A Very Busy Summer

So I think it's safe to say that this summer has been a roller coaster ride! (Hence lack of blog posts). It has been spent job hunting, preparing for an MSc, car hunting, taking a couple cheeky trips to Cyprus and Ireland, graduating from Aberystwyth, learning to play the flute again and moving to London!

So here I am now, living at Silwood Park (near Ascot) studying at Imperial College for an MSc in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. It just so happens that I share my new home with ~300 rabbits and 80 or so other like-minded postgraduates.

So far being an MSc student is like being a 3rd year BSc student but without 2 years prior knowledge and practice of all the skills required to complete a dissertation. Instead, we are squeezing all of this into 6 months of super intensive learning. I'm coping (just about) so far.

The Silwood park campus is based around three buildings and the historical manor house (look up), I can't help but feel a little bit like I'm living the life of a Herbology student at Hogwarts sometimes! Not that, that's a bad thing (Harry Potter nerd alert).

So far we've covered some plant Ecology for the "National Vegetation Classification" and code for the program R. Plant Ecology is really interesting stuff, Silwood hosts a wide variety of plants, trees and grasses due to it's rural location and history, but programming in R could not be less thrilling, safe to say I won't be pursuing a career in modelling! 

So here's a friendly few facts about Silwood:

1. Silwood Park is one of Britain’s foremost centres for research and teaching in ecology, evolution, and conservation. 
2. It provides modern academic buildings, laboratories and greenhouses, set in 100 ha of parkland .
3. There are probably more rabbits than residents.
4. It has a nuclear reactor that is currently being decommissioned at an approximate cost of £35 million a year.
5. It's a long way from anywhere that isn't London.
6. It has a large man-made lake full of American Signal Crayfish.
7. It's situated in close proximity to Windsor Great Park.
8. It's a great area for spotting various species of deer.
9. Ring-necked parakeets love it here!

Next week will be spent on a field course at Knepp Castle Estate, an area of land that is undergoing a re-wilding project. This basically means that the land and it's plant and animal inhabitants are allowed to develop naturally as they would in the wild in a strong Ecological structure, as previously the land was used for farming. It's rumoured that meat from the animals (which is completely free range and organic) is now sold at Harrods, talk about fancy!
The estate is also home to a whole range of conservation projects and represents a specific habitat that isn't available anywhere else in the UK, hence why it's of so much interest to researchers.

Anyway, I've gone on long enough about my new endeavours, watch out for blog posts about my trips to Cyprus and Ireland and my future life at Silwood park!

Ciao x-x

“No Other Mammal Moves Around Like We Do” - Svante Pääbo

Restless Genes

   Today I noticed this article Restless Genes (Dobbs, 2013) on the National Geographic website and it really got me thinking. The article suggests that humans are wired to seek exploration and subsequent discovery all due to the DRD4-7R gene that is carried by ~20% of all humans and is associated with learning and reward and curiosity and restlessness.

   "Dozens of human studies have found that 7R makes people more likely to take risks; explore new places, ideas, foods, relationships, drugs, or sexual opportunities; and generally embrace movement, change, and adventure. Studies in animals simulating 7R’s actions suggest it increases their taste for both movement and novelty" Dobbs (2013).

   Several papers referenced in the article suggest that this gene may lay the foundation for human exploration and may be more commonly associated with modern day human populations whose ancestors migrated furthest away from their source in Africa.

However, there is also some speculation as to how important one gene can be in hard-wiring us for exploration, other published studies suggest that the 7R gene may only be one of many genes that contribute to the Homo sapien's ability and drive to migrate and colonise new areas.

   All this got me thinking about me and a few friends of mine that have a serious thirst for travel, to a point where we would quite happily drop everything at any time to travel somewhere new and live out of a backpack in the hope that we might find true paradise.

   Compare this to some of my other friends - who can't go on holiday or even travel to somewhere new in the UK without wishing they were back home surrounded by familiar comforts - and we have an interesting theory.

   I've never been able to understand how some of the people in my life can be so against travelling, even when it is just to somewhere nearby. But this article has made me consider that genetics along with some environmental factors might be the prime cause of this.

   Perhaps it's just being wired differently that's the cause of my thirst to travel, but I'm not going to give up on anyone unwilling to go travelling just yet ;) So here's 10 inspiring photos of places I want to see before I die...

(1) The Blue Hole, Belize - I would kill to get the chance to SCUBA dive this, who knows what I might find!

(2) The Northern Lights, Iceland - Aah the Aurora Borealis...

(3) Ayers Rock (Uluru), Western Australia - The largest monolith in the world, the Aborigines also claim you become cursed if you climb it!

(4) The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland - Formed by a flood basalt eruption I do believe, should be visiting this one in the summer.

(5) The Sphinx and Pyramids, Egypt - Early human civilisation at its most fascinating.

(6) The Inca trail and Machu Picchu, Peru - Back in 2011 I had to choose between Australia/Fiji or Costa Rica/Machu Picchu, it was a tough decision and I'd still love to go and see this! (I liked the Llama).

(7) Ko Tapu Island, Thailand - I've been dreaming of a trip to Thailand for a good 12 months now, costs a bomb to get out there but the living costs are pretty cheap! Oh and the scenery is stunning of course!

(8) The Great Wall, China - Yes I am your typical tourist who wishes to ride a bike along the Great Wall of China.... (why not).

