Yes, I know. Slacking again.

I can honestly say that the reason that I haven't shared all sorts of awesome stuff with you for so long is because I had no awesome stuff to share with you.  I know, it almost never happens but I have been so busy with all of the boring but very necessary things in life and I know you don't want me to blog about the height of my ironing pile (which has just taken me 2 hour to scale thank you very much for asking). Son one killed his brand new school shoes in the first week, NOT COOL!  Son two keeps threatening to bring the nursery Giant African Snail home for a holiday.  I have advised nursery that if such a thing should ever happen, it would be returned in a bath of garlic butter!  That seems to have done the trick. He he he.

This weekend however, we decided that the normal hum drum was getting right on our wick and so we blew it out of the water!  I am the voucher and half price queen but this time hubby trumped me totally. He did FREE!!!  Epic, my favourite price.  We are within half an hour of Paultons Park.  This place is well worth a visit if your in stones throw of Hampshire.  Now what makes this place even more amazing is the phenomenal support that they show to the families of service personnel.  Every year they give thousands of free tickets to kids of serving members of HM Armed Forces.  How wonderful are they?  We've been 3 times now and it never gets old.  The only down side to todays trip was that the rain was coming in from side ways and the wind was blowing a demi gale!  No amount of hot chocolate was going to restore heat to our withered limbs and lifeless peripheries.  Never has taking my jeans off for a wee been such a challenge!  2 hours was quite enough for us and we bugged out for hot baths, more hot chocolate, grannies home knit blankets and every fluffy item of clothing that we possessed.  Proper job.  It was so wet that I refused to take my beloved camera so no photos of our misery to show you, sorry.

I am however delighted to share with you our tip top saturday.  Yet again the voucher queen struck and off we went to the Hawk Conservancy.  We love this place and its worth every single penny of its full entry fee.  We were delighted to share a random act of kindness on the lady behind us in the cue, we got her in for free with our tickets.  Happy days :-).  Now you don't necessarily be into birds of prey to love this place.  The mark of a good attraction in my opinion is that the staff care about what they do.  It always shows.  Now the staff are passionate about their birds and demonstrate them with such energy.  I have to say that I've never seen it so busy but the staff just took it in their stride and made sure that everyone got their monies worth.

This is the place, Google it and Go! 

Throughout the park they have pieces of art from local artists.  I could have spent as long looking at these as I did the birds.  Stunning and such talent on display.

This guy is a Hooded Vulture.  I am now a fully confirmed member of the Vulture fan club.  I just think that they are super cool.  Anything that spends most of its day with its head in a dead body and yet still looks that beautiful is OK by me.

This chap is a King Vulture and the picture doesn't show just how boss eyed he is.  He looks perpetually confused.  I can sympathise.

For my American readers.  This little lady is Cheyenne.  No words necessary I think, she says it all.

Finally, this is brilliant.  Now the fella is flying a Black Kite.  Now apparently the Military have a fondness for this bird and used to send the new recruits across the parade square with their lunch in a mess tin.  The poor recruit would then get dive bombed by the resident Kites.  This is what he's recreating here.  Love it.  Beats "left handed hammers", "tartan paint" etc into a cocked hat.

Generally a fab weekend.  I haven't even touched on the massive amounts of home cooked food, baked yumminess, laughter, hugs and family time as the full 5 of us.  Roll on the next time.