Although I usually tell people that I don’t have a favourite season i think autumn and winter are just slightly better than the others. They just really make the place look so amazing. When the leaves are red and yellow and a forest just looks like it is on fire with colour or when a field is completely blanketed in snow , it just makes you stop and stare. One thing I have noticed in Canada is that nature does these two seasons right. I don’t think I have every seen landscapes transformed so drastically with the changing of the seasons. I still get amazing at how nature works in mysterious ways but with each day and change in the weather I get more stunned by the scenery around me. feel like this blog post it just going to be more raving about how amazing things look around me and then attaching lots of pictures and I am completely okay with this. Get ready for nature spam.
Before we get into this our season here at camp has come to an end so the only people who are left on site are the full time staff which there are only 3 of us. It’s a little strange how quite it is around camp but it also feels like it is re-energising to be bigger and better next year. Having only 3 of us in the office is quite nice, it is very easy to get things done and then we have been having great planning meetings for next year. We start each day with a meeting which is quite nice to check in and see what has been going on. Sometimes we also end up having the chats as well and have to bring ourselves back on topic but this is also just a sign of the good working environment that we are in and how even though it is work it doesn’t really feel like work. We have also officially started our hiring season for next year which has been exciting. I got to do my first interviews , of many, the other day and it was exciting. I love hearing why people want to come back to camp and can’t wait to show camp to some new people as well. One of my big project over the last few weeks has been updating our website and getting the content all ready for our new launch. This has been very exciting and I have gotten to learn some new things about websites. We are nearly over the finish line and I can’t wait for it to go live and show the world how great camp is.
The frozen lake
I have really been enjoying my new role in the more behind the scenes of camp. I have always been interested in making camp the best it can be and finding ways to improve things. I feel now that I really have a place where I can make an impact on camp and the people who come through our doors. I have also made the social media management of camp my mission. I have successfully mixed these two passions together which has been something that I have wanted to do since I first came into the camp sphere. This has also helped me grow in this area with creating my own social media calendar and researching ways that i can improve the channels that we currently have. I am so happy that I have found a place where I get to combine my passion for camp with my passion for social media. I am also so lucky to have a job that honestly doesn’t feel like I am working at all.
My first footsteps on the lake, only went a few steps out , not too far 
I have also started getting my Albertan Drivers license and I passed the first part and got my first license. I was a little nervous because I had to take my test at home a couple of times before I got it but here I was all good. It was so great to get behind the wheel again because I really have missed driving. I also got to drive in the snow which made me feel very Canadian. I’m looking forward to continuing and getting my full license and maybe a car in the future who knows.
Okay now for the part I know you have all been waiting for … The Nature. From the moment I arrived back at camp in September I have seen the landscape change immensely. I have seen the forest change from being full and green to looking like the leaves where on fire with the colours to now with branches laden down with snow. It really does amaze me ever time I walk through the forest and I have to stop and think, wow I actually live here and get to walk through this everyday. At the moment everywhere is covered in a blanket of snow and it really does make it look like a winter wonderland. I turn into a little kid when I see snow and I don’t think that it is something that I will ever get tried of. I mean who could get tired of the white ground glistening under the clear blue sky. The lake that we are beside has also frozen which is amazing. It has never been cold enough to freeze anything in Ireland other than puddles never mind a whole lake. I have made it my goal this winter to walk across the lake to the island that we use in the summer for trips. I just need to wait until there are a couple of pick-ups parked on the lake so I know that it is safe. I walked through the forest for the first time today , the ground was sparkling and the trees were painted white with snow. I literally stopped ever few minutes to gaze around me and just take it all in that it was real. It looked like something you see in the movies.
I’m excited for the winter to come even when it’s going to get down to – 30 degrees, I just see it all as part of this amazing adventure.
Emma
xx
Emma Murphy 