Full of pro-bioitics...and Willow

This photo typifies Willow after she has been given access to a natural yoghurt pot:

...and this one displaying her angry red eyes is typical when she realizes someone has gotten too close to said yoghurt pot...

Great start to the week

I've just found out that I didn't get the honours' project I really wanted. Gutted doesn't even cut it.

'Life is like a train. You expect delays from time to time. But not a derailment.' - Willie Stargell.

Field trip

I spent yesterday on a field trip with the Animal Care and Welfare course, which doesn't count toward the overall mark and there was no write up involved. So it was just a jolly really. The morning was an interesting trip to the Forfar Guide Dog Centre, which was pretty cool. I was surprised to find that they are one of only four centres that provide all of the UK's blind and partially sighted people with dogs. I was impressed with their kennels, as kennels in general tend to get a bad rep due to poor environmental enrichment etc.
In the afternoon we went to the MaCaulay Land Use Research Institute. There's only so much you can say about watching sheep, cows and red deer. Although a lamb fell down a rabbit hole and got stuck till someone from the course fished it out. That was amusing.

Gareth is highly stressed right now as today is the hand-in day for his dissertation and he's having problems getting it bound before the dead-line. He's cleared it with the department, and as long as it's in today it's ok. I expect he will crash till tomorrow afternoon once he's home!

I got my new trainers, so I'm very excited about my next run, unfortunately they didn't have the Mizuno's I wanted in my size, so I'm trying some Brooks - they seem comfortable enough. Though they are a rather in-you-face blue with yellow stripes; as long as they do the job I'm sure they'll be fine, with zero points to whoevers in charge of aesthetics!

'Everybody was Kung Fu hobbling...'

Kung Fu last night was a total killer! I couldn't get my legs to work during form practise after the first part of the session. Dragon stance was a nightmare (that's where one leg is crossed in front of the other with your knee 2" above the ground, and 2" behind the front foot), and after horse stance (a rather undignified-looking position where your feet are set wide apart with your knees over your feet) when they tell you to sink lower for the last 10 seconds, it's more than 10 seconds - I counted! Still, it's really enjoyable even if it does leave you knackered. I didn't quite manage running home as I normally do after Kumg Fu; partly because my legs were rather upset, and partly due to the lack of trust I now have in my maimed trainers.

My number and sponsorship form arrived for the Race for life yesterday, so once I've replaced my trainters on Friday, I'll be upping my training a bit - certainly gives direction and focus to your running!

Stress levels

The process of hunting down decent honours projects has begun! I certainly don't want to be landed with a project such as my sister had for her chemistry degree... rifling through silage doesn't appeal! Unfortunately the project I want to do has rather a lot of interest in it, so I've had to write half a page on why I'm interested etc. Hopefully it'll work out (it's on biochemical measures of stress in animals). If not, I'm finding out about a couple of others that look interesting. I'm still waiting to find out if I've got the research studentship I applied for for this summer, as that will govern to a large degree what projects I can do as some of them ask for the practical work to be done over summer. Arg!

End of an era

Well, one week after finally getting around to entering the Race for Life, I've totalled trashed my trainers. To be fair, their natural life probably ended 6 months ago, and drying them out on top of the radiator wasn't exactly the best idea - the insoles have completely shrivelled and the uppers have melted. As I've been running for several years, and haven't changed my running shoes for about 3yrs, I knew they were on their way out. It's just annoying that it wasn't my choice when I replaced them!

The honours list has finally been released at uni. So now there is the fun of fighting for the ones you want to do instead of getting lumped with something like the ecology and distribution of polychaete worms. All good fun...

Back to uni

Well, after having a particulary lazy Easter break, I'm now back at uni wishing I hadn't been quite so lazy. Suddenly I have an essay, a seminar to prepare and a group project to work on in between revising. Still, I don't regret taking the time as I don't ususally allow myself much free time.
I spent most of my Easter cross stitching my nieces' sampler in the hope I would have it finished before her christening as I couldn't make it there myself. Unfortunately I didn't complete it in time, but it's reawoken my enthusiasm for cross stitch! Shame I can't seem to reawaken any motivation for uni. Oh well.