The best way to spend summer


What is the best thing you can do in summer?  Most of us would include the beach, camping, swimming, picnics, kayaking, tramping, sunbathing etc. All really great activities which I like to participate in.  However this summer I decided to further my education by completing a compulsory course towards my long unfinished degree in geography.  I was a little unsure about this choice as I am not generally known for my natural talent in communication, however I was hoping it may improve my general writing ability.

Anyway...here we are.  In the last 10 weeks, I and we (my team) have strived to do our very best in this course, with reasonable but not brilliant results. I did enjoy the assessment topics given to us and surprisingly, I really enjoyed writing the blog. Assessment two was the most frustrating part of the course, not because of the team aspect but more that we struggled to understand the ethical focus of the report.  Our queries to our tutor never really clarified this much for us (even though he tried).


The three thing I will remember about this course:

• Easy! The team, the team and the team.

The key things I have learnt about science communication:

• Referencing is very finicky and difficult.
• Think of the audience.
• The Belbin roles were fascinating and I could really see how these worked in a team situation.
• How and why different writing is structured.

What I still need to learn:

• How to edit better.  I am not a completer finisher and usually lose interest by this point. I try to write correctly the first time with a minor edit.
• How to structure a sentence better and more to the point.
• I know there is loads more but I can't think of it.

My recommendations:

• It would be great if there had been a general statement about the marking of the assessments, so that we could ascertain how we had done against others.
• There was a lot of information given that didn't relate to the content of the course, for instance the readings and resources on deep ecology.  I still have no idea why I wasted my time reading these.
• Many of the lesson materials referred to an earlier assessment topic information.  It would of been more useful to be from the current paper.

I am not sure if this was the best way to spend summer but it certainly was a useful way. I am off to the beach until the next semester starts.  Over and out.

T.E.A.M. - Together Everyone Achieves More

Thats the theory isn't it.  The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  However I am not sure TEAM always works out that way.


Forming a unknown team is always an uncomfortable and delicate process. Will personalities get on?  Is everyone working towards the same goal? Will everyone put in the necessary work to produce the outcome required?  I am sure being in a team can be a frustrating and lonely process.

In this case, we had to form teams ourselves, to produce two group assessments.  When faced with this objective, I decided to find team members in a similar life situation to me, so that we could understand each other and communicate (hopefully) well. I read the introductions posted on the forum until I thought one sounded like me and then responded.

We decided to schedule twice weekly skype meetings before we started on our first group assessment, so that we could get to know each other and figure out our place and purpose in the team  Although not as good as face to face discussion, this worked very well.  We then discussed roles that were needed to get the first team assessment started and considered what we were good, and not so good at.

Catherine naturally seemed to take charge, getting us to know each other, drive and chair the meeting, making her the team leader and obvious co-ordinator, which she was very good at. Liz put her hand up to act as editor but also contributed some brilliant ideas and different ways to approach any problem. Emma offered some really great and quirky suggestions with research to back it up and was also excellent in times of energy lag, getting us up and working again with her enthusiasm.  She was keen and eager to take on any work. I like to know exactly how to approach a problem and make a plan to get it done.  I am not good at ideas or finishing the end of a project, luckily others had that role.

The Belbin team role lessons were fascinating and as it turned out, completely viable for our team.  We all did a test to analyse which three Belbin roles best fit, the three were were versatile in and the three were were uncomfortable with.  All of us were team workers able to cooperate well without any friction, which worked very well.  All other roles were filled by our versatile abilities except specialist, which no-one seemed to be.  I am sure on this occasion we didn't need a specialist as all of our research was new to us.

I think we all mainly kept to our roles, only faltering slightly if one person was missing from a discussion and decision making.  I am a very flexible person, happy to be persuaded into another idea, if there is a reasoning behind it.  We could discuss ideas well and with little disagreement.

The only difficulty was the pressure in the few days before assessment two was due.  Our poor editor had to control all the changes being made.  I am sure she needed a holiday after we submitted assessment 2.  Well done Liz!

