The WILDer side of Britain...

Bahnam Zoo

After the GPS took me in what seemed like every direction BUT the zoo, I was able to find the place. In defense of the GPS, the zoo was located in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The zoo was larger than it seemed, though a somewhat chaotic and unclear path layout. There was much to see from penguins, to birds, to the big cats. We saw the "Birds of Prey" exhibition which was pretty awesome. They started off by letting a couple parrots fly around before bringing out the owl, hawk, and vultures. If ever to visit, it's a must see! There was another show that wasn't as great as the "Birds of Prey", but it was still pretty good.

Some of the enclosures you could walk through. The marmots were very fun! They burrowed holes and would chase each other around making funny noises- so cute! We were also able to walk through enclosures with lemurs which is surprising since they have FANGS!

Speaking of fangs, getting to see the snow leopard and tiger feedings was an interesting experience. The tiger could stand pretty high on its back legs. The personnel feeding the tigers said that there are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild. 

Thetford Forest

We drove out to Thetford Forest; one of the many forests in the area. They have many activities such as zip lining and trails to walk, bike, or even use a segway. We opted for walking since our bikes have not arrived with our other goods.. We'll have to bring them out to the trails another time. It was funny seeing people actually riding Segways through the forest- not a usual manner to get around in the woods.

The woods were beautiful and lush green. There lots of ferns and moss ground covering, really tall pines, some cedar, and other types of trees. I don't think pictures can do enough justice, especially for the trees trunks that seemed to be a sea-foamy blue/green color and had ground moss growing up the tree. We ran across a slug, probably the first wild "animal" I've seen besides pigeons. There were signs for elk crossings.. maybe another time.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

November 14-16

We were able to see the inside of the Ely Cathedral. The city was holding a Christmas fair/market. Vendors lined the walls of the cathedral selling their products. While the fair was nice and there were many interesting vendors, the elaborate carvings and details were spectacular! It was breathtaking! I cannot imagine the amount of time and the attention to detail that was put into building the cathedral. One room in particular was interesting. All the stone statues of people were headless. At some point in time they were crushed and destroyed. And I'm not talking about a few, more like a hundred!

The same weekend we also went to see reindeer at Scotsdale's Garden Center in Fordham. We didn't know what to expect, but the garden center was much more than we thought. It was like a nursery, mini Hobby Lobby, boutique, and cafe all rolled into one! I think I've found a new favorite place! I just wanted to buy out the place, especially the Christmas decorations, and I already can't wait for spring! I'm excited to have a flower garden again!

Anyways, we started looking around the inside of the store and went to the cafe for breakfast. The Sunflower cafe was very delicious! We had the Sunflower breakfast- eggs, bacon (ham), sausage, hash browns, and baked beans. It was a lot of food! Afterwards, we made our way to the reindeer. The garden center had two, both with horns although they were losing their felt (a common occurrence). One was seemed pretty shy and didn't seem interested in getting close to the spectators. However, the other reindeer wasn't shy, especially when people were offering food! The handlers for the reindeer gave people pellets to feed the reindeer. Its wet nose tickled my hand! 

What is grey, goes "arf arf", and likes fish? The grey seals of Donna Nook!

November 23

The long awaited trip had finally arrived... We had to get up around 5am, suffer a 2 1/2 hr bus ride (one way), and cold rain, but it was worth it! The Perkins and us went on a base sponsored adventure to see the grey seal colony in Donna Nook. The adults were like grey blobs of fat with big eyes, whiskers, and claws. They just wobbled and slid across the wet beach... or just laid there. We did see a couple of instances when two seals would fight each other. They make the silliest sounds and noises! The young pups were mostly white. There were a few that mostly likely had just been born.

November and December is when the seals give birth to their pups along the sand dunes. It is quite an interesting spectacle. There is no human interaction/interference (there were two fences keeping the people from being able to touch or get close). Some of the informational signs stated that 10% of the pups born would die at birth and another 40% wouldn't live to their first birthday. Another interesting fact is that baby seals are already born with their adult teeth! They stay with their mom for about 6 weeks until their white fur coat is shed- we actually saw a momma seal scratching the pup and the fur coming off. Seals are very powerful and can be aggressive- I mean they are massive creatures, teeth, and they have claws, even on their feet! 

On the way back from the seeing the seals, we stopped at a little farmer's cafe to warm up and getting something hot to eat. The cafe even had plants, fruits and veggies, canned goods, wines, etc.. We purchased a bottle of mead that I can't wait to try. Our guide, Cindy, kept pointing out interesting things to see and do, my list is just growing!! 

