NEW THEME!!

Edit: I decided to discontinue this theme, since it is too difficult to keep up with. Sorry. I'll still try to post as often as I can though.

I have decided to add a new theme to my blog. I will be posting different topics each day of the week. There is Make it Yourself Monday, Travel Tuesday, Wednesday Wish List, Thursday Baking Tips, Furry Friday, Sporty Saturday and Sunday Snaps.

Today is Furry Friday, so I will be telling you some interesting facts about this week’s animal, which is the fennec fox.

A fennec fox is the smallest fox in the world, which lives in the dry Sahara in North Africa. They are well known for their distinctively large ears, 6 inches long, and cute appearance. They may seem cute and cuddly, but are not house pets; despite this many are caught and sold in the captive pet trade.  Locals also hunt them for their fur. This further contributes to their population decline in the wild, making these mammals endangered. However, they are listed as least concern, since there are no immediate threats towards their habitat.

Fennec foxes are specially adapted to their surroundings. They have large ears, where they can release the most heat, keeping them cool throughout the harsh heat of the day. Another adaptation is their thick fur, which keeps them warm, during cold nights and protects them from the sun. Fennec foxes even have hair on their feet to protect their paws from scorching sands. The fur is a light beige colour for camouflage in their environment.  Fennec foxes are more active during the night, when temperatures are cooler. This is known as being nocturnal.

In the wild fennec foxes weigh around 2-3 pounds and grow from 8-16 inches long. In captivity they can grow slightly more and live longer. Usually, these foxes live up to 10 years, and 14 years in zoos. Their diet differs from what it would be in the wild too. In the wild they would eat plants, leaves, fruits, roots, eggs, insects, rodents and small reptiles, while in captivity they consume fruit, vegetables, insects and meat. This diet may be less varied, but they are mostly like to be fed more food in zoos, as food may be scarce in the hot Sahara.

A fennec fox will dig an underground to live in with at least 10 other individuals. During mating season, January to February, male foxes become aggressive and more territorial, and once they have found a partner they will mate for life. This is called being monogamous. Cubs are born between March and April in litters of 2 to 4.  Here is a photo of baby fennec fox cubs. 

Photo credit to ZooBorns.

Getting Pins Out

My mum and I made it to the hospital just in time last Wednesday. We were both very tired from waking up early. When we got there we went to the Treetops ward, where we had been told to go, and searched for Room 7. Eventually, we found it. In the room were two other girls, younger than me, and a baby. They were waiting for operations too.

In the room I could smell toast and butter from along the corridor. My tummy made whale like noises at the smell. I was so hungry as I wasn’t allowed to eat for 12 hours. To distract myself from my hunger I passed the time messing with the bed’s controls.

For nearly an hour my mum and I waited on my assigned bed, until my doctor came to explain to us about my operation. He also gave us multiple forms to fill out and sign. Then a nurse came to put some magic cream on my hand to numb my skin for when the cannula (a small tube that gets inserted into a vein) was put in. For me the cream didn’t do anything or help with the pain, instead it made my hand go red and quite itchy.

Before we knew it, it was time for my operation. The anaesthetic stung as it was injected through the cannula in my left hand but within less than five seconds I was fast asleep.

I woke up around an hour later in a ward full of other sleeping patients. Confused and disoriented I began to panic. I tried to wake myself up and lift my heavy eyelids to see where I was but it was too difficult. Luckily, a nurse on duty noticed my squirming and had me wheeled on my bed up to Room 7, where I was earlier.

Up there I found my mum and Gran waiting for me. When I saw my Gran I thought I was hallucinating, since I couldn’t find an explanation to why or how she had gotten there.  It turns out my Gran had taken the bus all the way from where she lived to visit me in hospital.

Around 12 I was absolutely starving but hot dinners were on the way. For dinner I had chicken, hash browns, cauliflower cheese and cake. It tasted really good, despite being told that hospital food was disgusting.

I left the hospital the same day with my right arm fully bandaged up and in a sling. My mum and I were glad we didn’t have to stay over. On Wednesday, a week from the operation, nurses will be coming round to my house to change my arm’s dressings and to check the wound. Hopefully, it will be healing well.