Assessment 3 brought some other technical challenges which not all of us were skilled in.  Luckily Catherine was able to tackle that frustrating challenge. Sorry I was't much help.

I think in our team there were two main leadership theories which were obvious. We all seemed to naturally have traits (trait theory).  Catherine was naturally a leader and coordinator, Emma an ideas and team worker, Liz an ideas and finisher and me a planner/coordinator and worker.  I think these traits are natural to us and have evolved through our lives.  We were just lucky that we managed to gather together a team of complementary traits.  I can only imagine how this could turn out with a different grouping of people.  Can you imagine a team of ideas people? they would never achieve anything or agree.

The other leadership theory which was used in our team was the democratic style (style theory).  The decision making process was very equitable, made all together.  All ideas were listened to and if not used, then there was a reason why.  Everyone had a say.  I believe this made everyone on team relatively happy with what we achieved in the end.

As the sun sets on our teamwork, I believe that we worked together productively and convivially and have achieved more as a team.  I have really enjoyed working with them.  Thanks to Emma, Liz and Catherine.

The ectoparasite is coming to drink your blood...

Sounds rather drastic, however it is a common occurrence in many households around the world, including mine.  These small vampires are the scurge of parents everywhere, frustrating and disgusting at the same time, proving immensely difficult to get rid of.

Head lice.  Horrible things.  We have been fighting this problem on and off for seven years now.  The most frustrating aspect is that the child keeps picking them up again from friends or classmates.

As soon as I hear the word lice, my scalp gets really, really itchy.  The power of suggestion is amazing!

Why are they so hard to get rid of?  They have a life cycle which makes particular timing of the treatments necessary, otherwise the lice will flourish again.  The egg takes 7-10 days to hatch, the lice takes 10 days to reach maturity and then lives for up to another 20, laying numerous eggs.  The problem is that the treatments don't necessarily get rid of the eggs which are tricky to remove as they are "glued" on.  So the treatment only kills (if done thoroughly) the live nits.  The treatment must be done on a regular basis of approximately 3 lots every 7 days to ensure that all are dead and have not had a chance to re-populate the head.  It all adds up to very careful timing or reinfection.

One summer we had been at our summer campsite for no longer than 24 hours when we discovered that our boy child was prolifically populated with creatures.  As we had no supermarket nearby, no treatment anywhere, we shaved off all his hair, problem solved!  He has never had them again.

Due to the particular timing, I suspect that many caregivers forget or neglect to give the follow up treatments in time, leaving the child with a few that will repopulate.

Another problem can be reinfection by another child.  Regular contact with a child that is not treated sufficiently will ensure repopulation.  It is an ongoing hazard.

I will be very happy when my youngest gets past this point in child development.  Off to shampoo again!

How did you manage to get so much custard out of such a small cat?1 

This summer our family has been lucky to go on three small holidays.  Each one comes with its very own road trip - there and back. Unfortunately we have a problem.  One of the small beasts likes to vomit in the car...alot.  Today we had only travelled for ten minutes, when a little voice says "Mum, I don’t feel good".  It really wasn’t a good thing to hear at the START of a six hour journey. Nonetheless, we managed to make it home, with only 13 stops and two vomits. Sigh. 

Motion sickness is a confusion between your eyes and your ears. Your eyes are focused on the stable, internally unmoving car, whereas your inner ears are moving with your body sway.  Basically your eyes are expecting something different than what they get.  Motion sickness can also happen in a boat, plane or even a fairground ride.

Many people get motion sickness - myself included.  Apparently even Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson suffered from sea sickness. Can you imagine spending around 34 years sailing on the ocean if you were queasy all the time! He wrote "I am ill every time it blows hard and nothing but my enthusiastic love for the profession keeps me one hour at sea 2."

So why does this happen?  Nobody really knows.   There seems to be a genetic element involved as to who suffers from motion sickness and who doesn't but there is no clear understanding to why some people do, and why some people don't.

