Bird Fair 2013

I needn't of had any worry of a dull summer, because these last few weeks have been simply non stop. I think that this coming Saturday will be my first day not to have something or another going on, and I'm not sure what to do with myself -though no doubt I will end up on the laptop getting some extra summer work and research in...

This last weekend, I headed down to Rutland Water to volunteer on the RSPB Phoenix and Wildlife Explorers stand at the annual Bird Fair, which has just celebrated it's 25th year. I always enjoy working as an exhibitor here as it makes you feel almost on par with well known environmentalists and television presenters, like Simon King, Bill Oddie and Nick Baker; who's long-suffering relationship with the Phoenix Forum reached comical heights after this year's photo contest...

 I love working here; it is a privilege to spend the weekend alongside people with similar passions to you. And I always learn so much -like seriously, I can barely see that bird/dragonfly/moth and you've already identified it right down to it's age and gender? Wow. It does inspire you to learn more though; to understand what it is you are working to protect and conserve.

I love the variety of companies and people at the fair -from well-known conservation brands like the RSPB to wildlife holidays across the globe, to local charities and reserves. I feel like the name Bird Fair no longer fully covers the range of stands that one can expect to find, with artwork marquee's, protection groups for insects and mammals, and some eye-wateringly  gorgeous, but expensive, camera equipment. Compared to the same scale of the Bird Fair's origins, this growth is impressive -it has even been dubbed the Glastonbury of the natural world. Just, shh, don't disturb the wildlife..!

The Bird Fair is located on the beautiful Rutland Water reserve and has always been a haven for wildlife. The current favourite animal to come and see here is the Osprey, a bird of prey which Rutland has breeding here. I think on a short morning walk we picked out some 77 species of birds and insects; and the crazy thing is, is that when walking out in the countryside, you're potentially walking past numbers like that every day.

Closing in on a hare. I was so close it was unreal. I could of probably got even closer for a better shot, but I didn't want to spook it further, so I took my shot and backed off quietly.

 

 

 

 

For more information on the RSPB, head over to the website. If you are under 18, are interested in wildlife, debate or just want to know what on earth that strange creature in your garden is, pop over to the Phoenix Official's page on Facebook.

Turkey #3 Boat Trips and diving

One thing that I knew that I wanted to get out of my holiday was being busy. I booked myself six days unlimited sailing and windsurfing, and spent a few evenings practising yoga with the most incredibly talented, flexible teacher, Monica. She could see our bodies' limits with a glance, and helped everyone attending to get the best possible benefit from each pose.

I addition to this, I also wanted to get a practise dive in. Both of my parents are open water qualified divers, and I've always wanted to join them, but up until now, I hadn't had a chance myself. I absolutely loved it, which is a good thing, since I want to become a European Scientific Diver as part of my journey to becoming a marine biologist. Breathing underwater felt surprisingly natural and comfortable, and luckily for me, my ears equalise from pressure easily, which should help me should I ever go for deeper dives. Had we been staying a little longer, I would have seriously been tempted to pay for my PADI open water certificate there and then.

 

Mama with the adorable ship's dog!

 

Another day was spent on the Mediterranean waters on a boat trip. We cruised around the coastline, stopping at various points to go swimming in the clear sea. The captain and his sons looked after us all really well, and we were treated to a feast of a lunch, with salads, stuffed mushrooms, savoury pastries and the centre piece: fresh sea bream, grilled in front of us on a barbecue. Throughout the afternoon, we were kept well fed with gooey sweet figs and cactus fruit (prickly pears).

 

 

On our last stop, we entered a pretty cove where fish swarmed to eat the scraps of fruit and bread that we threw to them, and geese swam from outside the little house of their owner in a glimpse of an older Turkish lifestyle. Suddenly, a little boat approached us -an ice cream boat! That really was too cool. Ice creams abroad are always better than in the UK, because even the big brands sell a much greater variety of flavours -I treated myself to both strawberry and pistachio Magnums throughout the week. 

 

 

We finished back outside our hotel's beach front; close enough to swim luxuriously back to shore.

Turkey #1

I spent last week on a glorious, sun drenched holiday in Bodrum, Turkey. We didn't go abroad last year, so it was really nice to go travelling further afield again and to explore new places. As it is pretty much the peak of summer temperatures, most days reached the 40'C mark. Luckily, I was stationed just a few meters from the Mediterranean on my beach-front hotel, with a cool breeze and plenty of water; sea and pool; to keep me cool.

