Back in London

I am back in London after a gruelling long journey. Because of bad weather I got delayed in Austin long enough to miss both the connecting flights to London from Houston. I had to stay in a hotel overnight, which luckily the airline paid for. I got on the flight the next day and both me and my luggage made it. Man, was I glad to get in my door and put my bags down. I am forcing myself to stay awake and adjust to this time again. I was suppose to work today, but that wasen't going to happen. I will be back tomorrow bright and early. I am too tired to even stay up until midnight for new years. I do hope everyone has a happy new years and can celebrate for me. I may have to rethink coming back earlier next time. Jetlag is definately having a worse effect on me as I get older, and it SUCKS.

Christmas holidays go so fast.

Well, here I am getting ready to jet off to the airport for my return trip to London. I apologise for not writing the entire time I was here. That was pure lazyness. That and the fact we did quite a bit. And certainly a lot of eating. It was great to be with family. There is nothing quite like it. I am looking forward to getting back to my friends and workmates in London though. I have missed it a bit. The one dumb thing I did was forget to bring my camera with me, so I didn't get any pictures. The cool thing was we did all these family pictures. My aunt still has to polish them up, but I am well looking forward to getting them.

I will try to write more once I am back in merry ol' england. I wish everyone a happy new year.

In Austin

So, I am now in Austin. After a very long journey (I really wish they would hurry up and invent beaming) I am with my family again. It is really great to see them. It is also like summer here, I was out in my t-shirt after getting here. Mind you, it was quite warm in London for the time of year, so maybe it is the global warming thing. I've already had some yummy honey baked ham and went up to the supermarket for a few things. Had to stretch my legs for a bit. It is funny, but for the first time I experienced something that I haven't before. Normally, I am well excited to come and see my family, and kinda dread at the end going back. But, this time I am actually missing London a bit. Between having such great friends and an amazing job, it really has become my home in my heart. Plus, I know my housemates will do some sort of drinks which I would have loved to be a part of. Well, I am happy to be with my family and hope to contact some of my friends in CA soon too.

Sexiest radio voice.

So, I get into work today. I am having a cup of tea when the constabulary walk in. One of the first things they say, to me, is that they had a contest amongst themselves to determine who had the sexiest radio voice. Well guess who won? ME!!!! That's right, me. They said my american voice was the sexiest on the heath. The second place belong to an american woman who works at the ladies pond. Well, that brightened up my day. Now, if only the rest of me could match....

Ice skating is so fun.

Okay, so this is a bit late to post. Last friday we had the grand opening of the ice rink on the heath. It is built upon some of the tennis courts. It isn't a big rink by any means, but it does the trick. This event was for staff and press to attend. It was free, the best price, and there was also free mulled wine and mince pies (yummy.) We did have some rain, and it was on the rink, but luckily it was frozen in time. I say this, because there were complaints from neighbours about the noise of the generators that were freezing the ice and they had to be shut off. Needless to say, they weren't sure if it would be frozen in time. It was, and I had a blast. The last time I went ice skating was two years ago up at Alexandra Palace. That is a very nice rink, and operates year round. The one on the heath is there for a month. Skating is one of those things that once you do, you don't forget.

I tell you once, I tell you again. I LOVE THE HEATH!!!!!

Thanksgiving

I had a really good thanksgiving. Firstly, it was a beautiful sunny day, and as always a great day on the Heath. Then I hosted a thanksgiving dinner for housemates and friends. I had 9 people in total. I did all the cooking. I cooked a big turkey, 9kg/19.5lbs. I have quite a bit leftover though. I also made mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies, rolls and cornbread. With it was cranberry sauce and gravy. We had quite a few bottles of red wine and mulled wine to wash it down with. It went very well. I was pleased, as was everyone there. I do enjoy being able to keep up this holiday even though I am in England. And everyone was happy, and that is one thing I love, to see people happy. I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving too!!!! :)

Bond rules!!!

Everyone who is anyone needs to go out and see the new Bond film, Casino Royale, immediately. It was a kick ass movie. Daniel Craig does a reall hard ass Bond, and it works. The stunts were freaking amazing. It was different from previous Bond films, and I have seen them all, in that there weren't any gadgets, aside from the car, and there was a bit of a love story, where usually he just shags the girls. I went and saw it on saturday night with a friend. Unfortunately, we sat near these kids that kept talking and being a nuisense. Other than that, it was so much fun. You will not be disappointed.

Life on the heath

A few things to note as of late. Firstly, one of the lifeguards is somewhat of a resident chef as well. He is from Maritius and makes curries and the sort. I finally had one of his creations. It was beef sausage and turkey bacon in a tomato sauce with mushrooms, onion, garlic and coriander. It was served on rice with a piece of crusty bread. And this was at 10:30am!! It is great to work on the heath.

There was a film shot entirely on the heath call Scenes of a sexual nature. It was released last friday and I went and saw it. I thought it was really well done, and the heath used to its full brilliance. It was a very low budget film, but I felt it was true to life. I recommed looking it up and checking it out if you can.

Lastly, and sadly, I came across two dead animals yesterday. The first was a crow, which my colleague took care of. The second was a cat. A member of the public alerted it to me. I had to take it and bury it. I couldn't tell if it was a stray or not, but it didn't have a collar. Poor kitty. I gave it a fitting burial though. Unfortunately, finding dead animals is part of the job. At least we take care of it properly. It is all part of life.

Inconvienient truth and games

Had a good day out yesterday. I went to the science museum where they had an exhibition called game on. It is the history and culture of videogames. I had been 5 years ago, not too long after I arrived here, at the barbican. Well, it has returned to london in the new venue. They have around 120 games to play from game consoles and arcade units going back to the beginning. It definately flooded memories from my childhood playing games with my friends. I have been playing games, and have had a system, since 1986. 20 bloody years. That is a lot of gaming. I have loved every minute of it, and I still have games to play. In fact I will no doubt get the Playstation 3 when it comes out. :)

After the exhibition, I went for a stroll around the west end and ate at my favourite chinese restaurant. I then went and saw An Inconvienient Truth. I must say, they did an amazing job visually of presenting the information. It is definately an eye opener, and could be a great topic for conversation. I am really glad at this point that I have set myself up where I work locally enough to walk, and ride my bicycle everywhere I can. I would never want to own a car at this point. At least not a petrol driven one. It is hard to describe how profound the film was, it needs to be seen to understand. But I encourage everyone to see it, even on dvd. I just hope it's not too late.....

Coming home for xmas

I am excited to announce that I will be in Texas for xmas. I have booked my trip and can't wait to see my family. I regret I can't make it to CA this time to see my friends, but hopefully I will soon. Maybe even an extra trip. Below are my details. See everyone before you know it.

Flight Details:

Depart:9:30 Thu., 14 Dec., 2006 London, England (LGW - Gatwick)
Arrive:14:00 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)
Flight Time:10 hr 30 mn
OnePass Miles/Elite Qualification:4,853 /100%
Flight: CO35 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ERFare Class: Economy (W)Meal: Lunch

Change Planes. Connect time in Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental) is 1 hr 50 mn.

