One Month Into The New Job

So I’ve been in my new job for little over a month now. I’ve learned loads, I’ve met loads of people, I’ve eaten loads of cake, and I’ve been told off for what I say on social media (a new personal record – 3 weeks in and got told off…)

I’ve been taking time in this job to stand and stop and look and listen and see and just watch the world. I’ve been quite lucky to be rewarded pretty much every time I do this. I spent ten minutes watching swallows and house martins swooping low over the paths to catch their dinner; I’ve held hawker dragonflies, fresh from emerging and drying their wings (I moved them off the path to safety); I’ve moved baby toads off the road; seen small tortoiseshell butterfly caterpillars and six spot burnet moth caterpillars for the first time; I’ve shown people the wonders of butterflies feeding on the buddleia near the office – we counted three types of butterfly and two types of bee in less than five minutes – and it’s just little things like this that makes me happy and grateful to be working in this role.

Having the skills and knowhow to just look and see, and to identify things and then tell, show and enthuse other people – there is no greater joy. I love being able to share my passion and interest with people. I love that people leave the park with a little bit of passion and newfound knowledge. I love that I have met a group of people who know way more than I do and that I can learn from them on a daily basis.

Being part of the team, I still feel very new, and I’m very aware that I’m nowhere near their skill level yet. I’m still finding my feet and learning as I go, and picking up new skills where I can. I’ve been trying to get involved with practical wok wherever I can – I helped install a gate post, some cycle racks, removed a bin and a life buoy, have coppiced some rather tall hazel and then used them to make stakes, and I’ve also learnt how to use machinery and drive with a trailer on site. The other day I reversed with a trailer and didn’t break anything!! I've used a mower for the first time IN MY LIFE, and I used a strimmer! It's all very exciting.

It’s been such a fun and varied first month; I’ve helped lead and have led some school groups doing pond dipping and mini beast hunting, I saw my first ever newt baby (an ‘eft’), I’ve put up a bird box and I’ve started to settle into Doing Things. I’ve spent a couple of weeks being very new to it all and being not very sure of what I can do and what my limits are – I’ve needed quite a bit of guidance to get my head around things but I’m learning slowly, and my confidence is growing. Slotting into a team who know what they’re doing and when they’re doing it hasn’t been easy but I’m doing my best.

The collage below is some pictures of bugs that I’ve found, seen or held so far. Quite a lot of variation, and that’s not even all of them!

Day 11; #30DaysWild - Lickey Festival

Day 11 of #30DaysWild was spent volunteering on two stalls at the Lickey Festival. For the first part I was at the Lickey Hills Ranger stall (hayfevering mostly, but also talking to people about bees). For the second part I was talking to people about geology, on the Geo-Champions stall. I spent about 40 minutes explaining everything about geology and geological history to two policemen!

The stall next to the Rangers was an animal stall, and they had rabbits, a meerkat, a skunk, spiders, snakes and stick insects. I love snakes, so I held one! It slithered around my neck and shoulders for a bit before settling down in the warm and snuggly hood of my jumper. After the lady retrieved him, I then held a stick insect, who crawled up my arm and settled on my throat. Its feet were very tickly! 

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 10; #30DaysWild - Exploring Some Nettles

On day 10 of #30DaysWild I was at work in Warwickshire. In the afternoon I tended to the educational garden before having a hayfever attack and getting through two packets of tissues (HOW can I produce SO MUCH SNOT), so I took myself off in the truck to do a site patrol. I went to the far end of site to have a look at a patch of nettles. This patch has been left to grow long and wild and it’s really good for wildlife spotting. I saw three types of damselfly, two types of spider, 3 types of hoverflies, 2 types of bumblebee, and a bunny rabbit! Leaving an area of nettles to grow can make a really good habitat for a range of beasties.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 09; #30DaysWild - Inspiration

Day 9 of #30DaysWild was all about inspiration. I wrote quite a long thing on my fb about it, which I shall regurgitate here.

I finished my first week in my new job as a Ranger. The only reason I wanted to work as a Ranger is because of the people I know, have volunteered with, worked with, and am now loved up with...

I started volunteering at the Lickey Hills back in 2013 when I came back from mapping. I was part of the geological conservation group. In 2015 I joined their general conservation team too, and it was there that I learned to fell a tree (thanks Penny), how to manage heathland and why, and how to install and repair fencing (didn't mean to hit your thumb with the hammer David, but look where it got us). It was and still is Steven who inspires and encourages me to be a bee nerd. It was at an ACT session that I learned I was successful in getting an interview at the Wildlife Trust for the traineeship. If it wasn't for the Lickey Hills Ranger team, I wouldn't be anywhere today. I wouldn't have learned about management, I wouldn't haven't got the traineeship, I wouldn't have learnt how to coax a cold bee onto my hand, I wouldn't have My David, I would probably still be doing shitty work.

