Zoo Day.

The weather this morning could only be described as wild. Fortunately the heavy overnight rain had died down but the wind was ferocious. Trying to get the recycling out had me laughing out loud as the wind blew straight up the street and tried to snatch everything out of my hands. I struggled to put the flattened cardboard boxes against the wall and in the end Peter had to come out and help me. The food caddy which I was using to trap the boxes wouldn't stay in place until I weighed it down with two bricks and the recycling bag needed its own half-brick. At the zoo I was in a sheltered position being kept warm in my high-viz coat but I could hear the wind whistling in the trees.

As usual I decided to carry on weeding. First I went back over the middle section of the gravelled area. I may have only been picking out tiny green threads or mini leaves (and their roots) but give it a week and they would have had several big leaves and in another week each would be a clump. As the saying goes "A stitch in time.......". Then I moved on to the narrow gravelled strip along the animal pen which was sporting some quite large weeds. That used to be Kevin the kooraburra's aviary but now houses ducks which are turning the ground into a smelly, muddy mess. The ground I was working on was also wet and before long my gloves and tools were horribly muddy. I finished off weeding around the paths in an effort to make the place look more cared for.

Surprisingly there were quite a few visiting families enjoying the bright sun and the animals we are allowed to show. While I worked I was visited by the new peahen who along with the guinea fowl that had been her companions in the pen is now wandering freely around the zoo. However I don't think it was me she was interested in but the hens (2 Warrens and 2 Marrams) in the pen behind me. The original peahen is still in her pen along with her chicks who are very much mini-mes.

Once I'd finished I had coffee and a pleasant chat with the other staff before having my usual wander around to take photos. It also gave me a chance to see which places will need weeding next week.

Back home my first job was to wipe off the mud from the sleeves of my jacket but of course once I had a bucket of soapy water I thought I might as well give the whole jacket a good scrub. Although not as windy as in the morning there was still enough wind to make it worthwhile throwing some washing in the machine and even a second load got part-way dry by the time I brought it all in to hang on the airer in the utility room. 

The bright sunshine did its usual thing of filling me full of energy so mindful of wind damage I checked all the climbing plants and tied down any loose growth. The plants that were planted out first in the raised beds have done very well especially the passionflowers. That done I finally sat down for a break before emptying out the last big box in the bathroom into two smaller ones. And that was me done for the day.