Yay, we made it today! I managed to talk Lynsey and Lucy into it, and Lucy brought her friend Lauren, and together with two teddy bears we all drove over to Banham Zoo for the afternoon. It was so much fun! There is a great selection of animals there, from exotic ones like tigers and giraffes to more mundane things like, well, sheep. Actually it was one of those mundane ones that really stole our hearts, the cutest little goat kid in the world!!!

I really loved seeing the giraffes – so tall – but the real highlight of the day was watching the cheetahs and tigers getting fed. I know they're safely behind bars, but there's still something absolutely amazing (and terrifying) about being a metre or so away from a big cat. When they look you in the eye you still feel that instinctive fear, that knowledge that you wouldn't last two seconds in the wild if you were nose to nose. And yet at the same time they're so cute! We fed the sheep and goats ourselves, although the way the goats were going for my fingers I thought they were turning into carnivores too!

It's incredible seeing just a fraction of the huge variety of wildlife out there, from spoonbills and marmots to spider monkeys and wolves. And don't forget the meerkats, and the seals! I do have mixed feelings about zoos, especially when you see some of the smaller compounds (and especially especially when you see the birds without room to fly properly), but I guess you've got to remember that so many of these species are on the verge of extinction, and zoos with their research and breeding programmes are a great way to ensure that doesn't happen. And it really does make you appreciate your place in the magnificent mix of nature.

No monkeys throwing poo though :-(

I think I might adopt something. Any suggestions? It would have to be one of the unpopular animals that nobody else adopts. Like a camel. Or a pig.

Anyway, debating whether to go out and see Knowing, don't know if I can be bothered to see Nicholas Cage overacting. Again.

Oh, and I wasn't sure what these were, but they were very cute.