Last year at the Trust was hard - mentally, emotionally, financially and sometimes physically. I owe a lot to it tho. Thomas has taught me loads about practical site work, tool handling and use (I was commended on my really good tamping technique yesterday), and how to negotiate with people. Natalie has inspired me to take more of an interest in birds - I wish I could identify them as well as you can, and I think your dedication is inspiring. Andy still has a lot of patience when I tweet him pictures of bugs, and I can't even begin to say how much I've learnt by being around the Trust and EcoRecord last year.

I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today without these people and experiences. You think you have no power in this world, but actually you've inspired at least one person, but probably countless more, to change their career path and learn something completely new and now land their (latest) dream job as a Ranger. Being able to pass on what I've learnt to visitors or a schoolkids is a delight, and I think this next six months at Nottingham is going to be a steep learning curve, but I'm ready for it.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 08; #30DaysWild - A Happy Laura

On the third day of my new job and day 08 of #30DaysWild, I was very happy. Settling in well at my new job, helped with lots of practical work including bashing a lump of concrete off a post with a wrecking bar – very fun, very hard! I had a happy and smelly day at work. Very grateful to have the chance to work outdoors and get involved in park maintenance and conservation.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 07; #30DaysWild - Newt Bebbe!

For day 7 of #30DaysWild, I helped to run a pond dipping session at work with a colleague. We found loads of beasties, including a diving beetle, leeches, hoglouse, snails and newts. I saw my first ever baby newt! They are called an ‘eft’, or a newtlet, and they look a lot like a miniature axolotl. I also held a female smooth newt and showed her to the children.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 06; #30DaysWild - Bee Orchid

On day 6 of #30DaysWild, I started my new job as a Park Ranger! I had a great first day – I emptied 23 dog poo bins and drove the Kubota buggy like a madwoman. Great fun. I also saw my first bee orchid of the year!

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 05; #30DaysWild - Bee Rescue!

Day 5 of #30DaysWild has been very autumnal – wet, windy, cold and grey. I went up to one of my favourite haunts, the Lickey Hills (I like to loiter), and I saw a small wet bumblebee holding tightly onto a comfrey leaf, just outside the Visitor Centre. I put my finger in front of it and it crawled on board, not even bothering to wave its legs to try and scare me off, and then I put it on the hands of one of the Rangers so that she could cuddle it and share bodyheat to warm it up. A bee needs to be 30˚C on the inside for its wing muscles to work properly, so if you find a cold and wet bee clinging onto a plant, get it onto your hand (gently!) and let it warm up. It’ll start to move its wings and walk around more. They don’t always need sugar water but it’s a good idea to offer some. 

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 04; #30DaysWild - Urban Fossil Hunting

On day 4 of #30DaysWild, I ran my last guided walk for the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side, and it was very cold and wet. Shorts and suncream were definitely optimistic! This picture shows a fossil coral seen in the walls of the Birmingham Town Hall - I have blogged about this previously. The limestone here is around 330 million years old. Sharing the geological story of buildings has become one of my New Favourite Things To Do; you can read more on the #UrbanGeology tag both on this blog and on Twitter.


Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 03; #30DaysWild - Minibeast Hunting

For day three of #30DaysWild I led two minibeast hunting sessions at work. We found loads of beetles, worms, centipedes and mosquitoes (which also found my blood vessels and now I’m sporting some lovely bites). Next week I will be leading a Nature Crowns Walk – if you’re in Warwickshire come along!

After the sessions had ended I went for a walk around site and I found a patch of nettles that was absolutely buzzing with damselflies, dragonflies, ladybirds, and bees. I snapped quite a few photos, but I’m very proud of this one – it is a male banded demoiselle dragonfly.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 02; #30DaysWild - Allotment

On day two I visited my allotment to check up on how things are growing. The red currants are starting to go red, my pumpkin plants are developing their flower buds, and the chard, parsnip and lettuce are looking great. I harvested some things to use in my lunch for work tomorrow, and I also watched some tree bumblebees going in and out of their nest. Also, I managed to not take my hayfever medication today, so I left the allotment in a fit of sneezes and runny eyes.


Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

Day 01; #30DaysWild - A Walk Down The Canal

For the first day of 30 Days Wild, I lead a guided walk around Birmingham City Centre. On my way into the city, I decided to walk along the canal instead of the road. I have never walked this stretch before; it was really nice to explore a new stretch, and to look at all the different ferns growing from the wall. 


Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

#30DaysWild - 2017 Edition!

