Take Each Day As It Comes
Last week, I was a guest on Give Bats a Podcast, which was fun, talking about bats, conservation, working in Malawi and radio tracking. Even though I don't want to work in Ecology anymore, doesn't mean I don't still care about wildlife and the environment. It is something I am still deeply passionate about however I just need to find something that pays better for the efforts put in. I have had a great time working in the jobs I have for the last decade almost but the time has come to shake it up a bit.
The interesting thing is Nottingham still feels like a space to rethink, recalibrate and quietly ask what's next. When I first moved up here in 2012 I was fresh out of University having done my bachelors. Was a volunteer keeper having worked mainly with big cats and primates and I worked as a chef through Uni to earn too. When I first moved to Nottingham I was cheffing initially, then next thing you knew I was baking and ended kind of having a café. Then by chance I ended up with bats a few years later.
I feel like I am back again like I was then. No fixed masterplan, just taking each day at a time. Seeing what opportunities lie ahead. What will I dabble into next? Whilst back, I managed to catch up with lots of friends from Nottingahm and as it was one of my friends 30th birthday meal so, that ended up being a great re union and with lots of people out! Happy to have a network of good people up here.
Mum's doing well, steadily rebuilding her strength. Glad to see her coming along and feeling positive. She has her graduation coming up and glad she is feeling well enough to attend. So proud of her for completing her degree in Fine Art at NTU as a mature student in her 50s and through covid! Now it is a little bittersweet that as she completes the degree she has received this heartbreaking news about cancer.
I've been learning more about nutrition, looking deeper into alkaline versus acidic foods and their impacts on the body, s well as inflammation, effects of ultra-processed foods… and the deeper I go, the more conflicted I feel. I stepped away from ecology partly because of my beliefs about broken systems, yet working in commercial kitchens doesn't automatically feel morally better. Profit still shapes decisions. Convenience still wins. Some of the kitchens I am working in are just gross… I won't name names but some of them portray themselves as ethical with good food choices to be made, behind close doors, deep fat frying pre packaged and batter foods in GMO deep fat fryers…. Hmmmm… not what I had in mind.
I have got some interesting stuff coming up, I have been asked to also take part in a series called "Cooking on a Budget" content that I am actually excited to film it. The series is by local charity SFice and looks at being able to show people how to cook a healthy meal for 4 for no more than £4. Practical, accessible meals without the hype. Maybe that's part of the direction: translating knowledge into something useful and grounded.
