Yesterday I took the boys to the zoo. The good thing about being a Friend of The Zoo is that you can go there and not feel like you have to spend the whole day seeing everything. It's a big place, the Melbourne Zoo, and the boys were tuckered out from the walking, particularly once the morning heated up into what I think of as Sydney weather; 30 degrees and humid.
The meerkats. So cute.Some new wire sculptures in the garden beds - I think they're fab.
Giraffe, and an elephant watching us have lunch.
We had to bypass the new tiger-cubs because of a toilet emergency, and after stopping by the butterfly house...
(Climber nearly attracted one to sit on his hand. Cherub got one on his hat.)
... we went to see the real elephants, including the new ones just delivered from Thailand. The Walk of the Elephants looks fantastic, as does the new Orangutan enclosure.
After 2 hours we were desperate to get out, all that walking and the sweaty heat tired the Climber with his lanky long legs, not to mention the Cherub, doing the whole walk on his little fat legs! Graduated from the stroller, he has. Another sign he's growing up.Last night was my first night back teaching tap. I meant to start on Tuesday but after seeing the weather forecast (39 degree heat) I decided to postpone. Which was a good decision, because it got to around 42 degrees and there were power blackouts. It was fun to get the shoes back on and it was a good class.
Oh! And here's one for the grammar police . Watched news footage of Naomi Campbell's latest assault charge proceedings (On the SMH video news site, can't do the precise link for you but it's still there if you're interested) and the reporter said Campbell pled guilty. Pled!! That's not a word is it?
Oh, I love the zoo. I really want to go and see the new tiger cubs. Maybe I'll do that this weekend, as I agree, the whole FOTZ thing makes it so easy just to drop in and drop out. Of course, it's even easier for me given I live 5 minutes walk away.
ReplyDeleteAnd the rain is fantastic. I've been sitting in my office partly mesmerised by it on the windows.
As for "pled", I always want to say "pled", but I know it's wrong, so I don't.
It is now.
ReplyDeleteZoos and kids just go together,like strawberries and cream. Pled sounds right, looks wrong---go ask Isabelle!
ReplyDeleteWasn't the rain lovely? Then the awful humidity the rest of the day :-(
ReplyDeleteI think we'll save the zoo for autumn. You're a brave woman going in the heat! I think some of the wire animals (the rhino?) used to live at the Museum.
Weird-o-rama : i'm just downloading MY meerkat photos from our Zoo trip today !! freaky !
ReplyDeleteSo humid, but it made the asian/elephant section more authentic.
My hair looks .. artful ... but walking around in the drizzle was just heaven. 5mins in the butterfly enclosure had us totally dripping though ;)
Oh - and I love rocket - we have it with nearly every meal besides breakfast. The crappier the soil, the more it loves it. Fab stuff
ReplyDelete( runs back to pork stir-fry - on hold while boys take "short walk" to park .... )
Yeah right, you just *try* and get him off the swing... ( the bubby, not the hubby ). Dinner at 8pm, i'm reckoning ...
how cool do those wire animals look - very spec! Thank goodness for the rain although the humidity is very strange for us melbournians - good luck with the tap teaching for the term...hope you fair well in the heat!
ReplyDeleteWe are friends of the Adelaide zoo - it makes a great outing (esp. with no "we must stay all day" feeling attached). I love the wire/mesh elephant etc.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't thing you can say "pled"... it's got to be pleaded hasn't it?
We've just joined up to Taronga Zoo Friends and went last week. The new elephant enclosure up here was a general hit with the girls. It was daughter #2's first time. Took it all in her stride. I asked what she wanted to visit next thinking she'd think for a while and then not know but she piped up straight away and said "lions, mummy, lions." Could we find the bloody things though. A journey on the sky chair seemed to suffice. Lucky - it was home time!
ReplyDeleteLove your rocket. Watch out for the snails they can devour a patch in a night. Don't want to rain on your parade or anything - just on your garden :-)
I just put 'pled' into m/s word and it doesn't get a red sqiggly line, but it says past tense used in US, Canada and Scotland. Who are we to argue with microsoft??? (And I really should find something useful to do.)
ReplyDeleteFabulous zoo photos. My daughter taps in air conditioned comfort in all temperatures in Townsville. Mind you I would call 30 degrees just about winter. Sorry.
Glad H&B got here first, I was wondering if you two were hooking up again, zoo-wise.
ReplyDeleteBill Gates does NOT qualify for the grammar police, I don't care what continent we're on!
Yes, it's pleaded. It's only an extra three letters, ferfux sake...
What! No faith in Bill, doesn't he rule our world?
ReplyDeleteIt's an over-generalisation of the rule which would give us feed and fed, lead and led. These are the exceptions though, otherwise we would have bead and bed, need and ned, plead and pled etc.
My twelve year old son just said,"Don't you mean pleaded?" It's not hard!
Past tense of plead, I believe...
ReplyDeleteYour zoo outing looked like a lot of fun. Have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of zoos in general, but I know the boys will enjoy it so we'll be going eventually.
the zoo looks fantastic. Must take the FB back to London zoo. Last time we were there one of the tigers was eyeing him up for lunch.
ReplyDeletePled - Cambridge Uni Press says that it is US and Scots English and is the past simple and past participle of plead.
I must have more Scots in me- I prefer pled! Not sure what I actually say, though. Pleaded I think.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your dancing in the heat!
Do you have aircon in the studio?
Lovely pics of the boys.
Ooooh...rocket* yum.
ReplyDeleteI have a gazillion recipes. Just ask and I'll blog on the matter.
-J.
*Arugula to us Yanks and some Italians.
Now wouldn't one of those sculptures look great in amongst your fantastic rocket!!! They are great. And rain - oh my favourite sound. I just wish we heard it more often.
ReplyDeleteHeat sounds crap, garden looks excellent though. Wish we could have done Zoo with you!
ReplyDeleteStinking hot on arrival back from coast here in Canberra, no end in sight, house like an oven after being vacant for two weeks, v. strange being back inside after our fortnight in a tent. Nearly got towed out with Wendy in a nasty rip, but we made it back in ok in the end, bit scary, I had a boogy board, which I am crap on, but helped in the end because picked up by enormous wave that actually sent us forward not backward, nearly shooting my off the board in the process. Felt a bit rattled by the whole thing though. Kids loved the beach, I had a water ski, towed the trailer behind the subaru all the way, no dramas, although kept thinking some nasty bastard was right up our ass when looked in the rear view mirror and saw something directly behind me. Managed my first trailer backing too on return home, quite impressed. Unpacked, washed, cooked for ratty tired children, fell asleep in front of the tennis.
But my herbs are still alive! Hurrah! I have finally grown basil, and parsley, and have a huge tomato plant, that has tomatoes on it! So exciting!!! Plumber calls me brown thumb! Like your rocket, think will tried that next. Coriander died in the heat while we were away, alas and woe!