Howdy folks,
Just a wee update on goings-on at work and suchlike. Summer was a bit of a
wash-out in the end, with the coldest UK summer since 1993! Still, it
wasn't all gloom and drizzle. After the best holiday ever in June
(walking the West Highland Way in Scotland - proving that Essex isn't
the only way!), I started getting to grips with my new part-time job at
my local Essex Wildlife Trust reserve. I continued volunteering when
possible, although this was very difficult for the first month or so
while I was trying to settle in at EWT. In early July, I headed back up
to Scotland for a music festival, T in the Park - sadly the "summer" had
begun to go head over heels by this point, and the weekend was a mix of
sun and rain. Great music though :)
The acts I saw included Coldplay, Jimmy Eat World, Brandon Flowers,
Beyonce, KT Tunstall, Weezer, You Me At Six, Pendulum, Ke$ha, and the
Pretty Reckless. Phew!
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| T in the Park, 8th-10th July |
Upon returning to bonnie Essex, I went on a
Tractor Driving course for work. Interesting is one word to use...
Scary another word. The health and safety video you have to watch, with
all the accidents that can happen? Horrifying! I began to use some of
the skills learnt on the course at work, including helping out with
haymaking on the reserve. July also saw me run 10km with the karate club
(who were raising money for kids to compete abroad), and I beat my
previous time from 2 years ago which felt fantastic.
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| Haymaking on the reserve |
August saw
us gearing up for some events at work - an opening event in September at
the building where our office will be, and then an Autumn Fayre on Oct
1st. With average London temperatures of only 18c, it was certainly an
interesting August. Haymaking was postponed a number of times due to
rain, but there were plenty of other things on our plate! I continued
with inductions at EWT headquarters, and worked on a display about the
reserve for the September and October events. While mowing at an EWT
reserve one day I was also attacked by wasps, stung 14+ times, and ended
up in A&E, that was exciting. Plus, I was kept busy with my other
commitments and interests: I went on a 3-day residential Mammal ID
course in Surrey, led a Tree Walk with BTCV, and continued my
volunteering with various organisations. And girlf and I broke up... 'Nuff said there.
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| Me on the Mammal ID course |
September arrived, and wow! The sun made an appearance a few times hehe.
I got the September event prep out of the way, which was a relief, and
then ran a stand on the day to give people more info about the reserve
and what EWT do there. Some of the highlights of the month included
having lunch at my sister's new flat, helping out on a "Wildlife
Presenter" event at Greenwich Ecology Park (BTCV), going surfing in
Devon with some FSC friends, taking up Ballet (!), going on an FSC
Badger course, heading out to Billie Jeans for dancing with friends, and
passing my Trailer Driving Test (and gaining a new category on my
licence).
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| Making wildlife films with the public - and yetis! |
The first weekend in October... Yet another record, in
a record-breaking year for weather. October 1st, day of the Autumn
Fayre: hottest October day in Britain, on record, ever (or in 100 years
depending on which articles you read). Hang on though folks, it's only
the start of the month so who knows what might happen! It was certainly a
glorious, if unseasonally-hot, day for an Autumn Fayre - 30c, "making
it hotter" (on that day) "in England than in Mexico, Antigua and the
Sahara Desert" [Sunday Mirror]. There were many different stands and
activities, and a steady stream of people throughout the day. From
archery and ferret roulette to steak burgers and a country/folk music
band, I was certainly impressed with the event! The fayre was organised
by Countrycare to celebrate their 25th anniversary, and was held in
cooperation with EWT (as we manage the reserve where the event was
held... though Countrycare own part of the site, just to make things
confusing!).
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| Autumn Fayre on the reserve |
Anyways, that's a rundown of life as a part-time Ranger, part-time volunteer on the border of Essex and London. Ciao for now :)
