Horses and Butterflies

Two weeks ago I did a session called Equine PALs (Peer Assisted Learning).  Along with a few others from my class, we worked with some second year students teaching them how to do a clinical exam of a horse.  This session counts towards a certificate I am working on.  The certificate is for teaching in Veterinary Medicine.  Essentially throughout my degree I participate in or create teaching sessions and reflect on how they went and what could have been improved.  We are currently the only veterinary school with a certificate like this.  While I have no ambitions to be a teacher per se, a lot of being a vet is about being a teacher.  You have to explain and teach things to clients on a daily basis.

The next day we spent an afternoon at Butterfly World.  We didn't go to see the butterflies, we went to look at how they housed their reptiles and discussed if their husbandry needs were being met.  A lot of reptile medicine is preventive.  Many conditions they get can be stopped or prevented by proper husbandry.  We were split into groups and led by either a final year on their exotics rotation or by the exotics clinician.  My group ended up with the clinician.  As we got to the first stop it was a Red-Footed Tortoise.  He asked us where the tortoise was from.  Well I had no idea, but I had noticed an information plaque.  So I subtly tried to read the plaque.  When I answered South America, the clinician told me I had almost gotten away with reading the plaque and that he had only seen my head turn toward the plaque at the last second.  For the rest of the tour, if he asked our group a question and we didn't know the answer but the answer was on a sign, he would have me read it because in his words "I am a very good reader!"  We looked at lots of different animals like many snakes, a monitor lizard (who was out for a walk on a leash), other lizards, other turtles, chickens, quails and some insects and spiders "just for fun" (I wouldn't call insects and spiders fun...).   All in all the afternoon was quite good.  It was quite funny to see us university students touring around a facility filled with children probably all 5 and under!

Huck the Red-Footed Tortoise

Hen with tiny little black chicks and a quail at the front

As I mentioned last post I have been out a few nights since my photo tour doing some night photography around the city.  So as promised here are some photos from those outings.

Edinburgh Castle

View of Edinburgh Castle from the Grassmarket

View from the Mound

Scotland's National Gallery

I also went out one evening to try and catch a good sunset.  It's hard to get a good sunset.  It takes me a while to get down to Calton Hill or to another location to take pictures of the sunset.  So I have to set off well before I can tell whether it is colour are going to be worthwhile photographing.  Also since it is cloudy so much of the time that limits the beautiful sunsets.  I caught one a couple weeks ago that was pretty good.  It was definitely worth the hike up to Calton Hill.

Sunset from Calton Hill

From Calton Hill, looking at the clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel