Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts

Monday, 12 November 2012

To the zoo (again)

We met up with a home edding family at the zoo again today.  It was a wet day, so the zoo was pretty quiet.  We hung out at the play centre for a couple of hours before heading over to the Discovery Centre.  We had it almost entirely to ourselves.
The boa constrictor was more active than usual, unfurling itself to show us how long it is.  It was following the kids fingers on the glass, and actually knocked its head on the glass.  It was a bit intimidating!
Meg liked looking at the turtles, and we saw a green anaconda, the crocodiles and lots of butterflies   The leaf cutter ant colony has gone though, which is a shame.
When we got to the activity at the end, there was a chameleon to look at, and the keeper to answer our questions.  The chameleon was 6 months old, and the egg she'd hatched out of was tiny.
I'm very excited - when we got home the blacklight had arrived!  The batteries are charging now so we can have lots of UV fun tomorrow evening.

Thursday, 1 November 2012

Pumpkins, fish and lizards

Halloween has been and gone.  Lots of fun was had going trick-or-treating, and opening the door to other trick-or-treaters.  Betsy was very sad when it was all over.  I'm feeling a bit at sea.  Betsy's birthday, and Halloween, have provided me with a focus and now I'm wondering what we can do.
I'm finding everyone's needs and desires difficult to meet.  Betsy builds something, Meg knocks it down.  Freddie feels bored.  Betsy is happy to do lots of craft, Freddie isn't.  Suggestions of places to go are frequently turned down.  I feel like we're on the edge of working out what will work better, but I'm missing opportunities to actually do it.  Freddie has outgrown many of his toys - or rather he still likes them but wants new things to liven them up - and I haven't kept up.  We spent a lot on the Skylanders game in October, and there wasn't enough left to buy other things.  It's difficult.  
Anyway.  Today.  Freddie and Jarvis were invited to a friend's birthday party.  Luckily, Jarvis's mum was busy so I took them both, which meant Freddie had a friend to walk in with.  It was an animal handling party.  The kids held or stroked giant land snails, a tortoise, two corn snakes, a degu, a skunk, a bearded dragon.  And there was a tarantula to look at too!
It was great.  I chatted to the woman who was running it, and I'm going to see if our home ed group would like to book an hour with her.
Later, the kids decided to smash the pumpkins.
Meg watched and ate ice cream (even though it was freezing!).
Freddie and Betsy asked to go fishing with their home made fishing rods (sticks, string, paperclips for hooks).  We took bread for bait.  The sun came out and it turned in to the most glorious cold autumn afternoon.

Monday, 15 October 2012

Talons and beaks and feathers

We went to the Birds of Prey Centre in Bedfordshire today.  My mum got bargain tickets on groupon for her, Chris and Freddie to do a half day hawk experience.  Me and the girls went along to watch.  We had to fit Meg's GP appointment in first, so we were in a bit of a hurry.  It poured down on the way there, plus we got lost, so we were a little late.  Unfortunately Freddie missed out on flying the small birds - he had a go with one but it didn't really land on him.
The rain had stopped by now so we went back outside for the next few birds.  Freddie loved watching them, and didn't mind that he couldn't handle these ones (you have to be 14+ to fly the big ones).
After a cup of tea, the group had a chance to handle an eagle.  Freddie held a beautiful Chilean Blue eagle.  He so so enjoyed it.  I loved watching him with this amazing bird.
He chatted to the handler for ages, talking about the shape of the beak, how they hunt, the Deadly 60 programmes.  Betsy, Meg and I went for a walk as they were getting restless, but mum told me afterwards that Freddie asked lots of interesting questions.
Betsy really enjoyed walking around looking at the birds, especially the different types of owls.  She was also interested by the many mole hills dotted around the place.
Mum and Chris treated us to lunch afterwards, and got the kids some toys from the gift shop. It was a real treat!
It's Betsy's birthday tomorrow.  The bunting is up.  The balloons would be too, but one burst as I was blowing it up.  Bloody hell it hurt my eye!  The quilt is wrapped.  I'm very happy with it and took a quick photo after I finished it the other day.....

Monday, 23 April 2012

Critters

I haven't mentioned the weather much.  It's been much more interesting than usual.  Lots of hail, thunder, fabulous downpours.  We've spent a lot of time looking out of the window, enjoying the drama of it.
It has meant much less time outside.  We got to the skate park this morning, and planned some time there and at the playground further into the park, but we got rained on so came home again.


Before that, we'd been to the pet shop to buy some pond weed for the tadpoles.  We looked at the fish and reptiles, rabbits and guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters.  We're in the market for a new hamster as Whitey died a couple of weeks ago.  I think we'll get one next week.


At home the kids checked on the tadpoles and gave them their new plant.  They're noticeably bigger now, but no sign of any back legs yet.
I saw this great idea the other day on pinterest, where you put yarn out for the birds to use in their nests.  Meg helped put the yarn in the feeder cage, and we hung it outside.  I really hope the birds use some of it.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

We went lambing.....

....and it was amazing!  It was at the farm we went pond dipping at last year.

It was a clear, bright, freezing cold morning.  We arrived a little late, so Freddie and Betsy got a ride to the barn on the back of the quad bike while I got Meg up in a wrap on my back.

A lamb was being born as I reached the barn.


Here it is, a minute or two later, sitting in the sun with its brother or sister.  It was steaming when it emerged, coming from a warm wet place into the cold morning.  Poor little mite!


10 minute or so later, we watched the newborn getting up onto unsteady legs, to take its first few steps.

The farmer showed us the colostrum, and how yellow it is compared to milk.

Another ewe was started delivering while we were still watching the first one.  Annie the farmer assisted the ewe, as the lamb was stuck with legs and head in a tricky position.


When the lambs are out, Annie gives them a big swing, to help clear the fluid and mucus from their airways. There is nothing gentle about this!


Then Annie pulled the twin out.  The ewe didn't make a sound during the whole process - I had thought the lambing shed would be very noisy but it was not at all.


After this we went over to see the lambs that are being bottle fed.  There are 3 so far, each one the 'spare' lamb from a set of triplets.  They're in a pen, with a heat lamp in the corner.


One was very young, not even 24 hours old.  He couldn't suck from a bottle yet, but needed colostrum so Annie tube fed him.  Freddie poured the colostrum (from a local dairy herd) into the tube bottle.


Almost no mention of Betsy and Meg in this visit.  That's because they pretty much moaned the whole time we were there!  It was very cold, Meg wanted to get down, Betsy got a bit overwhelmed.  Oh well, hopefully they'll enjoy it more next year.....


Thursday, 20 October 2011

Heroes


Another day another group, this time a family community day at Heroes, an animal/education centre.  It's one of Freddie's favourite places to go.  He gets to play with Archie all day, scoot or cycle, help feed and clean out the animals and beedle about doing what he likes.  Unforunately they're ending the family days for the forseeable future, and we're all disappointed.


  Betsy and Meg play in the playhouse, and both love the pushalong car





Meg loves the animals.  Today she was picking grass to feed to the piglets.


 And she adores Rudy the dog.  Every time I take my eyes off her for more than 30 seconds she's zoomed off the play with Rudy.  Rudy is a very patient dog!


Meg is under the weather today though and by the time we got home she'd had enough.  Teething plus a cold is no fun.


I'm glad we have a day at home planned tomorrow.