A Summer of Mammoths – Part 1 – The Grand Italy Mammuthus Tour

 

My summer has been bursting with mammoths, which has been both marvellous and memorable. As you will know if you know me, or follow me on socials, I am a tad mad on anything mammoth. This is a by-product of research for a book which has stuck. The last few months have been full of mammoth!

It began with our first family holiday since 2018. To celebrate my youngest’s completion of his school career and taking advantage of being able to travel outside peek time, we went to Italy. We immersed in exquisite cuisine and iconic art, but also mammoths!

On day one is Rome I found an addition to the herd, which I named Roma, much to my kid’s dismay! I also spent time, while waiting for the family to rouse in the mornings, reading about the battle to conserve mammoth bones they found on a 1950s archaeological dig within the city.

But Florence was the jewel in our Italian mammoth adventure, with a visit to the Museo Di Storia Naturale Gelolgia E Paleontologia. This museum had a huge collection of beautifully curated mammoth specimens, including no less than four almost complete Southern Mammoth skeletons found in the appropriately named ‘Tusc’an’ region of Italy. Despite the museum being located a few step along the same road as the Galleria Academia that houses the famous David, it was empty. We had the whole place to ourselves to explore and enjoy the exhibits.

Venice too had a few mammoth gems, in curious Scopri Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. Which is like a blend of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and The Pitt Rivers. with a modern curated Natural History section and a cabinet of curiosities style anthropology section.

All in all I was delighted to have indulged my obsession an shared it with my family  although I’m not sure they quite so pleased!

Freshly back from Italy and it was a race to get everything ready to help with the #TuskForce team of volunteers at the Hill’s Product quarry in the Cotswolds for a Palaeontology dig at the site made famous by the BBC documentary David Attenborough Mammoth Graveyard.  More on that in my next post!

 

A Summer of Mammoths – Part Two – Digging it!

A Summer of Mammoths – Part Two – Digging it!

#Tuskforce team of volunteers  

So freshly back from our grand Italian mammoth tour, and whilst battling with post-holiday laundry it was all out preparing for another adventure of mammoth proportions - the #TuskForce palaeontology dig, at the site found by Sally and Nev Hollingworth that featured on the BBC documentary – David Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard.

Two Sally's Sally Hollingworth and me. 

The dig was at the Hills Services quarry site in the Cotswolds who supported the endeavour in a myriad of ways. It spanned three weeks. It was completely funded by donations and completed by volunteers - over 180, from world expert palaeontologists, geologists, students, post-grads, fossil collectors, museum staff, entomologists and one slightly mammoth mad kids’ writer and illustrator. 

With Nev Hollingworth

It was an enormous endeavour, a labour of love of the aforementioned Sally and Nev Hollingworth, who organised the whole thing with tremendous care. They created a festival feel (many of the volunteers camped onsite), by providing evening entertainment - everything from educational talks to bingo nights, and ensuring and there were all essential provisions like - fresh water, toilets, assess to shower facilities, food, and most important a phone charging point! The Hollingsworth’s passion and bubbling enthusiasm was infectious and fostered a family feel across the #tuskforce team.

#Tuskforce team members including Andy and Vanessa who fed everyone!

 

I felt incredibly humbled to attend and initially felt a mammoth does of imposter syndrome (not being in any way knowledgeable in palaeontology) but was made to feel incredibly welcome and a valued part of the team. This was made clear by the fact that my mammoth illustrations were everywhere - the bins, the first aid station, the phone charging point, food tent and even the toilets! But also on people, I was delighted that one of my mammoths was chosen to adorn one of the official dig t-shirts, where part of the money from each sale went to boost the dig fund.

 

I spent 3 days at the dig on each of the first two weeks and 6 days on the final week. Being fair weathered and having dodgy hips, I stayed at air B&B’s rather than camping, but close enough to be the for the daily morning briefing. On the whole the weather was kind, a few wet days, a few sweltering. The dig was hum of shared adventure and passions and the exchange of knowledge. It yielded a wealth of new discoveries, both in the Jurassic and Pleistocene zones. Including a new addition to the proboscidean species of the site, a tooth from one of the largest mammals ever to walk the earth, a Stright Tusked Elephant, which was identified by visiting expert Professor Adrian Lister from the London Natural History Museum.

 

I really had an amazing time. I was let down a little by the limitations of my body, (dodgy hips, EDS, POTS) but when I couldn’t participate in the more physically demanding tasks like digging, I tried to make myself useful. This was assisting in the less glamorous but essential jobs, like assisting the awesome Andy Lee with the water run to get fresh water every day. Trips to the supermarket, helping prep meals, even sorting out the portaloos. 

sneaky coffee with the lovely Andy Lee 

But I also drew specimens, on site (with a very crude art kit consisting of crayons and felt tips), photographing and videoing the dig, and conservation tasks and talking to other volunteers, learning about the diverse journeys to being involved at the dig.

Drawing a mammoth tooth on site.

 

It was a real privilege to have had such an amazing experience, and I extend a massive mammoth thank you to all of the #TuskForce team for making me so welcome, to Hills for supporting the scientific endeavours on their land, and to Sally and Nev Hollingworth for their dedication and generosity in arranging the dig. I am so happy to have been a small part of it!

With a mammoth rib.

 

September - Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month. A guide to spreading kindness…

September - Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month. A guide to spreading kindness…

I just learned that September is the official ‘Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month’! Now I firmly think writers and other creatives within the business should be treated well all year around, but what a lovely thing, to think here is a official month dedicated to our welfare!

Every month I try to support other pre-published writers by sending them postal affirmations, (read more here), but here are some tips on other ways to be kind to writers and editors, many of which don’t cost a penny!

Ways to be Kind to Published Writers

• Buy their book!

• Load out their book from the library (they receive a small sub od money for each time the book lent.)

• Leave a review online. (you can review a book on Amazon, even if you didn’t purchase it there).

• Do a shout out on social media.

• Recommend it to a friend.

Ways to be Kind to Pre-Published Writers

• Ask about their WIP Work in Progress.

• Give them time to write.

• Ask if they need anything to assist with writing: highlighters, post-its, caffeine, chocolate, hug.

Ways to be Kind to Editors (and Agents)

• Thank your editors and tell them how grateful you are for their help whipping your manuscript into shape.

Ways to be Kind to Writers – Published and Pre-Published, Editors, Agents (anyone in the industry)

Send them…

• Cake.

• Chocolate.

• Caffeine.

• Wine!

• A kind word.