille and I were very helpful, of course. We collected twigs and things...

and when we needed more firewood we went for ice cream in Tofino. 

We drank like hillbillies and ate smores and danced around the campfire.

Instead of going whale watching like originally planned we all agreed surfing would be more memorable. Surfing.

There was definitely some girl bonding going on that weekend. No one showered for 3 days but we did go surfing so that counts, right? We listened to albums on repeat of Bonnie Tyler, Britney, and N'Sync,  Tennille gave us tarot readings and we ate our body weights in cheetos and veggie hotdogs. We snuggled up on the cold foggy beach for naps and attempted to tell ghost stories. I heard a bear outside the tent in the middle of the night and nobody believes me but they didn't hear it. 

It. Was. Amazing. 

I'll be frank with you, I've been having waaay too much fun so I haven't had the time to update you on my travels or lack of but better late than never hey! 

it's my party and i'll cry if i want to.

I did NOT start my 24th birthday with a vomit, a shower and a bagel. I did NOT cry last night. I did NOT shneck a tattooed stranger in a Slayer t-shirt. I did NOT get rejected by a moustached Glaswegian catholic Rangers supporter wearing a Rangers t-shirt because of a small miscommunication that started as "So, when you goin' home?". I did NOT let everyone at work believe I was a fresh 19.

wink wink. 

We took too many selfies in the bathrooms,

I got bought drinks all night at The Cambie...

...even ones I didn't want

I got presents and food at Warehouse and danced at The Met. What more could I ask for!

Somebody asked me on Sunday  what my best year to date has been and I honestly think it's been this one. Not because there's been less sadness  because there's been a lot of sadness this past year but because I have laughed uncontrollably, till I can't inhale anymore, on nearly a daily basis, I have experienced some crazy things, ticked soo many things off my bucket list, and made some genuinely incredible friends, I have zero regrets.

A REAL SUMMER (edited)

Vancouver still hasn't shaken off the last remnants of spring but everyone assures me summer is on its way whether it's now or a late summer in August, frankly I couldn't care less as long as I can go home not looking like I've just been hiding in Glasgow for 12 months.

taking creepy photos of my friends

posing with the poser of all posers on my birthday

Last night I sat with friends on the art gallery steps watching people breakdance on the ice rink below until there was just one guy left, just his silhouette dancing on his own with his spindly legs and wooly hat. We'd been shopping for my birthday outfit, had coffee, talked about beards and bald men at the waterfront at False Creek then had dinner at the veggie friendly Templeton restaurant come diner on Granville. And lemme tell ya...veggie hot dog with vegan chilli, melted cheese on a bun with fries is heaven on a plate. Did I mention I was vegetarian? 7 weeks on Monday. 2 dress sizes down I'm unsure whether it's the no-meat-diet or the work-drink-work lifestyle I've been living of late. Living up to the Scottish stereotype with a particular flare and very little finesse.

Bog Of Eternal Stench

My older brother used to threaten me with the Bog of Eternal Stench when we were younger if I wouldn't get him the TV remote or steal, a biscuit or something. The title speaks for itself I think but if you want more details Wikipedia it or watch Labyrinth, David Bowie's in it, nuff said. Now that we're all familiar with the bog of eternal stench, you might be thinking what sort of twisted monster child would threaten his 5 year old, cute as hell, chubby faced, Winnie the Pooh-loving sister with that? All I'm gonna say is what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Thanks bruv. And I'm positive I used to do the same thing to my younger brother when I grew smart enough.

The point of this little anecdote is my seemingly deep-rooted fear of all things swamp like or anything infamous bad-smelling. I realised this last night walking home, a route that I take all the time but that I know is home to skunks. One skunk last night apparently liked the look of me. Now you can tell me all you want that animals are most likely more scared of you than you are of them but I'm not listening because this little guy blocked my path home TWICE and I am 99% sure it was intentional. Luckily for me his brain is the size of a peanut and I outsmarted him in the middle of the road with a crazy fast direction change, you know like that thing footballers do when they pretend to go one way and they spin round and run in the opposite direction? I wish I'd looked that fancy..

My heart was beating at least 500 beats per minute and I definitely started to sweat and I could smell him and it smelled like what I imagined as a child the Bog of Eternal Stench to smell like.

But that's Vancouver.

Apologies for the massive absence in the recent months but lots of things have been going on and I promise to fill you in slowly.

Merry Christmas

First things first...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! This has absolutely been the best 4 months of my life and yesterday I spent the day doing absolutely nothing, reflecting on the past months travelling.

While it's been pretty tough the past week, being away from home at Christmas, I am living the life I daydreamed about only a year ago. Although it's hard being away from my family and my friends, I know it's necessary and it's all part of the experience, innit.

Last night I went to the Hollywood Theatre for carol singing assuming that there wouldn't be any church-y stuff and boy was I wrong! It didn't even include bogus carols like Rudolf and Jingle Bells. So a long hour and a few preaches later we went for a couple of beers and went home. And we sat eating Roger's chocolates and listening to Rod Stewart's Christmas album {which by the way is epic}.

Hope y'all have full bellies and there aren't too many lonely people this Christmas. 

I'll be spending my first Christmas away from home hopefully eating my own body weight in mashed potato and drinking copious amounts of wine so cheers to that!
How are y'all spending Christmas?

it's a wonderful life

Well hey there all. I know it's been a little while since my last "proper" post but I've not had access to a computer in a little while but hopefully with my 2 JOBS I can get my own jazzy laptop.

WHOA 2 jobs? I hear you ask. That's right. I just got another job as a street canvasser. You know those douchebags that ask you for money on the street for charity EXCEPT my dears, I will not succumb to being said douchebag. I work for a not-for-profit comapny which fundraises on behalf of some very well known orgainisation AND it's not commission based so you know for certain that I do actually care about what I'm talking about.

I'll be fundraising for UNICEF for the first couple of months (assuming I pass the evaluation period)which is saweeet! Who doesn't care about kids, right?

And as my mother said "That's soooo you". Thanks mom.

In this post I'd also like to clarify that I am not working in a meat factory. I work in a rather posh supermarket actually! Paula can laugh from her chocolate shop all she likes but I bet Michael Buble's never been in there! Haters gon' hate.

I made sausages the other day complete with some hefty machinery and a tub of intestines which was sort of awesome. Who can say they've made real sausages from scratch? Well I can. It's actually really good fun and everyone's super nice and I get to cycle to work and back over the Burrard Bridge which is even more awesome.

I've been getting back on the bike a fair bit since I got it but apparently not cycling for 3 months doesn't do wonders on your fitness. There's so many places to cycle here though, the other day I cycled right along the Kitsilano coast from Burrard Bridge to the Regional Park at UBC, Pacific something or other and went past about 6 seperate beaches! I only cycled 16km.

We also went to the Hollywood Theatre on West Broadway to see It's A Wonderful Life this weekend. It was a five dollar donation to get in, 35mm film with scenes that were cut out in the 40's for being too raunchy! I think it was the scenes after their wedding at the house when they kiss or something.