Fun day out

 We have just dug out all of the sprouting broccoli plants at the allotment. I sat on our bench and went through all the plants and picked off all the remaining sprouting bits, even the absolutely miniscule ones. We have enough for two meals so I am pleased because looking at the plants, I did not think there were that many sprouts left. Hence clearing them to make way for something else to grow. I must say that the allotment looks really good at the moment. If you come back in about six weeks when the weeds are growing in overdrive, it certainly won't be looking so good. Weeding is my job and I have difficulty in keeping up with it.

Last autumn, for my birthday, our kids clubbed together and bought us a day out at the West Midland Safari Park. Our son took us and three grandchildren and we had a fabulous day out together. It is really expensive but you get a free return visit (but avoiding certain key dates). Last Thursday my husband and I went back for our return visit. It was not nearly as busy as on the previous visit and we got really close up to some of the animals. We also visited the parts that we had not managed to see last time. We saw lemurs, meercats, penguins, red pandas, African pygmy goats, umpteen types of deer/eland/gazelle, water buffalo, elephants, painted dogs, hippos, cheetahs, lions, white lions, two sorts of tigers, rhinos and lots of others as well. On the safari tour part, you drive your car around slowly in second gear and can stop and watch whatever interests you. We passed within ten foot of a pride of lions all lying down enjoying a patch of sunshine. We were about six foot from an adult rhino who was grazing right beside the road. On our last visit there were lots of giraffes but they were staying somewhere else while a new house was being built for them. I was looking forward to feeding the giraffes and was disappointed to have missed them. They have just built some lodges (with balconies on the first floor all of which have good views) where you can stay overnight right beside one of the animal areas eg rhinos. You get a two day pass to the safari park, including all the rides (which I didn't want to go near) and dinner and breakfast and an overnight in one of the lodges. The price for two people doing this is a mere £490. If you want to bring children, then they are £125 each extra. I am not sure we will be staying there anytime soon........... But I really really enjoyed my day out : )

                                           

                                            White lioness walking about 10 feet from the car.

                                            

                                            You can see how close the rhino is to the edge of the road.

                                            I thought this was a lovely group with the buck surrounded
                                            by his ladies and children.

Lots of babies

We went to the park for a walk and there is a lake which I felt strong enough to walk around. We met this goose family with mum and dad and their 10 babies. You can see one parent keeping a wary eye on that woman with a phone who wanted to take a photo. We also saw a duck with her ducklings and a pair of coots with their 10 babies. the coots were right by the edge of the pond so we got a good look at them. They were lovely. I have never seen coot babies up close before. These ones were covered in down and had not feathered up at all so they were young ones. Unfortunately I can't get the photos of the super cute coots on to this page.

These are coots that I got from Google. Their feet are quite strange and not like the typical webbed foot of a duck or goose.

Sorry about the arrangement of the pictures. I can't seem to organise them.

Our Day Out

We had a lovely day out last Wednesday. We had been recruited to help our daughter and another teacher take their two classes of 8 to 9 year olds to Kenilworth Castle. The original keep was built in 1120 and various owners added bits over the next 500 years. It was fascinating to see the changing styles of architecture over the years and also to see which bits were decorative and which were for defence. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, had built a grand house on the site and also a fabulous Great Hall, in hopes of persuading Elizabeth I to marry him. It didn't work! After the Civil War, 1642 - 1651, Several of the walls of the castle were knocked down to prevent the castle ever being used for defence again. We learned lots of history, had lots of fun and managed to come home with the same number of children as we started out with. The coach was awful - a mobile torture unit. It was an old coach that had been refitted to hold 70 small bodies and I do not qualify as a small body...  There was not enough knee room either and suffice to say that none of the adults enjoyed the journey there and back. But my, were we tired that evening!

And then the next day I managed to do something to my back and have been hobbling around ever since. I'm glad I did my back in after the day out and not before because I would have missed a grand day out : )