Zoo Day.

A lot more blue in the view this morning. The day alternated between grey and blue, no rain and reasonably mild.

A good day for working at the zoo. So far the avaian flu restrictions mean that the free roaming birds are confined in pens and there are biosecurity measures (bowls of disinfectant to step in) at each pen. 

I didn't take any photos of today's work but look at all the leaves on the gravel I cleared last week. And there are even more on the tree. I clear the leaves to stop the worms pulling them into the gravel where they decompose and assist the germination of yet more weeds. When I had the scree garden I found that a leaf-vac wasn't very good on gravel as it either left the soggy leaves or sucked up the stones after which there would be horrible crunching noises from the shredder inside. Today I cleared out some reeds that were growing in a bed of yucca plants. I'd been waiting for cooler weather to do this job as I needed to wear my big yellow coat to protect me from getting poked by the spikey yucca leaves. I planted some of the reeds along the side of a scruffy building that could do with some plant cover after which I got most of another of the gravel areas weeded. 

The last zoo photo is of a lechwe calf that is being kept isolated until he can be vaccinated. Remember the day I thought they were moving a leopard which turned out to be the lechwe? They were being taken to another animal place but sadly this one's mother reacted badly to the stress of moving and died and the little one was returned to us for rearing.

Back home I tested one of the cakes I baked yesterday. (Neither of the photos I took of 'our' cake came out.) I don't think it was as nice as my usual recipe and anyway I'm going to check with the boys if they appreciate enjoy Christmas cake. No point in me baking cakes every year if they aren't keen on them.

After yesterday's blurry photos through the window I thought it was time to wash the front windows. That's such an easy job with a squeegee. I think it takes longer to keep swapping the washing head with the blade than to do the actual washing and wiping.