Depart:15:50 Thu., 14 Dec., 2006 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)
Arrive:16:48 Austin, TX (AUS)
Flight Time:58 mnTravel Time:13 hr 18 mn
OnePass Miles/Elite Qualification:500 /100%Total Miles:5,353
Flight: CO841 Aircraft: Boeing 737-700Fare Class: Economy (W)Meal: None

Depart:13:30 Fri., 29 Dec., 2006 Austin, TX (AUS)
Arrive:14:31 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)
Flight Time:1 hr 1 mn
OnePass Miles/Elite Qualification:500 /100%
Flight: CO1540 Aircraft: Boeing 737-500Fare Class: Economy (W)Meal: None

Change Planes. Connect time in Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental) is 1 hr 29 mn.

Depart:16:00 Fri., 29 Dec., 2006 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)
Arrive:6:50 +1 Day London, England (LGW - Gatwick)
Flight Time:8 hr 50 mnTravel Time:11 hr 20 mn
OnePass Miles/Elite Qualification:4,853 /100%Total Miles:5,353
Flight: CO34 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ERFare Class: Economy (W)Meal: Dinner

Slides and a pig.

I have some pictures to post. The first ones are of the slides at the tate modern which I went to with some friends on saturday. They were totally wicked slides. They had 2 on the second floor and 1 on each of the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. The latter 3 you had to get a timed ticket for which was free. The queues were pretty long, so we went off for lunch before riding them. It was worth it though. It felt a big like going down a waterslide, without the water (if that makes any sense.) If anyone is coming to London before next april, this is a must.

The second set of pictures is of a pig we ran into on a site visit to Burnham Beeches. I had done this with my volunteer group, heath hands. It was a great day and always appreciative to see how another site is run and managed. More on that in a previous blog.

Conkers and slides.

Last sunday was the conker championships on the heath. It is an annual event. I helped last year as a volunteer, but this year I was there as staff helping. It was great fun, with both kids and adults participating and enjoying themselves. A huge turnout. Basically, you have a conker, which comes from the horse chestnut tree, on the end of a string. Each person takes turns hitting their opponents conker. If your conker gets smashed, you are out. It goes on like that until you get two finalists who battle it out. Good stuff.

I found out yesterday that Tate Modern has a new exhibition in their great hall. It is 5 big slides, tubular, which anyone can slide down. They start on the 5th floor and go to the bottem. I am hoping to go this weekend to check it out. It will be a bit like being a kid again going to the playground. The artists reckons we need more stuff like this in our lives to keep us stimulated. I mean, if it can work when we are kids, why stop it? I wil for sure take pictures and post them. Should be fun.

Funeral for a friend

I went to a funeral for a good friend today. He was a coworker when I was at Cadbury's. His name was Joel. He and I were the ones to start the airport contract and spent a bunch of time together in the beginning of it all. We always took the piss out of work, it was a great laugh. Sadly, he didn't take care of himself to well and had a weak heart. It finally gave out on him; he was only 32.

It is interesting to me how the aspects of funerals change as you get older. You start to realise things you haden't before. Not just on how short life is, or where people are you haven't been in touch with for awhile, but things like how happy you are and what is missing to make you complelety happy. Also, if there is anyone missing in your life that you would like to be with. I guess it just puts everything in a new perspective.

Don't get me wrong, I am not being down about anything. In fact, I quite celebrate his life and was pleased to see all the coworkers I haven't seen since I left, as well as his family. I know it may sound morbid to say, but death can really bring people together. And I think that is sometimes important. Especially if the person that died lead a full and happy life. It wasn't the case with my friend, he should have been around for a much longer time, but for whatever reason, it was his time. I just hope he is happy wherever he is. He was truely a great friend and one I am very proud to have known and worked with in my life.

REST IN PEACE JOEL.

Move to the East Side

I have now officially moved to East Heath. I am on what is called Pond Beat. I now only have a 10 minute walk to work, how cool is that? I already know everyone on that side, so I didn't need much of an induction, just right to work. I love every part of the heath, but it is nice to have the change. There will be more litter on this part, but you gotta take the good with the bad. Lots more dogs, which I do love (well not the poop.) Now all that is left is to get something permanent, but you can bet your ass I am working on it, no rest for the wicked they say.

Work is throwing a BBQ, a goodbye for the seasonal staff. Obviously I am not leaving, but I can't turn down a good BBQ, especially with all the booze you can drink. Plus, there is an Aussie going to be cooking, and I hear there is nothing better than an Aussie BBQ. This is tomorrow evening. I do have to be careful as I do work the next day, so not too many beers. We are having an indian summer here though, it was still hot today, enough so that I took a quick dip in the pond. Now that is refreshing.

Lastly, Heath Hands took a site visit out to Burnham Beeches last saturday. It is so called because it is mostly covered with ancient Beech trees. It is another site managed by the City of London, just like the heath. They still have grazing there, so it was cool to see the animals. The best thing is to see the different managment style for different sites, it helps to bring ideas back to your own site. For more information, visit the Burnham Beeches website at:

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/living_environment/

Click on open spaces, and then Burnham Beeches. Be sure to take a look at the other open spaces as well, they are all so lovely.

Wicked

I went to see an amazing play on saturday night. It is called Wicked. It is the untold story of the witches of oz. It is based on the book by Gregory Maguire. It has had a very successful run, not only on broadway, but on tour across the US and Canada. It has now opened in London for what I hope is a long run.

Everything about it was fantastic, the cast were exemplary. The audience started clapping from the beginning, and was a standing ovation at the end immediately. The set and effects were top notch, it must have cost them a pretty penny. And the music was off the wall. I was contemplating getting the soundtrack, but stuck with buying the programme. It is highly recommended to see if anyone gets the chance. I have also added a few pictures I took of the outside of the theatre and one inside of the stage, which unfortuately is a bit dark. You can check them out on my photo site under the Misc album. It really took my breath away.

The website, for more info, is www.wickedthemusical.co.uk. I am sure there is a US site as well, so it would be good to google for it. The also sell merchandise on www.wickedmerch.co.uk.

All I can say is it does what it says on the tin, it was WICKED!!!!!!

Photos of trip.

I have now posted all the photos of my trip. Please click the link on the right to view them. They all came out quite well and I am also pleased that I had some taken of me, to prove I did go on the trip. :) I hope this might entice some of you to come over and explore Europe, I highly recommend it.

Da Vinci Code

One of the other cool things about my trip is that I read The Da Vinci Code. It is a gripping read from beginning to end. Yes, it was partially because of the hype of it, but also on recommedation. I am glad I did. Dan Brown is a great author. I have just started the prequel to it called Angels and Demons. It is already gripping. I also went out and saw The Da Vinci Code today. I actually quite enjoyed it. I thought it stayed roughly true to the book and the cast was stellar. I am not one to nitpick to much over a film adaptation of a book. It was great to see the locals that were used in the book, especially the Louvre since I have been there. In fact, when I was in Paris on my Europe trip, I walked past the Louvre again and took a pic of the pyramid. It will be uploaded tomorrow. I highly recommend the book and film to everyone. Damn good!!!