What can be done about it? The easiest answer is to try to orientate ourselves better - make your eyes see what the body is going to feel.  Being the driver is the best answer of all.  If not, look out the window of the car at what is coming, rather than the inside of the car, or the interesting book you are reading.  This doesn't help at sea though.  The googlerator suggests other possible answers including; chewing gum, ginger, a non-fatty meal or fresh cool air. There is also some medications that can help severe motion sickness.

I will need to do some testing to see if any of these answers will work well with our small beast.  Luckily (or possibly unluckily) we are off on another car journey in the next week.

Did anyone get the title reference?  Its from the best television show ever - Blackadder goes forth1.

1 Curtis, R., & Elton, B. (Writers). (1989, September 28). Captain Cook [Television episode]. In J. 

Lloyd (Producer), Blackadder goes forth. BBC One. 

2  Lord Nelson seasickness letter goes on display. (2012, December 10). Retrieved January 13, 2016, 

     from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-20662931 

Little boy 

Sounds so harmless, doesnt it? 

Hot summer afternoon swimming in the Hurunui River

So far this summer, Canterbury weather has been a beachgoers dream.  Long warm summer days, perfect for camping and swimming. 

However in many parts of the world there is inclement weather causing many fatalities and having worldwide affects.  In the last few weeks there has been flooding in England, South America and midwest USA, a hurricane in Scotland, tornadoes in USA, a cyclone in Iceland and freakishly warm weather at the North Pole and California...in winter!  All this is after the hottest July on record and possible hottest year ever. 

The main cause of all of this is "little boy" or El Nino.  The El Nino Southern Oscillation is a shift in the normal weather patterns which occur every two to seven years.  Normally trade winds blow towards the west from tropical South America to Southern Asia, pushing warmer water into the western Pacific. This pulls an upwelling of colder water from deep in the ocean along the South America Pacific coastline.  The warmer water warms the air, which rises and forms moisture laden clouds and unsettled weather.  When the air has cooled and dried it then blows back across the pacific in the upper atmosphere and descends at the eastern Pacific. 

If the westerly trade winds weaken, El Nino conditions arise.  Less warm water is pushed into the western Pacific, less cold water upwells from the ocean along South America.  The lack of wind warms the tropical mid Pacific water more than usual and causes the unsettled moisture laden air to move across to the mid Pacific and the cooler, drier air to descend in the western Pacific.  This change effects the temperature and weather systems across the whole planet.   

Typical El Nino weather patterns include more tropical storms in the south west Pacific, higher rainfall in South and North America and parts of Africa and lower rainfall in Australia and India which can cause extreme draught.  New Zealand usually experiences a drier than normal east coast and wetter than normal west coast.

El Nino can have serious affects on economies, typically in Asia and the Pacific as well as causing fire, draught, flooding, and is believed to be partially responsible for historical famine and plague.  All this from a little boy!

Bailing a sinking ship 

I love a good storm. A storm front is an amazing wondrous thing to watch. Our house has a fantastic view to the south, which is where all good weather fronts come from in Canterbury. From our deck we have watched many amazing thundery, or rainy, or snowy, or hail front arrive. Often the weather changes from a beautiful warm calm sunny day to a cold mad swirling stormy mess within a very short time. 

Thunderstorms are created by a lifting parcel of warm air, often when a cooler front advances, pushing the warm air upwards rapidly. The rising air cools fast and condenses, releasing latent heat energy which fuels the thunderstorm.  Thunderstorms typically have towering cumulonimbus clouds up to 12km high with distinctive anvil shaped heads.  Hail is formed in a thunderstorm as ice crystals grow as they are spun up and down in the rising and cooling air.  The ice crystals receive many layers of condensation which freeze and are recoated until too heavy for the wind. 

