Magic Faraway Tree

Authentic photo of my view -
can you spot the magic faraway tree?

There is a tree that I can just see out the window (if I lean back and swivel a little) of my office in Kirstenbosch. It is weirdly taller than everything around it. I could, I suppose walk to it one day to see if it is because it is on a little mound or if it really is just huge, but I like to think of it as just a huge tree looking down at all the other trees. When I started here, it was bare of leaves and stood out like a majestic Winter Monarch. (Although in those days, I wasn't at the window desk so I had to walk over to the window to see it or go upstairs for tea - but it was Winter so I was drinking lots of tea). Even without leaves it was striking but as what passes for Spring in Cape Town approached, it started to get those light almost neon green leaves, just a scattering at first and then over all its fingers. Now, not only does the sun shine finally shine through the window, but the tree is covered in a thick coat of dark green and stands out against the lush mountain slopes behind it.

I know that that was a long paragraph to describe a tree, but the thing is I have become quite fond of that tree. And not just the tree, but having an office on the side of a mountain that is as moody as it is beautiful. I love being able to predict how long from when the rain starts falling that the waterfall will start cascading down the ravine - that is of course when I can see the mountain through the clouds. I love that during the course of the day the shadows seem to highlight different portions of the mountain (although I didn't love it when the sun disappeared completely at 3 pm in the depths of Winter).  I love that the trees right on the top of the mountain look like Lego trees and that the rocks change colour. I want to giggle gleefully every time I drive home because I have the mountain on my right and the whole of Cape Town spread out for me on the left (it is also good in the morning when the Stellenbosch mountains are waking up with the sun - but I tend to be more distracted in the morning). On that note though, I also LOVE that the drive here is so short and that finding parking is so easy!  I also love having my office to myself (at least some of the time) and that I get to write on a big white board in four different colours!!!

All this exuberant happiness is bubbling to the surface because it is SUMMER! This part of the year feels a little like downhill cycle (I have not been on a bicycle for ten years, blush, but I remember liking that feeling) towards (dare I say it?) Champagne season. To be completely honest, this has been a tough week, I have found the protests personally emotionally draining for reasons I can't quite articulate because I have not been involved in them or directly affected by them (nor do I want to comment on them so I am going to stop there). I  have been rejected from another job post interview - which is quite a feat actually because I have only applied for two things since starting at IOI-SA, maybe it was three. And I have started to realise that soon I am going to have to acknowledge that my end of contract date (24 December) isn't that far away and I need to be proactive about finding work (AGAIN).   

Summer sunset concerts and long sunshiny days

And YET, these warm long days fill me with happiness. Soon I will be going to visit my folks for long walks on the beach and two of my favourite friends that I haven't seen in far too long will also be there. One of my favourite friends from Canada is also in town at the moment for a conference which is really exciting. I also feel like people start to come out of hibernation (or maybe it is just that I come out of hibernation) and start organising things to make the most of the fabulous weather, the very air starts to smell of braai smoke, jasmine and sunshine. There are exciting things happening in town, the open air movies, summer sunset concerts and because it is an El Nino year we might even be able to swim in the sea without loosing toes (I am trying to find a tiny positive in a global weather phenomenon that is likely to cause drought and possibly other horrible things that I am not insensitive to I promise!) And then, (dare I actually say it) there is Christmas in 9 weeks and my family will be together which is the most anyone could ask Santa for (but looking forward to the pool and braais and champagne too!) 

So, with sunscreen on, let's make the most of the sunshine and happiness... (Regardless what happens on Saturday evening - but holding thumbs for a Bok win!)

What can we do for conservation?

Have I mentioned - I WORK HERE!

I consider myself a conservationist but I sometimes feel a little like a fraud. What have I really done for Conservation? My research programs have had management value but not sure how much my findings have really influenced management. 

I try to eat ethically and live ethically, of course I recycle and eat free range eggs, but these feel like trivial things when one is bombarded with news of coral bleaching, global climate change, rhino poaching and over fishing. Besides, living truly ethically is expensive and being a PhD student isn't exactly lucrative.

