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Rediscovering campus

My day job is at the University of Essex, on a beautiful and quite big campus made up of parkland, woodland and buildings. The buildings are quite 60s, concrete and brutal… but the grounds are spectacular, and we even have two lakes, a country house hotel and a campus “farm” (large allotment, really).

When I first came here, following working close by the Barbican in London (equally brutal but less scenery, more people, and my actual office was the least inspiring building ever), I was captivated. That I could go for walks every day, spend time in woodland and by water, and all without bunking off work or going more than ten minutes from my house, seemed like a dream.

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Somehow, in the last three and a half years, I’d forgotten to be entranced by the gorgeous surroundings I work in. Reading back through my five year diary for a podcast I’m doing soon, I realised how much I longed for green space and water when I couldn’t have it.

I have now firmly told myself off for taking it for granted, and am trying to spend more time outdoors – especially now the weather is behaving itself!

Not your average March view…

Took this a couple of days ago on the way home from work. There are still patches of snow and ice around campus, and there were snowflakes in the air when I left the house this morning.

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And because it seems like an appropriate place to put it, here are some snaps of the new house in the snow. Wasn’t expecting to see it so soon!

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And while it’s very pretty – snow, for the sake of the little plants desperately trying to grow in the last picture – please now DO ONE!!!

Wishing you all a very happy Easter… enjoy the four day weekend!