Zoo Keeping, hiking, and a bit of gardening

Wow! Half term really was an adventure packed time for all of us.  There was a day zoo keeping for the girls, hill walking for us and a garden clearance.

My mum entered a competition in her local paper earlier this year and won a day zoo keeping for the girls at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park.  What a great day they had.  It's a fabulous place for just visiting but to get the chance to go behind the scenes is just awesome.  They went on their own but got so embroiled that we don't have too many pics of their actual keeping.  They fed penguins, polished and dusted the giant tortoises, fed the tapirs and the giraffes and handled a 14ft long python.  I'm sure there was much more but that was all I could coherently get out of them!  They were both rather smitten with Nathan the zookeeper and he was a major topic of interest!!!

Feeding the Giraffes

Nathan, 14 ft python and the adoring girls!

Holding the snake

While all this was going on Nick and I were having an adventure of our own.  We went for a good hike up to High Street from Haweswater.  High Street is the site of a roman road (you've got to admire those romans - it is high up!)

Setting off purposefully at the end of the Haweswater reservoir

It was a little dull but fine at the start. Another one of those glorious autumnal colour schemes.  Greyish cloud really setting off the rich orange tones of the grass and the trees.  Fabulous. Took a ridge route up and it was rather windy but not quite as bad as the Wernside walk.

Bit of a scramble on the way up

Sally the dog was in her element.  I think there may be some mountain goat in the mix somewhere she is so nimble and had virtually no problems getting up some pretty big scrambles. It was probably the smell of pies in the rucksack that kept her going

Please sir, I'd like some pie!

Haweswater  in the background

Got to the top and the weather started to gradually improve and got quite sunny on the way down. Walked round to Mardale Ill Bell and then came down

Mardale Ill Bell

Glorious autumn colour on High Street looking down over Blea Tarn to Haweswater reservoir.

Also got a bit of gardening done over the break.  Bought a few primroses, violas and pansies to add a late splash of colour.  The old fence has totally dropped to bits so got some lonicera plants too to hopefully form a decent hedge in the not too distant future

Surprisingly now that the fence is gone we don't miss it.  It's a bit like having an infinity garden in that you can't really tell that the back path is there and it all seems to carry on forever into the wood beyond. Quite like it.