Rest of the trip.

I am home now. I didn't get anymore internet access on the trip. After the last post, our next stop was in the German town of Rothenburg. It was a small town with cobbled streets and we had a good walk around. I bought Schneeballen, which are cakey balls dipped in different things like chocolate or sugar or icing. After that it was on to Austria and our next overnight which was in Innsbruck. This was nestled in the alps, so the mountains were huge around us. In the winter there are a lot of ski resorts there. We got to walk around the town for a bit and then on to the hotel. The next day was more driving through the alps, which crossed the border into Italy. We then made our way out of them and on into Venice. We had to take a boat over, as there are no vechicle roads. It was breathtaking to say the least. Venice is built upon an island, and is sadly sinking. I hope they can figure a way to save it, because it is amazing. We got a guided tour of the main square and into a glass blowing factory. We then went on our own for awhile. We then had an optional excursion, which I took, of a gondola serenade down the canals. It was so amazing. You can't go to Venice and not have one. After that it was back on the boat and to the hotel.

Next we made a stop in Verona, to see the famous ampitheatre and Juliet's balcony. There is a statue there of Juliet and legend goes that if you touch her right breast and make a wish about love, it will come true. Who was I to argue, I did that. After some more walking around, we got back on the coach and made our way into the alps once again, this time to Switzerland. We drove on to Lake Lugano for another stop. It was for strolling around and shopping should we feel like it. It was a beautiful place as well. Then on to Lake Lucerene and our hotel. Tonight was a second optional excursion which I took. We went into Lucernce and had a Swiss fokelore evening with cheese fondue and massive litre beers. It was a fun evening to say the least. Then back to the hotel. Next day we spent the first part of the morning in Lucerene, and then another optional excursion. I did this one as well and it would be my last. This was a cable train and cable car ride up the Stanserhorn. It is a 1900 metre high mountain with spectacular views. It was a true experience to go up this in Switzerland. I did buy some swiss chocolate as well. Then back down to rejoin the bus and make our way to France. We went to our hotel in Dole, a halway point for getting to Paris. The next day it was on to Paris, where we had a bit of time to stroll, then got a city guide tour. After that, the rest of the people went on an optional excursion there of a Seine cruise and up the Eiffel tower. Since I have been up it, I opted out of it and spent the time walking around taking in sights, some I have seen, others I have not. I then got a drink and sat on the grass in front of the Eiffel tower to view in amazment. I met back up with the group and we went to the hotel.

Next day, today, it was back to Calais and on the ferry back to the UK. It was an altogether fantastic experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to get around Europe without anything to worry about. Everything is taking care of. I did take loads of pictures and they will be on my album site at the end of the week when I have more time. So, please look out for them. I definately want to go back and visit some of the places I went to, but of course got and visit plenty more I haven't. Man, Europe rules!!!!

In Germany-Day 2

I am having a great time on my trip. The ferry ride over to Calais was great, if not a bit rainy. We then got a coach to Brussels. We had a very quick walk around the square with a bit of dinner. By this time I had met some people and we did this together. We then went back to the hotel for overnight. I had a couple beers down in the bar with a couple of the people from earlier. It was nice. The next day, today, we got up quite early and had breakfast. Then we got on the coach for 4 hours until we got to the Rhine river where we had a very lovely 1.5 hour cruise. It was basically a ferry. There are a lot of castles down the river and were all fantastic to see. Once that was over, we got back in the coach to take us into Frankfurt, where we are now at the hotel. Luckily this hotel has free internet, which I am writing on.

I am well pleased to have met some poeple already along the way. There is a couple from England and another woman from England. The rest of the passengers are from elsewhere, so us 4 have stuck together a bit. Hopefully I will talk to the others too. I will post pictures as soon as I get back.

Great news and work toy.

First off is to say that I got to use a cool vechicle at work. It is the roller you see on the left. It was to flatten the gravel in the yard for the cars and bikes not to slip around so much with the rain and all. You would think one would need full training, but my supervisor let me have a go. It is really easy once you get the hang of it, and I couldn't stop smiling while on it. I almost felt like a kid on one of those rides outside a supermarket that you pay a quarter for. Only a little more aware and with safety in mind. I swear this job gets better and better.


And speaking of which, I had some good news about my job. I have been asked to stay on for "as long as possible." I won't have any idea how long this is, and unfortunately it does make it more difficult to know about coming home for xmas, but be assured I will keep everyone up to date on that when things change. We all went out to the pub last night for some drinks, the first time I had been with workmates. It was a really great pub up in Highgate called The Gatehouse. I had a really nice cider from sweden that was a bit on the sweet side, but nice. I also had a small article written about me in the Heath Hands newsletter. I will eventually get a scan of it and post it so everyone can see it. It is to show my successful change from volunteer to ranger. So cool!!!

Links for my holiday

Here are two links for my holiday. The first is the travel agency I used to book the trip. The second is the tour operator's website. The second one also has a map of the route I will take. I am well super excited by all this. They gave me the option of having a single room and paying more or share with someone of the same gender. I, of course, chose the latter to mostly save money, but also have someone to talk to about the trip. Should be good.

http://www.coachholidays.com/coachdetails.phtml?priceid=118535&session=E5A06546-17CA-11DB-89FB-843CC7F04533


http://www.cosmostourama.com/search_detail.php?product_code=4420T&product_type=touring&region=1&cid=15&year=11

I will for surely post pictures when I get back to make you all jealous. :)

Going on holiday.

I am truely excited. I have booked myself an awesome holiday. I have some time to take off work as a seasonal and am going on a coach tour of europe. I will visit 6 countries (Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France.) It goes for 8 days. It was a really good package deal. I have been wanting since moving here to travel around europe. I didn't even know something like this existed until my housemate Linda told me about it. She has already done one and is going to do another. She is from Austrailia and most Aussies and Kiwis come here and do this kind of thing. I definately will have to thank her. I leave on the 21st of Aug and return on the 28th. I think it will be a great expreince and the best part is travelling with other people and not being alone. Plus, lots of good food, beer and wine. It has taken way too long for me to do something like this.

I will definately take pictures and add anymore details as I know them. The tour operator is Cosmos Tourama, so you can go to their website and look up the 6 countries tour for more info.

HOORAY FOR ME!!!!!!

Dvd burner and Superman

I wrote two blogs today, so be sure to scroll down after reading this one. Firstly, I got myself a new dvd burner for my laptop this past week. I already copied some dvds and cds for friends. It really is cool. It slid right into my laptop and started without any problems. I have been wanting one for awhile, but it took me quite a lot of research to find the right one.

