London Zoo.

It has to be said, first off, that I wasn't impressed in the slightest - in fact, I found it a rather distressing experience.

The first enclosure we came to was that of the Vultures... and it seemed rather small for such large birds... birds that were sharing with a couple other species too!

Rye did like the monkeys.  There's an enclosure where you can walk through and actually be with monkeys - we were stood so close to some that had we reached out we could have stroked them... but of course there are warning signs not to touch the animals.

The food was extortinate, £14.95 for a vege burger+ chips and a chicken nuggest and chips, plus a bottle of water and a bottle of 7up. 

Rye was so very keen to go on this, and once on, he seemed really disappointed.  I think he thought the animals would rock or something.  He did want to go on the much large Victoria paraol roundabout - is that what they are called?  Can't think at the moment.  But that would have been £5 for the both us, and as I'd just spent £14.95 on food - not to mention £30.90 to get in, plus train travel.. I wasn't that keen to be forking out even more!  LOL  I came over all Yorkshire.

Armadillos!  Odd looking creatures.  There were tunnels under here that you could go through too, I'm not really made for climbing through tunnels.  Rye did quite fancy it, but as I couldn't go in, he changed his mind.

This was probably Rye's favourite part.  He was very lucky to get 2 goes.  First time a young lad asked his granma if he could go in the car wiht the "little boy",  and then I paid for him to have a go too. 

Bless, all the walking tired him out - even after I paid for a taxi from the Zoo back to the station rather than walk the 15 mins or so it took, to walk to the zoo in the first place. 

We did manage to navigate the train/tube gates without him getting crushed this time - although the damn things closed on me a few times - so in the end I insisted the guards let us through the disable gates - I wasn't overly impressed to be jovially told,  "that happens sometimes."  Well it bloody well shouldn't!  The damn things hurt.   I was rather impressed Rye was so good on the escalators too, after the way I grabbed and threw him clear when he fell on one of the escalators at the weekend.  Mind, I did try to keep it light, and we would hold hands count 123 and get on the escalator and then near the bottom, I would say..."ready...... JUMP" and he loved that. 

And then today - Rachael (GP Mama), her sister, Tansy and the dog visited briefly, so we went down to the harbour for a walk and an icecream, before waving them off to go to Canterbury.  Rye was very taken with the dog, I can see myself at some point seriously considering a dog for him, hmm, have to see as it is a big committment.

Rather hoping too, that next time we pop back up to London (do the museums, as I didn't do them on Monday as planned), we get to meet up again.  I'd love to take Rye to the Natural History Museum and Science Museum - I think he'd love it.. and well, I adore the Natural History Museum - although its been many, many a year since I last visited.

LOL I'm going to need another week A/L to recover from all this activity!  Tomorrow it's toddler group in the morning, and then in the afternoon, weather permitting, Brockhill Park with the HE group and Friday I have an optician appointment about having contacts lenses fitted... and probably Saturday I will take Rye to Canterbury for the day.. I've not done the Catherdral yet, so we may have to have a nosey in there.. and I'd love to go to the teddy bear museum too.

Sunday I'm doing sweet FA, that I can promise you!  lol.