An uncrowded moment

The middle one was given a very special birthday present from his grandparents, an outing of his choice with them.  He chose the Melbourne Museum, this is quite funny as we have already been there a number of times this year.  We're members and love looking at collections and old stuff. Nanna and Pa took him to see the Tutankhamun exhibition which is all things golden and glorious. Love it that he didn't get more stuff from them, a doing thing is such a lovely birthday gift. I think his favourite thing about the day was that he was the centre of attention, it was all about him.



While the middle one had his special day, the Bowerbird girls went to the zoo.  It was crazy school holiday busy, as we had been warned.  We stuck to things less popular and moved on quickly when crowds gathered.  Our kids don't like too much noise, so we kept searching for some  quiet places to rest.

The Melbourne Zoo's gardens are a delight.  On the way to the elephants and butterflies is an amazing bamboo forest where we felt tall smooth trunks, cold against our cheeks, as we duck and wove through the jungle. These simple stepping stones hidden in the bamboo kept the little one entertained forever, in fact it was quite a chore to drag her away.

Note the sad face when it was time to leave. We were very patient but after 10 laps it was time to see some butterflies.


The zoo now has a bakery with yummy vegetarian food!  The food court area near it however, was heaving with people and raucous eating and shouting.  It's amazing how many people seemed to be having a bad time at the zoo, a lot of rushing and crying.  Just around the corner from the bakery is the tranquil Japanese Gardens which were, remarkably, empty, even the beautiful pavillion with chairs to rest in.  We felt very smug sitting by the waterfall , eating good food and listening to the birds and the bamboo clunk, as others sat on plastic chairs in a concrete square. We soaked up the garden peace and then went exploring.

 We wondered if these turtles were statues until they all dived into the lake all at once. Huge Coy Carp drifted beneath the water and ducks sailed by.  The big one held the little one's hand near the water's edge, she has such a nurturing nature.

My favourite bits at the zoo this week were not about the animals at all, although there was plenty of joy here too.  It was nice to take things slowly and enjoy some uncrowded moments.

 Ah Meerkats, don't you just want one?