Summer Mini Haul

A couple of days ago, my family and I decided to go shopping for a few holiday 'essentials.' We started of with a walk along the seafront and a quick breakfast at a local restaurant and then hit the shops. 

Our first stop was a local surf shop looking out onto the beach, the shop itself is reasonably small and its stock stretches outside the store under shelter. It could easily be pictured in an idyllic holiday destination and sells everything a 'surfer girl' could need!


I was quick to pick up these simple but cute flip flops, I originally had my sights set on an identical pair with turquoise straps however eventually decided against them. The colour of them was beautiful but this pair will go with so many more outfits. Comfort wise, they are comfortable but slightly narrow. This doesn't pose too much of a problem for me due to my small feet but makes them just that little bit harder to slip on your feet. I paid £16.00 for these.Although the particular shop I visited does not have a website, you can find them here.

I have been looking for a pair of sunglasses for a while and happened to find some lovely floral ones in the same shop.

I absolutely adore these glasses. I am obsessed with everything floral and these practically screamed at me! The pattern extends down the side of the glasses and I just love it! Seriously though, can you imagine cushions in this pattern?! I cannot find the exact sunglasses online but there is an extremely similar pair here. I actually discovered the website above whilst writing this and it is safe to say I've found a new gem!

Next, we walked away from the seafront and into the town. Although It wasn't really holiday related, we decided to have a look in a jewellery shop, known as Essential.

I didn't originally intend to buy anything from Essential however I absolutely fell in love with this necklace. These pictures really do not do it justice. It is very shiny and sparkly and works great as a statement piece to change up simple outfits. Although many statement necklaces are much larger than this, I still feel that It can really brighten up an outfit.The pastel colours and the silver gems make for a pretty piece. At £15.00, only time will tell if it will keep up it's shine. But for now I am loving it!

What is a holiday without good reads? 'Nothing!' I hear you cry. I have been after some holiday reads for a while so couldn't resist popping into good ol' Waterstones.

After 1, hearing everyone rave about them; 2, constantly seeing adverts for the movie and 3, needing a long book to sink my teeth into- I decided to buy one and two from the Divergent series. The story line of these books looks absolutely epic and it is taking every ounce of my willpower not to read them before I go on holiday. I don't really have much more to say on them because I haven't read them yet, but I'm sure a book review will come up sometime soon.

Lastly, we had a quick look around Primark. It is all well and good buying expensive holiday clothes, but sometimes you buy things to wear on holiday and they stay in your wardrobe there on out. While it is nice buying quality footwear, it is useless if they are just going to be worn at the beach and around the pool.

Out of the pairs I picked up, these were by far my favorite. They are incredibly comfortable and the open toe section means that I can wear them on hot days without my feet suffocating. On top of that, I can show of cute nail polish. I like the fact that they are not your regular holiday flip flop so will add to a somewhat casual holiday outfit.

I much prefer buying small things here and there rather than shopping on a large scale so small shopping trips are something that are received very well. What have you brought for your travels?

Abbie

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SUMMERRRR!!

...To enthusiastic? I think not. Since Christmas I have been up to my eyeballs in work, deadlines and pressure. All of the above are fine singularly, but having to juggle them all at once, with sport commitments, life commitments and god knows what else, it becomes a bit tricky. Of course, I am still faced with work over my break. But it is a lot less quantity wise and requires nowhere near as much time, so I'm enjoying freedom while I can!

Currently, where I live we are dealing with intense heat in the day and extremely scary thunder storms at night, I can live with the thunderstorms- as long as this weather keeps up! In a few weeks time I will be jetting off to sunny Barbados so that's another big thing to look forward to. As far as getting things done are concerned, I have a few things that I would like to achieve this summer.

1. Get outside a lot more, appreciate my home town but at the same time explore, and appreciate everywhere else too.
2. Document. Snap photos of the summer sky, or the sand beneath my toes. Carry a journal and make little jottings as I go along.
3. Sort out my room, make my new space my own. Get the furniture up, have a mass trip to Ikea and create a space that inspires me daily.
4. Relax! Deadlines are far off in the distance, for now. Enjoy doing nothing while you can. Before you know it, you will be up to your eyeballs yet again, this time with final exams.

Those are just a few things that I would like to get up to. What are you planning to do with your summer?

