Happy Birthday

To my mum :)

67 years young yesterday and still as sprightly as ever!

(although those who know my mum will know that she's never really been sprightly lol clumsy and scared of moving in case she falls...which she does...but you know what I mean)

We went to the Zoo to celebrate. Mums choice. We got up and had breakfast and mum got ready in the new clothes she bought the day before, then she put on the weirdy scarf/hood (now known as a 'Scarood' I made for her and off we went. We were hoping to meet my friend Lee's wife there for coffee but unfortunately Erika couldn't make it. Lee used to work at the zoo so it was a day all about him as well.

We got to the zoo and it was a cool, grey, damp sort of day but that was ok. There were hardly any people there which made it lovely and peaceful. We started to wander down to the Chimp house to see the plaque that has been put up for Lee.

Found ourselves by the sealion enclosure and..well...game over really. I was hooked! there was one male 'Cousteau' and 4 females. I watched them from above, all terribly shy. They watched me from under the water and only surfaced to get a glimpse of me, then dove back under the water without making eye contact.

I then went round to the side of the tank where I could watch them under water through the glass viewing panels. Mum kept saying there was one girl with Phoebes eyes, and talked of the pretty one. I was quite taken by Cousteau, the way he kept swimming past the window, seemingly ignoring me, but then stealing a glance as he's almost past.

Then the lovely keeper came out and fed them, put them through their tricks and medical checks, introduced the girls, and LO! what was the pretty one with Phoebe's eyes called? Only Phoebe!!!!! She was browner than the others, prettier and seemed to be left handed.

Well, I was in love with them, with the enclosure, with standing there watching them. It made the day perfect for me. After that we had lunch in the Flagstaff cafe, wandered round more, saw Lees bench and left him a pinecone I had found and liked....

Then it was just time for a brief visit to the shop, where I bought a present for Sarah and some gorgeous wildlife photography postcards (and a toy Koala which I didn't need but hey)

We popped into the clothes shop on the way home and bought a pair of shoes each and came home for spaghetti for tea. NOM!

A good day all round. Sorry no knitting to report, I watched Ally McBeal all night instead :)