Bells in blue

This isn't a very good photo at all, but I thought the blue bells and blossom around at the moment needed a mention....

Though not my shot, I observed this blue blanket in person, hiding around the back of the old library in Wadham College.  Quite a spectacle.  And there are trees in blossom everywhere, at last.  If you're walking by a cherry tree in the sunshine, stop underneath and look up.



Oxford has hit the right balance, using the extra tuition fees to subsidise College dinners and floral welfare.  

And in other news....

....There's been a conference in beautiful snowy Berlin, on tropical peatlands.  It was very exciting to have some many knowledgeable and enthusiastic peat crusaders in one room.  After a day of utter bewilderment, self-doubt and life-questioning that sometimes happens at these events, I am back on the muddy bandwagon and hope to be able to work with some of these great scientists and advocates in the future.

A wonderful long weekend walking in the wilderness of Wales with Daddy Cole.  Four special days of stunning vast views, interesting conversation, plenty of sleep, three course breakfasts, and bara brith ('spotty bread' in Welsh, as the slik and inspiring Mr Welfare of Wales explained to me).

 (spot the little people on the big ridge, or the normal-sized people far away (for those challenged with perceptive skills on par with Father Dougall's))

There have been many little lambs, looked after so carefully by their woolly Mummies and my less-woolly Mummy.  Not a small task after such a harrowing winter for farmers.

A very fun early rise for May Day morning in Oxford.  Bells, singing, Morris Men, almond croissants, drunken fools, pagan music and dancers who just kept on giving....and a tree man.  And all before 8am.

And the allotment is back in the game, as is Polly.  Let the weeding commence.
(And summer, if you're reading, this is your cue.)

Bound and in the Bod.

After many months of not quite being finished, after many years of never thinking I would ever finish, I did.  One of these copies of my doctoral thesis is now inside the University Library, to be stored on a shelf, in a room, in a building where no-one will ever bother it again.

But hopefully the information inside it will get out into journals, soon (Dad, I'm working on it), and help me on my mission of world tropical peat swamp forest conservation domination.

That jog around London-town.

This is one of the two delicious cakes that were presented to me and a few other friends after running around London for about 4 hours.  (I am indebted to Ms. Cracking-Cakes Cole and Ms. Creme-egg Bloom.)  They successfully replaced all calories burnt during the jog, which, to my slightly disappointment, didn't break any personal records....by 21 whole (painful) seconds.  The day, and indeed the whole weekend, were great fun though.  Hearing my name screamed out along the way, especially by two sisters very near to the end who were deafening other spectators, was wonderful.  And thankfully no injuries to report.  (At some stage there will be an Ode to My Legs posted.  Long overdue.)  Two friends both broke personal records, to super degrees, along with probably 20,000 others, so it was an achievement to be applauded for a lot of people, especially those who don't run usually, for whom it was a personal struggle and victory, and for whom their run meant a lot more for someone who wasn't able to do it.  And well done to all of the running animals and ketchup bottles.  I salute you.  (I've still not given up on the idea of running as an orang at the next(!) one.)

Now I'm trying to get down to some half iron man/woman training, ready for an attempt at one in July, this time raising money for research into lung cancer with two of my sisters, and as a show of admiration and love for a friend who is dealing with a hugely challenging and unfair (in its true sense, if there is sense in that) situation.  In my first week of training, a real Iron Man kindly took me for a 90km cycle, out into the Cotswold wilderness.  If I was him, I would've been embarrassed having me chugging along behind on Rover the clicketty road bike, but he was nothing but graceful.  And maintained superb cadence throughout.  And brought home-made energy bars along.  My hero.

I'm still not completely sure what I think about these slightly ridiculous endurance challenges....but I'll leave questioning that for another time.

Many many months....

Goodness, it's been quite some time since I last wrote anything on here.  Things have happened though, making other things happen less, like posting.  To save time, since I should be marking exam papers, writing a student's reference, finding a magic mini-moon for some friends, sorting out my compost heap, cycling in the rain, making bread, publishing my thesis chapters, finding a job (in no particular order of neccessity/anxiety-induction), etc., I'll fire out a few snapshots of some of the important things in my last few months of skipping around this place.

Starting with....