I decided at the beginning of 2014 not to eat pork (YES, BACON TOO!) This, by no means, has been easy but I have worked hard to stick to it. It was much more difficult than deciding not to eat seafood which was a decision I made when I was about 10 years old and had heard something about over fishing that decided things for me - it turns out forever.

Even when it is rainy it is still lovely

My latest experiment in reducing my impact on the world was to stop using shampoo and conditioner and therefore decrease the amount of evil chemicals I add to the world (I have heard that they are evil chemicals, but I haven't actually done much research into it). To be honest, I hate washing my hair anyway, so this wasn't a completely selfless act. (And very low risk because if my hair looks horrible I can just wash it with shampoo). 

I decided my month in Walvis Bay would be a good time to try (dolphins don't care what my hair looks like, right?). I had read (on all-knowing Internet) that you can use bicarbonate of soda mixed in water and then rinse with vinegar mixed in water as an alternative to shampoo. I couldn't find apple cider vinegar in Walvis so I just used normal white (wash windows with this stuff) vinegar. I did it once every two weeks and I promise no one said my hair looked gross. I had an independent sniff test to check for vinegar smells and that passed too. I was feeling pretty thrilled after the 6 ish weeks actually although my hair was feeling a little more knotted than usual and quite dry (JHB winter will do that to the best hair).

Check out the Green Point Park - it is lovely

No worries, I had also read on all-knowing Internet that you can use coconut oil as a conditioner. Big tub of expensive coconut oil later, and I am set to try my hair treatment. "Work melted coconut oil thoroughly into hair and leave for two hours then wash out"... wash out? Hardly. Bicarb and vinegar made no impact on my thoroughly greasy hair. It looked terrible - rats tails. I had to shampoo multiple times and my hair didn't even seem more moisturised afterwards (good thing you can use coconut oil for cooking).

I'm trying to get back into no shampoo now so all is not lost. I am at the stage where I am wondering how much damage does shampoo really do? (I am so tempted to just finish the shampoo that is already at home). But I'm hoping that will pass because I like to think even the little things can help.

This is where I park my car for WORK!

My next experiment might be a worm farm (composting is tricky in a second floor flat). I have always wanted one but they are so expensive and I worry the worms would die while I am away but I might have found a way to get some worms....

Let me know of you have any other eco tips (that actually work!!!)

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

The whole (this isn't the word I wanted but can't think of another) glamour of the PhD thing wore pretty thin after a couple of months of unemployment. It doesn't come up that much in casual conversation but the "what do you do?" question does.

So although this blog isn't about how to survive a PhD, it is about surviving the next step (and let's face it, I'm finished now so most of my blogs aren't going to be about surviving PhD anymore but rather about surviving WITH a PhD). I have spoken about my feelings for interviews before, so imagine my stress levels when I flew down to Cape Town for two interviews on a Monday afternoon a couple of weeks back. I was worried about my performance in the one interview because I was feeling a bit deaf in one ear and didn't feel like I was really sparkly enough. I also heard myself saying something along the lines of wanting to save the world and cringed (hopefully only in my head but my expressions sometimes do things without asking). 

The other interview was exactly the reason not to like interviews. I would hardly call myself arrogant so did not see any reason for someone to be almost antagonistic about the whole PhD thing. It is a difficult thing when you are applying for something that doesn't require a PhD to get the balance between confident/capable (so therefore you should hire me because really I am fantastic) and not drawing attention to how over qualified you are. Let's make this one thing clear though, PhD's are not just for people trying to avoid the real world... This is an example of how the questions went: 

Question: "How good is you knowledge about marine science."

Answer (feeling: "yay I can do this one"): I feel confident about my knowledge in marine science. 

Response: "People with real knowledge know they still have so much to learn"... ???????

Of course it wasn't all his being antagonistic that made that interview awful, I also completely choked when he asked me to explain, in Afrikaans, how to catch invasive crabs.

Being back in Cape Town helped me get over the stress because I was quickly distracted with catching up with my friends once the interviews were done. And what helped even more was when, 1.5 weeks later (after three rejection letters, that didn't get to interview stage, in the meantime) I finally got an email that said yes!!!!