Last Sunday we had a tremendous rumbly, thundery, hail storm. We followed the dark clouds slowly encroaching us, billowing high above the approaching storm front. As the lightening got closer we listened to the thunder, counting together how long and how far away it was. When it passed over us, the hail started, with a great loud roar. Hail coated everything in white. It looked like a northern hemisphere Christmas!  

After the hail came the rain. Big fat drops falling very hard and very thickly. Masses of water coming down.  Now the problem with water is that it has to have somewhere to go, otherwise it can cause a nasty situation. On this particular day, the hail was thick and clogged the drains and gutters. Adding to it was that the weather had been dry lately and the streets hadn't been swept of the leaves that seem to continuously fall. 

At one point, a wee while after the heavy rain started, I wandered past my front door and my eye caught on a puddle at my front door. It wasn't just a small puddle, it was well over the bottom of the door and water was pouring down the street from above our house on the hill. The drain at the top of the street had failed and water was streaming down our street, part of it coming in our drive to puddle, or rather lake in the porch.   

Panic!   

Out came the kids and the buckets, and along with our neighbours, we desperately diverted the stream, unclogged the drains, soaked up the river coming in the door and bailed the front porch. All before a major catastrophe. It was lucky we were home. The front door is at the top of the house and any water coming in there would travel down the stairs through the whole house. 

 Unfortunately our neighbours below us had the same stream travel through their brand new garage which was storing their furniture to move into their brand new rebuilt home. Rather unlucky and unfortunate.  

I am not sure I will be quite so excited next time a thunderstorm approaches.  More than likely I will be slightly apprehensive about what could happen.  

Ode to explorers everywhere  

We went for a great overnight run (or perhaps walk) up Mt Somers this weekend.  Mt Somers is a beautiful extinct volcano with native bush covering the lower slopes and open mountain terrain facing the Southern Alps.  Along the track we ran into a couple of hunters carrying guns.  They had been off track to hunt deer in the area.  On this occasion they were no carcasses strung over their shoulders.  There are many deer, wild pigs, possums and rabbits around the mountains as well as many introduced plants.  How did our countryside get filled with introduced wild animals and plants? 

View from Mt Somers

  

Like all countries, ours is filled with introduced animals.  Some have obviously invaded or stowed away on ships that came exploring. However many species were intentionally introduced by well meaning colonial explorers throughout the world. 

Early explorers such as Christopher Colombus started a massive sharing of plants, animals and subsequently, disease.  Soldiers missionaries and privateers followed the soldiers, who let off livestock at every island and port they passed, so that they may have a food supply wherever they travelled.  In many places, the introduced animals and plants had no competition and bred like rabbits.  They also carried pests and disease that obliterated some native species and damaged the land.  The colonists who followed quickly added more species. 

Plants were introduced that thrived with careful attention back at home, but turned into invasive weeds in a different climate.  Broom was introduced in the early 1800s as a cheap hedging plant for farmers.  It is unpalatable to stock, seeds energetically and has a dense habit, all of which seemed positive to the farmers. Environment Canterbury now lists it as one of our most troublesome introduced plants which has invaded most of New Zealand.  The most optimistic local councils list its management as "controlled containment", which means that the further spread of it is hoped to be limited. 

Biosecurity has been a fascinating topic to research.   I have often wondered when out in the mountains, how a plant or animal managed to make its home there.  During my research I ended up reading the book "A plague of rats and rubbervines: the growing threat of species invasions" by Yvonne Baskin.   This book gave a great entertaining discussion on how and why species came to be where they are now.  I ended up reading the whole book!  It certainly has helped me understand why there were hunters on the top of Mount Somers hoping to take home some wild venison. 

  

References

Baskin, Y. (2002). A plague of rats and rubbervines: The growing threat of species invasions.  

Washington, DC: Island Press.  

Environment Canterbury. (n.d.). Gorse and Broom. Retrieved from://ecan.govt.nz/advice/your-land/plant-animal-pests/managing-plant-pests/Pages/gorse-broom.aspx