We’re still waiting for some warm sunshine here so a dip into the archives will have to do for today, don’t be deceived by the brightness though, it was November and very cold, but a treat for the eyes all the same.
These were taken in the village of Ayno, it’s just a small village and most of the houses don’t have gardens, but this hasn’t stopped the residents from planting and growing whatever and wherever they can.
More from before: a daytrip to “Aynho” in November 2012.
Looking back at the pictures of canal gardens from the Kidlington to Oxford stretch of the Oxford canal I really couldn’t pick my favourites to put on here so I’ve put all that I haven’t shown you so from the files to let you decide which ones you like best.
Don’t rush, take your time and enjoy the stroll along the canal.
More from before: Various visits to, and from, “Kidlington“.
The town of Ventnor itself, on the Isle of Wight, didn’t inspire many memories but the seafront … well, wow, what more can I say, take a look for yourself.
More from before – Holidaying in the “Isle of Wight“, September 2011.
These white-handed gibbons were wonderful, I tried to catch them with my camera but they were swinging and climbing around so much that I kept missing them and just ended up with blurred empty photos. Eventually I gave up trying to chase them around the ropes and held the camera still against a bit of fence with the focus set on one piece of framework and waited for them to come into the picture before I pressed the button completely down. This seemed to do the trick, they’re still slightly blurred but compared to the first photos I tried of them I was very happy with these.
What balance, the one gibbon is just walking along a not so tight rope in mid-air !
As with the zebras and rhinos, the Lille Zoo had combined animals to extend the enclosures. I’m guessing monkeys (and I use the word very loosely) can’t swim which is what keeps them to their own islands, they had walkways and doorways to indoor quarters but didn’t seem to be able to stray out of their own trees. The white pelicans gathered on their own island in the middle of the lake, quite happy to share, or maybe just oblivious to their neighbours.
There were other residents further along on two more islands, next to the pelicans sat a mother protecting a tiny baby I was a little disappointed not to catch them on film but the little red camera wasn’t quite up to my request on that occasion and I did catch a glimpse of a brownish flash at one time on the last island, but I guess they were a little more camera-shy.
Moving from one area to another we crossed a bridge type walkway and the view down into the lake called out for the camera even without the animals.
Like to see more of “Lille” ?
I was very apprehensive going into the zoo at The Citadel, my last experience of a zoo wasn’t too comfortable and as we’d arrived at the map in “Vous et ici” we had spotted a huge circus tent over to the right and dropped over to see what was there first. As far as I know animals are no longer shown in British circuses but in Lille we found elephants in small enclosures belonging to the circus. I took a few snaps but became more and more aware that the elephants didn’t look at all happy, they looked bored and one possibly a little mad, just swinging his trunk back and for for the whole time we’d stopped. I deleted the snaps but the images still play on my mind, and needless to say we didn’t purchase a ticket for the show.
However, the zoo in Lille was a completely different matter altogether. The animals looked happy and well cared for, by combining animals which would have lived peacefully together in the wild their enclosures were bigger than just a little square plot and had the added interest of their neighbours, and as far as I can gather, most of the animals there were protected or endangered species, so the park wasn’t just for our benefit, it was for theirs too, a much more agreeable experience all round and if I lived in the area, one I would quite happily repeat again.
Like to see more of “Lille” ?
