What AM I doing Today in the World?

[Grandad]

Monday is 'weigh day' for me. The weight is coming off very slowly with no diet or plan. 16stone 7pounds today so just another couple of pounds and I will have lost a stone.
I have largely cut out sweet stuff although we never have a sweet desert, maybe just some fresh fruit.
I just have 2 minute microwave porridge with some fruit for breakfast. Lunch is very much a snack and this was yesterdays

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Two Ryvitta crispbread biscuits with Moroccan humous and cucumber, a few olives (I had already eaten some) some apple and cheese.
We mostly have a normal evening meal. Last night lamb casserole with carrots and onions, roast potatoes and broccoli. No desert.
In my book that is an acceptable and sensible diet

[Mad Dilys]

I am going to try the WhatsApp app mentioned on the blue side. I brought my camera but not the cable to download onto my laptop hence the dearth of pictures in my posts so far, but I do use WhatsApp.

I'm due to go to Passion for lunch and am sure to go the garden centre (unless they close for Siesta) so will try it out.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Good on the weight loss Grandad. Losing slowly is, I believe, the key to keep weight off successfully and probably lots healthier in the long run. Eliminating the foods that are heavy in carbohydrates is key and substituting small amounts of protein keeps the hunger away longer.

Today here sun is shining and I'm picking up the crew from school as it is early release day. Not sure what we'll do but we may go down to the water and cruise the beaches OR we might just come back here and do something around the house. Haven't fully decided yet. Guess it'll depend if I grab groceries that need refrigerating or not.

Even though it rained here I have to get the hose and water the plants in pots. Has been windy and hot so am sure they need a good soaking down.

[Grandad]

Just come back from an errand to the local Local and on the way down, the big recreation field was being cut. Made a nice picture I think and smelt nice of new mown grass.

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Joined some of the family for breakfast yesterday at a country farmers market. They had some plants for sale and we bought a couple of Dahlias that I will re-pot and also do a bit of tidying up and of course, talking to the Toms.
Still waiting for the Canary Palms and the freebie strawberry plants. Our daughter gave us a blue glazed strawberry pot that I shall use to make the plants a decorative item....

[Horus]

Yesterday I braved the unpredictable weather and went to a locally held 'Steam Rally'. It is an annual event and because of the time of year it is often washed out as the parking field becomes a quagmire, but although we had intermittent showers it was quite enjoyable. As you can imagine all my photos are a bit overcast, but I will select a few and post a new thread hopefully later on today or tomorrow.

[Grandad]

PS: I DO like the new drag and drop for adding pictures Saves adding pictures to your album which perhaps just illustrate some event like my picture above. I don't need to keep pictures like that in an album. I always reduce to 1250 in Picasa , which is very quick and easy, before dragging and dropping. That way I avoid trying to move oversize files.

[Horus]

I also use the 'Save for Web' option to save a file as that makes them even smaller in file size.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Sun it out and up today and grocery shopping is going to be the order of the morning. I've been a FREE week of Do It Yourself channels and I truly love to watch home renovation or home makeover shows. Love the different ideas it gives me (not that I act on them). I did my fair share of home renovations and I think in each and every case I did improve the place.

[Grandad]

Daughter is still on half term holiday and offered to take us anywhere we chose. We didn't want to travel too far and opted to visit one of the local wildlife parks. We have 6 wildlife parks within a radius of 15 miles from home. We chose Wingham Wildlife Park because it is the nearest and the weather was uncertain.
This park started at least 30 years ago as a Bird Park but over the years has grown and broadened its wildlife stock to include mammals and reptiles. We last went about 6 years ago but it has changed a lot with investment in new enclosures and more animals. Being half term, the car park was absolutely packed with many families with young children. Not a cheap day for young familioes with a family ticket around £60
I used my scooter and my wife walked with my daughter, so I was able to go off and investigate on my own at times. Sadly I was soon reminded that I don't really like these places. Although the enclosures are generous in size and the animals are well cared for, I do find it upsetting to see the animals in an absolutely bored state which is evident from their behavior. We both agreed that we don't want to go to any of the parks again.
Pictures are always difficult through the mesh and I did not try many. Here are just a few with a story behind them.
They have two mature lions that were rescued from a circus where they were confined to small cages. They are now well cared for but the notice on their cage mentions that they are stressed and withdrawn. Here is a poor picture of one of them.

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They have a pair of tigers. I didn't read the details of how they came to be available to the park but, they are both beautiful animals, obviously bored, because all they did was walk along the fence, not even looking at the people lining it.

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A lone Emu was also showing signs of boredom by picking up anything in its enclosure and throwing it onto its back.