The best thing is that it is an organisation that does just the sorts of things that make me excited to be working for them. I hadn't heard of it before (and neither had a lot of people I've spoken to) so I'll be telling you all about it soon. It is only a short term contract but I couldn't be happier. The NGO is called IOI-SA (the South African branch of international oceans institute) and I am really excited to get some experience with an NGO and governance issues. I hope it is a step in a great direction.

And I promise my excitement isn't just because I will be working at one of the most beautiful places in Cape Town (Kirstenbosch) and it's only 4.2 km from home.

P.S. Things would have been very different for me if I hadn't had such a supportive family looking after me while I job hunted. I don't mean just by feeding me, they also believed in me and didn't let me give up on pursuing a job I could feel passionate about. I loved my month in Ramsgate and my time in Johannesburg and in Walvis Bay. Even though I was frustrated that I wasn't out saving the world (in some small way), spending time with my family is a treasured luxury. Thanks universe.

The big smoke

"The big smoke" - That's a common enough description for the city of gold, red and orange (and not what I would be calling Cape Town because that would be insensitive after all the huge fires they have had). Of course Johannesburg is a city of many colours, from bright green in the Summer time to gold, red and orange in autumn, distinctly brown in Winter and just about purple in Spring. It is a city I love. And I have loved being here for the last two and a bit months. I have mentioned that one of the secrets to being happy is to love being where you are, wherever that happens to be (unless it is Pretoria - didn't manage that) so I am very ready to fall in love with Walvis Bay next week. 

I will be sure to tell you all about it but I am not sure that I will be able to post pictures until I get back - internet is very expensive there and last time I was in Luderitz my computer ate my R50 data bundle almost instantly with automatic updates. (I have hopefully switched those off). But, before I head off into the desert I thought I would post some photos of beautiful green Johannesburg (taken by my brother-in-law but with my camera and at my insistence so I have some claim to them - I just didn't want to miss out on the Easter Egg hunt we were having a week early). 

This post isn't really to say anything other than HAPPY PUBLIC HOLIDAYS and hot cross bun eating, I will hopefully see you soon. 

P.S. If someone could please find me a job for when I get back - that would be GREAT! Or if you know someone to help me try publish my little children's book - also rad! (I feel this is an overly-ambitious hope but hope is good, right?!)

Dog wisdom

I want to introduce you to Jack. Jack is not a Jack Russel although there is a certain resemblance. He is around 14 and originally from Johannesburg. A couple of years ago he was starting to look really old. He really struggled in Winter because it can get very cold in Johannesburg, particularly at night (that random bit of information is for the foreign readers). So, Jack retired down to the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal (where it is less cold and he gets to go to the beach every day) and became years younger again. It is a pretty remarkable difference. (It suggests that maybe we should all be living on the south coast... OK, maybe that is just my current wishful thinking). 

Anyway, you didn't actually need to know any of this, but it adds back story to my mini light bulb moment on our daily beach walk today. Jack likes to walk forward, he will put up with turning off the path to the pools if the other dogs insist, but as a whole he likes to keep going straight on (unless he is stopping for one of his many sniffs and leg-lifts). He behaves really well and generally responds to little tugs on the lead when I get impatient waiting for him to finish smelling the canine community news reports. The only time that he really requires persuasion is when us lazy humans decide it is time to turn around and go back home. This goes against everything Jack believes in (which, as I said, is to go forward). 

Today, I was a little exasperated (and there is that slight feeling of guilt because we could of course walk further but then we will have to walk back further too) and asked Jack (out-loud in that way that perfectly sane people talk to their dogs) what it is that makes him so excited about the next step. 

I know... light bulb moment... OK, maybe it is not immediately obvious but as I said it, it made me ask myself why I am not so excited for the next step. The most immediate answer is that I don't have any idea what the next step is and I am someone that likes to know where I am going to be in 6 months time (I may have mentioned that already), so the not-knowing and diminishing bank balance (particularly in light of the sms I keep getting telling me I have to buy a TV licence - as if that's how I want to spend my money) is causing stress. And today I was told that I need to move out of my BEAUTIFUL office in UCT which makes going back no longer a possibility. (This was inevitable, expected and completely reasonable, and to be honest, it was a very nicely phrased email that still gave me an option of having 'floating space' in the lab - but it still made me feel a little lost, dispensable and unemployed (so that answers that question)). 

