A Single Spark Can Start A Spectral Fire

I was going to do a token post today to pass the time, thinking I could just mention I've been stuck doing desk work for the past few days and talk about my brief jaunt into Mullion. However, on returning from my supply run, I experienced my second big explosion, exciting times.

I'll set the scene: it's baking hot down here still and I'd just walked the two miles or so back from Mullion with a rucksack full of edible treats. Keen for a shower, and actually relishing the fact that it would be cold, I popped the water on at the tap, as always, and returned indoors ready to cleanse myself. No sooner had I placed a foot back in the caravan I heard an almighty bang and the sound or furiously gushing water. Curiously though, I couldn't find where the water was coming from, and for a while assumed the fridge had exploded. I went outside and saw water pouring from the bottom of the caravan, but still no explaination as to where it was emerging from. At this point I was more confused than panicked, but refused to turn off the water at the tap until the leak had been located. I then suddenly thought it must be leaking under the sofa, as this is where the water flows through the immersion heater (which sadly still doesn't work). No water there either, but I could still hear it coming from the fridge. Then it dawned on me; clearly it was bursting out from behind the fridge. Now, as I haven't shown any pictures of the caravan interior yet, here's a couple of snaps so you can get perspective:
You can see the fridge just slightly on the second picture behind the red bag. And above that is my wardrobe. I knew there was only one thing for it, I had to destroy the wardrobe to stop the leak. Now this is going to sound like I'm trying to make myself look all macho, but I assure you it's merely the truth: I had to punch apart the wardrobe. This was a necessary evil because I have no tools with me. Anyway, it was fairly easy to dismantle (not so easy to repair mind you) and I soon found the pipe which had become disconnected. I stuck my hand in there and rooted around, trying to grab the various clips and grips I'd need to tighten up this mother. Only as I was covered in water with my hand down the back of the fridge did I think that this was actually an incredibly bad idea seeing as it's an electric fridge. I survived unscathed though, and was actually quite pleased with myself because I'd fixed it myself and not just gone running to the closest "grown up". It made me feel like a real life man, and very satisfying it was too. Also I realised that the drip I'd been trying to locate for the last couple of weeks must have been coming from here also. Thankfully, the dripping has now stopped. This is the state of the wardrobe, although it doesn't look too bad as by the time I thought to take a picture I'd pretty much put it back together again:
That doesn't show anything really.

It's all one big adventure down here.

Am I Pleased To See You Or Have I Just Stuck A Canoe In My Pocket?!

Don't be alarmed readers, I've just been enjoying a bit too much Blackadder.

Today I was back in the field after almost a week off, armed with the seemingly dozens of extra tools I was gifted back in Birmingham. The day began relatively badly, as when I arrived at the first site I realised I had no idea how to use any of the said equipment, but I soldiered on and got some good, if slightly inaccurate data. I also ran out of batteries in both my camera and GPS device, so had to keep swapping a spare set between the two which got fairly annoying. I'm now taking samples from each site though, and for once felt like a proper scientist; putting leaves into bags pre-filled with unusual looking globules to the curious glances of onlookers.

I made my usual treck over to Mullion this evening for some groceries, but for once it was a real joy! I had my iPod blaring for the first time in the wild since I've been here, and the sun was beating down on my back. I'd forgotten how good it feels to soundtrack a walk using the Shuffle function. A lot of the time it's bang on the money, and today served up some sweet reggae courtesy of The Congos, forgotten classics from Sneaker Pimps, elecro-pop from XTC, and rather fittingly some cheese metal from Dio (RIP). It was perhaps due to the fact that I've been without my whole music collection for some time, but I simply couldn't get enough! I kept coming up with dream playlists in my head, but am holding off currently as the iPod is still not working at full speed. It seems some albums it simply can't play, but as of yet nothing major has been lost in the ether.

I'll stop gushing about music now anyway, as I should be doing some work. It's nice to be able to listen to music whilst I do it though! The next few days will be filled with desk based work unfortunately, although I'm hoping this will help to pass the weekend; I think I got a little too used to being back at home...

