Zoo

I have never lived in Wellington so I cannot claim to be familiar with the nuances of its degrees of wind. To me, Wellington is either windy or it's not. Usually it is. In fact, yesterday was probably the first day when I've experienced it being not.

Which meant that it was a perfect day for wandering around the zoo with my parents who were in Wellington for just one day, three of my wonderful sons, one beautiful daughter-in-law, and five Most Adorable Granddaughters.

The Most Adorable Granddaughter#2 wanted to see koalas and bears (please note, koalas are not bears!). Well, we didn't see any koalas, but her Grandpa did scare a bear out of its cave, and she seemed happy enough with the monkeys, wallabies, and kiwis (which I suspect The Most Adorable Granddaughter#5 scared out of hiding when she let us know in no uncertain terms that she did not like the dark that these nocturnal flightless birds prefer). I hope she's not too disappointed.

The Most Adorable Granddaughter#5 loves giraffes ... but only in the abstract. Up close - and these were up close - was not so hot.

In fact, I suspect that a number of the animals 'in the flesh' were a little off-putting for not just the youngest Adorable Granddaughter. When it all boiled down to it, animals made out of concrete and other man-made materials were preferable to those that ate, breathed and did all the other things that animals are prone to do.

  

  

 

Um, the closest we came to a family photo ... perhaps someone else got a better one?

[Yes, I know I have pink shoes on, but they were so comfortable. Wellington is not only windy, it's also hilly.]

I must admit, not a lot of 'catching up' went on. Despite our best laid plans, we were late meting my parents and they had to be back on their ship mid-afternoon, so we crammed a lot into a small space of time which left little time for talking. Having had all sons, I had never experienced having to wait and wait and wait in public restrooms while a little girl 'goes'. (Hence the reason our trip took longer than planned). In the past, with sons, this was always DH's task and I'm not sure how he managed to make it happen so quickly. However with DIL#1 not arriving back in the country until after our trip to the zoo, the task naturally fell to me. You would think with all my years of experience and training that this wouldn't have been an issue, but it is obviously one area where I am seriously lacking skills!

The end of our trip to the zoo was marred when my mother fell. She insisted she was okay but since I am unable to contact her until they arrive back in Australia, I have no way of knowing and can only pray that she didn't suffer concussion or bruising from the incident (due, I'm sure, to Wellington being so hilly).

Thanks must go to Son#2 and other family members whose photos I have 'borrowed' since I was so busy enjoying my granddaughters and seeing them with the animals that I didn't even get my camera out - even after I'd gone to all the trouble of recharging the batteries that very morning!