BUT, this should be an exciting time, a time of new beginnings and options (although it really doesn't feel like it), hope and possibility. I should take a page out of the wise old Jack's book: look forward and be excited about the next step... whatever that step may be. 

Well, actually, I am posting this today because the next step is that I am flying up to JHB (City of Gold, Red and Orange) on Friday so I won't be able to post then (and the light bulb moment happened today). I am devastated to turn away from the daily walks on the beach and the constant sound of crashing waves (and Jack and Dingo and Brinny. Oh and my awesome folks) but I am looking forward to spending time with the people I love up there and seeing my school friends. I am also hoping that the aura of JHB work ethic will blow away the lazy-beach-bum mist that has settled on my brain. Papers need to be written and work needs to be found and I am going to try very hard to look forward and be excited about whatever the next step brings... 

And Brinny, because there is no favouritism
here. 

Introducing Dingo

Sanctuary

In my head, there is a golden sunshine glow lighting up the room, the white curtains are playing in the breeze, or maybe everything has taken on the pink tinge of sunset. This is my sanctuary, my room, the place where I feel safe and quiet (or sad, or scared, or angry), it's where I am safe to be me. I know where everything is (except my UCT student card and keys - how is it possible that I have lost them, some cosmic-UCT force trying to send me 'Dear John' letter) and it is my sanctuary (it would be perfect if I was allowed to steal a beautiful black dog to come live with me)

There is debate about this, but I consider myself an introvert (see this TED talk on the power of introverts), I am very good at being friendly and chatty to strangers or semi strangers but I get my energy in the quiet times, curled up with a book in a world far far away (although I get lost in those worlds so I am on book detox for the moment, despite a 2-book-in-3-days relapse recently) or by being with people that know me well enough that I can just be me with them. 

So it is important for me, for my sanity and my ability to be friendly to the outer world to have places and people that are my sanctuary. That I can turn to when things are a bit hectic. I am lucky that I consider myself to have multiple homes (K and C I hope you don't mind me including yours, and, folks, I know you wouldn't have it any other way) but I am also grateful to have so many people in the inner circles of my heart that I can count on when I really want to hide away from the world.  

Yesterday while I was maddeningly still busy with a chapter that should be finished, in between our office re-organisation, with a headache made me want to whimper, on what was I am sure one of the coldest days of the year so far (I was wrapped in a blanket in my office) I had dinner plans and all I really wanted was to head home to be grumpy and work. But, for various reasons, I went and it was actually a really lovely evening and I was very pleased that I went (not least of all because there were snickerdoodles - which are supposedly a real thing?) 

So the flip side of realising that I need quiet time to re-energise is realising that I need to be careful about becoming too much of a hermit. I am finding that with mounting PhD stress, I am dreading most social interaction (particularly with people that aren't in my 'inner circle') but actually it is allows for an opportunity to think about something other than the PhD and we all need to eat, right?! (The other thing I do to avoid becoming a grumpy hermit or creepy cat lady without the cats is host couch surfers, who are inevitably on holiday and so bring a carefree happiness into my life for short periods at a time - although I am not hosting at the moment because I don't really have time, what with being in full PhD hermit mode.) 

So I am not really sure what the point of this blog was, but if you are finding yourself feeling frazzled and in need of escapism I can suggest a couple of my not so secret outdoor places to rejuvenate (I can't recommend my various homes because I would get annoyed if I found you curled up with a book in the sunshine on my bed - you can understand that I am sure!) Try Dalebrook, particularly in summer when you can combine it with a dip in the tidal pool, or listen to the trees creak in one of the quiet corners of Kirstenbosch, or enjoy having the beach almost to yourself at Windmill Beach. These are all places I feel safe to be alone in, but there are many and it depends what your preferences are, so explore, but remember to be willing to talk to strangers occasionally too! 

(Today there are no coloured words because I think the splashes of pink undermine my statement that I am an introvert... maybe... and it takes a long time and it is almost time for birthday tea.)

City of Gold, red and orange...

