Challenge eight: Leave the Island

As I write this there are tears welling in my weather-beaten eyes. It's time to leave Brownsea and I can hardly bear it! Autumnwatch is over, winter has nearly come and my two weeks of wild living are now at their end. The M4 commute and office life in sunny Swindon calls and as yet I have found no way of preventing its return. There may yet be a freak storm that will confine me here with the animals, plants and Brownsea staff that I've come to know and love but I can't help feeling that this is probably unlikely.

Though the days have been full of fun and there has been very little stress in my life, the time has passed unbelievably fast, that sunset arrival 2 weeks ago seems both like last night and a lifetime ago.

And there's so much MORE I wanted to share with you. More challenges to complete, more people to meet and wildlife to see. For example, the things below that I could have eaten for the wild food challenge but didn't -

My colleagues who have been nothing but warm and helpful, if at times a little rude to me. Among many - Steve, Mike and Justin. And the comedy squirrel that feeds from the kitchen window at the Villa -

But I suppose the marching of time is unstoppable and, like the avocets, I'm not really meant to be a permanent resident of Brownsea, for my home is elsewhere. It's been an immense and rare privilege to be here for two weeks, getting to know the Island, learning masses about the wild world, working with the BBC and writing daily. I hope you've enjoyed it because I certainly have.

So for now goodbye! Thank you for joining me on the adventure.

Martha.x

Don't forget to -

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Enter our amazing Autumnwatch competition! Quick though, it closes on monday 10th Nov.