Saint Willow

After her less than obedient swiping of the pizza, Willow must have decided that some sucking up was due. Getting home yesterday at 5:30pm after spending 8 hours doing PCR, and forgetting my lunch (long day on a mueslie bar and a Mars bar!) Gareth and I decided to get fish and chips for supper. I figured it would be best to run Willow first as she hadn't been out for three days. I didn't think she would get far (we're re-training her lead work as she pulls a lot and it involves a lot of abandaned walks if she pulls too much), especially as I have to carry her over our steps at the moment as someone smashed the bus shelter outside out flat and there is glass everywhere, and the excitement of that would normally be too much for her. Instead, she was the epitomy of obedience. She never pulled once, and was out for forty five minutes. By which time Gareth and I were starving. Maybe it wasn't sucking up but her cunning plan all along...

Spare time

I'm halfway through my first day of learning how to perform PCR (polymerase chain reaction). There's a lot of waiting involved so not sure how much of this technique I will use for my Honours project. I suck at chemistry, so this isn't my idea of fun (especially when having to use ethidium bromide which is a known mutagen - not that I intend to drink the stuff).
Unfortunately I've entered fourth year with a less than enthusiastic attitude, so I'll just be gald when I've finished and can find other things to stress about! It probably hasn't helped that not only did I not get my top choices for my honours project, I have also not got my first choice of the review essay. It's on a first-come-first-served basis. It's difficult motivating yourself to work on something that really isn't in your field of interest. Grr.
Willow has been having a good time though. Yesterday she stole a mueslie bar from one of Gareth's friends, and later stole two halves of leftover pizza when I was in the study room and Gareth in the garden. She's already had her tea so we couldn't compensate by not giving her her kibble! Conversely, Draco is hungry as we forgot to feed him yesterday - I guess that's why Willow grabs food when she can in case we forget to feed her...

General chat

I'm now one week into fourth year, and it's been a bit of a farce with various 'careers day' sessions etc. that would have been better placed in third year. I got back from a team building session last week. It was kinda fun, but after spending 6 weeks away on field work I just want to spend one week in my own flat!
Gareth is doing ok with his leg, and he gets his cast off on his birthday (9th October). Sucks that he'll be in hospital for his birthday, but at least his leg will be liberated - though possibly recast again.
Willow had a major sulk with me because I gave her a bath two days ago and I'm just starting to be forgiven. I also groomed her and there must have been enough fur to make a second Willow out of it!
I went to the Doc's on Monday (after putting it off for four months) as I've been feeling a bit odd. The headiness etc. has progressed to forgetfulness and losing track of conversations. The Doc seems to think it's stress related, but I've had a blood test for thyroid, glucose, liver and kidney function and infection (all standard!) just in case. I should probably take this as an indication my body wants me to slow down - not good timing with fourth year just starting! I should get the results this Monday coming.
I also went back to Kung Fu for the first time in over two months yesterday. Ouch!

Yes, I'm a natural blue.

After spending two months in dirt, vegetation and being peed on etc. by rodents, the first thing I did when I finished the field work was get my hair cut. I went for a bob that slopes forward (sure it's got an official name) and had it dyed a blacky blue. I originally wanted it black with electric blue tips, but the hairdresser said that it would be difficult as I have dark hair. The end effect isn't as dramatic as I wanted, and the photos don't really show off the blue that well - I will attempt to get some that show it a bit better. Willow naturally took the opportunity to have her picture taken too. She is somewhat confident in front of the camera

I've also added a photo of Gareth in his cast. He's getting very fed up now as he hasn't been able to do much aside from the Xbox, read and watch TV. He'll be relieved when he can get out beyond the flat! Still, it is amusing that he's 25 and has a zimmer frame! Willow somehow managed to appear in this photo too.

Of voles and shrews.

Here are some photo's of the mammal trapping - the midgie net may look daft, but it proved such a good idea! The midgie densities were unreal in some sites.

This was a shrew happily chomping on my finger whilst I searched it for ticks. Shrews are great! They're really easy to bribe too - you feed them maggots and they stop fidgeting whilst you process them.

And here is a field vole. They were the easiest to work with as they struggle when you first pick them up, then kinda sit there in a 'bugger it, it's all too much effort' way. Not too unlike hamsters!

Catch up

Sorry about the huge gap betweem posts! I have spent the last few weeks away in various parts of Scotland for this field work - most of the hostels don't have a great internet service, or are too expensive to be worth using. I now have one week left and thankfully it's within driving distance of Aberdeen (seeing more of Scotland is great, but I kinda miss being home in the evenings - plus I'm getting paranoid of the nature/tick association!)
Gareth has broken his leg since I last posted. Nothing heroic; one too many beers and fell over funny on his ankle. I was away at the time so had to come back whilst he had his operation. Since I've had to go away again, his mates have been brilliantly!
The posts should hopefully get more regular in the coming weeks once we get a phone line and internet sorted in the flat - if BT ever pull their finger out. How can a communications company be so crud at communicating? It's been about three weeks now.... grrr!!!
Anyway, just a quick catch up as I'm knackered - got back from Braemar today. It's not hugely far from Aberdeen, but the sites we were using were all on mountains so much hiking was done! I even managed to fit in a run on one of the days!

Update. And ticks.

Well, I'm three weeks into my field assistant job working with ticks and it's knackering! Hence the infrequent posts!
I am enjoying the work though - dragging fleece blankets through vegetation and then counting the collected ticks and trapping (live) small mammals and examining them for ticks. I'm getting to see lots of Scotland that I haven't had a chance to view yet; including the scenic West coast. There are some really nice walking/running areas until you realise the places we are looking at are areas reported to have lyme disease. Kinda puts you off being at one with nature a bit. It's making a little paranoid re. getting bitten and the end of the day finds me examaning myself, clothes and possessions for vagabond ticks - especially as the larvae are only about 0.2mm.
I have a week off this week and then five more weeks before I return to uni to analyse the data and do data entry/tick species identification. Unfortunately most of the sites render me away from home (and Gareth) from Monday till Friday, then I'm too tired to be civil on Saturday and spend Sunday packing for the next week! Gareth is putting up with my sultry attitude well though!
On a positive note, we are actually getting married next August! Hurrah! After 6 years! I'm very excited and my head is full of wedding dresses, cakes and what-not. I'm especially pleased as my sister has agreed to be my matron of honour - it took me a while to ask her as I figured she would take it as read that she would be the important bridesmaid, until mum hinted that perhaps I ought to ask!
It's going to be a manic year with my final university year, planning a wedding and deciding what our next move will be after Aberdeen!