I grew up in one of the most dangerous cities in the country (well in the top 50, it doesn't make all the lists, but it has a bit of a reputation). However, when we were growing up, we played in badminton in the streets, and made houses of the crisp autumn leaves at the corner of our road (I guess just floor plans - leaves don't make great walls). I walked home from school, crisscrossing the road to stamp through the biggest leaf piles or planning my journey to include as many mulberries and those tart pink berries (not sure what they are called) as possible, always choosing to walk on the side of the jasmine bushes. 

A summer-time photo from the Westcliff
(incidentally, a FABULOUS spot for high tea)

We played in the streets, rode bicycles or walked everywhere and my friends lived close by. You might argue that it was the suburbs and doesn't really reflect Johannesburg as a whole (JHB is huge and diverse) but it was my Johannesburg and I loved it, and still do. I was very pleased to have a sneaky visit up there last week. It is the change of season, and the mornings are clear and crisp, tinged with frost, the days sunny and warm and the leaves are falling to form piles of crunchy leaves perfect for stomping in (I refrained, but I was tempted). 

This is my sister's photo, taken in Rosebank. 

It might not be the city for everyone, but it, like every where has aspects of loveliness. In addition, for me it is full of happy memories and sunshine. I came back to Cape Town feeling (a little sad to say goodbye to my fantastic JHB family and friends but) refreshed and happy. Sometimes, a little bit of time away, a change of scenery, a different group of people, is just the thing to give you a little extra energy and enthusiasm to face the same tedious tasks you still have to get done and survive the current cold front. 

Another of my sister or brother-in-law's pictures,
when I see this view, I know I am close to
(one of my) homes. 

I just want to be clear, the fact that I love JHB (and Ramsgate) doesn't mean I love Cape Town any less. I think one of the ways to be really happy, is to be happy wherever you are, there is beauty every where, amazing people to meet and the potential for happiness everywhere! 

Another view from Westcliff looking over JHB

When I got back from JHB on Wednesday morning, I went straight to vote before acting as a "greeter" for the political party I volunteer with. This basically just involved being a smiley face in front of the voting station. Obviously there are people that just can't be bothered to give a stranger a head tilt, others will open up with stories that can warm the heart. South Africa - the whole of the large, diverse, controversial, beautiful South Africa, is an amazing and wonderful place. There has been good and bad in the last 20 years but I am proud to call it all home.

(Even if there are people that are willing to vote EFF) 

Sunscreen hot!

So this has been a busy week, rushing to meet last month's deadlines and feeling a little stressed. It is also really hot and all I want to do is live in a bubble of that moment when you have just pushed off from the side of the pool, before you take a stroke, and the water is still and clear and the world is a sparkling blue... sigh... (Sorry to my northern hemisphere readers +Tessa Hampton ). 

Anyway, so I am going to cheat and use someone else's words in my blog post today. I have recently been reminded (by a truly awesome penguinologist) of the lyrics to a song. I say reminded, but truly snippets of the song are always in the back of my head. There are things, (movies, HIMYM, songs, books, conversations etc) that impact my life disproportionately to what you would expect or even what they should. This song is one of those things. The words are based on an article written by Mary Schmich (according to the all-knowledgeable wiki) and Baz Luhrman made it into "Everybody's Free (to wear Sunscreen)" or more popularly: "The Sunscreen Song". 

"Wear Sunscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ‘97…Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’r ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you recive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wantd to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75^th wedding anniversary…whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you’ll never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you, fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time it’s 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…"

P.S. I can honestly say I dance in my living room and have never thrown away a letter from an ex love. I am a sunscreen Nazi and my hair is pretty much left to its own devices because I am terrified of ruining it.  I consider Johannesburg and Cape Town the South African equivalents of New York and North California, although I would love to visit both of those parts of the world. My siblings and my parents are my favourite people in the world, I would be lost without them. There are bits of the song I need to still work on, and I am not sure about doing something that scares me every day, but at the moment I am doing the #100happydays challenge and taking a picture of something that makes me happy everyday. And maybe today it should be birthday tea... or a swim in the sea... or the pool... or sending off two of my chapters to the supervisorials.

Weekend on the horizon... 

Cinnamon Sunshine

The most beautiful Christmas
tree I know of belongs to
+Kerri and +Chris  who are
always ridiculously stylish, even
with Christmas bling!

