Sunday 29 November 2009

Adventures at London Zoo with big chickens, mummy bloggers and animal poo!


Oh yes, you could say that again! It has most definitely been a case of Animal Adventures. And at London Zoo no less, our destination on a wet and soggy Sunday!

Organised by the P&G site SuperSavvyMe and the British Mummy Bloggers network, a family visit to the zoo was a great opportunity to catch up with some old blogging friends and meet some new ones.

Like this big chicken for instance!



Well that's what Mr A called it when the kids asked what an emu was! And it must be said it was a bit more friendly than the pelicans, who had the body language of my grandmother when she got bored of visitors.


After several attempts at renegotiating the zoo map, we finally found our way to the meet-up, where we were welcomed by three fabulous ladies Susanna aka A Modern Mother, Jen from Alpha Mummy and Nixdminx, who's actually celebrating her first year of blogging.

However, the only photo that I've got of the lively atmosphere was the one taken by my five year old photographer, Little T. Well I suppose it's a perfect snap for any bloggers who might wish to remain anonymous!



It was a great chance to catch up with the very funny Potty Mummy before she disappears off to Moscow as well as Liz from one of my favourite crafting\design blogs Violet Posy. And I finally had the pleasure of meeting Kat from Housewife Confidential, who's busy preparing for the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund Auction to kick off tomorrow along with Natalie from Bambino Goodies, where the auction will be held.

I also had fun chatting to Clareybabble Clare, Tasha from Wahm-Bam, Sandy from Baby Baby, Emily of Maternal Tales, Zoe from Diary of a Surprise Mum, Perfectly Happy Mum aka as Peggy, Babies who Brunch, and last but not least Mothership, who can normally be found immersed in Motherhood:The Final Frontier. However the event wasn't just for "mummy bloggers", it was for dads too, and it was great to bump into Jules Watkins of the video production and blog site Kidsoup.tv.

For a blogger who's normally attached to a keyboard behind the proverbial closed doors of a suburban home, it makes a welcome change to have a chance to meet up with other bloggers who can normally be found doing the same right across the country.

And having had a good couple of hours to exercise the chin-wag action, it was time to brave the weather and take in some sights around the zoo.

The kids had already gone ahead with Mr A who had decided that having a wife for a blogger was enough to handle. I eventually caught up with them being mesmerised by the Moon Jellyfish.



Then off we went to check out some ropes...



...before entertaining some monkeys who were happily chomping on some popcorn. They stared at the children, while the children stared at them. It turned out the boys were actually eyeing up the popcorn but were also impressed that the monkeys weren't in a cage and were simply sat in a tree right next to us.



Of course it wouldn't be a proper family visit without sussing out the recycling bins, which just so happened to be strategically positioned around the zoo. This smiley bin looks very similar to the chirpy one that I spotted in London only the other week, so it must be a popular design.



Then a stop-off at the cafe revealed that food waste is also processed for separate treatment too. Quite naturally, the zoo takes recycling and other environmental issues very seriously and by promoting fair-trade, organic and local seasonal products as well as working hard to conserve water and energy, it is no surprise that it has won several Green awards in the last couple of years.

And as for animal poo, well no self-respecting zoo would miss the opportunity would they?


All I can say is that's one bin I'm glad I don't have to empty and I promise never, ever, ever ever ever, to complain about cleaning out the hen-house again! And I am also particularly grateful my chickens really aren't the size of an emu!

Big chickens eh! Obviously my husband doesn't remember Rod Hull!

Anyway, thanks again to Susanna, and everyone else who was involved in organising the event. It really was a very fun day indeed and I'm now looking forward to what happens next. If you haven't joined yet and would like to get involved, just drop over to British Mummy Bloggers and sign up.

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9 comments:

A Modern Mother said...

So lovely to see you again. My daughters kept asking why I was calling you Rubbish, they thought it was funny ;-)

Your son has a real talent!

Coding Mamma (Tasha) said...

Love the photos! It was lovely to meet you. I think we need a weekend-long meet-up next time, so that we can get a proper chance to talk to everyone. I missed so many people, it seems!

Maternal Tales said...

Good to meet you too - and what a lovely smile you have! x

Almost Mrs Average said...

Haha Susanna - as long as you told them I really am: Rubbish that is :-) And yes, even though I shake when little T has the camera, he's got a good eye for a shot. Thanks again for such a good event. Great to catch up again :-D

Hi Tasha - you are soooooo right. Two hours just whizzed by and I only managed to get just to the middle of the room. I'm so glad I bumped into you at last but next time, we *must* dress up like our avatars - which makes me so happy I ditched the one of my wheelie bin. :-)

Thank you Maternal Tales (blushes) Of course the problem I have is if I don't smile, no one will recognise me, hence the permanent grin. Great to meet you and I'm now looking forward to the next one :-D

Unknown said...

Was I at the same meet up?! We hardly saw any animals!
It was so lovely to meet you, looking forward to the next one xx

Liz (LivingwithKids) said...

Sounds as though you had an excellent time - so sorry I missed it! *sniffs*

Almost Mrs Average said...

LOL Clareybabble - some were indeed a challenge to spot. It was really good to meet you, but I can't believe I didn't ask you how your rubbish is going...far too polite you see :-D x

Hi Liz - It was a fab event, thanks to Susanna. So sorry you missed it though I hope you're feeling better now. :)

san said...

What great photos! It was lovely to meet you. Hopefully we can get together again soon x

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Sandy - thanks for popping by. It was really great to meet up and I think it's really useful for bloggers to get together, otherwise, blogging can be a lonely task, if it's all kept virtual. Looking forward to the next one :-D x

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