Diary of a Vet Student

Luvly, it's nearly christmas. i can't wait. We went to Bath Xmas market the other night and drank lots of mulled wine, which really got me in the mood. This week i have been working quite hard, I think?! It's hard to remember as everything seems to be going really quickly. Monday was full of lectures. Tuesday was a bit grim as we all had a trip to the chicken slaughter house in the morning. It is unbelievable in there. i can't believe we really need that many chickens. On wednesday we had lectures in the morning including out last absolutely pointless statistics tutorial, which i tried desperately to skive, but ended up going along to a rescheduled session, because apparently everyone else had had the same idea. Today I have quite a cold day observing chickens. It's really hard because they keep following you and refuse to exhibit their normal behaviour :/ grrrrrrrrrr

I'm heading back to the chicken farm again tomorrow for more hours of fun. Really hope it doesn't rain as I am observing them on the range. I keep going to the local garden centre to buy sticks, because I have been dividing the range areas into separate sections so that I can observe which chickens are where (except they are never anywhere but 10cm away from me, why?) Anyway, its really embarassing, as everyone else in the garden centre (which is also a mega store for ornaments and tacky xmas stuff) is buying mince pies and pretty red and green plants. Then I come along to buy 70 plane bamboo sticks. I must look like a total Norman (apologies to anyone who is called Norman)

Anyway. Went to "open mic Night" last night which was really good. Lots of people with far more talent than me singing and stripping on stage.

I have drunk too much wine at the halls Xmas dinner tonight, but I promised myself I would go to the library and work very hard on my essay and as you can tell, this is exactly what I'm doing.

Bye

Hello. I'm having a really nice week. we're doing welfare audits and it means we get to see lots of animals, which are still alive. On Tuesday we had a wee outing to the Food Animal Initiative in Oxford. they are trying o employ a more environmentally friendly, welfare friendly kind of farming. They've got free range chickens, laying hens (I've just realised that these are two separate things) free range pigs and cows. We got to assess the welfare of all the animals we saw and then we gave a quick presentation on what we thought to the farm owners. It were cool.

Yesterday we were assessing the welfare of rabbits at the vetschool. I'm scared of rabbits as their back's break really easily, but we got to pick lots up and give them health checks and measure the size of their hutches and nice things like that. Tomorrow we're giving another presentation on our findings.

Today I'm bumming around, trying to buy some trees for the hens in my research project to shelter under. Bit nervous about explaining to random garden centre staff that I want 75 durable and liftable trees for 12000 hens to hide under, but I'll give it my best shot.

Went clubbing and eating in Bristol with all the intercalating girlies plus our Uncle Simon last night. Very good, but slightly nackered today as only returned to bed at 3.30am. Plan on consuming large chocolate cheescake, bought by lovely flatmate in order to top up energy leels.

I have stupidly invited a load of people around to our halls for food on Friday night. This was a totally ridiculous idea, suggested at the end of a particularly long drunken stupor session. It is stupid because: a) We don't have a table or any chairs worth sitting on; b) I am an appalling cook and burn pasta, carrots and sausages three times a week (I also eat toast, but have now masted the toaster). Never mind. Our only option may be some extremely strong vodka and a few rounds of sandwiches.

I am still trying to do capoeira and went for the first time in a 2 weeks yesterday. It was good fun, but I think i need to parctise my head stands. This weekend I am looking for more trees and probably eating lots of natural yoghurt to get over Friday night.