Final Year Prep

The Sunday after my friend left, I went to an Ed Sheeran concert in Glasgow.  In February I saw that Ed Sheeran was coming to Glasgow and I figured I would try for pre-sale tickets with basically zero expectation of getting any.  I was in an equine neurology lecture doing my very best to pay attention (horses and neurology is a rough combination for me) and had my computer refreshing beside me.  About halfway through the lecture I noticed my screen change and I had actually got tickets.  They weren't fantastic seats, but hey I was going to be able to go!  The tickets were fairly expensive but after going to the concert I definitely felt like I got my money's worth.

The concert started with two opening acts, one of which I had actually heard of so that was a good start.  Then Ed Sheeran came on.  He played all but two songs without any accompaniment.  At the beginning of each song he would record his own back up vocals and instrumentals and then play them on loops throughout the song.  It showed what an incredible musician he is.  I would go to another one of his concerts again without a doubt.

These past 6 weeks I have been in a part of the year called final year prep.  It has been basically some review lectures and some lectures providing information about how final year will work.  The schedule has been a little bit lighter which has been nice.  At the end of April I went out and took some pictures of the Cherry Blossoms on one of my lighter days.

The Meadows

Edinburgh Castle

During the end of my second week of final year prep I found out that a relative had passed away.  When I was doing my first degree I came to the conclusion that I needed some large animal experience because I had none.  My mom approached her cousin because she and her husband Allan owned a dairy farm in Eastern Ontario.  And they were willing to take me.  When I arrived I think Allan was a little skeptical how I, very much a city girl on first appearance, would cope on a dairy farm.  But he put those reservations aside and flooded me with tons and tons of information about taking care of cows, how to run a dairy farm and the Canadian dairy industry in general.  He took me around to different dairy farms and introduced me to many other farmers in the area.  When I went to my placement in Jersey after first year in Edinburgh the farmers complimented me on my comfort around cows and my ability to handle them.  On my cattle handling exams in first year and my clinical exam this year I did incredibly well.   I know it was the experience that he and his family provided that has allowed me to be as comfortable as I am around cows and I am incredibly grateful for it. 

When I found out Allan had passed away I decided that I wanted to go home for the funeral to pay my respects.  I was able to reorganize my schedule to allow me to go home.  While Allan was never able to convince me to be a cow vet, I can definitely attribute my love of cows to his passion, which rubbed off on me when I was with him.  

On my third day on the farm, I got to calve this little girl with Allan's help

My favourite picture of a couple cute girls in the old calf barn

After the funeral I headed back home and visited some family and friends for a few days.  And of course the dogs.  And you guessed it, I took some pictures of them!  

Can we play fetch?

After my few days at home I came back to Edinburgh.  My schedule was a little busier when I got back because I had to make up all the practicals I missed while I was at home.  My two favourite sessions were an exotics cadaver practical where we got to perform a spay on a cadaver rabbit and a dental practical where we got to use the dental drill on cadaver heads to practice extractions.

The weekend after I got back I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London.  I think I will leave that to the next post because there will be lots of pictures!