There and back again...

So, I'm back in Canada. I've just spent six weeks in the UK and now it's time for another hectic whirlwind of a term here at A Rocha Canada. I arrived, very confused about what time of day it was, on Monday evening. I managed to eat some dinner, smile and reply to people (in perhaps a rather sleep deprived way) and unpack into my new room. The week has been full of introductions, meeting new interns and trying to be helpful, whilst getting my head around being back. I've been thrown back in at the deep end cooking lunch for everyone, fighting with statistics, helping at a very chilly volunteer day and even ending up at a sauna party at the old A Rocha site. There are so many somewhat cliched phrases that fit perfectly with what I'm feeling right now: it feels like only yesterday since I was last here, but it also feels like about 100 years has passed.

Another cold spell has left the lake frozen over again

The chilly volunteers

Separating plants out with cold water and an axe! A typical day at A Rocha...

My time in the UK was lovely. I enjoyed a relaxing Christmas with my family and even managed to be in the same place as my brother for about a week! Then I headed to Oxfordshire for a New Years party with a lot of my friends from university. It was the first time that I'd seen lots of them since June, and there was much catching up to be done! We saw in the New Year together, in the midst of a strong gale and a lot of rain, and even managed to sing a whole verse of Auld Lang Syne!

A wet and wild start to the New Year

After the party I headed back to Worcester to spend a few days with a friend and her family before we drove to Cambridge together.

Walking along the towpath in Worcester

  A wild place in the middle of Worcester

After a lot of catching up with yet more people in Cambridge, I headed back northwards to home. Along with getting things ready for a return to Canada I spent a lot of time walking and exploring and just getting out and about in nature:

Exploring Tatton Park Gardens with a friend...

Photos of photos at Tatton

Tatton, the old fairground rides weren't running, but were still adorable!

A rainbow, on a walk even closer to home...

The Black Lake, turning mostly blue and silver as the sun set.

Reeds watching over the water.

A particularly lovely weekend was spent visiting a friend in Sheffield. Despite the somewhat wet weather we explored the Peak District, walking from Bakewell to Eyam via Monsal Head and Cressbrook Dale, reaching Eyam in good time to catch one of the only buses back to Sheffield (what a relief). Despite getting caught in a monumental thunderstorm we had a lovely time and enjoyed warming up and drying off before our Burns Night dinner (delicious and not at all haggis-y veggie haggis!!).

Bakewell

Footbridge over the river in Bakewell

The view from Monsal Head

A faerie glen in Cressbrook Dale

Me on a bridge!

Beautiful Alice at Monsal Head

Sheffield Botanical Gardens

So after all that, I feel like I'm back in another world. It's not a bad thing, but I'll always miss one or other of these worlds. And sometimes I wish they were closer together, and that I didn't have to choose between them.

But I'm excited for the term ahead and all that it will bring. I'm particularly excited to see Canada as the plants start to bud and leaves start to cover the trees again. It's a season that I haven't seen in Canada before and I'm looking forward to meeting new people, making new friends and sharing in new experiences. 

The first bird walk of the term!