Meet Norman

Ever since I was young, my sister and I loved the idea of having a pet! When we were younger, we saw having a pet as having the opportunity to look after something and show how responsible we could be. We also liked the idea of having someone else to play with besides each other.

The first pet I ever had was a goldfish. I remember having a huge tank in my bedroom filled with them! We soon moved house and took two of the fish with us – Bob and Jimmy-bob. This must have been at least 15 years ago, and Bob is still going strong! He is now three times his size and has turned into an old man losing his bright gold colouring turning silver. But, despite his age, he is still jumping out the tank at 7 o’clock in the morning telling us to feed him, it is funny!

When I was about 11 years old, my parents let me get a dwarf hamster as my friend couldn’t look after it anymore and was giving it away. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to bring him home! He was a Russian winter white called Rambo (he already had that name and we didn’t want to change it!). He was so soft and loved to cuddle on the sofa watching tv whilst munching very loudly on an apple slice. Sadly, he got a tumour on his tummy and passed away. We then got another two hamsters, who also lasted around 1-2 years. Although having a hamster was fun as we got to keep them in our rooms and have the responsibility of feeding, cleaning and playing with them, it was always sad when they passed away as they didn’t last long. So my sister began the search for a new pet that would last a bit longer than a hamster.

One pet we have both always wanted to have is a dog. If I’m being honest, I am more of a dog person than a cat person. Sadly, I have never had a dog. With my sister and I being at school all day, mum at work and dad in and out of the country, it wouldn’t be fair to leave it in the house alone all day. So, I have decided to wait until I can look after one properly and give it the time and attention it deserves.

Another pet I have always wanted is a guinea pig. I love how soft and fluffy they are – especially the long haired ones! Every time we would go to the pet shop we would ask to hold one hoping mum would cave and let us get one each. Unfortunately, due to our garden attracting lots of wildlife including foxes, we would have to get an in house cage which doesn’t appeal to mum as it would be huge and may smell a little. So guinea pigs will have to wait till I get my own place!

Soon, the desire for a pet faded and I decided I would wait till I was older. My sister however, didn’t lose the want for a pet. She soon discovered tortoises and a few days ago, after lots of research, she bought her first one. Meet Norman:

He is a lot smaller than I imagined he would be and faster too! But he is so fascinating to watch and is a little monkey! He likes raspberries and climbing things – which sounds odd for a tortoise. I admit I was scared to hold him at first as I had never held one before, but he was light as a feather! He will grow a bit more, but still small enough to live in my sister’s bedroom and could live up to 50 years which is great! She is very happy and we all love him a lot.

Welcome to the family Norman!

My Study Space

Some of you may know that I am now in my third and final year of university. This means I have a lot more reading, writing and research to do! With that being said, I thought I would share with you my work space at my university house.

I am lucky in that I have a desk at my student house as I know some people whose room may not be big enough for one. If this is the case I would recommend getting a fold up table or even using a study space at uni. I know some people do like to study on their bed, however I find I get too comfy and end up falling asleep or getting distracted. So, I prefer to work at a desk or in the library.

On the wall above my desk, I have a beautiful pink pin board that my grandma got for me a few years ago. It is a great size as it gives me plenty of room to pin things on and it adds a lot of colour to the room and this little wall. I know most student accommodation does have pin boards in the bedrooms which is great! But if you are in student housing like me, I would defiantly recommend getting one. I have used command strips to hang mine, up as they don’t leave any marks or take of any paint at the end of the 

year.

On my pin board, I have my calendar which is an academic one so very handy for a student. I am one of those people who has to be very organised and write everything down as I have a memory like a fish! This calendar was from Tesco and I love that it comes with a little pen as well.

You will notice I have a few to do lists. One of which I got for Christmas a few years ago from a little shop in my local village and another I made from an old till roll I got at work. I find these so handy if I have a lot of tasks to do both big and small so I can remember all the things I have to do. I also love the feeling of ticking things off once I have completed them! 

I then have a little peg thing for any thoughts and ideas which again I got for Christmas a few years ago. I just think it looks really cute and is a great place to peg little reminders or ideas if I have any for a blog post or something.

I also like to pin random bits on my pin board such as pictures, business cards and a list of meals so if I am stuck for any dinner ideas I can look on here. Surrounding my pin board I have some battery powered fairy lights from Primark to make it look a little bit prettier, especially in the evenings.

On the left hand side of my desk, I have a silver metal magazine tidy from Wilko. These are amazing for keeping folders and note books in, as you can see what they are but also keeps your desk tidy. As you can see, I just have some flamingo print button folders from Tesco (one for each module), a few A4 ruled pads and a few smaller note books I use to plan blog posts in it.

On the right hand side of my desk, I have a little box of random bits and bobs. At the moment I have hair bobbles in it (as I like to keep one handy for when I need my hair out of the way when working) and other random things such as stamps and memory sticks. I also have a pen pot full of pens in all different colours and a cute little pad of sticky notes in all shapes.

On the main part of my desk, I have the year calendar given by the university and my laptop which I use to do pretty much all of my work!

So, that is my work space in a bit more detail. It is not a lot, but I find a simple and tidy desk allows my mind to work better as I am not crushed by books and stationary. I hope you found it interesting and who knows, maybe it has helped some of you organise your work space!