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The area that I have no complaints about was the animated Dinosaur park. LLL's twins would like this area because I remember that, like all boys, they have been through the Dinosaur stage. Sorry, I cut the big guys head off

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They were all animated and making frightening noises......not too sure how they know what noise a pterodactyl or T Rex makes

[Horus]

Looks like a good day out and I agree with you about the animals in captivity. We are fortunate to have the world famous Chester Zoo within easy driving distance, now that is a difference experience altogether, the animals take preference over the visitors and the majority are part of a conservation programme of some type. I love those animated Dinosaurs they have some great ones at the Natural History Museum in London.

[LovelyLadyLux]

The twins have never grown out of the dinosaur stage. They're now reading extensively about them, can probably name ALL the bones of their body etc etc etc. They have however extended out to now including animals of today.

I don't like seeing animals in captivity but I do believe zoos have come a long way from when I was a child. I don't mind seeing animals (like the lions) in a zoo given they came from a circus hence are actually living a better life now. Although the zoo is not optimal it is better for them than a circus life and given there is no chance at all of ever re-habitating them back to the wild IMO any animal that can't be returned to the wild IS the perfect candidate for a zoo that provides them with space, stimulation, nutrition. Not optimal but better than the decision to put them down. That being said it is hard to keep any captive animal alert, not-bored and engaging in self injurious behaviours. Sad to see them but a reality of life.

I believed just last week Canada enacted a law that prohibits captivity of whales & porpoises. Here we've all witnessed the horror of killer whales brought into captivity and "trained" and then having one of them ultimately kill the trainer. The investigation then revealed the were basically held in holding tanks and really only released for the 'show' which is horrible to even think about. No wonder they all eventually went crazy and attacked. Am amazed it actually took them so long.

We had a parrot rescue here that housed something like 500 exotic parrots. The woman who ran it was very elderly and passed. Immediately many of the birds just 'disappeared' before the SPCA could step in an take control. I never did go to see the place partly because of the extreme noise and because all the parrots were free flying. Lots of people complained they'd essentially be attacked/bit by the birds who would land on them. Sandals were forbidden as the birds were known to bite toes.

I think this summer I may take the twins and Granddaughter to Victoria and we might go to the "Butterfly House" which is a huge domed garden full of butterflies. I was there probably 2 decades ago and so about time for me to return. It is totally downtown so we have to make a real early start to get there just to find parking within a couple miles of the place.

[Ruby Slippers]

I keep meaning to visit a butterfly house. I love butterflies but always thought the nearest one to us was in London - and I hate London! Then I found out just a couple of weeks ago that there is one almost on my doorstep!

[Horus]

I often call into one when I go to Anglesey in North Wales located just over the Menai Straits bridge onto the island.

[Kiya]

Grandad sounds like a good day out, love your photos , your thoughts reminded me of the animals we saw in

Las Vegas how they were walking to and fro clearly bored.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Sun is out and today is going to be a nice one. Have to meet the daughter at the carpeting store as I'm picking out carpet to go down the stairs THEN I'm totally and finally finished with ALL the flooring in this place. Her husband/son-in-law just installed wooden treads on their stairs. The neighbour beside me put slate on her stairs. Both sets of stairs look fabulous however they are (IMO) slippery and hard so while I thought about having wood (and briefly stone) on the stairs I'm also concerned with falling. I no longer 'bounce' well so am opting for carpet.

After that I'm off to pottery. We're on the wind down now as the studio will close end of June so am finishing up mode. I've got about 1 pound of clay left so will make something else today (not too sure what) so I can have everything done and finished.

[Grandad]

@Kiya
Here are a few more Kiya but either through glass of mesh, pictures were difficult.
Can't remember what this fellow is.

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Penguins

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Panther

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Flamingos

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[Ruby Slippers]

I had a trip through the Eurotunnel today to France and Belgium. An early start and everything was going swimmingly until we came to come home. Unfortunately, a train had stopped in the tunnel earlier today which had a knock-on effect with lengthy delays. We were delayed by two hours which meant that it was just after 5pm before we arrived home. I think an early night will be in order!

[Horus]

Grandad your monkey that looks like a Baboon is actually a Mandrill, they were once thought to belong to the Baboon family, but later given their own genus of Mandrill.

[Kiya]

Lovely pics Grandad it is a shame to see them caged in rather than the open wild

[Ruby Slippers]

As a little sidenote to my trip out yesterday, I noticed a vast amount of very large motorbikes on the roads; at Folkestone and also coming into the Eurotunnel heading for the UK. They were Hells Angels, and were heading for an annually held Euro run, which this year was being held in Surrey. What was really interesting was spotting all the different chapters worldwide, which were emblazoned on the back of their leather jackets. Holland, Turkey, Germany, France etc. The press reports a 700 strong ride from Surrey to Brighton tomorrow, so all police leave has been cancelled. They wouldn't reveal which hotel would be hosting the event though.