Album Five, Track Four

Don't panic readers, I'm still alive, I've just been home for the last few days. I was back in Birmingham to do a presentation based on my work down here in front of the other students, my supervisor and an outside examiner. I was impressed with everyone's work, I think we'd all done it a bit last minute but to be honest I think the talks were all the better for it. Personally, I find a lack of structure to a talk actually makes it better and sound more confident. If you script what you are going to say you end up panicking about forgetting what to say next and stumbling over your words. Of course a well made PowerPoint presentation helps, which I didn't have particularly, but it seemed to be enough to get the point across so I was happy with that, and everyone got positive feedback.

It was great being back I have to admit, the sun was shining and I got to see a lot of my favourite people and have a hot shower every day, what a luxury! We seeded the rest of the garden so when I return next there may be a complete lawn inviting me to relax upon it. In other news, I took my broken iPod into the Apple store where I was told it was beyond affordable repair, but unperturbed I smacked it against the wall a lot (mimicking a "tip" from one of the staff) and it worked! It keeps randomly stopping but for some reason it can play my numerous Gervais shows without interruption so that kept me entertained on the train journey today. I got back at about 6:00pm (my lift had turned his phone off during the football, extending the journey slightly), and now I'm at a bit of a loose end, but I'm sure I can try and locate some drips to keep me occupied.

It's very quiet here...

Last Time...On Lost

Yesterday I spent most of the day at the sea looking for my various target species. Beyond the flora though, the absolute highlight for me was seeing a Basking Shark:
Granted, you can't see a lot here, but I was very excited. I love sharks, nature's perfect animal in my eyes. At one point a guy ran down the beach and in true Jaws style started shouting: "Shark! Shark!" I was sampling with a botanist yeasterday, and to me botany is like learning a different language. In fact it is a different language because everything is in Latin. I'm starting to get the hang of it now though, and as with anything, the best way to learn is to keep doing it.

In evening I thought I'd go for a walk as it was such nice weather still. This turned out to be a mistake as I got horribly, horribly lost. This all came about because, having now overcome my horse fear...
...I now have bovine fear. I think anyone would have in this situation though, because the gate I needed to get through was suddenly occupied by around 60 bolting cows. They must have been being herded by the farmer for some reason so I thought I'd find an alternative route to the nearest town. It was times like these that I wished I'd listened more in Scouts, as I ended up in a field with no landmarks anywhere around me:
After a mere hour and a half aimlessly wandering around, I finally found Mullion and treated myself to a few beers. Unfortunately the journey had taken it out of me so much that I woke up in the middle of the night, beer still in hand and just had to go to bed. Ah well, it should all be aiding the removal of my chicken legs.

Today I went out sampling early and managed to tear my legs to shreds in thick spikey heath. I was heading for a rocky outcrop where I was assured I'd find Wild Chives. I didn't, so defeated I returned to the caravan and got myself ready for the big trip back to Brummington.

One Half of a Whole

I had my first hot shower in over a week last night, and boy was it good. Rather kindly, Claire, one of the staff here, invited me over to her and her partner's gaff for a hot shower, a home cooked meal and a proper bed. It was a more than generous offer I couldn't refuse and it was probably the best shower of my life. The only one that has possibly topped it was the one after climbing Scarfell Pike a couple of years ago. Now that was a well earned shower. Anyway, I had a shower, she cooked us up some wholesome grub and then we went to the pub for a few jars. It was great to actually be interacting with people of an evening, and certainly beat drinking alone. Both her and her boyfriend, Ben, are very laid back and easy to chat to so it was a great evening all in all, and hopefully will become a bit of a regular fixture. I got to see my first World Cup game as well, Brazil vs. North Korea, which was quite an interesting match. North Koreans are unable to leave their country due to the regime operating there (not sure how the team swung it), so apparently all of their supporters were hired actors, madness!

Erstwhile, I've been out in the field all week which has been a treat as the weather here is unbelievable. It's so hot and I'm scanning the coastline all day so I really have nothing to complain about. I think the stink has started to set in though, as when my lift arrived this morning the first thing she said was "you smell clean!" with an air of surprise. Oh dear, I must be used to my own stench.

I have only just worked out how to focus my camera for close ups after a mere six years, so here's a few snaps utilising this function.

First off we have this chap:
And in case anyone's interested, this is one of the species I'm looking for; wild chives:
And another one, sea beet:
And just for Sam, a dwarf ox-eye daisy:
All this blogging is preventing me from working so I best hit the books.

Tata for now.

