Practising wildlife shots...

Yesterday the young lady from the Travel Agents left a message on the answerphone saying she had exciting news. She had got us a better flight deal! And indeed she has shaved - well, slashed - £1000 off the price, so we spent all of five minutes discussing whether to go for it, and go for it we will!

Tanzania THIS Christmas! The flight times are good, and we've booked on a great 7 day tour which starts the moment we land - they will pick us up and take us to the hotel. Brilliant!! A lot of those tours are fully booked already, and only leave on certain days, so the timing of this was obviously meant to be! So excited.

Went into town to return some jeans. I (was told I) needed new ones, and JR brought me some to try - I really hate wasting time in changing rooms in shops, especially M&S. So I kept a pair and returned the other two today - in and out of M&S in a flash.

On the way to the bus stop I had fun taking loads of photos, including flowers with raindrops on. While waiting at the bus stop, the fishmonger walked past the fruit shop in front of the boxes of colourful fruit. He was wearing bright yellow wellies, with a long bright yellow oilskin apron, and I knew he'd be coming back again.

I lined up the shot, ready for his return. It would have been terrific. But the camera would not focus! I tried for ages, and eventually an error notice came up saying 'The lens has suffered a malfunction. The camera will shut down'. Eeeekk!

Then it seemed all right again, and I wandered along Princes Street zooming in on unsuspecting folk miles away. Then... it did it again! Lens malfunction!!

I hot footed it to John Lewis and asked to see my good friend Francis, but he was on the tills this morning (what a waste!). Another very nice chap had a look and said right away, 'We'll give you a new one.' And so tomorrow I'll swap them over. Imagine lining up a big lion's face and the lens suffers a malfunction!! I'd suffer a malfunction, I can tell you.

And so I thought I'd practise my wildlife shots. These two giraffes were very good at keeping still for me, I do hope the real ones will do that too. I took several shots there, and that lady in blue was in all of them, in various positions. I think she was lost. Or perhaps she was looking for the giraffes and couldn't see the wood for the trees.

Did I mention we're going to Tanzania this Christmas?