Week 2 was college, which was... not as exciting as expected. I thought I'd be in for learning something new and exciting every few minutes but instead it was risk assessments, manual handling and health and safety. The college itself is beautiful. Kingston Maurward, a big old manor house with sprawling grounds. They do horticulture, agriculture and outdoor adventure courses and they've got a huge equine area too. We spent 2 days at KM and 3 studying online from home. They've changed the course this year so instead of being a Level 2 Diploma in Environmental Conservation it's now a Level 2 in Countryside Working, which is a bit of a downfall, it doesn't have the same clout to it in my opinion. 

Week 3 was back to the office. This week I've done more bridges and stiles and I've also taken trees down. A big old oak had lost a limb over a footpath and it was our job to clear it and make the path safe. So - on the coldest day ever - we trekked down the overgrown path to find the beast and employed the trusty hedgecutters and the grillo to clear the way. The tree was leaning over on 3 enormous branches so we slowly cleared our way to get to them, cutting smaller branches off and flinging them into the bush pile. We used a chainsaw and a pole saw (quite literally a chainsaw on the end of a really long pole) to pull it down piece by piece and control the fall. Got absolutely soaked in the process as it chucked it down. I've never been so glad to get home and into the shower!! And it's not even winter yet...