In At The Deep End

Despite being a practicing atheist, I'm inclined to agree with the above.

Today was my first proper day in the field. It felt like my first day at a new job because when I started I really didn't know what I was doing. All weekend I had my methodology solidified in my head, but when I went to put it into practice I very quickly realised it didn't work. I found a great spot straight away and got to work, but some of the things I'm expected to do (such as do a sketch of every site, for every species I'm focussing on) are simply unreasonable. So, I stuck to the agreed methods to start with and eventually tailored them to suit me, and as it's my project, I didn't feel to bad about it. I eventually managed to survey everywhere I'd hoped to today, but the data is useless because I'm using ludicrous map coordinates instead of longitudes and latitudes, and I'm going to have to repeat everything anyway next week because I need to take samples but won't get the equipment until next week. Still, I know where everything is for when I return, and I got a lift down from another couple of students doing similar work. They were very accomodating and offered to hook me up with some software and literature I'll need at a later date so all was not lost.

I'm starting to wish I had more time to do this project now, because this week will be fairly useless, and most of next week I'm in Birmingham doing a presentation, leaving me realistically about seven weeks to survey the entire Lizard. However, I don't think I could handle living in a caravan any longer than I have to, and being away from certain people back home is harder than I initially thought it would be. I'm just not convinced my work will be of much use due to the time constraints, but I must stay positive and do the best that I can with the time I have.

So on a more upbeat note, I was enjoying the most southerly point in Britain today, Lizard Point.
This really is one of the most fantastic coastlines I've ever seen, look at this beach!
This was today's lunchtime view:
As you can see, I'm not complaining about the location. I just wish (as always) I'd had more time to properly prepare. I only had one week between starting this project and finishing my last one and am only just realising how much background research should have been done to make this a useful project. But I'm making good connections hopefully, and who else can say they lived in a caravan on the Cornish coast for a whole summer?

On another note, I watched Blade Runner last night for the first time in ages, and as amazing as that film looks, Harrison Ford really can't act. Great story, incredible direction and cinematography, but come on Ford, put a bit of effort in! Actually, maybe he shrewdly played the part woodenly to imply he was in fact a Replicant. Hmm, maybe I'll rewatch...

The Sea Is Wet, Did You Know That?

It's been a weekend of ups and downs. Yesterday was a write off, I waited all day for the reserve manager to turn up and give me a lift into the nearest town for some campling supplies. Frustratingly, he didn't turn up until 4pm, and seemed slightly bemused when I asked if we were still heading into Helston. We didn't in the end, so I was stuck in the caravan all day. I did get some work done, but it was such nice weather that it felt like I'd wasted the day.

Today I decided I'd make my way to the sea. The closest shore to me is Mullion Cove, and I wanted to get there on footpaths as opposed to roads (mostly because the roads have no pavements). The weather was glorious so the walk there was brilliant. I overcame my equine fear, stumbled through a field of cattle, and laughed far too much at some sheep. It took me about an hour to get there, and it was great scrambling about on the rocks. I saw this fellow:
I enjoyed the view of Mullion Island (which I would like like to swim out to at some point):
And I enjoyed a spot of lunch here:...enjoying this view (but not in black and white obviously, I'm not a dog):
So that was all lovely, and I was feeling very alive and full of enthusiasm. However, then the clouds gathered and the day took a wet, wet turn. So here's my 3 point guide to getting ill:

1. You may want to prepare for this by having a few beers the night before, skipping dinner, and having a terrible night's sleep. This will help in the long run. Also you should set off on your travels fairly underprepared, ideally with a Gap waterproof that is not in fact waterproof. You want to start on a sunny day, and get a little sunburned on your way to your destination.
2. When you notice the clouds looking menacing, don't put on a coat. Convince yourself it will pass. Then when it does start raining, make sure you get as wet as physically possible. To ensure this, wear jeans and make your way through fields that consist primarily of long grass. This way everything you're wearing gets well and truly sodden. Make sure you can hear your socks squelching in your shoes, this is a sure sign that you are soaked to the bone.
3. This is the most important one. You must be staying in a caravan with nowhere to dry your clothes, no heating, and no hot water. Remove your clothes, run and turn the water supply on in your pants, and treat yourself to a nice long cold shower. Then sit back, and enjoy the strange burning feeling all over, even though you know you should be freezing.

And it all started so well.