This is important. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE needs to go see Superman Returns. It was a major kick ass movie. It pays really good respects to the old Reeve films. It is somewhat of a continuation, but at the same time is seperate. See it and you will know what I mean. Casting and effects are top notch. I was literally blown away. I am a major superman fan and was not let down. I will definately buy this on dvd, along with the special editions of the old superman films they are due to release at the same time. The next one I will probably see is the new Pirates of the Caribbean film. It is getting nothing but great reviews and I am told if I don't see it at the cinema I will be missing out. So, I may say that everyone should do the same. I also saw a trailer for the new bond film coming out in november and will definately see that. I saw all the other bond films on tv, so need to see it to be complete as well as I really love them. Great action.

I do love summer, good weather, good movies, and good times.

Slug and Dog Love

So two things happened to me while working that were amusing. I got to work on tuesday and started my normal patrol through the area called the orchard. Once I was done with that I went up to the bothy to say hello to people who were just going on lunch. I was on a late shift. As I walked in the door I start to ask one of the team leaders a question when he bursts out laughing. I look down and there was a slug on my shirt. Not only that, but it had started on my back and worked it's way over my shoulder and down the front a little ways. And I didn't even see it. Needless to say I got it off quick and washed my shirt. Looking back it was quite funny.

The next day as I am patrolling, a dog comes bounding up. They usually come up to me because of the litter stick I am carrying. They think I will throw it or something. So, naturally I don't think much but to say hello to the dog, and then it's owner. All of a sudden the owner starts calling the dogs name. I look down and s/he is proceeding to take a leak on my rubbish bag I am carrying around. I couldn't help but laugh at that one.

I think that I am really good at attracting the wild and not so wildlife. Another reason to love this job.

Himalayan balsam and toads

One of the many invasive species we have on the heath is himalayan balsam. It has spread, most likely, from a back garden. There are patches all over the heath. Every year it has to be takled, most importantly before it flowers. Luckily, it is easy to pull by the root from the ground. They can get quite tall too. I have been doing quite a bit of the pulling. I also helped with a couple heath hand sessions on a quite big patch.

The other cool thing is that I just recently saw a number of very small toads. We had a thunderstorm and it seemed to bring them out. They were hopping all over the paths. I also had a few people come up to me to tell me they had seem them. I have never seen one so small. I wanted to take a picture, but my mobile phone camera doesn't have zoom, so it would have been too small in the picture to make out. I love being able to see all this wildlife everyday. That is what keeps one feeling fresh about the job.

New book

I got a new book in today. It was a birthday gift from me mum. It is a book about the geology and natural history of Hampstead Heath. By now I am sure you all know how much I love the Heath. This is one of the first, if not the first, books written about the heath. It doesn't so much have a history of the Heath, it is written about what is on the Heath. It was published in 1913, so nearly a hundred years old. It is a handsome copy with all the maps and plates intact. And it was fairly cheap considering. It was gotten of abebooks.co.uk. A worthwile place to go if you are looking for a rare or out of print book. They have a US site as well. I believe it is abebooks.com.

Long live the Heath!

My new icon.

This is my new icon. It will be added to my site as well. It was designed by my brilliant auntie Janine. She is an amazing graphic designer. She had made me one when I was trying to be in the media with a film strip coming out of the hat. But since I am in conservation now, it was necessary to change. It is one of the best gifts I could get. The leaf coming out of it is a willow leaf, and I liked it since it looked like a feather. I also hope to add a page soon to my website about my job on the heath. Enjoy.

Shoreditch

My second event last friday was to visit Shoreditch station. This station, on the east london line, was closing. The reason for this is because the new extension is on a slightly different alignment than this station. The line won't be fully completed until 2010, but they have to close this to build the ramp up to the flyover.

I should add that one of my hobbies since being in London is on disused and abandoned underground stations. I have collected several books on this subject and have even visited a disused station that closed in 1994 called Aldwych. I have also been on two walks along old railway lines that were either in use by London Underground or was going to be.

As this was an historic event for me, as I don't know if there will ever be another station closure, I wasen't going to miss it. I hopped on the bus from the heath and made it to the station in about an hour. When I got there, they were making speeches inside and I thought I had miss my opportunity to take pictures inside and on the platform. They finished their speeches and all came out the door. Then they did the ceremonial closing of the door for the last time. After that I noticed people filing in a side door. I slowly followed and found myself in the booking hall. I promptly took some pictures and went to the machine to buy a ticket to show I was there on the last day. I ended up getting the second to last tickets as they were closing the machine. After that I went down to the platform to take snaps of the last train. I then boarded and took snaps inside. After a little while, the whistle blew, the doors closed and the train departed. We arrived at the next station, Whitechapel, in a few moments. Everyone disembarked. I then went over to the adjancent platform where I met up with people I recognised. I might add that I knew about all this from a website I frequent and one of the people was the author of this site.

They then asked me how I ended up on that train. Confused, I said I walked on. They then told me that the "final" train was infact a special train intended for staff and the media and bigwigs. I was floored!!! I guess at the end they weren't too fussed who got on as there were a few other "normal" people on. So, I went from thinking I had missed it all, to experiencing the best of it all. I was well pleased. One sucky thing was that my camera switched to short focus at some point and some of my pictures are a bit blurry. But, you can check them all out on my pictures site under a new album called Shoreditch. Also, the website I frequent is: http://underground-history.co.uk.

All in all, it was a terrific friday that made me well happy. :)

Education Centre Launch

Last friday I attended 2 events. The first was for the launch of the education centre on the heath, which I have had a part in. Basically, it used to be an info centre, but has been transformed into the centre which you see on the right. Each wall of the room represents a different habitat area on the heath, whether it be grassland, heathland, ponds or woodland. I helped with making some of the decoration for the wall before I started work on the heath. It was a great event just to get to see so many people I knew. As you can see on the table there was light refreshments. Sam, the education officer, has put in a tremendous amount of work and energy to get this up and running and was well deserved of the celebration. It was a fun event that makes me pround to have been a part of and to continue to help as much as I can while working. Please be sure to view more pics of the centre in the new education centre album I created in my pictures site which is linked on the right.

I shall write about my second event, going to an underground station closure, in my next post.

Me in uniform...finally.

I have taken a few photos of myself in uniform. The building behind me is the bothy that I am based at. For those of you not familiar with the word, it is where are canteen and office is. It is basically the place where we chill and chat. As you can see, hopefully, I wear a green top (two of the pics is with a waterproof on, the other with my jumper) and either grey or brown trousers. Here they are grey. I wear black steel capped boots. It was a great day to take the picture, and it was my birthday. I hope you enjoy them. I have also added a new album on my pictures site, which I have linked on the right. It is called Heath. You can find these pics, plus some others of the heath. I have also added a couple pics of me in the suit I wore to my interview for this job. It is well worth looking at.

I am also getting quite excited for the end of the week. I have the opening of the education centre to attend on fri night. After that, on the same night, I am hopefully going to go to Shoreditch station closure. It is on the east london line. They are closing it to extend it northwards via a different route. Friday is the last train, and I visit a website that is organising being there and a pint afterwars. So, I hope I can have pics of both. I will for sure write about it.

