My name is Viv.  I was nearly a botanist.  I trained in Plant Taxonomy and Diversity with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and then turned my hand to a life of the purest lichen indulgence thanks to BTCV.

Unbelievable, unbeatable, unparalleled! It’s Umbilicaria. (From the Cairngorms)

What a life I had, gallivanting around the highlands of Scotland.  Me and my tent.  Then having days on end to play with microscopes and do a spot of teaching (which I love).  I once successfully persuaded a man in his fifties to dress up as an algal cell.  Although I consider that to be the pinnacle of my achievements I did manage to publish a couple of papers too:

Biodiversity and Conservation paper

Fungal Ecology paper

Then, like so many others before me I went from this:

The wilderness

to this

Domestic bliss? (It’s a good job you can’t smell this photo)

Alright, I like doing the washing and I love my husband John, my toddler Isabel (Izzy) and my baby Edward (Ted).  Shortly after Izzy was born we started missing family and moved back down to Derbyshire.  As I am breastfeeding Ted my wilderness is now the garden of 3 Chapel Terrace in the South of the Peak District.  My identification antics are restricted to my once a month ‘Botany day’ and little opportunistic moments when both children are asleep (miracle!)

Our friends Leanne and Andy persuaded me to start this blog.  I’ll try not to make it boring.