Christmas trees were sold, once again, for the 4th year, though this time at a *new* site in Richmond. Under the dappled shade of leaf-less trees, and the new found comfort of a portacabin we sold and talked-up trees until darkness fell and then beyond. Usefully, all of the local chains sold out early, which caused a cascade of customers which kept us busy and distracted from the huge job of raking up bales of muddy straw.

I worked in Northallerton (north Yorkshire) for a few weeks at the start of the Christmas Holiday, and it was cold. Not cold like we get in London. Proper, consistently in the negatives cold. I got snowed in, and spent one morning digging Mercedes drivers out of the snow in a small village with a few police men and women, and all the villagers. It was very rationing-time community spirited, and I for one loved it! Plus the vetting was fun too. I tried my hand at surgery for the first time, and managed to a reasonable job of cat castration and spaying, so hopefully all will be well.

London was also pretty cold, though nothing in comparison. Luckily, I managed to buy some leather (pimp) gloves for driving in after Christmas, which has staved off the frost bite. Luckily, it provided ample opportunity for some more seasonal photography, which included this tasty snap of a crow in Richmond Park a few days after Christmas. I love the colour of the sky.

Horse Vetting

I have spent the last 2 weeks working with an Equine Vet, and, surprisingly, thoroughly enjoyed myself. They have no concept of normal working hours, so I was usually doing 11-12 hour days (with a 1 hour commute each way), but it was well worth it. I've learnt a huge amount, become more confident with horses, done nerve blocks, half a castration and a whole castration (horse and cat respectively) and learnt loads. It'll definitely stand me in good stead for next year which is jam packed!

The only problem is that I'm now full of a cold :(

Cattle?

Blimey - it really has been a long time since I last posted, and now I'm well over halfway through the holidays.

Mostly I've been vetting, fitting well into hand-up-cow's-backside and kitten adoring stereotypes; while also assisting in preparations for Broken-Glass-do-Edinburgh.

I seem to have fitted quite happily into the life of a large-animal vet. There's something about being outside in the open, driving around beautiful landscapes (so far I've experienced those of Cheshire and West Yorkshire) and turning up on farms. Yes, to an extent it's saddening that the opportunities are not there for huge heroics, but every decision has repercussions on a whole herd, and in most cases being a vet is a much more respected position on-farm. Almost all of my work has been with cattle, and I just love them. As animals I think they (more specifically dairy cattle) are a perfect balance between tame and wild. Tame enough to deal with (with sufficient precautions, the likes of which you should be able to, but cannot use with horses) but just that little bit wild to keep it interesting. This is then all tied in with the economics and politics of farming that fascinate me. Maybe as a London-boy I'm a little behind, but it hasn't seemed to bother most people, and I'm willing to dive in outstretched arm first. 2 years to go, lets see what happens.

Has been a busy morning already! Alex and Andrew have gone off to rotations (Post-Mortem and Small Animal Studies respectively), and Mary and me have been left to our own devices, which in my case has involved making phone calls and writing this blog, whilst Mary is hunting for screws for her new pannier.

Phone call wise, I have phoned our letting agent as my room has started smelling of sewage every time Andrew flushes his toilet, which is a little worrying to say the least! "I'm upset you thought I could make a smell of raw sewage!" he said. Sorry Andrew! Hopefully they'll send out a plumber today to take a look at what's going on.
I have also rung an abattoir in Halifax, and have arranged to go there for a week in August. I now have 9 weeks of EMS organised (10 if the BSAVA congress is allowed to count), and can hopefully book another 2 weeks small animal in summer to get myself up to 11!

I also have new shoes (shock-shock-horror!) to replace the infamous "Davy Shoes" given to me by Davy in 1st year. Unfortunately they have walked a fair few 100 miles in their time, and are giving up the ghost so I got a replacement pair of loafers from M&S with my Xmas voucher. However, as they are slip on, insoles were required, and what better way to use the cut off insole bits than giving them to Alex with a pair of scissors. Meet 'Shoe Shrimp' who has taken up lodging on my clock.

Excitements!

Exciting news! I am going to be stewarding at this years BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) Congress in April. My Dad rang me up with exciting letter-related news, and it said I'd been accepted (I applied back in November)! I get accomodation in Birmingham, for 6 days and a small wage, plus the chance to hob-nob with all sorts of distinguished vetty types. Am quite excited, though a little daunted!