X-men and work

I saw the new X-men film yesterday and I must say it kicked ass. I love comic book/superhero films and this was no exception. (Actually the only exception out there is Hulk.) I also am a huge fan of Patrick Stewart and enjoy almost everything he is in. As with the previous ones, the effects were top notch. I don't know what the rating for it is in the states, but over here it is a 12A, which I found appalling. There was quite a bit of violence and swearing. Should have been a 15. They also had a big sequence in the bay area, specifically Alcatraz, so that made me smile and feel a teeny bit homesick. All I can say is Golden Gate Bridge, see it and you will know what I mean.

As for work. It is going quite well. I have been given a list of conservation jobs that I need to do or help with. So there has been a bit less patrolling, partially because of the rain lately, and more of these jobs. I like having the variety. I have also gotten to drive the electric van a couple times. That thing is so quiet. You can't even tell you have turned it on. I am hoping to remember to take my camera with me to take some pictures of myself and the heath. There is also a funfair on this weekend, as it is a bank holiday monday, but it is on a different beat than mine. I may stop by it for some donuts though. :)

Lastly, tomorrow is the big 30 for me, so everyone have a drink for me!!

Barbeque and Stuck In Mud

We had a barbeque at the house last night. It was most of the housmates and a few friends. There was quite a lot of food and drink, as ususal. It was great to just all get together and chat. We don't actually do it very often. I helped man the bbq. We had burgers and sausages. I also baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies for dessert. I also had to celebrate for my cousin Lauren who was having a graduation party yesterday. I obviously couldn't be there as it is all the way in Texas, but got to have a drink for her as I am quite pround of what she has achieved.

Today was mostly normal at work. At one point I got to drive the electric van. It is so quiet and smooth to drive. Unfortunately I went a way that I thought would be okay and ended up stuck in mud. Luckily we were close to one of the canteens and got help. I felt a bit of an ass for it on my first time driving. Hopefully it will be quickly forgotten. ;)

Lastly, I wanted to tell you guys my call name on the heath. I am HT8 (pronounced Hotel Tango Eight.) There are quite a lot of people, so you can imagine quite a lot of call signs. The radios have quite good distance though, I was still able to pick up transmissions way off the heath when we were delivering Heath Hands newsletters to libraries.

Freeview and movie recommendations

I just got myself a freeview recorder. Basically, freeview gives you access to over 40 digital channels. This is an alternative to getting cable as all you pay for is the box and you get the channels. I paid a bit more to have one with a 40gig hard drive so I can record programmes. I am highly addicted to Dr. Who and didn't want to miss one because I am working. So, I am super exicted about this.

First movie to recommend is an ealing comedy from the1940s called Kind Hearts and Coronets. It stars the late Sir. Alec Guinness. He plays 8 memebers of a royal family. It is black and white, but one that stands the test of time. Not to mention he is a brilliant actor.

The other film, which I saw today with a friend, is Mission Impossible 3. This was made this year. ;) It was really well done, much better than the first 2. It was directed by J.J. Abrams, who also co-created Lost and Alias. It really shows too, with all the twists and turns. But, it is a good mindless action flick, along the same viens as James Bond. It also uses the effects well and has good performances by the actors, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman as the baddie. He was amazing. So, go see this and prepare to be enertained.

Find out more on these films at: www.imdb.com.

Searching for a dead body

Okay, when I started this job I knew I would be in for seeing and doing all kinds of things and tasks. But, I didn't expect this one. I show up for work yesterday and was promptly told that all staff are searching for a possible dead body on the heath. A guy of 71 disappeared on sunday leaving his car next to the extension on the heath. He was an outpatient at the hospital and "at risk" for suicide. I spent the first few hours of working joining in the search. I, or anyone else, didn't find anything. I hope and pray that he is still alive somewhere, but time will tell.

Other than that, I did my normal litter picking and patrolling. I had to lock up the base, as I worked a late shift and was the last one there. There has been some good weather and has been a joy to be out and about outside.

Job duties

Well, I have finished my third day. All is going great. We have had really hot weather the past few days, I started at just the right time. You can imagine how great it is to be outside all day, seeing all the happy people and dogs, and being happy myself. One of the big things we do is litter picking. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but it is one of the fundamental requirements in the open space to keep it as clean as possible at all times. Really, who wouldn't want to keep the heath beautiful.

I have also, so far, helped in woodstaining some benches. All the benches in my beat are getting redone. With the hot weather they are drying real quick though. I have also helped deliver the Heath Hands newsletters to some local libraries. We have this great electric van which we drive around. Mind it is for small trips only. But the great thing about it is if you coast in it, it actually recharges it. And it is the most quiet vehicle you can drive. I haven't driven in myself yet, but having a license means I can if required to.

The base is pretty cool. It is quite big with a lot of recycling bins around. Inside is a near fully fitted kitchen. So for the first time at a job in my life, I will actually fix myself lunch there rather than at home and bringing it. I was given a cabinet, and already bought some food to make sandwiches and stuff. The break system is quite good too. For the early shift we start at 7:30am and go until 10am which is the first half hour break for breakfast. Then from 10:30 we work until 1:00pm when we have an hour lunch. Then we work from 2:00pm until 4:30pm when we go home. And everyone breaks at the same time. Which is great for conversation. One day a week we go home an hour early at 3:30pm because they go by bank hours. It is something I haden't heard of before. The days off are a bit like that too. You have the same two days off every week for three weeks, in my case thursday and friday, and the fourth week you get the weekend off. So, it is one 7 day stretch and the rest 5. So there is absolutely no chance of a long stretch of days. Also, the week goes from wednesday to tuesday. Apparently this goes back to when the corporation started, which happened to be on a wednesday. They have never changed it.

I will report more soon. And I will hopefully get some pictures of me in uniform and stuff soon too. I am so loving it!!!!!

First day of work

Today was the first day of my new job on the heath. I was so excited. I had to first go to the head office to fill in some paperwork. We then had the task of finding uniforms, and believe me they don't seem to be the most organised in this area. I got bits and pieces throughout the day. It was me and one other seasonal ranger who then got taken, by one of the supervisors over to the heath to begin inductions to the site. We stopped firstly by Kenwood Nursery, which is to be my base. We then went down to Parliament Hill staff yard to pick up more of the uniform. We then went over to east heath staff yard, which is to be the base for Luke, the other seasonal ranger. We left him with the team leader there, and went back up to Kenwood Nursery.

I then met the team leader up there, who I would be with the rest of the day. I got a locker sorted out, and changed into my uniform. Then we went over to the extension where I sat in on my first meeting. It was one the people on my beat planned, and since I had started it was a good way to get introduced to everyone. It was mostly an observational meeting for me. After that it was over to Golder's Hill Park for the last bit of uniform collecting. Then it was back to Kenwood Nursery, and then home. Mind you, there was a lot of explaining that went on all day. I felt fortunate enough to already know quite a bit from my volunteer work, but still very much enjoyed hearing it all. Oh, and it was a gorgeous, warm day as well. We are do for a hot weekend, so I started at just the right time. I know that I will be hoping for some way to stay on after this is over, so people keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

I will of course keep people updated as I go on. I will be learning my beat more tomorrow, and I will fill you in on how my schedule will be. But from what I have learned so far, it is very reasonable. Man, I am SOOOOO pround to wear the green shirt that says Hampstead Heath on it, you have no idea. I will send pictures of me in uniform soon. Promise.

