Sunburn!? (by sarah)

Ok the day before the thunder started well actually it was the day the thunder started! I was sitting in a park with David (my bro), Micheal (his girly), Al and Jean - I was wearing factor 25 and was in the shade - I burnt 🙁 No one else did - including Jean who was only in a nappy (mind due she had factor 40 on!).

I didnt burn in Greece or Spain or Kenya but in England - I burn! Whilst sitting in the flippinf shade (Makes annoyed looking faces)

Mr Toad of Suttons Mill (by sarah)

A toad about 10cm in length was lerking on the step of the Mill so I cuaght it (gently in a well practiced have to relocate wildlife at Thirftwood in an ecologically sound manor) and then released it with the wiggly pets and camera. The photos arent as good as the shrew ones as a) it was dark so could not use the mode for lots of consecutive frames for animal and children photography and b) the thing hoped in the wrong direction - still the are passable photos 🙂

Now all I have to do is think up a sutiable storyline to go with the pics for the webcomic!

Good job I like wildlife living here 🙂

Weeding the Veggy Plot (by sarah)

Last night I decided that the courgettes had to be planted out - unfortunatly this ment I had to weed the veg plot first - so of I went. I got a bit carried away and weeded more area than I needed and went all faint and stuff but the veg plot is starting to look more respectable now and i think it counts as my aerobic excersise for the day 🙂

Unfortunatly the deer have desimated the peas so I just cleared the area they were in 🙁 But I also found several more potatoe plants I didnt know about 🙂

I've just taken 3 barrow loads of weeds to the compost heap! Full barrows too 🙂 I'm proud of myself 🙂

Of course the plot should never have been allowed to get in that state in the first place but as my health returns hopefully I'll be able to maintain things better 🙂

On the down side I've just found the magpies eating the butternuts - the little fruits were intermediate between ping pong ball and tennis ball and now they've been munched 🙁 - oh well I've already made ratatooey with courgettes from the compost heap (these are Babaras plants that she told us we could harvest from whilst shes away).

The Taming of the Shrew (by sarah)

People were round for the Jazz on the Common and Dads Birthday this weekend. This ment my perants were in the Mill - cries of theirs a baby mouse in the Mill went up and my brother David as always spent the next day trying to catch it - to no avail. I was taking up a coffee for mum when the cutest little shrew ran basically over my foot (well the edge of my sandle anyway). Without really thinking I put the cup of coffee down on the floor and picked up the shrew - it obviously tried to escape so I ended up holding it by the tail - expecting to be bitten at any moment but lo! It just wiggle flipped itself and scampered up my arm and round the back of my neck.

Dad cuaght it from its position on my shoulder and I went to get something to keep it in till the time of release 🙂 I heared dad giggling only to find when I got back that it had escaped and gone up his arm to the armpit and was tickling him!

We got it in a wine glass and dad showed it to the others whilst I grabed the camera and some wiggly pets. I put the wiggly pets down on the drive and set the camera up then did a quick check that the wine glass was going to be in shot the got dad to release the shrew 🙂

I'll try and blog the picks later 🙂

The silly creature wouldnt get out of the glass which was really sweet 🙂 It ran off and hide in the grass at the edge of the drive though me and dad knew where it was exactly! Later I checked and it had moved but less than 1/2 hr later Al reported that he had almost trodden on the thing trying to make its way back into the Mill so he hurridly made sure all doors were closed (hmmm... I suspect that little shrew is back in its cozy little nest somewhere in the Mill! Though how it avoids Tim and Besty is anyones guess!)

Missing Geology (by sarah)

Sigh - I'm keenly missing rocks!

I just want to be sitting at the microscope in the lab - desparing over what tyoe of feldspar happens to be at the cross wires, or at the museum photographing all those slides and finding obscure papers from the victorian era. I miss the smell of hydrochloric acid working on the sandstone.

I know I'm sounding sad but my MRes course have just told me I need to get a GP letter saying I am fit enough to continue - the GP already wasnt happy about the fact the course is in London. I just cant bare the thought of not being back in the lab for another two years :'(

I was so excited about my project - all those impactites waiting for my at the Mueseum, I should be just about finishing the thing now.

This really will balls up career plans and what not if I don't get that letter - sigh.

Apologies for the wading in self pitty.