The Journey so far…
Once upon a time…. Well no it actually started way back in June 2004 , Laura our curator of birds at Leeds Castle had been to China to study the Yellow throated Laughing Thrush (now known as the Blue Crowned Laughing Thrush) that was funded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. It gave me the idea that perhaps I could something similar. And that was as far as it got.. a nice thought.

Then I watched the long way round with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, I was house sitting for a friend at the time at watched his DVDs of the series and became that hooked I watched the whole lot in one night / early morning. I was left so inspired at the sights and the battles they had faced but most of all the fact that they had the balls to follow a dream through even though at times it really didn’t seem like they were ever going to go.

So with a new found desire to go and have my own adventure, a sudden interest in travel but not a clue what to do with it I had a chat with Laura.

She suggested looking at the Winston Churchill website to look at the categories available for the year. There wasn’t an animal related topic that year which meant waiting 12 months. I started reading up on South America and associations out there etc. So in June 2005 we looked again only to find no specific category for animal welfare or field work infact the only reference to animals was something called the Churchill Connection.

The category was a wide variety of topics that all interested Churchill including history, brick laying, animals, literature, politics and the armed forces. We ended up phoning the Trust to see if there were any other guidelines e.g. just domestic animals? It ended up that if it was a good project it would be considered.

Our vet Dr John Lewis does a routine visit roughly every 6 – 8 weeks to the castle so at his next visit myself Laura and John had a chat over lunch about what could be considered as a project to do with Toucans. A diet based project was ruled out simply because you wouldn’t get a true picture of what Toucans eat in 4 – 6 weeks plus my botany is none existent (I know what plants bite back and the obvious like fuchsias but that’s about it!!) So John then suggested Pseudo Tb (no it wasn’t a dish on the menu). John had done a survey that showed it was the biggest killers of Toucans in captivity (See science bit and explanation).

We then had a plan…and the name of a book…and a card from Waterstones to show when the book had arrived at the shop.

2 weeks later the book arrived to a very impatient Mairee. The book entitled Honey guides, Toucans and Barbets became my bible. I learnt so much from the book in a short span of time and use a lot of the facts in my tour that we do on a daily basis in the aviary.

Around about July time I sent off my SAE for the forms from WCMT. I filled in the form and sent that off around about August time, the closing date for all applications was the 20th October. I continued to read up on Toucans almost writing my own novel with the amounts of notes scribbled. We ended up hand rearing 2 Toco Toucan chicks (mum had 1 chick the previous year and did a fantastic job this year she hatched 3 when we watched the nest box cameras the youngest wasn’t responding very well when the parents went in to feed, turned out to be half the bodyweight it should have been for the age it was middle chick went the same way). This was fantastic everything I had read in the book was in real life in front of me and it explained a lot & made more sense in real life than it did in the book!!! (All 3 chicks did really well by the way 1 is at Paradise Park, 1 at Isle of Wight zoo and we have one at Leeds Castle).

Eventually October arrived and the date crawled around. And went. I then got a letter saying I had been short listed for interview. I was so chuffed that I’d been invited to interview. Then I read the small print. I had been dog sitting for a friend and thought I had put the Aviary down as a contact address but the letter had been sent to my home address. I had 4 days to get the forms filled in and sent off to the WCMT several photocopies later and a late night sat up with Laura filling the form in we got it filled in spelt correctly and posted with a day to spare.

I was convinced I had blown it at this stage and started coming up with a Plan B for if I didn’t get the Churchill award. I did get a letter through saying that my interview date was confirmed being Tuesday 24th January at 10.10am.

What with Christmas and New Year time went fairly quickly and before I knew it we were in the 2nd week in Jan and I hadn’t booked a hotel or thought about how I was getting there what outfit I was going to wear ( I can do girly girl every now and then). Ian and Karen helped me with this and when the hotel wouldn’t accept my card sorted that out for me and gave me reference numbers and all sorts.

The day before the interview I started to get so nervous was so desperate not to think about it really so did what every girl does and went and did a bit of retail therapy. I went and ordered my Quecha book and withdrew money for taxis and hotels etc. I then met up with Laura for lunch who advised me all about the latest on bird flu incase they asked and basically pep talked me. Was really hoping they wouldn’t ask me anything about bird flu because I was really beginning to feel a fraud and that actually I don’t know anything.

Still it was a bit late for that at least I had researched Churchill. The local pub I worked in (the George Inn) has a fountain of knowledge between all of its locals and regulars so I had been lent a video that was a 2 hour documentary about Churchill that I sat through and wrote quotes and notes on. What was the betting that they wouldn’t ask me about Churchill and would focus on Whales in the Thames or Bird Flu??? It was when we pulled up at the railway station that it dawned on me that 18 months of research hinged on tomorrow or else plan B & C come into play. Everyone’s advice was just to be yourself which at the end of the day I know is all I can be. I just hope the usual Maireeisms wouldn’t make an appearance.

Well eventually I turned up at Battersea; I timed it just right for rush hour and then couldn’t find a taxi rank so after wandering round for about half hour the local police lady pointed me in the right direction. Had a really nice taxi driver who advised getting a taxi earlier than I thought.

Day of Interview
OH MY GOD I don’t think there’s a name for the amount of times that was said through out the course of the morning. My phone was going mad with texts I had next to no credit and I had already put my nail through a pair of tights.