Bird walk.

Yesterday I joined a bird watching walk on the heath. I had heard about it through a fellow volunteer. I wanted to have that information for when I work on the heath too. Basically, it was a slow walk looking at birds through binoculars. I didn't have my own, but was able to use someone else's. I have learned a number of new birds, which I still need to look up. I just always find any excuse to walk on the heath a good one, so you can imagine how I will be working there. :) The walk was organised by the Marlyebone bird watching society. They do it every tuesday.

I have also been helping out all week at the education centre with painting and papaer mache. Again, any excuse to be on the heath... I do find myself learning stuff everyday too being there. The edcuation officer is very knowledgable, so great to have a conversation with. I hope to be able to chat time to time once I do start working. She is also planning to have a grand opening of the education centre on June 10th, so I hope to be able to attend.

Another job offer.

So get this. Today I recieved a call from Hackney, the second job I interviewed for. Well, they said I was successful and offered me the job. Of course I had to decline it because of already taking the one on the heath, but it really shows me that I am in my element and on the right path that I had 2 job offers. I never thought I would be in this position. I have to say, it feels GREAT!!!

I also got my forms and contract for the heath, which I will turn in tomorrow. It states I officially start on May 3rd and that there will be an induction day, presumably for all the seasonal staff. I am so excited. I am also helping out at the education centre this week with re-painting. It is a long process to re-desgin it, but it is looking real good. I will try to take some pictures and post them. I am also riding my bike a lot more since my course ended and I don't have a bus pass. My legs are feeling it, but give it time they will strengthen.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.

My Space update

So, I finally updated my My Space page. I gave it a pretty new background as well as filling in all sorts of info. Basically, between that, my webpage, and this blog, you should know me very well. I have to give a big thank you for the people who helped me with the layout editing and all and gave me the links. It definatley helped. The link to the page is on the right hand side of my blog under Links. As always, feedback is welcome.

As for other things, I am still waiting for my papers to fill out. Being that it is easter weekend and we have 2 bank holidays, it is taking longer than usual. But, I am so excitied about it all. I can't believe I will get to work on the heath. It really is like a dream come true. Now, all I need is a girlfriend to share it with, and life will be complete.

Hope everyone is well, and a big HAPPY EASTER to y'all!!!!!!!

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had 2 interviews today. What are the chances? Both were for seasonal ranger postions. The first was for Hampstead Heath (my preferred one of course,) and the second was for the borough of Hackney, the same borough my course was in. Both went quite well, although to be honest I felt the Heath one went a bit better because of my passion for it. But, I did give it my all. Both interviews basically sat me down and asked me questions off a sheet. The first one had on scenario question, whereas the second had 6. The main difference is that the Heath is an open space whereas the Hackney one are in parks. And it does make a difference to the kind of job you do and people you interact with.

I wore a suit that my sister (thank you) gave me. I made one gaff and that was that I didn't realise that the legs of the trousers needed hemming and were a bit long. Also, underestimated the English weather and got caught out in the rain. Well, I do have to get used to all weather conditions for this kind of job.

So, the best part. I get home and sit down to have a chat with a good friend online. As we are chatting I get a phone call from one of the guys who interviewed me on the Heath and got offered the job!!!!! How freakin' sweet is that. They will send me the paperwork within a couple days and hopefully start real soon. I found out my patch is on the east side of the heath near kenwood house down. I know at least a couple people on that patch already, so that is amazing. I will also promise to keep people updated on how everything goes during the summer on my blog and website. But, for now, I am so going to celebrate. This is what I have worked for. Now all I have to do is get a permenant one later on. CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!

End of course

Well, my course finally ended today. I am quite sad that it is over. I really got into the work and got on so good with my coursemates and assessors. I will definately go back and visit the site. The next NVQ course starts soon, so they will be busy again. We also got taken out for lunch yesterday at a chinese place just opposite the cemetery. It was quite good. I had a duck and bbq pork with a soya sauce with egg fried rice. Yummy. Also, after we finished yesterday we went out for drinks. Ended up staying till 9:30pm, after downing 5 or 6 pints of Strongbow cider. Suffice it to say, I was quite pissed. But, I can't think of a better way to end the course.

So, now it is on to getting the ranger job, a seasonal one most likely. I will keep everyone posted here on how that goes. For now, I need some food and rest. :)

Norwich

I had a pretty good trip to Norwich. It takes just about 2 hours on the train from london liverpool st. I went up yesterday. My main purpose was for a conference on peak oil. It is a follow up to one I went to in October. Once I got to Norwich, I had a good amount of time to stroll around and check things out. I went to the Norwich Cathedral, which was very beatiful. The city centre is very nice, with a market in the middle. The only slight annoyance is all the high st chain shops around. But, there are still plenty independent shops. After that, I went and checked into a lovely bed and breakfast. Normally I try to stay in hostels, but there are none in Norwich. I had a room to myself, though it had to beds in it. They said I was uprgraded, not sure why. (except that I am special. :) After resting there, I made my way to the university. I was intending to eat at a pub, but had a roast at one of the restaurants on campus, which was very good and inexpensive. Then the conference. Being as eco friendly as I am, I walked everywhere there. So, at nearly 10 at night I made my way back to the b'n'b.

Today, I basically had a fantastic full english breakfast and then strolled around the city centre. I sat in the library for awhile reading to kill some time. I also stopped by the Coleman's mustard shop. I have to say this was quite amusing. I mean, a MUSTARD shop. LOL. Well, if I learned anything, it is that Coleman's mustard is made around here. Funny thing is though, I don't actually like mustard much. Now, if it had only been a ketchup shop...... ;)

After that, it was back to the train station, and home. I did have a good time, with some good weather. I have also posted pictures from my trip in my photo album which can be accessed through my website.

Website is live.

Well, I finally finished my webiste. I have published it and is now viewable. The address is: http://enviroranger.googlepages.com/ It has links to my blog and to pictures as well. It is a very basic site to let people know and see what I am up to. I hope people like it.

I have one week left to go on my course. I will be quite sad to see it end. I really enjoyed working on site there and the people there were great. I have put in a couple applications as well for seasonal positions which would start around easter.

Well, that's it for now. Please give any feedback for the site, it is always appreciated.

Bog and Norwich

Today was my second session in the bog on the heath. It is one that I didn't even know was there until a couple weeks ago. There is quite a big of sphagnum moss as well as grasses and a pond. There is also a sort of spring that comes up at one point with water making its way to the pond. It is a really gorgeous area. Our main task is to rid the main area of bramble, by grubbing it from the roots. The first task I did today, however, was to wade in the pond and get out some logs that had been put in. There was one other person helping me. We put on waders and got in. Unfortunately for both of us, we got our socks soaked. For me it was because the boots seemed to leak from the foot, the other guy the water came over the top. It would have been quite funny to see us there in the water, try to walk through it. The mud at the bottem made it slow going. But, in the end it got clear and look so much better. It is the satisfation I love.