Flobean's Op

So as you know, if you have read my previous blog post, I am having an operation tomorrow to take the pins out of my right arm. However, I am not the only one in the family having an operation this week. On Thursday one of my cats, Flobean, is getting spayed (this is also known as neutering and it is an operation which will prevent her from going on heat and getting pregnant). This is extremely good because it means I will be able to get some sleep on a night, rather than be kept awake by her yowling and meowing. It also means we can allow Flobean to venture outside and get some fresh air, without coming back with a belly full of kittens. Hopefully, her operation will be successful and after a few days recovery Flobean and Kazabella will be able to go out together and roam around our village’s streets.  

Anyway I must retire to bed extra early as I am due at the hospital for 7am and it is a long drive away. I am also not allowed to eat or drink now until after my op. I made sure I filled up this teatime on with my homemade cheesecake…mmm.

Just Another Operation

It has been roughly 3 months on after breaking my arms and its operation time again.

I found out by post that I will be getting my second operation next Wednesday (29th) at 7am!! I'm going to be tired out even before the operation, since I am NOT an early riser. In the operation the pins in my right elbow are going to be taken out, while the pins in my left arm are going to be kept in until later in the year. Hopefully, I will be able to keep my pins to show my friends, and my science teacher is especially excited to see them.

My mum will be staying with me again, even though it will be her birthday on the 30th. This means she might be celebrating her birthday in hospital with me if I have to stay over.

Overall, my feelings on my operation are that I'm slightly nervous, but mainly excited to be getting my pins out of my right elbow. Last week I accidentally banged my elbow on my desk and my pin poked out at bit and started bleeding! Not only am I looking forward to getting the pins out but it means I get a few days off school too!

Visiting The Penshaw Monument

Yesterday I visited The Penshaw monument with my family, and my sister and I did the Easter trail there too. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we even took our dog, Sorrel. We decided to go because my parents are planning to do a half marathon (13.1 miles) there and they wanted to check out the course.

On the Easter trail we had to look for egg shaped wood with letters on them, which were hanging in the trees and bushes. There were six altogether and they spelt out the word CHICKS. To claim our prize (a Cadbury egghead) Anya and I had to go to the registering tent and tell them the word we found.  We were also given a booklet of ‘50 things to do before your 11 and ¾’. This slightly offended me, as I am 14 years old (nearly 15).

Walking around the trail was very fun and we got to see the wildlife as well. My dad spotted a large, brown hare running through the forest and there were plenty of birds (and midges) too.

Afterwards we sat on The Penshaw monument for our lunch, while getting eaten alive by the many midges. I would recommend going out for a family walk and taking a visit to The Penshaw monument. You can even go up the monument by climbing a spiral staircase inside one of the pillars for £5. £5 is a lot but the view from the top is definitely worth it.

To conclude our family outing we stopped off at the nearby Nike store, since my sister was in desperate need of some new trainers. We left with a pair of black, leopard print trainers for Anya, a mint green top for mum and I purchased a zip up hoodie, also in mint green.  I would say that yesterday was a day well spent.

Me failing at holding The Penshaw Monument 

Mint Collection

Getting Back On

Today I decided it was time to get back on the trampoline. With the sun shining and a slight breeze, I helped my mum and dad put our garden trampoline up (actually… I just watched them do it).

To stop me from getting over excited or tempted to pull any tricks my mum decided not to put the safety net around it. This has put me off, but I’m still not ready to do anything even if I were allowed.

Once it was up and ready I cautiously climbed on. My heart was racing. At first I was too scared to start bouncing, so I laid down and sunbathed on the trampoline instead. The sun was incredibly hot and multiplied my nerves.

When I stood up my head felt dizzy but I found it difficult to resist a bit of jumping. I could see over the rotting garden fence and below in the garden three little bunnies running wild; chasing each other playfully, while Kazabella patrolled the area. I continued bouncing until my legs were tired out.

Currently, I am sat on my trampoline relaxing and munching on my chocolate Easter eggs. Happy Easter!