(9) The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco CA - Not only would I love to go to California but a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge would definitely keep the bucket list at bay for a while!

(10) Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - Climbing to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro would definitely be worth the struggle for the amazing views at the top. They also say climbing the mountain heals you of all illnesses/ailments, I imagine it would also give me a few more.

Get moving you restless humans!

Peace 

x

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the rights to any of the images used in this blog post.

British Geological Survey - G BASE

So in the summer of 2012, instead of jetting off to the lovely Australia like I did in 2011, I got the chance to do some pretty great fieldwork for the British Geological Survey (BGS).

The project I was involved in was the Geochemical Baseline survey of the environment (Official Website), or G-BASE for short. It was an interesting 5 weeks to say the least and I was completely shattered by the end of it but I loved every minute of it (almost).

We were based in South West England in the counties of Cornwall and Devon and our task was to sample streams for sediment, heavy minerals, vegetation and water. 

This involved working in a pair using a map and GPS to find the points at which the streams had to be sampled, which was more than a little tricky at times, but we coped even though my map skills were rather questionable! Thankfully the rest of the team had more talent in that department, although I did manage to sieve a few mean sedis!

During our volunteering our accommodation was provided and paid for by the BGS, we got to stay in two lovely houses in Colan Barton in Cornwall and Woodhall Barns near Exbourne in Devon.

The house in Colan Barton was a fabulous 350 year old building with an outdoor heated swimming pool and was easily the nicest place I have ever stayed. The Woodhall barns were pleasant as well and were only a short 2km walk from the Red Lion pub in Exbourne with the greatest landlord ever, it's supposed to close at 11.30pm but we know different ;) Cheers Nick!

So here's a few pictures of us hard at work!

The sample bag train.

The sample check off.

The awkward moment after a day of work when you've got more sedi on you than in the bags...

The moment you learnt to use a wrench and screw driver or got high on sample bag glue.

The hours spent on that glorious bus.

The times when a stream looked more like a river.

The joy when you find the perfect stream.

The times when it felt like the rain would never stop.

The interesting creatures you find out there in the wild...

The days you had enough time to stop and take pictures :)

The oh so familiar long faced look on those cow's faces.

The taste of a pint at the end of the day :)

The days we only had to sample 4 sites :)

The rare chance to sunbathe while waiting to be picked up.

The moment you realise you're lost and decide taking photos is easier than finding the way.

The mouse!

The crazy dogs in the middle of nowhere.

The scary farms you found yourself unwillingly entering.

The times you felt silly for arming yourself with a spade.

That amazing kitchen at Colan Barton.

The extremely rare perfect stream.

The times you seemed like a wimp because cows didn't scare your partner.

The sieving kit that never fitted the bag!

That feeling when a bad day got better.

The days when you wondered how you got there.

The streams where the sediment was just no good!

The cows in every field you ever went in.

The horrific hungover mornings in the field.

The story of your life.

We were also lucky enough to be let out on Saturday nights and Sundays after a long working week. While in Cornwall we spent a lovely day in Newquay town and had a fantastic beach day at Perranporth which involved playing volleyball with some old men for many glorious hours (more fun than it sounds :P). While in Devon we spent an afternoon in the town of Okehampton, went shopping in Exeter and had a couple nights out in Exeter's city centre where we got up to plenty of drunken mischief to soothe our scratched and aching limbs!

Besides the falling in slurry, early mornings and developing an irrational fear of cows (not so irrational after my experiences) I had a great 5 weeks with some excellent people. 

During my time on G-BASE I got used to walking through cow poo, improved my fitness, learnt that hills are evil, listened to the same songs 1000 times, became more fearless, discovered what those yellow lines on OS maps are, ate some great Cornish pasties, swam in the Atlantic Ocean again, felt wetter and colder than ever before, acquired more insect bites than I thought possible, slept like a bear, drank large amounts of Scrumpy cider, had some serious ups and downs, used tools, killed my walking boots, found Jimmy the sheep, jumped in a pool whilst intoxicated, mastered the art of barbed wire climbing, walked through Bodmin Moor in the fog, lost a welly, sampled some pretty streams, spotted some buzzards (and an unidentifiable beast), got covered in sedi (and roadkill), was lost and found, chased by dogs, swore at a (seriously obnoxious) child, gave my chocolate to a needy soul, made my legs jump further than they were designed to, felt like I was going to die/live again, dropped down a hole, yawned a ridiculous amount, defined girl power, used a spade as a weapon, discovered a forest can mean nettles not just trees, got electrocuted by a mean fence, appreciated some helping hands....

AND

Most importantly.... gained some wonderful friends in the process :) The memories will last forever even if the food budget never did haha! 

So here's a few of those pictures that paint a thousand words...

Because pools are more fun when you're drunk.

And so on...

Because being crazy is so much better than being normal.

Because G-BASE makes you (me) tired.

Because we looked cleaner than we had in weeks.

Because we love the Red Lion.

Because Exeter is excellent.

Because we love Izzy's photos.

Because G-BASE was over :(

Because we love Nick.

Because Cava is the best champagne.

Because we weren't covered in mud.

Because Pete drank too much.

Because Cornish Rattler is lethal.

Because Joe loves pigs.

Thanks for an eventful summer G-BASE :)

Peace

x