Abbie

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Veterinary stepping stones #10

Today marks the last day of this placement and the last day of my work experience. Both practices have helped me learn things, both related to veterinary and not, in completely different ways; so I really think that I chose the right places to work. I've met some great people that no doubt I will keep in mind throughout my studying and further. Today was much more like my last placement than the other days as It was incredibly busy. We had around 6 or 7 cats one after another and after a while I was quite relieved to see a dog!

One memorable case was a cat that came in with an extra 'toe' on each paw! They were not causing her any pain and apparently she actually uses them to help her climb up trees! They were nothing more than a genetic defect but I couldn't help but be intrigued, they looked so out of place!

The day went by in such a blur that I've actually forgotten most of what happened, I was told to leave my details so that if they had any interesting cases or ops they could let me know so I could observe! Overall, I am very pleased with how these two weeks have gone. I was asked by a client today if seeing everything that goes on behind closed doors has put me of going into veterinary medicine. When, if anything, it has made me even more certain that I have chosen to do the right thing and even more inpatient to get going!

My veterinary journey is in no way stopping as my work experience does, it's only just begun really.

Abbie
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Veterinary stepping stones #9

Today was much busier than usual so it was all hands on deck throughout the day. There were many ops and consultations and as time went on and I was given many more responsibilities. A few things that happened today were:

• A very restless Spaniel needed two lumps removing, they weren't anything serious luckily but he wasn't too keen on us nevertheless.
• The beautiful Newfoundland puppy came back in, his leg is gradually getting better and he ran straight towards me, even with a slight limp.
• A big bubbly Labrador came in for a shoulder x-ray, I was kneeling on the floor with him when all of a sudden the anesthetic kicked in and he flopped onto the floor face first, he was unharmed but it gave me quite a shock!
• I found a new found love for the dog name pebbles, I mean, how cute!
• A blind dog came in, I found it ever so sad that he was bumping into table legs etc. He was referred to a specialist.

Overall, a successful day!

Abbie

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Veterinary Stepping stones #8// The cat swap

Today a client came through the door announcing that 'she'd actually brought the right cat this time!' The staff all laughed and began to tell me the story of how that funny statement came to be. This woman had recently bought a puppy and, as a result of this, their cats started to leave home for much longer periods of time. Last week, she had called for this cat and a extremely similar black cat responded to her call. In a brief moment of madness she picked up this cat and tried to put it in the carrier, thinking (of course) that it was her own. She questioned why this cat struggled so much, as her cat was usually perfectly fine with being put in a carrier. Nevertheless, she went on her way to the vets anyway.

When she put the carrier on the table she suddenly had a thought, thinking about it, she wasn't really sure if this was actually her cat. The vet laughed when the cat was brought out but decided to scan for a microchip- just in case. Funnily enough, it wasn't in fact hers, just a random cat that lived in the area, she'd never seen it before now! Mortified, she left the vets, with the vets laughter echoing behind her. Apparently, that's the first time that had ever happened and it's safe to say it tickled the vet quite a bit.

Did I mention the fact that this woman in the vets was actually my Godmother? No? Must've slipped my mind...

So after that incredibly humorous consultation, the day began as normal. I viewed my first cat spay and it was incredibly impressive to watch, the tiny kitten was adorable and constantly wanted a love. A dog came in for a groom under anesthetic, as he freaked out if the groomers tried to do it. But, apart from that, the day was pretty chilled.

Abbie

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Veterinary stepping stones #7

Today was incredibly inspiring for me, I was able to really get a grasp as to what it's actually like treating the animals, instead of just observing the vet's routine. While that is still interesting, nothing beats learning and then applying what you know. As this practice is a lot quieter, the staff have a lot more time to teach me and speak to me about what i'm observing. Obviously this is great and I feel like I can talk to them a lot more but a quieter practice has its downfalls. With my last placement their were no gaps in the day, you barely had time to take a breath, let alone have a chat. I personally feel that I am suited to this fast pace style of working, I thrive when there's added pressure and knowing that everyone is working just as hard as you really helps. It's also nicer at the end of it when everyone can finally relax after a job well done, but I guess  I missed the personal side. I think it's all about getting a happy medium and as much as I love discussing all things veterinary, It's nice to have a bustling waiting room.