I have missed a couple of Friday blog deadlines, but it has been a time of wine-soaked days interspersed with champagne. Ahhhh Christmas, what a fabulous time of year: a time of nostalgia and sentimentality, family and food not to mention a free pass for cheesy, cheerful household bling in the disguise of Christmas decorations. 

Beautiful tree at Ramsgate home

In South Africa, there is a public holiday on the 16th, and slowly the country winds down, takes a deep breath and slaps on the sunscreen (at least if they are responsible sorts). 

In my part of Cape Town, there is a fabulous period where undergraduates have slipped away, the streets are quiet and there is parking on campus and people are throwing end of year parties; then the tourists start arriving, traffic gets worse and that's my cue to dash off north. (JHB Decembers are fantastically quiet once everyone has evacuated to the beach. We had a little bit of time to enjoy this transformation in JHB before joining the migration coast-ward, to my folks' fabulous home in Ramsgate). 

Before I left Cape Town, I wrestled with the decision of whether of not to take my laptop with me. I hate travelling with it, am really anxious it will get damaged and feel irrationally irritated at having to take it out of its backpack to go through airline security. So, in an unprecedented move, I left it at home and flew to Lanseria (the best airport in the world) laptop-free (I had work with me, I couldn't go cold turkey, it was just on this old school thing called paper). 

Cocktail time in Ramsgate... 

Now I am back in Cape Town, I haven't had an alcoholic beverage since, well, last night actually (but before that it was at least FOUR days!!) I am sitting at my work desk, the cinnamon sunshine days are over and to be honest, I only looked at the papers I took on holiday with me once, and then, briefly. (I have had previous holidays where I did manage to work successfully. There was one Christmas eve on which I frantically finished a chapter and sent it off to the supervisorials but, not this year.) 

Restorative beach walks - just the thing
to help with the "final FINAL push"

I feel OK about this, even now, when I probably need to work harder than any other time. I decided that my time in Ramsgate and JoBurg needed to be about friends and family. I decided that in order to be able to survive this final push, which would be tougher than all previous "final pushes" I needed to stock up on happy moments, walks on the beach and quality, doing-nothing time. I know it sounds terribly self-indulgent, but I think it is important to put aside the GUILT and stress and remind yourself (from time to time) that there is life outside of PhD that needs to be actively appreciated because - even though it feels like it sometimes - your whole life does not revolve around your PhD (or shouldn't!?)

One of my highlights - a month in Lovely
Luderitz with the Dolphin team. 

Now it is the fantastically even-numbered 2014, and this time of year is always ripe with good intentions, sometimes referred to as New Year's Resolutions. We have a (relatively recent) tradition of sitting together and reflecting on highlights from the previous year and WRITING down resolutions for the coming year. I love sitting down, reminding myself of awesome moments from the previous year, that maybe I haven't thought about for a while. It helps remind me, that even in the toughest years, there were truly awesome moments. (I might be wrong, but I think we started this in the year of 'THE break up' and there were many moments of fabulousness in that year too.)

The resolutions are trickier.... I think for the previous three years my biggest resolution has been to finish the PhD and find a job... Each year rolls over, picking up with it more stress, panic and leaving behind a little of my self-esteem. Sadly, this resolution remains in the number one position for this year... but I have a feeling, this is going to be a good, good year!!! And, because life isn't all about the PhD, I have some non-work resolutions too. I think it would be too much to put all of my resolutions up for public scrutiny, but maybe you can help keep me on track for a couple of them (both have been broken this week, but I am not giving up... peer pressure can do wonderful things): 

 - No more pork - pigs are too clever to be food - yes, this includes even bacon!!! (Each grey word is a link to a story about how smart pigs are, there are many more too...)

 - Chocolate will only be consumed on weekends*

 - Go on holiday somewhere fabulous, not as a field trip or conference, just for fun! - accommodation sponsorships are welcome (Jenny ;) )! 

Our truly beautiful country - this is from a farm near Van Reenen

So, I wish you all a very happy, healthy 2014!!! 

May it be a year of champagne and celebrations, 

(pouffey hats and red cloaks)!!!! 

Let's all try to be kind to each other! 

And now on to that final push... 

* And public holidays, and maybe Earth Day, National Marine Week, International Coastal Clean up Day, and other public awareness days....