Here is some information about where we were and the seals protected:

Donna Nook National Nature Reserve

A Haunted Ely

Halloween

My friend and I made a girl's night out to theater for a scary flick, Ouija. The movie itself was okay. It had the potential to scary, but failed short. The story line was pretty interesting. The highlight of the show was actually the previous. During the preview for the follow up the Woman in Black, a rather suspenseful and terrifying scene happened and Holly dumped the contents of our popcorn on me! We managed to save some of it.. it was good popcorn. 

Prior to the movie, I handed out candy to trick-r-treaters. There were quite a few out and about in our neighborhood despite that the sun was gone by 5:00 pm! I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to the sun setting at 4:30 in the afternoon or earlier! 

Still, Halloween wouldn't be complete without some local town ghosties...

Hauntings around Ely

"Meet at Oliver Cromwell's House at 7:30pm for our Ghost Tour around one of the most haunted cities in Europe. You will hear stories that have travelled through the ages as well as more recent tales. Ghostly sighting guaranteed!"

Who could resist seeing the ghosts of Ely. Holly and I went on the ghost tour, and I'll try to see if I can remember some of the stories....

The first ghost story was outside Oliver Cromwell's house. The guide told of a story long after the death of Oliver Cromwell. The family that lived in the house received a visit from a married couple. On night, the wife of the visiting guest awoke to find herself across the room and being grasped by a man! He was muttering something along the likes of "this is not how it should be". After the ghostly encountered, the woman climbed back into bed without even waking her husband! Upon recalling the incident, she is said to have not known if the ghost was in her world or if she was in its world as it was so real. The ghost is believed to be Oliver Cromwell himself in contemplation of his own character in deciding the fate of the King that once reigned. 

Also, the sounds of children (believed to be Oliver's 8 children) can sometimes be heard laughing inside and outside the home as well as Mrs. Cromwell. A fun fact that was noted is that Oliver Cromwell's house is the oldest building still standing. Part of the house was constructed as early as the 1300s! 

Now not all the ghosts rumored to have been seen were people; some were of animals as well. Another ghost story told was about a dog, the Black Shuck, that is seen crossing the A10 road around tea time. Many have been certain they hit the dog and stop to check their cars only to find nothing. Around the 1950s, a woman was walking home at night by herself. She had no lighting to see clearly and was nervous. As she walked, a calmness surrounded her and she looked and saw a black dog beside her. She wasn't really a dog person, but seemed that the dog was rather nice. The dog followed her to her home and waited for her to unlock her door before vanishing. 

In the part of Ely that was once built for the militia, there is a ghost, a nurse that walks the street carrying a lamp to light the way. 

What was once a merchant's home has now been divided into 3 cottages. Built during the medieval period, the place may be home to a large medieval woman that enjoys looking at fine jewelry. The author of a book about haunted Ely used to live in one of the cottages, but she herself never saw the ghost. A visitor staying with the author did as very well possibly her cat. 

A particularly well known ghost is St. Etheldreda at the King's School. One night, three little boys watched as a blue hand (the hand of St. Etheldreda) glided up the staircase. During the 1600s, St. Etheldreda's shrine was destroyed. Apparently, St. Etheldreda's hand was taken and passed down from generation to generation until it eventually made its way back to the Etheldreda's Roman Catholic Church in Ely, which had been known to be inhabited by a poltergeist. Once the St. Etheldreda's hand returned, the poltergeist stopped. The hand is said to be displayed and is no longer blue, but wrinkled and brown.

The Dean of the King’s school took up residency in the old monks’ building. He had a little girl that claimed to see a menacing monk in a black habit standing at the foot of her bed staring at her. Where there should have been a face, there was only black. When she told her father, he stayed one night in her room, but nothing happened. The girl moved to another room, but the presence followed her.

There have also been stories of cheerful monks, tap dancing ghost, even Charles II’s mistress, Nell Gwynne.

The last story of the night was about body snatchers. Doctors in London used to be able to easily get the bodies of dead criminals or vagrants that had died in the streets for research purposes. However, soon a law was passed disallowing the practice. The doctors resorted to practicing on animals. However, they soon found animals and humans weren't similar enough. They began hiring grave diggers to provide them with bodies. The grave diggers would bury the poor dead souls during the day, mark the grave, and come back at night with a wooden shovel to dig up the body. They were eventually caught and body snatching a thing of the past. Some people have claimed they have seen a man carrying a shovel and sack headed for the graveyard. Others have said they have seen a young girl wandering in search of her body.

If interested in more ghostly tales about Ely, check out “Haunted Ely” by Vivienne Doughtly and Margaret Haynes. I think I'm going to have to get a copy for myself!