Happy, sparkly, surf things.

  

Where to begin? Life has been moving at a chaotic pace lately, so busy in fact that I haven't even had the time to do normal everyday stuff like moisturize my body! It sounds like a luxury to moisturize but what it really means is that I haven't had a minute to myself, to dedicate to the task of keeping my skin supple. 

I want to lay it bare to you dear blog readers that in actuality I've been quite miserable of late. Its not surprising really, there is no space for happiness when life accelerates at such a fast pace. I've been pulling 14 hour shifts at work, not seeing my beloved boyfriend, no surf or skate (since last week), barely having time to do yoga and well meditation has gone right out of the window. It's all in aid of future plans I'm saving like a squirrel burying nuts for harsher times, but hey there needs to be a balance between sensibleness and fun. 

I'm no stranger to being a nomad but I'm finding my drifting between my base at my parent's house and that of my boyfriend's is making me a bit like flotsam and jetsam. Floating between these two places means armfuls of luggage which I drag on and off trains and a general sense of displacement. At the ripe age of twenty six I'm starting to yearn for roots- Isn't that funny? Not so long ago the thought of a homestead would have caused me to run for the horizon but now I crave it. Living with my parents (despite them being the best parents on the planet FACT) is a bit like waiting in a doctors office, you know you can't leave but that call to be seen feels like forever, so you have to remain there suspended between arriving and leaving. 

I've neglected this here blog too, as my regular readers may have noticed posts have been a bit sparse recently. In truth I have been completely exhausted, too exhausted to muster up the energy to create engaging content. So forgive me, here is a post about being a hapless twenty something and a few nice, sparkly surf pictures that have caught my magpie eye! Not groundbreaking but its the truth! 

You know as much as these moments of frustration drain us they also act as catalysts because they force you to reevaluate and make changes. I'm excited and optimistic about what I'll learn through this little rough patch. Now for drawing, music and a little meditation to get my happy Sophia hat back on! 

I am a woman child- still unable to dress appropriately for the weather and never with a functional umbrella!
This 'look' is Michaela Strachan meets Saba Douglas Hamilton which will make perfect sense if your a wildlife geek like me! 

Until next time, 

Stay strong, surf well 

Love 

   

Wild Women

My dad this morning came downstairs and commented on how he felt like he'd walked  back in time. Me and my sister were sat at the dining room table working on separate projects. She was doing work for school (she's a teacher) and I was doing a crafty thing to do with animals (a wildlife zine). When Emily and I looked at the scene we couldn't help but laugh, we may be women now but deep down we're still the little girls we once were- Me drawing animals and loving all things wildlife and her lining up her dolls to teach them the curriculum.

The irony is even our little sister has stayed true to herself, she was forever lost on beach holidays, only to be found engrossed in rock pool fauna or just swimming about in the sea. Our little mermaid is  not so little anymore she's a slightly bigger marine biologist (in the making)!

Life huh?!

It got me thinking about the people who've influenced me whilst I was growing up and on reflection nearly all of these are women. Wild women to be exact the kind that studied primates in deepest Africa or trekked through Amazonian rainforests. I'd get lost in their books or T.V. shows dreaming of the life they had (which lets be honest contrasted quite a lot to my suburban West Midlands existence)! 

I take a lot of joy and solace out of spotting wildlife in urban places. The asphalt flower, the robin on the railway fence, there is so much beauty around us and if you blink you'll miss it. Simply doing your commute you can have some really wild encounters (and all in middle England)!

The intrepid Charlotte Uhlenbroek

 

My hero Jane Goodall

The Really Wild show was one of my favorite T.V. programs and I so wanted Michaela Strachan's job!

The only male to make my list, Rolf Harris is a LEGEND and I absolutely loved watching him on animal hospital each week. Seriously who doesn't love Rolf Harris??

You may have noticed on this blog of late, that my career choices have been quite far ranging. I believe a few weeks ago all I could talk about was setting up a social enterprise, well that idea is still there but to be honest I've started wondering about my first love - wildlife conservation - it is after all what I studied in University...

Monkey Business

I came across this blog of an anthropology student which perfectly summarizes the boomerang effect graduates go through in selecting a career. I found it really, really amusing and as its monkey related right up my street! (My specialism was primates at uni).

 This is Serious Monkey Business

 As to the big life decision I'm still up in airs about what I'll pursue but having space to think and not dwell on it has brought wildlife conservation back to the forefront. Loving nature is so interwoven with my history its making me contemplate whether its part of my future too. 

I'll keep you posted. 

:)