Fixit Guy and I got there pretty early since we were out and about dropping Massage Man off at an appointment in the city. Thought we were doing so well going not in school holidays or weekend so beating the crowds. I had reckoned with out the school groups and all the yummy mummies out with their toddlers and friends and sometimes grandparents.
Discovered I am becoming a bit of a cranky old woman. The thing that I found really annoying was what I perceived as the competitive parenting. The mummies speaking in oh so peppy enthuisastic tones about what there was to see at each exhibit - that super bright voice that always smacks to me of being more designed for the people around to hear so that they will know that this is an involved keen mother educating her little darlings at the zoo. It just grated on me. But I'm an old bag. I was secretly hoping to overhear them at the end of the day and seeing if their tone of voice was quite so chippy and super happy or if they had toned it down a bit or a lot and were resorting to a growl.
The kids were largely charging on ahead with their mates... delighting in running up the little ramps, and climbing on the little ledges, and playing with their friends than taking a whole heap of notice of what was in the enclosures.
I recall taking my niece to the zoo when I was still at teachers college. She would have been 3 probably. I had to plan an excursion to the zoo as an assignment and actually take a child with me. Lots of my friends didn't have non school aged children that they could take (it was during the school week) like me they came from the country or they didn't know any little kids whose mothers would let them take them to the zoo so Bindy, my little niece (now a stunningly gorgeous mature mother of 3 little boys... where did the time go) had about 6 college students taking her to the zoo. She was a delight to take but we were all very amused that with all that there was to see at the zoo she was most interested in the ducks that weren't caged and would waddle around us when we sat down to eat our lunch. And the sparrows. Apart from that ... the monkeys were a hit but the rest of the animals she could take or leave.
10 years later I took Bindy to the zoo again. She had a friend with her this time and she was more likely 12 or 13 and again I had a 2.5 year old with us as well... my own daughter Fangirl. Once more the toddler was interested in the ducks and the sparrows with a dash of monkey thrown in. I was 6 months pregnant with Massage Man so doubt very much that I was a happy chirpy yummy mummy. Probably a snappy snarly cranky old bag then too
To make up for the narkiness in this blog I shall add my favourite pictures for the day. We didn't go near the Australian Animal display... we've had them in the wild all trip.
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| Lemurs are so cute |
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| Gorilla ... so contemplative |
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| this big little cutey was blowing bubbles in the water |
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| The baby orangutan was a real performer... forward and backward rolls then put the hessian bag on her head |
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| The Orangutan in the opposite enclosure would put his hand on the glass for you to put yours on top of |
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| Love giraffes .. they are amazing to look at |
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| I forget what this was called... it started with P and not it wasn't a pig. Edit. Its a Peckary. I had never heard of them before. Thankyou to Scooquilt for the heads up. I checked the zoo map as well |
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| Fairy Penguins. Came right over to the glass in front of us and delighted us |
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| Swimming around and around |
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| and another swim past |
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| Reminded me of going up to the high board to jump off... will I won't I, here I go, no its too high... if you go I'll go |
Peckary, I think. And I love your mom comments. Some of them take it far too seriously. My son arrived long after my friends' babies, and by then I was so exhaused from teaching that I'm sure I was not chirpy.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Peckary I checked it on the zoo map. I will go and edit it. Thank you
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