After 3 days lambing things really quietened down so instead of spending a full week there I went to a dairy farm for a few days instead. It was great! The first day was spent doing general cow things like marking them, feeding the calves and helping with the milking which was all really good fun. On the second day the scanner came to check if the cows that had been AI'd (artificially inseminated) about 35-45 days earlier were pregnant. Most of them were which was good news. The scanner was really interesting; I'd been imagining a kind of giant screen but instead the probe projected the image onto glasses and I got to see a cow embryo! I'm going back to the farm on Friday and the vet is coming. It'll be good after my new found love for farm animals to see how a farm vet works and the differences between a farm vet and small animal vet.
Yesterday I went to the abattoir. It was definitely not a gory as I'd been expecting, everything was clean and sterile and very humane. I think its important to know where your food comes from and am glad I went. One of the most interesting bits was helping the meat inspector check the lungs and liver of the carcasses to check for tapeworm, liver fluke and pneumonia. I had to get up at 5.45am in order to be at the abattoir for 7am - I still haven't fully recovered!
I finally got into my revision gear and so far have done chemistry and physics. Its going.... alright. A lot more work is needed before my first exam in just over a month!
I'm 2 days into my week of lambing at a nearby farm and I love it! Even from my first day I was lucky enough to be able to get involved in everything; from feeding sock lambs to ringing the newborns to loading the truck to take them to the fields (harder and more exhausting than it sounds!). Today I delivered twins which was amazing (the ones in the picture). Gross and weird as it may be but since all the vets on the TV programmes I watched as a child always seemed to end up with their arms inside various animals I've been dying to have a go. And today was the day!
The family who own the farm and the shepherd, Jonathan, are so kind and the farm is beautiful, especially on sunny days like today.
I can't believe how close exams are. I HAVE to get back into work mode. I haven't finished the homework from 2weeks ago, never mind started any sort of revision.
And now I have to get the grades so I can become a farm vet!
Today I passed my driving theory test and have been appointed Head Girl of my school after a long interview process, so I'm feeling pretty happy! One problem is that I'm meant to be at the abattoir tomorrow but we're being introduced to the whole school so I'm not sure I can go... and they're not answering the phone!
Last weekend I went to Manor Vets on Saturday and had another amazing day. I saw a rectal prolapse which was pretty grim but is rare so I'm glad that I had the chance to see it. They didn't have a puppy party at the end of the day which was sad because the puppies are SO cute but it meant I finished a bit earlier than usual so had more time to do the insane amount of work I have piled up.
On Sunday I went to Lord Whisky, same as I do every week!, and had a good time. I'm in love with a rabbit. Its so cute but I'm not sure what to name it... Peter (Rabbit) seems a bit predictable!
Nearly time for the Easter hols which means LAMBING AND CALVING! I am a little bit excited for that! It'll also be good to have time to catch up with some revision - apparently we're already meant to have started revising for our AS Levels which I may not have, oops!
I had my first (of many) easter eggs today! I'm part of Interact and we had a charity event to raise money for Help for Heroes and there were a few eggs left at the end which looked unloved, I'm going to try and not eat quite as much chocolate this year as normal but things aren't looking too promising.
Have a good Easter!
Friday the 9th of March was my army interview and I think it went really well! They want me to go back after I get my AS results which just hammers home the fact that I can do all the planning I want but grades are still the most important thing.
I can't believe that my Easter holidays start next week! My first week is packed with lambing and calving but I think I will leave the second week for some good ol' revision - I'm really looking forward to that! Next Wednesday I'm going to J R Farm Meats abattoir which I'm still really looking forward to, everything is coming round so quickly!
I spent my Sunday marshalling one of the many Sports Relief miles and had a great time, some people dressed up amazingly, my favourite was some 118 guys with moustaches still intact after 3miles! After the event all the stewards got even a goody bag, in which was a prune?! Just one single wrapped prune... very intriguing.
This means that I now have 45 hours of the 50 that I need to complete my V50 Award!
Sorry its taken me a while to get round to answering your question OCICAT93: after a while of googling, I found the BMAT results, this is the direct webpage...
http://synergysolutions.org.uk/Workshop/Bmat%20Xmas%202009.pdf
Good Luck!
Last night I found myself at my schools Oxbridge talk. I'd never even considered Cambridge an option before I always just thought only true genius' or the exceptionally talented even thought about applying. but now all of a sudden... Cambridge is starting to look pretty nice. Its a 6 year course rather than 5 like the other vet unis which is because the 3rd is spent doing in-depth research on a certain area which I think is good. I like the sound of doing zoology.
well I'm now truly confused - I thought I'd finally managed to narrow down my choices to my final 4 (bristol, edinburgh, RVC and liverpool) and then cambridge came into consideration. when I was younger it was always my dream to be a vet and study at cambridge... It would mean a LOT of hard work.
I finally got round to checking the results of the BMAT test I took while at the Vet-Med Link course and turns out my results were in the top 25% which is pretty cool.
Last weekend I went to meet the farmer I'm doing my lambing and calving work experience with. I turned up on time Saturday morning and got a tour of the farm. some lambs had been born earlier that day and were so tiny and cute. I tried to impress with my (limited) sheep knowledge which was quite amusing but at least he knows I'm keen (:
can't wait till the easter holidays!!
Well I've just done my physics mock... it went all right - I'm alive anyways. Bring on next week! I have a feeling chemistry may not go as well...
I've organised my day with J R Farm Meats abattoir! YAY! I'm weirdly really looking forward to that I think its going to be really interesting, only thing is I have to get there at 7am. wow. early.
I got a letter from my Army Careers Advisor saying I have to go and meet to discuss my 'whole range of options and discuss the way ahead.' Its scary I get to make such big choices now. I don't feel old enough!
Also booked in my work experience week at Animal House Vets in Herne Bay. They deal with horses as well as the odd small farm and the usual cats and dogs which will be great as I haven't seen large animal practice yet. Burnham House Vets wants me to send in a copy of my CV which I still haven't got round to writing - better try and fit that in between the revision this weekend. Talking of which I may have to sacrifice my Sunday morning at Lord Whisky Sanctuary for English revision :( that doesn't seem like a great trade.
I'm waiting on phone call from a farmer with 4,000 sheep to confirm I can go to the farm for a week in Easter to help with lambing.
That'll be fantastic because the other lambing placement I'd organised came at the end of that particular farms lambing season and the beginning of calving so I might not be that busy, but this way I can do lambing at Farm A for the first week then calving at Farm B for the second!
Is it sad how excited I get? (:
