Update on our Easter plans

So how are we doing with our Easter plans?

DIY on Friday
Zoo trip on Saturday

So far... so good! We had a fantastic time at the zoo this afternoon. It took us about two hours to get the picnic packed and ourselves and Michael ready to leave the house so we got to the zoo in the early afternoon. I immediately turned into an oversize toddler and starting pointing and saying things like "Phil, look, look!" and 'Phil, look! The camel is yawning!" Phil, being the nice guy that he is, always turned to admire whatever it was I had pointed out. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with zoos. I hate seeing any animal in captivity, especially in enclosures as small as those at Artis. However, I appreciate that in order for the next generation to learn compassion for animals that they will possibly never see in the wild, a zoo is necessary. Their breeding programs for endangered species are also admirable.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I love elephants. Some of my earliest memories are of going to Twycross Zoo and staring for ages at the elephants. I don't think I have seen an elephant in a zoo in over 20 years. I saw four today and one was a baby - only one year old and the first elephant ever to have been born at Artis. Her name is Yindee. There was also a baby gorilla at the zoo but the baby is less than a month old and kept away from the noisy crowds at present.

Michael was largely uninterested in the zoo animals - who were equally uninterested in him. I think that I enjoyed seeing the sea lions best. They were in a tank with a raised viewing platform. I was with the Quinny so couldn't go up the steps. Phil went up to take a look whilst I peered into the murky darkness of a window in the tank. I nearly fell over backwards when a pair of dark eyes zoomed towards me out of the gloom. Two small sea lions and one larger one took it in turns to zoom around the tank at the nosy spectators. The way they move is just fantastic. Their keeper was feeding them (I didn't know this, being below the platform) which probably explains the show.

Phil was captivated by the penguins and we sat and ate our lunch on a bench with the penguins and gannets in front of us and the llama enclosure behind. A few of the penguins were very friendly and came up to the fence to nibble at the shoes of the onlookers. Phil made a video of them and took a lot of photos. Speaking of photos - we took 163 in total which is perhaps a tad excessive. Phil is currently wrestling his computer to get them uploaded and when he does I will put a select few in the blog. The bench in front of the penguin enclosure now rates as the most unusual place I have ever breastfed Michael. I find it difficult to imagine that any location can top that but you never know.

I'm looking forward to having a peaceful day tomorrow - I'm exhausted!!