Zoo Day.

The morning began with red skies as the sun made its way up over the hills. Sure enough after a chilly morning raindrops began to fall at midday and soon settled into heavy rain.

I did spend my morning at the zoo, pulling up bramble roots and snipping away at the surrounding clumps of grass. Instead of weeding out everything I'm getting that strip to a point where it can be strimmed to keep it tidy. Today's cutting with secateurs was to reveal the brambles hiding in there as well as to rest my back as hauling out the brambles is taxing. The strip I was working in is next to the wolf-dogs and eventually Zeus (the male dog) came over to see what I was doing and to sniff my hand through the wire fence. Later on both of the wolf-dogs had a howling session set off by a dog barking outside the zoo. This is the first time I've heard them howling (they can bark too) and boy were the pair of them loud. With icy rain falling and miserable grey light as I finished weeding I didn't bother taking any photos today. Before I left I was given a card and a big tin of chocolates as a Christmas thank-you which was a really lovely gesture.

During this season I love checking for post with beautiful cards and messages from friends arriving each day. 

In the afternoon I wrapped up a couple of presents and then as Peter had completed his wrapping too I thought I'd tidy away the wrapping paper. I started with all the extras and found that I've probably got enough to last for years even if I don't add to my supplies in the January sales. Because I couldn't resist when Tesco's in particular reduced tags and bags to pennies when I put them all together I found I have nearly 100 gift tags.  Then I thought I'd check the box the rolls of paper were in and oh dear ........ the bottom of the box felt damp and condensation had been trapped on the wall behind allowing the dreaded black mould to grow. Saddest of all was the state of a framed poster looking out of the front door of Bag End (similar to but not the same as the picture below). I'd planned to hang it in my study but put it aside when I needed the drill to fix a screw in the block walls. I used the anti-mould spray the builders left me on the frame and wall but I think I'll need to look for a replacement print as it is damaged. I have checked behind the stack of storage tubs against the other wall but fortunately there were no more signs of damp.