Gloucestershire, Jul14

I spoke too soon! Almost as soon as we got back to Oban, Susan was planning another trip! She was invited for a job interview at a Falconry Centre near Gloucester a few days after our return to Bangor (we had a dog show to attend with Wish first).

We travelled by train on the Monday and were Couchsurfing for the week with Irvine. Tuesday Susan went to her interview and I stayed at home - after my recent trips being gobbled by things, I didn't fancy my chances with 300 birds of prey! She returned to say that it had gone well and she had been shortlisted to attend a work day on the Thursday, which was a brilliant achievement. Wednesday Irvine had the day off work so we planned a full day of outings with another Couchsurfer, Andrea. Susan has always wanted to visit the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge, so when Irvine told her it was just down the road, that became the first port of call! It was really good, with well laid out paths and areas for the different birds. I don't think I've ever seen so many birds in one place before! I was safe from being gobbled because you can buy grain to feed the birds, so I think they were all very well fed!



After spending the morning at the Trust HQ, we headed back for lunch before going out in the afternoon to explore the Forest of Dean. Susan has been here once before, many years ago when she went with her mum to pick up Shimmy from her breeder. On that occasion they didn't spend much time in the area so she was very excited to see what was there. Irvine took us to the places he used to hang out when he was a kid growing up in the area, and we found some really lovely walks with stunning views over the Severn Valley. From one, using binoculars, we could even see his flat in Gloucester!

I made another friend, but this time a much more pleasant fellow, called Duck. We posed with eachother at the Roman Road, supposedly the last piece of original paved Roman Road left in the UK. Duck was telling me that he goes to work with Irvine every day, but he rarely gets to go on adventures as Irvine works hard during the summer so that he can spend his winters abroad (he doesn't like the cold and dark.) I think Duck was a bit jealous of all my adventures so I told him I'd post this photo of us so that it looks like he gets to go on some too!

Towards the end of the day, we visited Symonds Yat Rock, a magnificent outcrop that overhangs the Wye River. We all got rather excited when Susan heard a Peregrine Falcon flying overhead and spent a few minutes watching it lift on the air currents before disappearing into the distance at a great height. It was sunny when we arrived but dark clouds were soon rolling in so we beat a hasty retreat before the storm hit.

Irvine suggested grabbing a Chinese from his old village and eating it at one of the other viewpoints, which we all agreed was an excellent idea! Thankfully it rained really heavy for about 10 minutes while we were waiting for our food, then it dried up into another pleasant evening.

Susan had a lovely day at the selection work day, but unfortunately was unsuccessful in gaining her dream job. Still, plenty more to try for, I'm sure, and now that she has a driving license I'm sure we'll be able to go on lots more adventures which may aid her job search.