Mike's musings

Colchester Zoo

Moo and I took Morgan to Colchester Zoo on a busy, cold and wet Bank Holiday a little over a year ago, and had a good time despite that. Today, we took Jo. It wasn't wet (though it was cold), and we arrived early enough - before 1100 - that it wasn't too busy, either. We had a great time, and so did Jo. Despite the fact that she's only been walking for two and a half weeks, she walked just about everywhere until she got really tired. Up and down hills (some quite steep), outside, inside, she's such a mobile little thing, and nothing seems to faze her, including the odd tumble here and there.

She loved the zoo, too, from the penguins to the tigers, from the sheep to the margays (very beautiful members of the cat family), from the otters (again) to the fish. We invested in Platinum Cards for both me and Moo, which means that we can go for free for the next two years. Children are free under three years old, so that will take us to the time when Jo needs to be paid for. It's about 40-45 minutes from home, so it means that we can just take her whenever we want. The cost of the cards was quite high, but we'll get it back if we go another 3 or so times over the next 2 years, which shouldn't be a problem. We've also got four free tickets so we can take friends/family at some point, and we get money off the food shops, closer parking and no-wait entrance, all of which will be helpful. We can visit some other zoos around the place, too, including Bristol, which is fairly close to my parents' house.

All-in-all, a great day, despite the fact that I woke up feeling just horrible, and having slept very badly. A bit of paracetemol and some positive mental attitude - as well as good weather - meant that I managed not to mope. A surprise to some, but we had such a fun time that it was certainly worth it.