Hi! This is just a quick update on why I haven’t been posting for a couple of months. First of all, I think I need to say sorry for not having written for an extended period of time. But its been a very busy spring, whether I’ve been revising for school exams or training for the South West Regional Swimming Championships, I haven’t been able to find much time for the Bovey Birder, to my regret and frustration.
As I have been coming up to the End of Year 8, I have had exams in every subject which will determine which sets I go into next year. These are fairly important as next year I pick my GCSE options before completing the coursework in Year 10. So there have been plenty of sleepless nights and early morning flashcard sessions due to this, but after all that they have gone very well so I’m pleased with that.
Another big factor to my absence has been the relentless swim training that led up to the South West Regional Championships, which concluded last weekend. Essentially, the weekday routine was; school, couple of hours at home, then training. It’s been tiring, but it was worth it. I swam four events; 50 breastroke (41:54), 50 butterfly (34:40), 100 breastroke (1:28:21) and 200 butterfly (2:51:81). In the 200 butterfly I made the final and finished sixth, which I was very happy with considering I started the day seeded 15th. And afterwards, we still managed to pop into Ham Wall for some birding on the way back (I will be writing about that soon). I’ve also managed to get up to Emsworthy Mire to go Cuckoo spotting!
I’ve also remained committed to the Dartmoor Youth Rangers, having done many activities over the last few months including archeological maintenance work, bird surveys, hedgerow surveys, building boardwalks and even lambing. Its good and enjoyable work, and it builds a wealth of experience for the future. I think I would enjoy a job title like ‘Dartmoor Ranger’, so it’s brilliant for the CV. Also, its really fun!
So, in a nutshell, I should be back for good now, and come to think of it, I’ve already at least one of a burst of new posts lined up. I just thought I’d better give you an update and say sorry for my continual absence over the last few months. Watch this space!
The Bovey Birder 