So I first did #30DaysWild last year, and you can go back and read all the blog posts here. I have decided to give it another go this year! 

This year, I will be starting a new job in June, and as well as that I will still be working at my current job. Blogging will be sparse, few and far between, haphazard and late – but I will try and update regularly, or at least back date posts so I have a blog a day.

At my current job with Warwickshire County Council, I will be leading three ranger-led activity days, specifically for #30DaysWild. If you’re around and can get to the park, you can see more on the facebook page and book your place/s for the events. 

My new job role isn’t yet 100% as to what I’ll be doing with them, but I may be leading groups and conservation sessions. Hopefully I’ll have lots of chances and opportunities to get outside and get wild next month, even if I just walk barefoot on the grass once a day.

Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.

#geobritainroadtrip - Cheddar Gorge

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David and I took a day trip to Cheddar! We left at the break of dawn to make sure that we would have the whole day at the site, whilst avoiding the worst of the M5 rush hour. I visited Cheddar Gorge late last year and I was there for about half an hour – it was freezing cold and was full of dense fog, I could barely see the rocks. I was on my way home from Devon and detoured to see th Gorge; but ended up hardly seeing anything. I have wanted to go back ever since.

Cheddar Gorge is split into two – the north side is owned by the National Trust, and the south side is owned by the Wildlife Trust. There is a circular walking route which you can follow, up and along the top of the Gorge, before dropping down to cross the road, and then back up again. The best views of the Gorge are easily from the south side. On a clear day, the views are beautiful – we could see for miles and miles. We visited in spring; the bluebells and wood anemones were gorgeous, and we counted plenty orchids.

The Gorge is well known as a tourist attraction. There are caves which can be explored (at a (high) cost), and lots of shops to mooch about in. Cheddar Gorge also is known for cheese! The cheese wheels are matured in the back of one of the caves. We bought a small wheel of the mature Cheddar cheddar – very nice. 

Glow worm!!!

Thar be fossils in these rocks

View over the Gorge with the reservoir 

The cheddar quarry. Cheese is extracted here before it is matured in the caves. ;-)

Geology-based Apps

The numbered titles for each are links to relevant webpages

I like technology. I like how much it has moved on since I had Windows 3.1 and had to play games off 3 ½ inch floppy disks. I like how much EVERYTHING is now in the thing that fits in the palm of my hands, and that while I love going outside and mooching and physically exploring geological sites, I can now do a lot of planning, preparation and research without leaving my house, and that’s all because of apps.

I have an Xperia XZ phone and a Nexus 7 tablet, I generally only take my phone out with me. Below of are some of the apps I use, and reasons why I use them, why I recommend them, and hopefully some encouragement for you to start using them too.

1: iGeology, BGS 

The standard, everyone in the UK should have this, app. iGeology is great for getting quick and simple information about the rocks where you are stood or looking. You can easily zoom in & out, see features, see different rock types and formations, and gain further information when connecting to the web.

Downsides: really fine features can be hard to click on if you have fat fingers like me, and once the zoom limit it reached it can be hard to get the info you want, especially if there are linear features (eg dykes).

2: Grid Reference

I love this app. It is free, it is simple, it can be easily configured. I use it quite a lot, I used it for mapping, I use it when I need to find north. Such a great, simple app. Nothing more to be said.

3: Rockd 

My latest favourite. This app allows you to ‘check in’ to geological locations and provide information about them. This then creates a social network of geologists and geological sites, and my aim when using the app is to encourage people to visit sites that they may usually overlook.

The map overlays are beautiful and it allows you to input data about the rock age, formation, structures, fossils etc. You can also add pictures, give the outcrop a rating out of 5, and when you have done all of this you get XP. The more XP you get, the higher up the Mohs Scale of Hardness you travel. I am currently Calcite, Level 3. It’s been quite fun challenging myself to get new outcrops of different ages. I know that I don’t use this app to its full potential, but I use I for what I want, and it does that well. This app is global, not just UK-centric.

4: 100 Geosites 

This app was released by Esri & the Geological Society of London to celebrate the release of their list of 100 Geosites, across the United Kingdom. I have had some teething issues with it on my phone, but it works on my tablet. It is clear and easy to use – you can zoom in on the map to discover locations near you, or around the country. Click on a site to then get more information about it. This list feature also makes it easy to tick off how many sites you have visited – so far I have done 15/100.

5: Fossil Explorer 

Fossil Explorer from the Natural History Museum allows the user to explore fossils in the location. You can search for an area/postcode, or use geolocation to find you and then search around your location. I searched Wren’s Nest to use as an example as I know it is a fossil site, and a stonking good one at that. This app could rapidly become my favourite – I love mooching for fossils and finding new sites to do so, and it would be very useful as a quick reference tool.