We stayed at the Tamarisk Beach Hotel, a small, friendly business that doesn't advertise or work with the larger travel companies. The hotel was made up of small buildings that housed rooms and suites, which were laid out to give a more intimate, neighbourly feel than the faceless, block structure that many hotels have.

 

The Tamarisk provided a range of Turkish and more "western" meals to cater for a variety of tastes. I tried to stick to the country's dishes as much as I could, and the Turkish breakfasts were my favourite meal to indulge in every day. Fresh fruit, especially figs, sweet breads, local yogurt, drizzled over with rich palm honey and oats, washed down with a cup of Turkish coffee. Too good!

I also became quite partial to the scrambled Turkish omelette, filled with roasted tomatoes and peppers.

 

Keep tuned over the next couple of weeks for some more photos and tales of my time in Turkey!

The Simple Things: English Summer Garden

I had a few quiet hours yesterday, so I decided to lend a hand in tidying up our garden; weeding, trimming, and pulling up old lettuces and overgrown radishes to be replaced with new seeds. Afterwards, I picked a punnet-full of our strawberries, and treated myself to some whilst I sat in the sunshine. The sweet peas have just begun to flower, so I cut a few to fill up my room with their delicate scent.

Kew Gardens

I am writing a somewhat different post to the norm today. Last week, myself and the rest of the RSPB's Phoenix Forum members were invited to hold our latest meeting in Kew Gardens.

The Royal Botanical Gardens, to give them their full name, was first created in 1759, and was later bought by King George 3rd to use the Dutch House there as a nursery for his children. Kew Gardens became famed for it's large collection of exotic plants in the Victorian era, and would later become known as the location for the mapping of plant DNA into an accurate family tree for a huge number of species. It is also utterly gorgeous, both within the grounds and inside the impressive glass houses.

We were treated to a behind the scenes tour of one of the conservatories holding orchids and cacti, which was fascinating.There was such a huge array of species from around the globe, including some ferocious carnivorous plants, like the Sundew plant that was so sticky that when you touched it, you had to put considerable effort into pulling your finger away. A fly would have no chance!

 The most impressive plants were easily the group of Titan Arum plants, also known as carrion flowers due to the smell of rotting flesh that they emit when flowering. Luckily, when we went, all the plants were safely in leaf or berry form. The plants were huge -they can reach over 3m in height -and had some pretty unusual traits.  Despite it's size, the plant that you see above is just one single leaf structure. It gradually stores energy from photosynthesis -energy from the sun -in a huge tuber. Each year it dies back, to produce either a new leaf or a group of berries. It can take ten years worth of storing energy before the plant is able to produce it's famously smelly flower. Frankly though, I'm not sure that I would go near a Titan Arum fully flowered -much to much like Day of the Triffids for my liking!!

In all, it was a really interesting day, and for a first visit to Kew, I was impressed. I was also pretty surprised to spot lots of parakeets; as a non-Londoner, I had forgotten that lots had escaped into the South East!!

Marks Hall

I woke up on Sunday to startling right sunshine. For the first time in ages, I peered out of the window to not be able to see a single cloud in the sky. Ali and I didn't have any plans for the morning before going to see Paloma Faith, so we took the morning at a leisurely pace. We breakfasted in Ali's conservatory, making the most of the sun.

The weather soon closed in, and was pretty foggy by the time we went for a walk around Marks Hall gardens and arboretum. We decided to go there primarily for  the snowdrops which are just coming into season, but it was nice to stretch my legs, and the grounds were all really pretty, despite the fact that most of the plants were still in their dormant winter state.

[Thanks for this, and the breakfast photo Ali!]

All the recent rain made everything really muddy, so I was relieved to be wearing Ali's wellies. A few places were closed for winter repair work, but we were able to wind our way past the pretty streams and ponds over to the snowdrop-filled woodland.

 After that we headed with cold hands towards the cafe. I entered with good intentions about a soup lunch, but they had just sold out, so the two of us picked the cake option. Carrot for me, and citrus sponge for Ali.

After that we headed back for a few hours of prepping and preening before heading out. Taking a walk  out occasionally is refreshing compared the usually cooped-up state most of us exist in. On a day sandwiched between two of seven-to-eight hour rail journeys, this was perfect.