On Safari

Had a busy day having fun today and been away from the computer until now.

We were up very early to leave home at 6.30 to go to West Midlands safari Park. We had both been keen to visit for a while as you can do the safari more than once, like you used to be able to do at Windsor.

It was a lovely safari park but our pictures, on the quick scan through, are pants. It was dark and grey all day and the pictures reflect that. Plus shooting through windows on a  day like that made them even worse. Still, we may not have the photographic proof but we have the memories of a lovely day out.

Nigel, who rarely asks for anything ever, fell in love with a huge tiger. So many of the soft toys look so unreal but this baby looked real alright. He was reasonably price (we have seen tigers at double the price and more thathave not looked as realistic, and so we snaffled him.

I love the picture of Nigel getting him into the car. It looks like he is stealing the actual animals from the wildlife park. It was hysterical bringing him home as well. The cats knew he was a big cat - bizarre as that sounds. They were so scared and approached him so cautiously, sniffinga nd scenting. Fiki, being a boy and being a Fiki, went and sniffed the new cat's bottom. Typical.

Half an hour ago we found Kira curled up between the tiger's legs. It was the sweetest thing ever, though her cat radar heard the camera coming and she moved. I will catch her doing it at some point though.

The My Freedom blog prompt today was to share an old picture and a new picture of yourself and explain the differences and the similarities.

This first picture is of me aged 5 - figured that was a long enough time ago. I know we were not meant to necessarily go back that far - but bear with me. It is the picture my Daddy still had in his wallet until the day he died. He also had one of Mommy taken about the same time.

When you compare it to the new one you may understand why.

I mean ... I just hadn't changed.

People look at pictures of me and always say that. Yesterday I saw two past pupils of mine that I haven't set eyes on in 20 years and they both recognised me instantly and said - 'you haven't changed'. I mean I have of course. The hair is artificially dark now with grey bits touched up. The laughter lines (no of course they are not wrinkles!) have set in big time and as a child I never tended to the portly (I'm not fat .... just too short for my weight ... so I am vertically challenged) But essentially I am still the same.

Emotionally of course I am different. Where is that carefree little girl who played her days away with not a care in the world? Where is the little girl who was confident enough to perform in front of any audience? Where is the little girl who would paint and draw and create without worrying if it would turn out OK?  I could list lots of positives and good things I have learnt or developed, but it is timely to remember that some of the freedoms go with age too. I guess that is part of the pleasure of this course, learning to remember the freedoms and recapture them.

Finally I want to share a digital page with you all. It was made yesterday with a new kit of Blossoms by Dawn Inskip and features the ever gorgeous Emily. I am so looking forward to seeing her soon.

The kit is available at NDISB abd TTS - both links in my sidebar.

And last but not least

THANK YOU SO MUCH for signing my guest book. It has been so nice to see you and find out where you are from.

Please - keep signing it - I LOVE IT!

Comments

[valerie]

great then and now pics

i did such a double take of the tiger thought it was real fo a minute!!!!!!1

[Jay]

It sounds like a good day out at the safari park Dolly.
I love you photos. You're right, you haven't changed a bit!

[Mandy]

Silly me... I wanted to say hi on your map & accidentally uploaded a pic of me sideways... when I went back to change it, it then uploaded a second post from me... sorry (& feeling silly too!).

[kathy]

I love the tiger too! Love the layouts! Great baby photo of you!

[HeatherC]

OMG Karen! I thought that was a real tiger Nigel was getting in the car with! Oh what a fab photo!