Quarr Abbey and home

On the last day of my holiday, I got the ferry at 1pm so had a few hours in the morning to kill. Quarr Abbey was near the ferry terminal. I am not a fan of monks but the area was nice. They have a lot of pigs, a nice walk in the woods and a tea rooms.

The new abbey

Walk in the woods

The ferry on the way back was delayed a little. We left a few minutes early to try to beat a destroyer across the channel. We failed. The channel between the island and mainland is actually controlled by the Navy so if a destroyer comes along, the channel shuts until it is finished.

The trip back was easy, sailing through.
On Wednesday I was supposed to get a new fridge. My landlord ordered the wrong one. I finally got one today, only to be informed that the fridge was probably fine (once they had installed the new one and trashed the old). The issue is the electrics. Which are dodgy and built into the wall. Woohoo! So my fridge is plugged in across the kitchen and I am left praying it doesn't spark and burn the place down. I love renting. :(

Tickling a Tapir

One of the reasons for going to the zoo (other than why not) was they do animal experiences. They are for up to 4 people but I was the only one in the group (being practically the only one in the zoo helps). So I got to go into the Tapir enclosure and play. 

They are so much bigger than I expected but just as sweet. I was warned they if they come towards you, move to the side. Not because they are violent; they are just super clumsy. They tend to walk through things. :) And you do not want one of them stepping on your foot. They are solidly built! 

I feed them some carrots outside. You have to sort of post it into their mouths because their noses get in the way. 

Then we went into the hut and I got a brush to give them a good rub. They are part of the Rhino and horse family so have a thin skin with a bit of hair, and a surprisingly soft mohican.

They love a good scratch under the chin

Feeling left out.

Later they lay down for a belly rub, like a big puppy! They are so sweet. 

Amazon Zoo

The Amazon Zoo was open on the Monday and again I had it mostly to myself. I planned to spend the whole day there but once again, the website and brochures overstated the extent of the place. Still it was definitely worth a visit. The first half is indoors through a rainforest like path.

Evil eye.

Tortoise mayhem.

This little guy was going crazy, running around the place.

Unhappy.

The second half of the zoo was outdoor enclosures, including a meerkat enclosure. These guys are always happy to pose for photos.

Caught!

They also had some monkey enclosures though the monkeys were less than impressed. The weather was drizzly and cold so I don't blame them.

There was also an enclosure for one of my favourites, red pandas. They eat mostly bamboo so sleep a lot. With periods of insane activity running around like loons. 

Spotted food.

Through the day, they have animal talks so I caught the lemur talk. We got to go inside the enclosure while they were being fed. They have a family of 7 females and a male. They are a female led species, with the males being the bottom of the food chain.

Dad was eating before he was supposed to.

Feeling sorry for himself.

I stayed after the 3 other people left and chatted with the keeper. While having a chat, one of the lemurs decided I looked like a comfy spot and climbed up to sit on my shoulder. And groom me. Which was fine until Dad decided to join and got a smack for it. I was not a fan of being in a family dispute but they jumped off and left me alone after that. 

I stayed longer so I could meet the tapirs but I have decided to put that in another post.

After the Zoo I tried to go to the lighthouse but it was shut so I just headed back and had a nap.