h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well that was quite a busy week... I was out on site a few times, saw a deer with some very fine antlers while I was sampling on Wednesday. The valley was beautiful that morning - russet red and gold all up the sides, and mist in the bottom rising from the river. The mist was echoed by the steam rising from the cooling towers behind, and higher up a faint waft seen from the stack. The dogs in the kennels on the other side were doing their usual chorus, maybe they get fed at about that time, as it always seems to be about 8-8:30ish that they're audible? Then driving up around to a different part of the site, watching the trains shunt the wagons round, slowly creeping forward as each in turn drops the fuel into the chutes below. Big blue diesels, barely ticking over; the driver in the one waiting has his feet up and is reading the paper. The pops from the overpressure valves on the plant that takes the fuel from the store to the power plant, and the whirring of conveyors and fans. Two guys wandering up and down the tracks checking the points and clips, the metallic clang echoes off the buildings each time they wallop* one to see if it's in place with a long bar.

*I'm sure wallop isn't the technical railway term

This time of year is always really busy, as well as getting the final sampling rounds done for the year I have to write the end of year reports summarising the trends and any issues we've had (thankfully very few). That and doing some work for my professional society (memo to self, never volunteer!), coming up with some Christmas tree ideas for the choir's entry into the Tree competition and all those usual mundane thingamys that make up life.

[Amy P]