6: Pavement Geology 

This app is brilliant for the urban fossil hunters in London. Pavement Geology was set up to explore the geology of building stones used in the city, and this app allows the user to zoom in on the map and click on a colour-coded pin to reveal more information about the building stone. This app covers igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic, is free, and easy to use. I haven’t been to London since it launched, but I do like mooching on it to discover more about the areas of London that I know well.

7: OS Map

This app is great – buy an OS paper map, then get a digital download with it too. Download your map to the app, then you can use it offline on your phone/tablet. Zooming quality is great and it has all the detail you know and love from the paper OS map. So far, I only have one map (Snowdonia) and haven’t yet used it in the field – must book a holiday to Wales…

#geobritainroadtrip – Millook Haven

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I have been fortunate enough to bag me a man who not only (apparently) enjoys when I go off on one about rocks, but also a man who lets me book and plan a weekend away based on what rocks I can go and visit, and drag him along to look at too. Hurrah!

I visited Millook Haven as part of a three day break down to the seaside – this location has been on my geology bucket list for a very long time, and I attempted to visit it on day one of the geoliday (geology holiday, it’s a thing) but I chickened out with the 30% incline and strong winds. On day two however, I talked myself and the car into it, and in first gear we made our way down the single lane road to Millook.

There isn’t much to Millook, it only has a few buildings and the road quickly and sharply rises again on the otherside of the valley. The cliffs however, are spectacular. This section of cliff made it into the #100Geosites list by the Geological Society of London, and it is easy to see why! The folds are AMAZING. Recumbent, tightly folded, horizontal chevron folds. This place is a geological delight. Also, if sea-worn pebbles with hydrothermal veins are your thing, this is the place to bag some mega nice samples.

The rocks here were affected by the Variscan Orogeny, which is also responsible for the folded cliffs at Hartland Quay. 

David for scale

#geobritainroadtrip - Hartland Quay

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I have been down to Hartland Quay twice now, once with university on a field trip, and again with my partner for a geoliday. It was his first time there, and I hoped it would blow his mind – the rocks here truly are spectacular.

The rocks here are Carboniferous in age, and this location is well known for the structural geology goodness it contains. The cliffs here show vertical chevron folds; the cliff has been concertinaed and folded up, squeezed by the huge forces of the Variscan Orogeny [PDF]. The pictures truly do not do it justice; the drive down the narrow road to the car park is the first part of the fun, the rocks the second, and then the pub is third.

Be sure to visit when the tide is going out! High tide cuts it all off and you won’t be able to get anywhere near the rocks.  We got there at high tide and so went for a long walk (4 or 5 miles) and by the time we got back, the tide had gone out (and we’d worked up an appetite).

Looking along the axis of a plunging chevron fold (plunges towards the camera)

Goals for This Year

So; a new year, again. 

I’m not one for resolutions, but I do set myself a number of goals every year. Most of them are financial. Last year they included giving blood more, joining both the organ & bone marrow registers, and losing weight amongst others. I achieved just over half of my goals and I’m not going to beat myself up about that.

This year I’ve set myself some new goals! I’m posting them here so I can hold myself accountable at the end of the year.

01: Tai chi twice a month minimum

02: Make 100 hats for premature babies

03: Get a new job & start saving monthly

04: Go for a 3 mile walk once a week

05: Holiday on Skye for two weeks

06, 07, 08 & 09 all relate to money – paying back what I owe to friends and reducing my overdraft.

I have started going to tai chi once a week with my mom as it’s gentle exercise, outdoors, and free. It gets me out of the house and to one of my favourite places. It’s fresh air and I hope I will feel better about a multitude of things for going.

Making hats for premature babies is something I do every year. I crochet them, and then I send them off to my local hospital.

Getting a new job will be a big thing for this year. My traineeship at the Wildlife Trust is coming to an end and it’ll soon be time to spread my wings. Maybe I’ll spread my wings to a job at the Trust, maybe I’ll leave and go elsewhere. Who knows. But it will be very, very nice to have a salary again, and to be able to save some money.

Walking is a big thing. I haven’t done much exercise outside of my general day to day activities, and I enjoy walking. It gives me time to myself, and I can shut off the noise of my brain.

Holiday!! This has been formally listed as a goal because it is a logistical NIGHTMARE and if it goes ahead it’ll be a minor miracle. I am very excited at the prospect of Skye – think of all the geology!

Money things are always goals, because I’m incredibly bad at managing money and saving money and I’ve been in debt for about five years (excluding student loans, I don’t even think about them). It’s one of the biggest stressors in my life and I’d like to reduce this massively.