Well as far as impulse buys go, a Syrian hamster definitely wins out over shoes.
On Saturday, myself and Miss Herbert set out to Heaton Park to visit their community farm (we are the girls who celebrated the end of our degree at Chester Zoo not the pub, so forgive me if this doesn't score high on your Saturday fun scale)... It was a crisp, bright day with lots of families buying chips and hot chocolate from the burger van, dogs a plenty being walked and ducks a plenty chasing people for bread. Heaton Park is enormous and one of the green, open spaces accessible from the city centre - with animals, events, a tram museum and picnic spaces galore. The community farm didn't disappoint as there were alpacas, donkeys, pigs, goats, rabbits, chickens... Farmy type creatures, as is to be excepted I suppose. Lovely day out though, and a great chance to wander, natter and enjoy the fresh air.
'Where does a hamster figure into this?' I hear you ask... En route back from the park, we called at Staples (ironically to buy a staple-less stapler) and Pets at Home (to continue the animal theme). I fell in love with a scruffy little punk guinea pig, a big fat friendly hamster and wanted to bring all the adoption pets home with me. Alas, for fear my grumpy little doggy might eat or 'play with' anything that can roam, I returned without a furry friend. For the record, my dog is 15 which is OLD for a Yorkshire Terrier, so we excuse his grumpiness on the grounds that his sight and hearing are failing, and despite the greying hair he would still like to think he's a puppy. I digress.
On Sunday, I went for a drive and just happened to pass by Pets at Home. I popped in, just to look mind you. The lady had opened the hamster doors to retrieve a critter for another customer. I popped my hand forward to say hello to the fat friendly one i'd seen the previous day and he scurried onto my hand and up my arm. SOLD. Sucker? Me? Yes, absolutely. I returned home with a cage, bedding, food and Ludo (as named after Ludo - "friend" - in Labyrinth). And Taz doesn't seem to care that there's a small creature in my room; he sniffed him and toddled off to have a wee. An excellent welcome.
So, dear blog and dear reader, I assure you that my posts won't become rambling accounts of the day to day life of Ludo. After this one.
First night, the rotundity of the hamster seemed to be explained when he avoided the opportunity to exercise and dragged his bedding into the wheel and slept in there all night. Last night, however, he got in for a spin. And spin he did, all night long. Thankfully i've had hamsters before, so I can sleep to the sound of a wheel going round. So there you go, introductions have been made and i'll try to avoid gushing posts about just how cute he his (he is though).
What else, what else. January was - once again - an odd bugger of a month. But we're into February now, so let's not dwell on that.
PhD application has been submitted (Graduate Teaching Assistant post - eep! - my fingers and toes are as crossed as can be); teaching placement arranged at uni; a number of shows, events and exhibitions earmarked for booking; rejection for festival in Croatia; new plants purchased to bring some greenery into my spruced up room... The hamster is the big news this post.
I have started a new job as a Mad Scientist in primary schools - contender for best job title ever? However, for financial/work/uni reasons I might have to postpone that for a little while... We shall see.
Lot's of 'we shall see'ing to be done.
10 months ago
Posts
