We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.......

I have had so much material to put in the blog recently that some things have just had to be put on the back burner for a while. So finally I have got around to adding a blog about a family trip to Colchester Zoo which took place about 2 weeks ago. So school summer holiday is complete without the zoo featuring somewhere in the calendar. So on this scorcher of a day we four kings along with the Little Bentley Crew and Nanny headed over to Colchester.

We rented a wheel chair for the boys Nan for the day as Colchester Zoo is very hilly and its just too much walking for her on such a hot day. However she was more often than not fighting the boys off to have a ride in it.

Amy pushing Josh and Brandon around the zoo in a wheel chair.

First stop was the penguins.

Per, picker per Brandon.

The underwater seal tunnel is always a favourite. We timed it perfectly to catch the seal show inside the tunnel.

Brandon and mummy in the seal tunnel.

Little Brandon in amongst some big seals - are they real?

Now that's what a call a meerkat.

And that's what I call a cheeky meerkat!

Of course they have real meerkats there as well.

The boys were fascinated by this lioness who was licking some food that had been hidden in a brick size ice block. What a great way to keep cool on a hot day.

Anyone want to lick a lion lolly.

New for 2012 is an absolutely stunning enclosure for the otters which allows you to get very close and personal.

A lovely picture of Auntie Nicky's favourite, the otter.

With the sun gazing down on this metal croc it got pretty hot and poor Brandon burnt his little legs when he tried to sit on it.

Joshie's tribute to Steve Irwin nearly 6 years after the great man passed away.

Monkey see, monkey do!

One of the boys favourite bedtime stories is about a wallaby. Ive read it so many times I pretty much know the words off by heart. So without further delay, "Willaby wallably bibbly bobbly bounces off to the blue billabong!".



"Theres an ouch in my pouch and its making me grumpy, its making me grouch".

The pouch is a bit of a tight squeeze for big Joshie.

Even Brandon was brave enough to hand feed some of the billy goats. He is getting so much more confidence around animals when you consider how scared of them he was not so long ago.



The boys hand feeding a little goat.

Now that's what you call a giant tortoise.

Brandon's current favourite animal is still the giraffe and Colchester Zoo has a stunning "Out of Africa" display with some of the big five. Take a look at the picture below and see if you can spot Brandon?

Is this a mother and baby giraffe or a sneaky little Brandon lurking between its legs?

And a real giraffe in the "Out of Africa" enclosure.

Given how fast Brandon can run now, this is a rather apt picture of him with a statue of the fastest land animal.

And from the largest to the biggest.

If only this was a real elephant. I have had camel rides in the past, but never had the opportunity to ride on a real elephant.

A nice photo of one of the real elephants. Joshua was commenting how disgusting they were covered in all that mud.

My two cheeky chappies on a train ride through the zoo to the hidden lemur enclosure.

Joshua took this picture of a sleeping lemur about 2ft away from us. What a good shot.

Cousin Amy teaching Brandon how to hand feed a big old shire horse.

Who has the reddest hair, Amy of the little goat.

One of my favourites at the zoo, the big old rhino. 

Finally a picture of the two boys on the train with their Nanny.


For me one of the funniest parts of the day was seeing what animals we could run as fast as. I was desperate to get to wolf speed (which I think was about 40kph) but missed it by about two miles an hour and had to settle for an elephant. Can't quote remember what the boys speeds were, but I seem to recall Joshua hitting around 17kph.