Lara

After the early morning from hell, with the children's trying really hard to see who could upset the other most we headed off to Whipsnade to meet friends R, E and M.

Once there the kids redeemed themselves and were pleasantly well behaved all day. It was lovely to see our friends again as it must have been at least a year since we last saw them and E is quite heavily pregnant. We sauntered round the zoo, taking in the animals as we could, some like the cheetahs and the zebras were keeping as far from people as they could. M and W were quite taken with the Meercats and Carys saw at least one Birds of the World Show.

R, E and M left around 3.30pm and we headed to watch Sealion Splash (this is Lara, the kids favourite sealion and has been known to come and stay in out bath and go on holiday with us! She is also known to regularly sleep under Carys's bed, well only when C has a cough, but it is never Carys coughing, always Lara!) and then Daddy took the kids on the steam train. Picnic tea, then we caught the last bus round to the entrance of the zoo. W was in 7th heaven having been on both a train and a double decker bus in one day! We then went to see the Brown bears and the Wolverines, all of which were more active than I have ever seen them, possibly because it was 5.50pm and most people had gone so it was nice and quiet.

Home now, kids in bed and a Chinese takeaway on the way.