OMGoodness, what can I say about today. It’s certainly been full of new experiences.

I was up early as always. Every night, all through the night, I fight with my covers and end up with a jumble of covers strewn all across my bed. My back aches and I contemplated lying longer as I was still tired but what is the point, I’d probably just drift off, my alarm would go and I’d just be frustrated. So up I got to face another day.

We expected a lightening storm early in the morning that didn’t happen but the menacing clouds remained low and the breeze was strong and warm.

I decided to go down to the beach to see what the tide brought in. The winds had been strong and the seaweed and debris was high up against the tide line.

I love beach combing, I find the anticipation exciting and I wasn’t disappointed but unfortunately everything I found was dead.

I could see little tunnels running just under the surface of the sand and I followed it until it stopped dead and disappeared deeper into the layer below. After a little digging I came across the above strange wee creature which apparently is a grasshopper – what it’s doing in the middle of the beach a long way away from grass I’ll never know.

Next, a handsome little snake probably about a metre long. It was black on top but the underside was a very colourful black and bright yellow.

and a few bones from the remains of the local seal lions

I could have stayed all morning and all afternoon walking up and down the beach searching but my duties called.

I made my way up the beach, up the boardwalk and on to the little path that would take me to the centre. My first duty today to help in rehab – an area at the back of the containment area where a variety of treatments were carried out.

Our first casualty was a poor exhausted juvenile greenback turtle which had a full mini ecosystem growing on its shell.

But this itself was valuable information. We picked off each individual species and separated then into little pots before washing the carapace clean to reveal a beautiful patterned shell below.

lunch time and it was my time to cook for 13 people. Unfortunately we were low on provisions so whatever was on the shelf was combined to make a meal: spaghetti with tomato and vegetable sauce and baked garlic bread with oregano & mozzarella cheese. I think it was received well – well at least it was eaten.

Off to do my afternoon chore – I say chore, but none of this work is a chore, I love every single aspect of this experience. So many new and exciting opportunities. Anyway, in the afternoon we had to perform 4 necropsies on the dead turtles to try and establish the cause of death. There are no lab facilities to perform details analysis but basic investigation would give enough information.

Removing the plastron (breast cartilage) was easier than I had anticipated. The technique was to cut round the perimeter at the soft tissue and separate it from the muscle layer which was attached on the underside. The full bowel and pulmonary system contents lay in the bowl of the upturned carapace (hard shell) and the anatomy was very much the same as most mammals except there was no diaphragm separating the two systems which was weird to see.

Every organ was removed and examined inside and out for any changes to normal composition. In this particular case, poor wee amber, there was nothing major to be seen, just a few hard nodules in the lungs which could suggest a form of pneumonia.

We did attempt to complete a second procedure but the carcass that was handed in had been dead on the beach for quite some time and the gulls had got to it exposing the abdominal cavity which let in the flies to lay their eggs. It was filled with squirming maggots so the procedure was abandoned.

With spare time on my hands I went back to the clinic to the clinic to give I/v fluids and vitamins to the in patients before dinner.

Ashamed to admit, but I had my first hot shower that evening after almost 5 days. On previous days something always happened to disrupt my cleaning protocol and I had to go to bed mingin’ 🤣

Dinner was a leisurely affair chatting and discussing the events of the day between the volunteers and staff. A time to relax, socialise and drink some red wine 🍷 😍

After the rain today, the mozzies were out in force and even though I had covered my entire body in repellent, it didn’t deter them so reluctantly, I had to go to bed earlier than I had anticipated.

Nite 😘