Saturday 3 July 2004

I write this on Monday evening, and type it some other - Sunday mebbe. At any rate, I am scribbling first so that a (hopefully) interesting week is not lost to my consciousness. We had an idea that we should spread the week's blogging out, so watch this space.

I shall start with Saturday, though it beseemeth very distant to me now. This day in history, Rob, Amy and I went to Paignton Zoo to see some animals. Rob had seen the animals before, and apparently found them very enjoyable.

After getting off a train we headed for the tourist information centre, where a nice lady who was dressed as a pharmacist filled in a form to give us a discount. We then wandered around in circles until we found ourselves at the bus-stop. They had a bus with the roof missing, so we thought we'd go on that.

Rather fantastically, though I suppose it should not be unexpected, I could Gift Aid my entrance fee, giving the zoo an extra 28p per pound. This was especially marvelous, as I used my card to pay for all three of us.

It was a funny old day weather-wise, with both umbrellas and refreshing beverages being necessary at distinct stages. You should probably go to the zoo if you want a blow-by-blow account. I am both too lazy, and too aware of the inadequacy of the method to attempt it, but I shall say what I shall. There're a lot of ducks in the zoo - just seemed a bit silly, but I guess it must be an education for our local water-fowl. The big cats were mostly just lying about, but the cheetah perked up at something which proved tricky to identify. We saw a rhinoceros walking a perpetual figure of eight. We're not sure whether it was trying to tell us anything. There was a young bongo which seemed to be frolicking, if not gambolling. It's all a lot more fun to look at than write about, or indeed read, presumably.

It was a lovely day with lovely people. I think Amy and I may have exasperated Bob by being low-brow and amused by defecation. Toilet humour is the highest form of wit and the sincerest form of shattery.

My handwriting is very bad indeed.

I rather think I spent too much money - what the train far, bus fare, zoo fare and zoo fayre. Pasties sandwiches and ginger beer. As per the statutes, I fed none of this to the seagulls.

Departed with much more nougat than I started with, on the open-top bus, which helpfully woke us up, zombified, as we were, by an early start. I needed sleep, but I had some forms to fill in with Rob to do with the phone bill, so I did that first, before going for a nap.

This is a very apt place to stop, and stop I shall, as it is getting late, I have not read my bible, and exciting, exotic music is coming to my ears courtesy of Shaheera Asante, Late Junction and Radio 3. More on exciting music later.