Categories: mother-nature
Tags: voluntary stuff
Date: 01 August 2007 18:44:22
Well I was out on Gower again surveying bracken (and some other stuff) today- I've been doing some voluntary work with the National Trust on the Gower commons, helping out with surveying the sites that are being managed. Tis interesting stuff. Well, to me anyway, I won't bore the general readership with the details of Gower heathland management, that would probably scare off both my readers at once!
Last week I was out there in what can only be described as foul weather. You know that rain that once it starts you just *know* its in for the day. Well it was like that... when it eased between the heavier downpours! This week, complete opposite- bright, hot sunshine, surprisingly so even at 8.40am this morning when we got out to Clyne common and started work. And it got hotter, surprisingly enough. Much sun cream later, and I'm still a little pink round the edges!
So, a vast improvement you might say? Well yes, in some ways.
We had a scary moment today when we discovered there were rather a few ticks around, and picked a few off that were happily walking up our arms and trousers. No big deal, just a little odd when you think 'hang on, why is that freckle moving?!'. So I come home, happy after a good days work, and discover a little friend happily attached to my skin. Hmm. All the advice I'd been given in the past involved things like suffocating them with vaseline, pouring alcohol onto them, or burning them off. At least two of which must look very odd at the time, and the third is actually rather painful! When those wise people say to burn them off, do they ever tell you how you do that without burning yourself?? No, I think not. In the end, with the help of the wonders of the internet, I worked out that the best solution is just to pull them off with tweasers. Which worked. All done, just like that. Amazing.
So there you go, if you're ever (un)lucky enough to acquire a small passenger, you know what to do. Happy to be of service! (Note: this is not to be taken as medical fact. Ramblin' folkie accepts no responsibility for actions taken based on the above advice).