Argyll

The last couple of days (and one day last week) I have been visiting SEPA's hydrological and rainfall recording sites in the Argyll region. Last week I was up north of Loch Lomond near a little loch called Loch Tulla.





















You will see from the photos, it was a nice day, and I'll bet some of you are thinking "that could be New Zealand!" It definitely reminded me of NZ.


Looking up the Abhainn Shira valley (that's the name of the river)











Loch Tulla













At a SEPA site on the Orchy River, near Glen Orchy











This week I went up to Oban and then down the Kintyre peninsula (on this map, Campbeltown is near the south end of Kintyre). We spent the night at the Cairnbaan hotel near Lochgilphead and it was very nice! Four star apparently :-)






















The view back over the mainland from Seil Island. It's to the southwest of Oban.










Sunset over Loch Awe











The next morning. The Isle of Arran from the east coast of Kintyre.











Me being artistic :-)

All-Eights Masquerade Ball

Last weekend I went down to London to go to Andy and Kylie's farewell ball, which was a Masquerade held on a boat on the Thames. It was a great night, even with the wake from bypassing boats making us all think we were unsteady on our feet!

I'll let the photos do the talking...

Emma and I at Richy and Jenny's house before departure

Jenny and Richy on the tube

Jared and Emma at the beginning of the night

Steve


















Gavin, Richy and Jeff












Me with two scary masked guys (it's ok, I know them!)













Kylie and Bec













Someone took an extreme close-up of me!

The next day I managed to drag quite few people away from their beds for a Sunday pub lunch at The Black Lion in Kilburn before I had to head back north. A good way to end the weekend :-)

Things are looking up!

I've managed to get through my first week of work unscathed, and actually achieved something worthwhile today!! I updated a risk assessment for one of the water level sites and got it signed off. It has my initials on it and everything :-)

So, anyway, I started work on Monday and my first task was to be taken to the shop and to have lots of things bought for me. This included 2 sweatshirts, 2 polo shirts, 2 pairs of trousers, a windproof waterproof polar fleece, steel-capped boots, steel-capped wellies, waterproof trousers and jacket, and 2 pairs of socks. Whew! I think that was all. Next week I will be getting tools and a tool bag and hopefully some waders. Exciting times all round.

That afternoon and every day since then I have been out in the field with someone because my login for the computer hasn't come through yet so I'm not able to do any computer stuff. Although yesterday and today someone else just logged on for me so that I could read some of the protocols and things on the intranet, and so I could do this risk assessment.

The people I work with seem pretty cool so far. In the hydro team there is just one other woman, and she is the hydrologist I am going to be working with! We went to a few sites near Loch Lomond today, and although it was a bit rainy and misty it was still very pretty.

Also, on Wednesday night I went into town with my flatmate (who also works at SEPA) to met up with some SEPA people to watch the football. I wasn't that interested in the football but considering I don't know many people in Glasgow I thought I should be sociable. It ended up being a good night - fairly laid back since it was a "school" night but fun! I met another girl who works at SEPA and is from Canada so she wasn't super interested in the football either and we talked quite a bit. Like I said in the title of this post, things are looking up!

That's all for the moment. Questions? Comments?

My new home in pictures

The lounge













The view from the lounge window













My bedroom from the door














My bedroom again (my bed is actually bigger than it looks! A king single-ish... I think)

Loch Lomond

Today I went to Loch Lomond (which is pronounced Low-mond; I didn't know!)
I did my cleaning at the hostel in order to stay there for free, then sorted out some food and went and got the train from Charing Cross to Balloch, at the southern end of Loch Lomond.

When I got there, I walked to Loch Lomond Shores, which is home to an aquarium, the visitor centre, and a shopping centre. A bit bizarre, but I sat by the lakeside (or should that be 'lochside'?) and ate my lunch.

I then figured out there was more walking to be done on the other side of the loch so headed upriver to Balloch and across the bridge and back down towards Balloch Castle and the Balloch Castle Country Park. It was really pretty with lots of paths and trees as well as big open grassy areas.


It's definitely autumn now!













The view of Loch Lomond from outside Balloch Castle.











I walked to the castle, which has fantastic views, and sat outside for a while reading my book and enjoying the sunshine. Apparently it was raining in London. Ha ha!

