Hi, I'm not really very good at writing about myself, and usually end up going off on tangents, but I will try and stick to the bits which are relevant here. So, I'm in my early 30s, and work as a primary school teaching assistant. Some of my outdoor hobbies include conservation work, rock climbing and I have also recently tried sailing.
I am originally from Japan, and perhaps having spent my formative years there has given me an outsider's perspective on life in the UK. I moved here to study, and because most of my mum's side of the family are dotted around the country, I've been well looked after during half terms and holidays when it was too short a time to go back to Japan. Tokyo where I spent a lot of my formative years seems to me now to be a crowded and sprawling metropolis - and at the time I didn't really know about all the outdoor pursuits I'd be able to take up when I moved here. The Peak District is a particularly rich opportunity as I enjoy rock climbing in the summer months. I also go out to do some outdoors work with a small group of conservation volunteers in Sheffield, who also team up occasionally with the Wildlife Trust.
When winter arrives, I tend to follow my other passions: I enjoy dancing in particular. Having had two parents who were professional ballet dancers has probably seeped into my genetic make-up. I have strayed away from the disciplined and physically demanding world of ballet though, having taken up the more laid back style of "lindihop" swing dancing (I also go because I think it is a very friendly and sociable group who go).
I think in terms of what I'm like as a person, I'd have to go on what my friends say about me. Now I'm only human, so I'm not going to mention all the criticisms they have, only the good things! They have basically said that I'm good humored, conscientious and also slightly quirky.. The slightly quirky bit, I'm not sure whether it's a compliment or not, but I thought I better mention it, because I do do things which might seem a bit strange and unusual. I remember once sitting around a table in a pub with my work friends, and we went around saying what we would be getting up to during the week-end. Amidst the "normal" stuff like going to see friends and watching the football, rugby, etc.. I might have mentioned that I was going on a mushroom foraging trip in a local park, and most of them burst out laughing. (I actually thought it was a pretty sensible thing to do - if I'm ever stuck in the woods with no food, surely it's a good idea to be able to recognize the edible mushroom from the poisonous one?)
Anyway, I am also a proud owner of two cats: Lucky and Leek, who are probably more connected and keen on being outdoors than I am. Even now in early December in the wake of hurricane Desmond sweeping the country, they are spending time outdoors..
With the Christmas holidays looming, I am looking for ways to fight off the blues which I sometimes feel at this time of the year when there seem to be so few daylight hours. Being with my extended family in the UK has been one of my saving graces, and my aunt being the generous soul that she is has sort of adopted me during the Christmas period, knowing that my immediate family are half way across the world. I still secretly long for the times when the days get longer again, and I can start contemplating the promise of long days, extended evening sunlight, and the warm weather, then I feel driven to do more than sit wrapped up in layers of warm blankets watching TV with a cup of tea..