On another note, I am taking a trip up to Norwich on the 3rd of April for a Peak Oil conference. I am going to stay over at a b'n'b which is always great. Gotta love the full english breakfast. I will, of course, go up by train. Hopefully I will get to see some good sites, have to do some more research on it though. I also hope I can remember my camera to show pictures to you all.

Great british roast.

Okay, so I have to confess. One thing I LOVE here is a british roast. One of my former housemates, who I still see from time to time, hooked me on them. He can do a fantastic one. I was at his place last night, with his girlfriend and another friend. He made a roast chicken with potatoes, carrots, cabbage and yorkshire puddings. And gravy poured all over it. I was eating faster than I normally do just because how good it was. They also do roast beef and roast pork sometimes here. Chicken takes ages to cook though, so I was forced to sit through all the good smells until we could eat. He rubbed butter and garlic on the chicken and sprinkled the top with sesame seeds. That was different, but amazing just the same.

I must attempt a roast myself at some point, though I may do a pork to be different. But I won't forget the yorkies, they are the best. And anytime anyone wants to visit, I will prepare a roast just for you!!! :)

Shelves, shelves, and more shelves. And internet.

So I was by myself at my course today, one person doesn't come in on fridays and the other was sick. I was given the task of building loads of shelves in the new stonemasoner's workshop. It amazes me how sometimes you can get a lot more done by yourself then with a group, at least in things like this. I used all sorts of tools, including a jigsaw, drill and the measuring tape (which never seemed to leave my side.) I put together quite a few of different lengths and widths. So, if any one needs some new shelves built, you know who to call.... :) We are going to have a small "taster" day of stonemasonry as well, to use the shelves and tables we have built. I think it will be quite interesting and possibly fun. I will definately report on that when it happens.

I love the internet for being able to find just about anything, whether it be old or new. My love of Hampstead Heath has led me on a search to find all things that were published about it. The local libraries have books that aren't in publication anymore, but lo and behold the internet comes to the rescue. I have found and ordered some books which would otherwise be impossible. And for a cheap price, I was quite amazed. There is alibris.com, abebooks.com (abebooks.co.uk), and allbookstores.com. Also, amazon.com or amazon.co.uk is a good place as individuals sell on there too. I do love to read, hope all of you do too. :)

Planting and Mystic River

Firstly I had a great volunteer session this morning. The corporation has put in a new long planing bed in front of the cafe. It was to be filled with all sorts of plants. I was pleasantly surprised to find out we would be planting them today! We crammed it full of great plants including goarse, daphne and some more I either don't remember the name to or didn't get. But, it was a pleasure to see the final results. I should have taken pictures, but I didn't. I am really bad at that. I definately love the great outdoors.

Secondly was that I saw Mystic River today. It is one I had heard of before. One of my housemates had it on dvd, so I borrowed it. I absolutely loved it. It was directed very well by Clint Eastwood (then agian I bet most of you have seen it and knew that.) The acting and characterisation was amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone. Also, on a bit of a tangent, I saw Monty Pyton and the Holy Grail last week and thought that was hilarious. I am ashamed to admit that I haden't seen a Monty Python before, but hope to see a lot more now.

That's all for now, hope to have more soon.

A Wicked day.

I went to the Natural History Museum today. I have been there before, but not to fully look around. And as seeing as I am into conservation now, I thought it quite appropriate. Firstly, it wasen't as big as I thought, but what it had crammed in there made up for it. Two things stuck out for me. The first was this Tyrannosauras Rex they had. It is the most realistic one I have ever seen. It can actually sense people around and turn it head and roar at them. It also wags it's tail and moves it's tiny little arm. This is technology for you. I stupidly forgot to take my camera for pics to show, but hopefully next time. The next thing, and it probably isn't as impressive to most, was a huge slice from a sequoia redwood tree they had on display. This thing was massive and about 1335 years old. As most know, they grow in the sierras in California, where I am from, so it was like a slice of home. I was surprised in that they didn't have really any plants or trees on display, but it seems as if they are more dedicated to animals and minerals there. The redwood slice was the main thing they had, guess it is why it impressed me so much!! It was a great time out, as most of the museums in this great city are.

The other thing that made my day was that I found out that Wicked, the play of the untold story of the witches of Oz, is definately coming to London. There was an ad for it in today's paper. It opens in September, so I am going to book tickets straight away. Now, if only I had someone to go with.... To read more vist: www.wickedthemusical.co.uk. I think it should be a blast. I will write about it once I see it of course. :)

Working in snow.

Okay, so it wasen't a big snowfall or anything. Quite light in fact. But, it is still a cool experience. When I was on my course today we were doing some general tyding up of an area which includes pulling brambles and nettles from the root and clearing some braken. It was in an area of the cemetery where they used to have a pond, but unfortuately too many people through beer cans and other rubbish as well as urinated in it, so it got infilled. Anyway, at one point while we were working, a light snow started to fall. It was the kind you could catch on your glove and see the small white speck. It didn't stick on the ground or anything, and it was quite brief. Still, it was a perfectly clear sunny day and brought a big smile to my face. I do love working outdoors because you get great experiences like this.

Pub crawl.

So, I did something last night that I haden't done before. A new housemate had moved in this week and she suggested going out for drinks to get to know us. I rarely would find an excuse not to go to a pub. Well, there ended up being 3 of us out of the total 8 that live here, but it was enough. So, we get to the first pub and decide to have a pint. I always get ale, it is my favourite. Although cider comes in second. She then suggested (and I might say she is very outgoing and open minded) going to a different pub. Well, we did that but got a half pint each. Then she decided she wanted to go to yet a different pub. Mind you, in england you are never short of pubs and we have quite a few around. We ended up at 5 different pubs in total. We had half pints and the rest of them as well. Suffice it to say I was pretty well pissed by the end of it. We started at 7:30 and left at 12:45. So, quite a long evening. Luckily none of us worked today so we could rest it off.

I can't say that there is a better way to get to know someone than that. Definately a welcome addition. I do love pubs. One of the great things about england that you just don't get the same of in the states. And, as stated in a previous post, from next summer they will be smoke free which is a major bonus. I don't go out to the pubs that often because not only am I tight for finances, but mostly because I don't seem to have much of anyone to go with and I don't like drinking alone. So, if any one who reads this wants to come and visit me, we will go to the pub and first round is on me!!

Rest of Half Term

I spent Thursday with the kids putting up a bird nature trail and then helping them create birds out of paper. They cut out the body and wings, coloured them in and then we attached them with a paper fastener. I couldn't believe how creative and great some of the birds were. It is always so easy to forget how intelligent children are and how we loose that growing up. They have such a great imagination and creativity. Makes me wish I was a kid again. :) This week has been the first time in a very long time that I have worked with art projects. I did enjoy them when I was a kid, but I guess grew out of it.

