Sunday 22 August 2010

The Pupillage Fairy and (non) Flying Pigs

As mentioned in my previous post, Bar-Os is poorly. His digestive system isn't working as well as it should and he's had a few bouts of mild colic. He's not really one to suffer in silence and stamps his feet if he needs 'the slave' (me) to attend - this has meant that I've had quite a few disturbed nights. On Wednesday night, I awoke at 1am to hear him stamping, did a quick check and went back to bed. At 4 am he was stamping his feet again, so I went back out, only to find that he was staring out of his window looking quite worried. I assumed that a local cat had startled him and thought nothing more of it. I gave him a jam butty laced with 'bute' pain-killer just in case he had a mild colic and crawled back to bed.

The next evening I was very tired. I thought I heard squealing at the back of Bar-Os' stable, but put it down to tiredness and an over active imagination on my part. On Friday, I went to get Bar-Os in from the paddock and lo and behold, there were 2 pigs munching away on a neighbours lawn. There was no-one else in sight and the pigs were making their way towards the road, so I decided to do the decent thing and try to get them to safety. Mmm, it would appear that pigs have a mind of their own and don't take lightly to being ushered around. Cars were passing by and the occupants were looking both bewildered and amused as I smiled sheepishly and shrugged my shoulders at the mayhem the porkies were causing. One driver scowled meanly at me and pursed his lips. "It's not my bloody fault; they're not mine" I said. Eventually the piggies made their way up a drive towards a crab apple tree, where they happily munched their way through the windfalls, pausing only to have a scrap amongst themselves over the spoils on offer. To be honest, I was quite relieved to discover that I wasn't going mad when I thought I'd heard squealing, and that the pigs had been going awol for several days on the trot (or should that be trotter). Poor Bar-Os must have woken from his slumber to see piggies parading past his stable and had stamped his feet for the slave to make them go away.

To date, I haven't managed to get a pupillage, but have sent off a few non-olpas applications; one to a chambers where I've recently done a mini-pupillage - time will tell whether they liked me or not. I have also gotten through to a second round on-line process for another pupillage and did an on-line test earlier today. Goodness me, 6 years of LLB, 2 years of BVC, and we still have to do tests to see if we are really fik or not. I'm entered for the 2012 Olympic Games for the Jumping Through Hoops competition. I must admit that when I finished BVC I was sick of the sight of law, but my interest in it has re-emerged and I really do want a pupillage; along with several thousand others unfortunately!

Day job is busy, which is just as well, as I seem to be keeping the vet in the style to which he has become accustomed. No matter how well I try to plan my finances, it always seems to be the case that the unexpected empties my bank account. Oh well, the weather has been lovely and I've much to be grateful for.

2 comments:

Minx said...

My Dear Maid,

Who did the piggies belong to? Were they escapees from the inevitable fate of most of their kind , like the Tamworth Two?? Ooo-er!!I do hope that Bar-Os is improving in health and recovering from his various afflictions .

I completely understand your sentiments with regard to pupillage - I too was sick of law following the BVC and then, after the briefest of pauses, decided that it was something I wanted more than anything. I think two things are key - determination and a large dollop of luck; given that you have the first in spades, its then a question of being in the right place at the right time, and for that you have to play the odds, so keep on keeping on applying, and dont give up! you are bound to strike gold soon! ( was the online pupillage app for the Greenwich Lemur Society? a vicious process, I am told!)

Its Sod's Law with respect to the sordid topic of coin- it never seems to want to stick around in a bank account for too long, not least of all in those of busy people or students!! What you really need is an EPIC Lottery win!

Barmaid said...

Minxy - the piggies belong to the Hall at the back of my house - there's a walled Victorian garden that has been neglected for years and is a wilderness, hence I hadn't noticed that livestock had moved in. Alas the porkies are destined for the dinner plate, although they looked quite small and lean to me?

And as for the money thing - an epic or even modest lottery win would be very nice indeed - if only I could afford to buy a ticket!

Glad to read that you are well and truly on the mend:-)