Tickets and Immaculate Conception!!
Well the visas haven’t been sorted I still don’t have anywhere to research in Brazil my flight tickets have been sent out but I am allowed to take my research equipment in my hold luggage and have got a printed email saying so!! It is now 2 weeks before I fly out and to say I am panicking is an understatement. The rucksack has been packed, unpacked slimmed down items kicked out things added to it padlocks added to it new bank accounts set up and the bon voyage party in Kent is Friday.

I still don’t know what is happening Sao Paulo leg of the trip.

Today myself and the Denny family went round Kew gardens. It wasn’t quite what I expected after 4 hours we hadn’t covered half of the place, to do it justice I think you would have to go for 2 days. I went to Kew to speak to a chap called Craig who works in the library there and said he would help identify some of the plants that have been written in some of the articles I have found that Toucans have particularly favoured eating from. After doing web searches I could find out local names and descriptions of some of the plants but not actual photos or common names.

The library there is HUGE thankfully I found out the majority of the plants in 2 books so have notes what they look like and the seeds. Failing that he has said that if I bring back photos or examples of the plants that they will help me identify them.

The otherbit of information I found out today is by far the most worrying yet by far the funniest. I found a site that introduces you to the local area again Jujuy where there was a section on festivities. Well seeing as I am there for Christmas and New Year I thought it would be interesting to find out local traditions and festivities. Some of which are quite interesting the folklore behind the traditions etc. The children do what they call ribbon dancing on Xmas eve around a pole which sounds like maypole dancing but at Christmas so in certain areas there are particular events and a general one for the whole region. So from the 1st December there are Christmas Cribs then across the whole region as of the 8th December it says immaculate conceptions. I openly admit I giggled then burst out laughing then Mikey one of the cockatoos started laughing which set me off even more and then the visions…

Given the spelling of my name is the Gaelic for Mary, given I am in the area for Christmas and there are immaculate conceptions going on across the area I started to panic. Even more so that I hadn’t got a Joseph and I had played Mary in a school nativity once when v little!! I’m presuming there is a bit more to it and it probably is a literal translation but Laura has told me I’m not allowed plus I haven’t got a permit for it!!!