#ShouldHaveUsedfactor50

Ginger people problems- got sunburnt in the middle of winter!

I had a lovely day with Granny, we sat in the sunshine reading and chatting. All was going well until, "Shall we play Rummikub?" Way to spoil a perfectly pleasant day! I lost 3 times. Then later I had to deal with my father being smug about winning Canasta (this is the same man that won't let his granddaughter win at ludo!)

Breaking News
Tomorrow, there may be a cloud!

4th August 2015

We had an amazing morning at the lion park today. Granny, Simon and I clambered into a rickety, caged van that took us around the different lion enclosures. We even saw a famous white lion who features in a movie (Can't thrill you with the title because I don't know what it is!) We were advised not to get autographs. While enjoying a peaceful car ride around, cooing over the big cats the guide decides to share with us a harrowing fact.
(Imagine a thick South African accent)
"Last year a family of four. Mum, dad, two beautiful children in the back (I might be adding to the story) were parked up looking at the lion (they don't like to use the correct plurals for animals in SA...heavy sigh). When the young mother decided she wanted a closer look at the small group gathered peacefully under a tree. Camera at the ready, she wound the window down. Click click. Then the family spotted some lions on the other side of the car. Window down. Click click.

Unbeknown to her, hidden in the bushes, a solo female was creeping closer. Distracted by the pack beneath the trees, she didn't notice the giant cat beside their car. Quick as a flash, the lioness jumped through the open window and scoffed her. This horrendous story is being relayed to us when we look down and standing right next to our caged car, right by Granny's feet, is a white, female lioness. Don't wind down your windows next to lions kids!

Later on we went to the cubs. Among them sat a really adorable hyena cub all black and mangy looking! When petting the cubs it is important to press down hard so they don't mistake you for a fly. When we had visited just a few months previous with Loren, Paige and Ayden we had gone to a different cub petting. Paige clearly had fly like hands because she got a good old nip on the finger. Ayden got jumped on by the tiger cub so we like to tell people that when we went to South Africa, Paige got bitten by a lion and Ayden got attacked by a tiger- technically, it's not a lie!

Last port of call was the giraffes. There was a baby one you could stroke and you could also pay to feed them. Goodness knows why anyone would want one of those slobbery, black tongues licking your hand but each to their own.

Animals spotted: Giraffes, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, black wildebeest, meerkats, zebras, springbok.

Fun Facts!
My diaries are not just comical anecdotes but they are vessels of wisdom containing facts that may or may not be factually accurate. (They could have memorised a wikipedia page- we'll never know!)

Lions: Did you know, lionesses can have three litters a year and up to seven cubs a time. Try to contain your excitement but brown and white lions are exactly the same apart from a pigmentation in their genes ...isn't that the same for all species of animals? ...I'll look it up on wikipedia later.

Zebras: If you shave a zebra, it is grey underneath.

Springbok: A mating ritual consists of them having a jumping competition. The highest jumper wins the girl! The rest get eaten (I'd purchase a trampoline)

Cheetah: Can run 0-120kmh in 5 seconds (thats 74.565 miles an hour to us English folk)
They are quite weak and can't fight other predators.
Once they have caught a meal, they need half an hour rest before they can eat it which is funny because I usually need a nap after I've eaten.