On Friday I was back at the education centre on the heath. I was helping put coloured paper on some grass that we had made out of chicken wire and paper in the meadow section, as well as paper over chicken wire for an oak tree that is being made. The kids helped with all this, as well as making insects out of plastic utensils. You wouldn't believe how real these looked. I didn't make one, but was entranced in watching the kids plus this other volunteer, make one. I hope to be able to help with these kinds of things still when I become a ranger.

Lastly, yesterday on my volunteer session we were cutting and grubbing out trees in an ancient ditch. They wanted to keep it clear for the water as well as to help it remain a ditch. We also had to clear the leaves from the ditch to help with flow. All that kind of work is very satisfying, if not tiring. There was also a huge group that day, which is also rewarding because of all the talk you get to do. I have not met one person I don't get along with and love talking with all of them. They often have good stories to tell as well. I do love conservation, just wish it haden't taken so long in life to figure it out!!

Smoking ban!!!!

I am well chuffed. Yesterday it was voted in a majority to ban smoking from all pubs and clubs and all public transport. I have always loved going to the pub, just hated coming away smelling like a cigarette afterward. It won't come into force until next summer, but at least it is coming. And about damn time. I know all the buisnesses are worried that they will lose a significant amount of people, and therefore buisness, but at least people's health will improve. And I hope it can help other people to quit so they can join the rest of us for a pint.

I am continuing with the half term projects. Today, the kids went on another nature trail and then made mobiles in the classroom. Some also made little drums out of ice cream tubs and coloured pastic sheets. It was all quite cute.

Education activites for half term.

This week it is half term where the kids have a week off. That means on both the heath and at abney there are activites for the kids. I have been busy helping with both. On the heath, I have been helping transform the old information centre into an education centre. The kids are helping too!! We are painting the walls, making different habitats out of paper mache and changing the signs. There will be a woodland, meadow, grassland and pond. Well, all painted or paper mached, not real water or other things from outside.

At abney, today we put up a nature trail dealing with stag beetles that the kids had simple multiple choices questions to answer. All the information was up on posters are around the site. The kids also made stag beetle and ladybird puppets in the classroom. I was there to help with the materials and with the puppets. It was all good. I think I am getting better at working with the public and hope to continue that when I am a ranger. I will write more about it at the end of the week.

Pond life.

Yesterday, with my course, we did pond managment at a local primary school. The pond was in a little courtyard in the middle of the school. Because it was surrounded by walls, there was no breeze and it actually got quite warm in there. We were basically thinning out the roots and "muck" in the pond, as they starve it of oxygen and light. It gives more space for the life in the pond to swim around as well. It was quite satisfying. We put the arisings in a compost bin, as they can be used later, and that way any creatures that may have been in there can get back to the pond. The compost bin was positioned a short distance away.

Today, I did some pond edge maintainance on the heath. We were creating a "window" from the path to the pond by coppicing some small trees. We put those, and some other small branches and brambles onto a dead hedge that we created. This will allow for nesting and a good habitat.

On a different note, I am pleased to say I pre-orderd the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire dvd. Although no where as good as the book, I have totally enjoyed these movies, so will keep buying them. I am off tonight to meet up a friend for chinese food, a tradition we uphold every few weeks, so should be yummy.

Gorgeous day.

I felt like writing to say what a beautiful day it was today. It was perfectly clear and sunny, something we haven't had for awhile. It almost felt like spring, even warmed up a bit. We were doing grave clearance all day today. Basically pulling ivy and brambles and cutting any ash (this is because ash was growing up way to much in the area, and they wanted to control it.) It is always a pleasure to be outside on a nice day as today. That and I missed my last few volunteer sessions on the heath due to being ill.

One other cool thing is that one of my housemates got a new laptop and I got to help her set it up. I like doing that kind of thing, would never want to do it as a job though. I have a wireless network in the house, and her computer had a built in wirless adaptor, so hooked it up to that real easy. It is funny how one person simple in setting up is another person's "huh." What I breezed through pretty quickly, she would have taken days to figure out. But, that is what friends are for.

Sick

So, for the second time this year I have a nasty cold. All stuffed up inside. I think it is just too cold here, temperature wise. I even had to miss my voluteer group today cause I just wasen't well, and that truely pisses me off. One nice thing is that I have had a nice IM chat with a friend of mine that always seems to make me feel better. One of those people that seem to always have the right thing to say.

Sorry it is such a sort update, I will have more when I am feeling better.

Trip to Kew.

With my course today we took a trip to Kew Gardens. It is located in west london right on the river Thames. It is actually a lot bigger than I expected. We were there to basically take a stroll around and look at what they were doing in terms of conservation. It was quite a cold day, so we weren't too keen to hang around anywhere too long (except maybe the greenhouses where it was warm :) We actually only covered about a third of the park in total. And that took us nearly 3 hours. I imagine it to be the type of place that one needs a couple days at least to explore it all. The only sucky thing is that it cost £10 to get in, which one might not want to pay twice. I would like to go back in the summer when the flowers and trees are in full bloom. For more information please visit: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

On another note, I went by Hammersmith on my way and way back. This is where I lived for my first year in London at a hostel. I haven't been back there in quite awhile, and I still knew my way around. Even walked by the hostel and I wonder how I could of stayed in it that long, but needs must. Even though it isn't that far from where I live, it feels as if it is, maybe because I have come such a long way in my life from there.

Shovelling away

I do volunteer work for a conservation charity on Hampstead Heath. I had a session today. Because of my course, I tend to go a couple times a week to sessions. Today we were shovelling quite a load of woodchip to be used as mulch under and around trees and shrubs. This done to help retain moisture for them that might otherwise be taken by bigger trees around. I really do enjoy this type of work, and all the other types I have done since I started volunteering. On last saturday we did pond edge maintainace. Cutting down, or coppicing, smaller trees and bramble to create a grassy bank so there is a bit more variety for the wildlife. It can also make it easier for them to get to the edge for a drink. The other thing that is great about the sessions is we have a tea break halfway through. This is another good chance to chat and eat biscuits!!

Other than that, been a normal day going to the post office, returning a library book and checking things on the net. I hope to keep up letting you know what things I am up to with my volunteering and on my course. :)

Up and running.

Hello everyone. I have decided to create this blog to make it easier for everyone to know updates on me, rather than me try to remember to email everyone. I am also creating a website to chart my career journey, inluding my course and volunteer work. I will also have pictures on it. But, please bear with me. It will take some time to finish it and publish it. I can hardly belived it has been nearly 4 1/2 years since I moved to England. I have absolutely no regrets though. It has been a hell of a learning and growing exprience to be here. All the people I have met and all the places I have seen. These are the things I hope to share. I also hope to be able to share my love of conservation and Hampstead Heath. Just in the past 6 months or so I have done some much and felt all the more satisfied for it. I always love to hear from people, so don't be shy and give me a write!!