Anyway, today in the quiet hours, one of the vets took it upon herself to teach me the basics of a clinical exam, it was nice to be actually handling an animal- even if it was one of the nurse's pets! I love to do anything that gets me involved. I think they have been surprised at my willingness to volunteer to do the 'dirty work' as such, but I would much rather be cleaning poo and sweeping floors than stood twiddling my  thumbs.

I also was asked to go into the lab, and I watched blood being spun and then placed into the machines that work out different cell counts, levels of glucose, levels of potassium etc. I have also found that in this placement I am quizzed an awful lot more than my last, I guess that with the teaching the questions are just second nature. To summarise: This placement- mentally draining, last placement: physically draining.

And I cannot conclude without mentioning this ADORABLE puppy, she was a cross between a Jack Russell and a Chihuahua and I don't think I've ever seen a smaller dog. She looked a lot like the pup pictured above! Later on in the day, another puppy was brought in- a blonde German Shepard. She was unbelievably chilled and incredibly fluffy!

I should stop gushing over puppies now...

Abbie
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Veterinary Stepping Stones #6

Today was the first day of my second placement, my hours for this one are a lot less so I hope I still can experience as much as my last placement. I worked out that last week I did around 45 hours give or take a bit, no wonder I felt so tired. This placement is much more relaxed, as the practice is no where near as busy. This has its ups and its downfalls, There is less to experience each day but I get much more time to just chat to the vets and get to know what the job is really like. Here are a few things that happened today:

• A gorgeous Newfoundland puppy came in about a small lump that was on his leg, causing him to limp around the place. He had bundles of energy, despite the hopping!
• An extremely aggressive cat needed an ultrasound, even under the circumstances, the vets and nurses remained professional and got the job done quickly to cause minimal stress to the poor animal.
• An elderly client was telling the story of  how when they rescued their little Westie, they were told he had 3 months to live, 6 years later and he's still going strong!

Of course, there were many more clients through the door, but it is hard to recall the fleeting cases. Until tomorrow,

Abbie

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Determination

Up until fairly recently, this blog has been a bit hit and miss. I've only really posted when I have had a spark of inspiration, but I haven't really gone out of my way to find that inspiration or to stick to a certain schedule. I'm not planning on putting a schedule in place just yet, but I do think a bit of consistency is required- instead of going whole months without posting at all and then bashing 4 or 5 posts out at once.

What I am going to aim to do is when I do feel inspired (on days like today) I am going to try and write multiple blog posts then schedule them. Opposed to the months that I am not inspired being left completely blank.

At the moment I am trying to work out what my blog style really is, so you can expect me to be dipping in and out of different features and content. I'm not going to rush into sticking to one thing because I know when I do finally realise it will almost be a moment of eureka and the posts will come in thick and fast.

I feel like this post was a bit all over the place but I just needed to transfer my feeling across. I guess the big task begins now.

Abbie
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Tattoos

Long gone are the days were having tattoos meant that you were a skinhead sailor with 'Mom' tattooed across your bicep in an anchor. Nowadays, tattoos have taken a much more creative, feminine turn-and I love it.

I've pretty much always known that I wanted a tattoo, and I have a variety of ideas floating around in my head. I love viewing people's tattoos, they're like a tiny snippet it into someones life and, being the nosy person I am, this makes them even more exciting.

Some say that tattoos are unpleasant because they will be with you for life. But for me, that's what makes them even more awesome! Maybe you will regret that tattoo you got on a whim at 18 OR maybe, that same tattoo will take on a completely different meaning and remind you of times gone by. Whatever it is, there is something so captivating and mysterious about tattoos, something that will never stop my admiration of this fine art.

This post was somewhat inspired by Tattoologist, an absolutely amazing tattoo blog that kept me scrolling for hours.

Abbie

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Veterinary stepping stones #5

Today was my final day at my first placement, I'm sad to go because I was really beginning to feel a sense of belonging in that place. The people there were absolutely lovely (even if they were no-nonsense) and they were willing to answer any questions I had. Granted, there was an awful lot of cleaning. But there was also an awful lot of fascinating stuff such as minor and major operations, x-rays, heart scans, pregnancy scans and scopes. It really was a great experience- I just hope my next placement can either match it or beat it!