Wandered a bit further on and then down to the loch. On the way it was so quiet and peaceful and I could hear what sounded like little animals or insects up in a tree near where I was standing. After a couple of minutes pondering and looking at the tree, I realised that the noise was coming from the seeds helicoptering their way to the ground and hitting leaves and twigs on their way. I'm guessing it was a sycamore? Anyway, it was pretty cool.


Excellent self-timer photo. Lisa and Loch Lomond













Balloch Castle


















I had fish and chips for dinner in the last of the sunshine, and then headed back to the city.

General in betweeny update

After Glastonbury things just ticked along for a while. My last term at school I was taken away from the Year 6 class and shunted around wherever I was needed. It was quite frustrating; I often had no idea where I was supposed to be when arrived at school in the morning. I ended up generally spending my Mondays and Fridays with Year 2 class whose teacher was at the best of times not very organised. The children ran riot! But they got to know me and I took every opportunity to try to do some reading with a couple of the lower achievers in the class. They should be able to read by the end of Year 2 but these kids are still having to sound out the words, which doesn't always work! i didn't have much time but hopefully it still did SOME good.

I also spent a lot of time in one of the Reception classes. So cute! But very similar day-to-day and now I know that I could not handle that long term! I got given lots of pictures though and was also the recipient of lots of hugs and big smiles. It was pretty cool :-)

On Thursday July 5th Beck, Tash and I went to see Justin Timberlake at the O2 Centre in Greenwich. This was formerly known as the Millenium Dome and has been considered a huge waste of money but as the O2 Centre I think it's going to be very successful. They've had NHL and NBA there and Prince just finished his series of concerts too. For concerts the stage is in the centre and there are people on every side. JT was awesome! Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas played support and she was amazing too. She sung songs of lots of different styles - very versatile.
For Justin's show there were big see through screens that they projected images of him onto, so even if he was facing away from you you could still see him. There was a break half way through and Timbaland played and he was really good too. It was fun! (Thanks Jenny)

During this time I also starting working part-time for Andrew with my friend Emma. He is a barrister near Chancery Lane. I was his second PA, in charge of event planning (ie parties) and travel arrangements. It worked quite well because I could work from home (or Jared's house, with internet) or head into Chambers after school.

I had to find a job for when school finshed, and Emma had to go home to New Zealand to sort out her visa, so I offered to work for Andrew full time over the holidays. Which is where I was until last week!

Another fun thing we did one weekend was go to see the Carnaval del Pueblo. Jared has written about it on his blog here. I will hopefully put some pics up at some stage.

In the meantime I was searching for jobs in Scotland back in the environmental field, and I have ended up in Glasgow with a job as an Assistant Hydrologist for SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency). I found a flat yesterday but can't move in until early November. It's worth the wait though. The job is much the same as what I did in New Zealand, and I will be working in the Argyll region, around Loch Lomond. It's going to be freezing but hopefully scenic and beautiful, and I'm hoping to get way more outdoorsy time than I would ever have been able to have in London.

We've also had to bid farewell to Nick and Tash :-( but most of us will see them in NZ for their wedding in November. I'm going to go home for three weeks and hope to catch up with as many people as possible.

Also, since I don't know many people in Glasgow, it's possible that my blog will be up-to-date, for a while at least!

Ibiza photos (18/8 - 23/8)

The pool at our hotel, the Jabeque, near Eivissa, on the non-English-infested side of the island ;-)















Lounging by the pool on the first day - Nick, Tash and Beck.











Pancakes for breakfast! (I think it was in the afternoon though...) Nick, Tash and Beck - my apartment buddies :-)






The view from the outside staircase over the pool and the ocean.









The group - Fiona, Nick, Steve, Dave, Talia, Richy, Jenny, Greenie and Tash (+ Beck and I)









Dinner on the first night, where most of us shared a gigantic paella. Beck, Tash, and Jenny posing for someone else's photo.







The view from our apartment's balcony.













Nick and Richy snorkelling just out from our hotel.












Me, Beck and Talia at Cafe del Mar













Greenie, Beck and Nick



















Tash, Greenie, Beck and Nick











Me, Tash and Beck













Richy, mojito and sunset


















Sunset photos







































Me, Beck and Tash in the lounge area of the lovely restaurant (Villa Mercedes) in San Antonio where we had dinner after watching the sunset at Cafe del Mar.


Jenny



















San Antonio harbour from the lounge area at Villa Mercedes
































My ravioli














A traditional street in the walled fort area of Eivissa


















The boys walking to the Bora Bora Beach Club












Our final night's tapas dinner