update

My last post I did the other day was, as I said, supposed to be posted in May. So this post now will basically say what I have been doing since then (may/June).

So 7 months (wow) have gone so quickly, and alot has happened! I completed my degree, graduated, got a flat with my boyfriend, got a job, got engaged and moved down to the south of England from the Midlands.

Yes I do miss the Midlands, and my job....a lot! but things happen that you can't control. the way I see it is that down south there may be more opportunities for me to get some work in environmental conservation, as I have a degree in pphysical geography and geology. things will work out for the best...

My family have been SO supportive of me, of what decisions I have made and I am so lucky to have that! Wish I could make it up to them, as they deserve so much! If you are reading this, miss you and THANK YOU!

As I have said before, my aim is to save up, get experience and travel! This is still in effect, just now a mountain has been uplifted in front of my journey now and I need to prepare, work and climb over it! I will get there.

"If you can dream it, you can do it"

Tolkien weekend in Oxford

I'm back!
This is a late post as I have been busy the past couple of months. This post was supposed to be posted in May sometime. Oops!

Anyway as the title says, I will be talking about the Tolkien weekend me and my boyfriend went on, on the 5th May. My birthday was on the 4th and his the 6th so its the perfect time to get away. We have both wanted to go to Oxford for some time and we jumped at the chance. It was the perfect opportunity for me to see all the Tolkien related places, where he studied, lived and worked.

The first day there didn't go as well as we planned, the city was absolutely packed, no parking spots in the center and cyclists all in the road made us a little stressed, but in the end we parked near Tolkiens home and walked into the city center (after visiting the house of course). The house was lovely but couldn't see it properly as there were trees and a tall fence around it.

That was the only Tolkien related place we visited that day as we planned to go to the cinema to see Iron Man 3 and celebrate my boyfriends birthday. The next day was going to be more Tolkien related.

The next day on the 6th we got the shuttle bus into oxford (to save on parking and we both knew how busy a Saturday is going to be in Oxford). I have been to Oxford before so I know a tiny bit about it. We went to a tourist information centre and purchased a Tolkien booklet, with all the places to visit which are related to him. Also within this information centre I noticed how little amount of Tolkien memorabilia they had there considering he spent a large majority of his life studying, working and living in Oxford. But they had a large section on Harry Potter. Yes scenes from HP were filmed in Oxford but Tolkien wrote his masterpieces in this city. but anyway....

During the day we visited 2 local pubs in which he and the Inklings visited regularly (I sat where they sat in the Eagle and Child) :D. We also visited the places where is lived and worked and also studied. It was an amazing weekend away. Before we left to go home we also visited his grave in wolvercote cemetery.

My Dream

As said in my last post, my aim in life is to work up, save up and lift off. This is referring to while I am working,  I am also saving up enough money to go travelling/visit countries that I have always wanted to visit. I don't know how long this will take as there are things such as flat deposits to think about at the moment, but I am hoping after a few years I would have saved enough. I know I will get there in the end, and as many people have said to me, I have my whole life to travel, only problem is I am a very impatient person.Overall I want to be able to have the money to just get on a plane, and go places, see the world in all its glory.

I want to be a wanderer, wander the corners of  the earth, visited places rarely touched and visited by the public. I don't know why but lately I have become to determined and passionate about this aim, wish, target. Maybe it was a quote from The Hobbit book and film.
Quote is as follows:

"The world is not in your books and maps, it's out there"

Another quote from the book is equally as inspiring: 

"Home is now behind you, the world is ahead!"

Both quotes are said by Gandalf in both the book and the film, this makes me think, if Gandalf turns up at my door, asking me to go on an adventure, I would say yes in a second. 

K

Work up, Save up, Lift off!

Today has been one of them need to get stuff done but my bed is too comfy sort of days, this resulted in me getting out of bed at around 12 :( oops.

But besides that I have applied to 5 jobs today, never realised how long it actually takes to write an application. I've always thought what would be my perfect job, since I was little I've gone through many 'career' changes, from a fairy, vet, being in the Navy, Air Hostess, Archaeologist, Geologist, Palaeontologist, Volcanologist and most recently a Geomorphologist. At the moment I would love to go into a career in conservation....work for the National Trust would be amazing, but all the vacancies that I seem suited for are all either quite far away or you need a driving licence (which I don't have). I don't have the money to travel far for an interview (if I even get one) and to relocate if I get the job etc. So I have applied and will continue applying for Jobs around my home town/city. Why can't job hunting be like a Sims game!.

A great job would be working for the Tolkien Society (do they have vacancies?). I would love to run events and tributes to the great author. Or maybe to travel, visit and document the many places that inspired him, that would be amazing. Having a job that involves travelling around the world to many exotic countries is my aim and sole purpose in life (finally settling in NZ). This aim cannot be achieved straight away, my head needs to realise that. My plan is to work up, save up and lift off. I can be very determined when I want to be.

Till tomorrow

K 

Well you have to begin somewhere...

So, this is the beginning of my blog, it will be about my 2 main areas of interests in my life and they are of J.R.R Tolkien and of Geology and Physical Geography....basically the Earth!.

It is pretty late at the moment, but I can't sleep so I might as well get a start on this.

So how did these interests come to light? The geographical side, not so sure to be honest, maybe from geography at school or most possibly from my dad as he has always been one to travel, both personally and with work, in fact he is in Vietnam right this moment on holiday. He has travelled to many places around the world, from Yellowstone in America all the way to China (that one is for work) but his travels has always inspired me to see the world as well, mainly in the form of a career (I once wanted to be an Air Hostess (do they still call them that?)). This may have fuelled my growing interest in Geography and the tectonic processes happening right this moment that over many millions of years shaped the world we live in.

My father also has a large world map in his spare room/office where he places pins on all the countries where he has visited, and yes there are many. I am proud to say that yes he is an inspiration to me, I wish to in the future travel to as many, maybe more countries that he has. New Zealand is my ultimate target and aim, and that's were J.R.R Tolkien fits in.

I am not ashamed to admit that my 'obsession' with Middle-Earth and Tolkien began with when I first saw The Fellowship of the Ring in the cinema in 2001, which my dad also took me to see. I was 10 at the time and absolutely loved it! After seeing of the films I straight away borrowed my dads The Lord of the Rings book, and read it. Yes it was a hard read, but again I loved it!. Since then I became obsessed with everything The Lord of the Rings. Over the next couple of years I would come across other books by Tolkien. The Hobbit I brought at a indoor market for about a £1 and I couldn't put it down. It is now my all time favourite book (I now have 3 copies of it).

Some of my J.R.R Tolkien Collection

Over the years my collection of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien memorabilia has steadily grown, and will continue to do so in the future.

More posts will come (maybe tomorrow) about the movies, books, all things geology/geography related (news). 

Till Then

K