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Princess Anne visited our college on Monday. She came to officially open the impressive new Learning Centre and it was (literally) a flying visit, but with a lot of security and organisation involved. She arrived by helicopter while the first year agrics. were in the lab studying covalent bonding and molarity (cue plenty of jokes about the furry sort of mole as opposed to the atomical sort). The plan was to disect rats on Monday, but this wasn't possible with the arrival of the princess.
Her arrival also meant the removal of several bins off the campus, and fierce security meant students weren't allowed to go anywhere without an official escort on the day. Apparently,there were dogs sniffing round campus checking for bombs, and police everywhere over the weekend .
Unfortunately, our group didn't get to enjoy the princess's visit. The tight schedule ran late and our cold wait by the road side to meet her was little rewarded. Gathered up on a freezing cold day awaiting our escort, ID at the ready, I now know what it feels like to be a sheep.
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Life at Harper feels now completely back to normal, and I’m getting used to having a timetabled week again. I’m studying for a Bachelor of Science, and the second year is definitely proving this with a lot of my modules having a very scientific base. This does mean that sometimes I come out of the lectures with a sore head from all of the thinking, however this could also have something to do with the antics from the previous night!
Harper has a mixture of both four and three year courses, meaning that a number of people I was friends with last year, are now on placement. It’s therefore always good to hear from them, and get some advice on what to look for from a placement, as this is something I am now having to consider myself.
One of the only things that I’m not enjoying up here is the cold, which seems to be significantly different from the temperatures of Devon. Hockey training is held at 7pm on the astro, and every year a few training sessions have to be cancelled when it freezes. It doesn’t feel too far off to me.
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Everything has changed a gear and life here is speeding past all of a sudden. We've settled into the week's timetable of lectures and have discovered the village pub.
The Altisidora (named after a famous race horse) is an pub much loved for miles around. On a Tuesday, we have lectures from 9.00am to 1.00pm, followed by a two hour break before tutorials in the afternoon. This is the opportunity to leave behind the canteen food and treat ourselves. Sitting next to the window, we fuel up while watching the ducks on the pond. As well as lots of activity on the surrounding farms (drilling etc.), there is construction and maintenance work going on in the village and on the college campus. So, we can also admire the range of machinery which regularly passes through the village.
There is disagreement on what the best makes of tractor are. I'm used to a Massey, so remain loyal to that make. The first time I was introduced to fork lift truck driving, about seven months ago, I rang my uncle (who's worked in a fork-lift factory for years) to tell him all about it. "What make was it?" he asked. And all I could say was, "Well, it was green." I learnt you can't be involved in agriculture and describe vehicles in terms of colour. I always try to check the make and model now.
As well as the pub, I've been introduced to playing pool. Initially rubbish at it, I think I might be improving. It helps being a girl as you're more likely to be helped rather than mocked.
This weekend I'm working on my first assessment, which is an essay and SWOT analysis on the "Biofuel Revolution". It'll conclude with looking specifically at the new biofuel plant which will be opened at Saltend, Hull, in 2009. This could have a big effect on East Yorkshire agriculture, including on this college farm. It was only last week that there was a big conference on biofuels and energy in Nottinghamshire. It's fascinating to look at the various angles and opinions on both the global and local scale, and watch an industry fast in the making - for good or bad.
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I can remember from last year how fast the weeks went by, and this year is shaping up to be no exception. Monday is the start of the third week at Harper. BSc Agriculture at Harper is a four year course, of which the third year is spent in industry. This means that we are already being encouraged to think about a placement job for next year, and although all of my previous job experiences have been on farms, I'm considering applying for something a bit different, in order to gain some variation.
Talking of variation, this weekend I've been at Birmingham University, staying with my girlfriend. Even though we're not really 'city people', it's always interesting to view the contrast between our two Unis; one campus obviously being considerably bigger than the other. I think it's fair to say that there are definite pros and cons to each type of University, but for me I'm definitely happy with my choice of Harper!
At home the drilling is well underway, and the long hours of the summer seem to have continued for everyone on the farm. Both me and my brother left shortly after the late harvest; me to come back to Harper, and Matt leaving to work in New Zealand for 6 months. A larger portion of the acres are being ploughed this year, due to favourable conditions, and in an attempt to control the grass-weed issues left by the wet summer. As we crop grain maize our second harvest will soon begin, and I'm eager to get home one weekend to help out. I only hope that the weather is a little kinder this time!