I stood outside the hotel for 15mins. Not one taxi went past. Tried number from hotel my phone wouldn’t let me ring it. Reception phoned a taxi for me and then got to Queens Gate. Except I needed to be at Queens Gate TERRACE.

The map wasn’t showing any of the road names that were near me. The Maireeisms had hit. So there was nothing else for it the nicely styled and straight hair got scraped into a ponytail a builder gave me directions and I ran…in heels.. for those who don’t know me I work in steel toe capped boots 5/6 days of the week getting me in heels and a skirt is a mammoth task within itself let alone being in both and doing running and dragging a bag with wheels. So I tracked down where I was supposed to be with 10 minutes to spare red cheeked and flustered. Got offered directions to the Ladies within 2 minutes never a good sign!

Took hair out of band and it flounced everywhere like a demented lions mane. Well everyone had told me to be me and my hair never normally does what it’s supposed to! Took deep breath shrugged shoulders and went back outside.

Got talking to the chap who was before me and his project sounded really interesting and far more worthy of a award than mine did and suddenly got very very scared. Interview itself I thought went very so so. The one thing that made me chuckle inwardly was that one of the interviewers had his shoes off and kept wiggling his toes and made me think “ well at least one of us is relaxed”. It was at that point that it dawned on me that this was the moment I had waiting for and everything I had been working towards it was make or break time and that all the Maireeisms had happened for a reason because they are a part of me!! So I had a giggle with the panel, I educated them a little bit so hopefully they will remember me for that and I remembered and used the quotes from the Churchill video and they didn’t ask me about Bird Flu!

First thing out of interview? Sit on the bench around the corner take the heels off and put calf length “biker” style boots on with the skirt and the jacket and the blouse and go see a bit of London.

Following day came to the conclusion it was over and done with nothing else I can do except wait till Feb 13th which is actually the shortest wait I’ve had to do.

10 days later I had a voicemail from Maria to say I had a letter from WCMT. I was in A block at the time and did running (again) down the corridor up the aviary out of the aviary kitchen block across the car park down the estate offices corridor into the accounts office where a very nervous looking Maria was holding the envelope. Don’t actually remember reading anything other than the first line which said May I be one of the first people to congratulate you on the success of you receiving a travel award or something along those lines I think Maria had read it quicker than me because she was bouncing up and down before me then we both were then the whole office was!! So then I did a few tears then I went and ran (becoming a habit) to Mrs Wallace’s office (our MD) and I think managed I’ve got it! Then had all the air knocked out me whilst I got hugged and an excited can I email everyone?! I left Mrs Wallace's office wondering if I should try a do a deep breath yet or if she had indeed broke a rib? I phoned Laura next and said “I’m going” to which Laura responded “where?” bless her it was early! Once I had said Churchill the phone exploded into a high pitched whoo hooo and lots of “I told you so” followed.

Over the last 7 months lots has gone on. I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions and the highs and lows have been too numerous to mention. I have had 13 injections which have all knocked me about in some way varying from flu type symptoms to having  gastro enteritis  all this before I 've gone (did wonders for the waistline though). I’ve almost given up on it on numerous occasions.

We haven’t got any contacts in South America so I have had to start from scratch literally emailing a eco lodge to find out they have the wrong Toucans there and being made to feel very silly then having another person to email and then they pass on 3 people to email and so on and so on. My Brazilian Portuguese is fine as long as I can read it and don’t have to say it pretty much like my Latin American Spanish; I have a new found habit of when trying to speak another language going very Brummie sounding. I’m originally Walsall born and bred but have never really had a Walsall or Brownhillian accent but for some unknown reason when I try talking another language I have a fantastic Brummie accent!!(Im not knocking it in any way before I get complaints)

My advice to anyone who would like to apply for an award and do their own trip is to start well in advance and make sure it is pretty much ready to go when you apply. Brazil stopped talking to me for 10 weeks whilst the world cup was on leaving me 3 weeks to try and get everything sorted needless to say it got put back.

So in 46 days and counting I go to South America where the adventure begins this site is going to record all my misadventures getting over there and whilst I’m out there for 7 weeks.

On the agenda on the run up to me going is me spending an afternoon with Terry (our tree surgeon) and James (our Grounds Manager) learning to climb a tree? I’m concerned already I have visions of getting my knots right and being put in the harness the right way round but ending up dangling by one foot upside down and there’s bound to be water involved. It may be in the form of a puddle or it starts raining but there’s bound to be water. And the worst thing?? There will be photos showing how I get on with it. I have already been sent home with homework in the form of a rope and a karabiner (double locking ill have you know and its Mairee proof which isn’t good). The house mates got quite concerned at the sight of me with a length of rope having asked for bill money two days previously. Karabiners appear to be under the same title as baby stair gates and pill bottle tops they all keep me out. I’m 31 and struggle with the art of opening baby gates and usually end up doing some sort of mad hoppy dance trying to get over it.

Well after practising my bowline and figure of eight knots they actually resemble what the boys did!! And I didn’t get tangled it which is always a bonus. AND AND I’ve mastered the art of Karabiners double locking ones anyway AND I can do it one handed how about that!! Still not mastered baby gates though….