Today was rather slow but there was still a few things going on:

• The car accident dog came back in again, I'm pretty sure I've seen him everyday this week. He really is a lovely dog, so it's such a shame what he's been through. His legs are now absolutely fine but one of his eyes has filled up with blood so he was referred to a specialist. He's certainly a case that I will not forget.
• An adorable dog with an extremely fluffy coat proved to be the biggest wimp going! He squealed at everything and anything, even when the vets were only applying cold water to his leg.
• The stray cat that was admitted yesterday calmed down a lot. The vets have continued with treatment and are still looking for the rightful owner.
• One client brought 3 massive dogs into the consulting room, an extremely dribbly Great Dane, a very excitable German Shepard and a very worrisome Labrador-cross. Needles to say, they left a trail of noise, dribble and shed loads of hair wherever they went.

Overall, I've really enjoyed this placement and It has been a huge learning curve, onto the next one!

Abbie

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Veterinary stepping stones #4

Today was another quiet day, with many nurses going home much earlier on. At this moment I am thinking that first opinion clinics, dealing mainly only with dogs and cats- are not for me. Over the course of this placement, I have come to a (sort of) conclusion that I would like to broaden my horizons a bit more. It's not like I do not like dogs and cats, of course I do, it's just that I think I would be better suited to specialising else where. Over the course of the week, we haven't had much in terms of 'exotics' (one rabbit, one hamster and one parrot.) Mind you, I may go on my next placement and change my mind completely- who knows.

Today consisted of:

• A multitude of ear problems, the hot weather really brings them out. That, and fleas. *shudder*
• A poor little dog that had to have a mammary gland tumor removed.
• A parrot (!) that needed a quick beak and claw trim. Before this could happen, he flew around the room and caused everyone to quickly duck their heads.
• Around half an hour before I was due to leave, a stray cat was rushed in. He had hardly any fur around his neck and a definite skin problem. We found he was micro chipped but could not contact the previous owner. He was quite feisty, and the head nurse got a long scratch down her arm. But, once he had calmed down, he was a very sweet boy. He was very hungry and went to sleep almost straight away- I think he must have been relived to have food and a warm place to sleep.

Abbie
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Veterinary stepping stones #3

After a full day, I am completely-excuse the pun- dog tired. If I'm completely honest, I don't really know why as today was really quiet in comparison to the other days. Quiet days often lead to more cleaning and this was definitely the case today, not to worry, it needs to be done after all. Here's some of the things I got up to today.

•  I viewed my first pregnancy scan, unfortunately it was a false alarm, as it would have been great to see an ultrasound properly for the first time round.
• I also viewed my first major scope of a large (practically wolf sized) dog. For those who don't know what that is it is when you send a camera down the throat of the animal, to check for different things. Today we were checking the stomach and intestine and it turns out the dog had swallowed multiple sponges!
• A beautiful Rag Doll cat had to have a heart scan and X-ray, it seemed almost sad shaving a tiny bit of her fur off for the heart scan, her coat really was lovely.
• We dealt with an extremely feisty Westie, who just did not want an injection. She was practically using her owner as a climbing frame!
• I also got the great news that our car accident victim was sent home! Hopefully he will continue to recover well.

Those were just some of the points of interest, like I said, today was pretty quiet. In other news, my hands have completely dried out- due to excessive washing. A perfect excuse to go out and buy top of the range hand cream, me thinks.

Abbie

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Veterinary stepping stones #2

As i'll be at work experience every day from this week to next, huge blog posts about everything that has happened in that day -and in a busy veterinary practice that is A LOT- would become some what tiresome. So I am going to start making bullet point lists about the more memorable cases of the day.

• The car accident victim I was speaking about yesterday took his first steps since the accident this morning, aided by a lead and a drip. It is moments like these that make me remember the reason why I want to go into veterinary medicine in the first place.
• Our first patient(s) of the day were three adorable Bengal kittens, these lovelies were quite a noisy bunch!
• The Bengal kittens were swiftly followed by one growing andrex puppy in need of vaccinations.
• I witnessed for the first time the removal of an ulcer from a rabbit, I will spare you the gory details, but it wasn't pretty!
• One of the more memorable patients for me was a small toy poodle. With the barking coming from the kennels, you wouldn't think he was small! I often went in there just to find that he wanted a stroke.
• On the other end of the spectrum was a huge Labrador that came bounding into the room, he just wanted to be loved by everyone and reminded me very much of the talking dog from UP.

Until tomorrow,

Abbie

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