Catching up on Mum -in Law's visit, and some lemurs.

[curiouswombat]

Today Daughter-dear and her Grandmother have started their journey to Australia. S2C and I took them to the airport very early – we left home at 6.15am. They are staying outside London for 24hours before setting off to Perth via Dubai. I will only feel happy when I know that they have arrived in Perth – but luckily I haven’t passed on my flying phobia to my daughter as far as I know.

It was lovely having the mother-in-law here for a week. The weather was fine all the time she was here, which was good. She and I pottered around most days, visiting a few places, shopping and having lunch with my Mum one day.

S2C, D-d, M-i-L and I went to the Wildlife Park for the evening on the Wednesday of her visit; they do a barbeque, and let you wander around the park in the evening. It was pretty quiet, and when we got to the walk-through lemur area the lemurs mobbed us as if they hadn’t seen a visitor in days, and wondered where we’d all been. There are some pictures under the cut:



We realized that the lemurs must have a thing for leather – they spent ages licking MiL’s handbag, and as you can see one was determined to have a go at d-d’s leather belt. Not a very good picture of my beloved husband – but it was such a nice one of the lemur….











PS - I posted Chapter fourteen of Ten Years After yesterday, which was a bit over due, and not my usual day, so this is a reminder in case you are reading it and missed the latest chapter.

Comments

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Oh, WOW. You get to PET LEMURS!!! *is jealous*

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I know - it's brilliant isn't it? I've never been anywhere else that has a walk through lemur area. There are at least ten lemurs, possibly more, as it is quite a big enclosure, and the people have to keep to the path, the lemurs come to you.

There are ruffed, ring-tailed and brown lemurs. The ruffed ones are the bravest, but the ring-tails also come up to you. The ruffed ones are quite happy to be stroked - in fact they will butt you hand and demand a fuss!

Mind you we have also been through it and all lemurs have been in bushes and trees, and very difficult to spot!

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

I am so jealous!!! To get up close and personal with Lemurs!!!! Sigh......

Touching wild things just does something to my soul. At the Seaworld parks in the USA they have different "petting pools with Dolphins and pilot whales. They have other sea critters that differ from park to park as well. My favorite was the Manta Ray pool. For a dollar you could buy a tray of fish to feed them but they seemed to enjoy being petted as much as eating. They felt like crushed velvet. Wonderful!!!

Wolves have a nobility of bearing too and I have had the pleasure of touching a couple of them too.

Lucky you , thanks for sharing.

Kathleen

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Kat is hoping to be able to go into the water with dolphind whilst in Australia - I am envious.

Wolves would be lovely as well.

[kantayra.livejournal.com]

Hee! I support the cuddling of all things weird and fuzzy. ~_^

I had a friend once who tried to convince everyone that there was a massive conspiracy around lemurs, and they were all actually animatronic; zoos just wanted you to believe such creatures as lemurs existed. It was part of his larger theory about how the entire island of Madagascar was a prank some map-makers decided to pull, and no one ever caught them at it.

And, er, yeah. I'll stop being random all over your LJ now. *bounds away* :P

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Seems a reasonable theory - S2C has an opposing one though - he believes that the Racoons and the Red Pandas, also the Coatis, at the Wildlife Park are all animatronics - the only ones he believes are real are the lemurs!

[manoah.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you had a good visit with the m-i-l. It doesn't always work out that way. :)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It was fine - I get on well with her. in fact I spent more time with her than the husband did - he kept saying - "Go without me, I don't really want to go shopping, go to Peel, etc." Obviously he did come to the WLP, and we did all go out for a meal last night! She thinks this may be the last time she sees him, she is 76, and Australia is a long way away, and so the saying goodbye bit was difficult - for her especially.

[manoah.livejournal.com]

I can relate. My husband's family lives in Michigan and we are in Nevada - not exactly a quick drive. His mom will be 77 next month and his dad will turn 82 in December. As much as I'm burned out on the visiting of family, this is one we really need to try and do soon.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'm just lucky that we came 'home' from my point of view when D-d was only a baby, so no problem seeing my Mum regularly - she only lives a 30 minute drive away.

[talesofspike.livejournal.com]

Hubby used to say he thought our two oldest cats were part ringtailed lemur. They have the stripey tail and when the tom used to do things like run straight into rhe corner, chased by his sister, only to bounce of two walls like a feline Jimmy Cagney and jump over her as she skidded to a stop, you could almost believe hubby was right. Now that they're fifteen, they're not quite so energetic...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've know cats that could bounce like that. I suppose even cats are entitled to slow down as they grow older!

[elsaf]

You know, I was just saying to my Mom this morning, "Nobody's shown me a good picture of lemurs in ages!" ;-)

Very cool... getting to pet them. I loved watching them at the Detroit Zoo. But they're behind a glass window there. I've always thought they sort of look like little grumpy old men. :-)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've got loads more pictures of them...!

The walk through enclosure is a brilliant idea - they have a great deal of space that the public have no access to, so they aren't forced into close proximity - it's their choice, which is really good.

[opalescence.livejournal.com]

Lemurs are awesome! I wish that we could pet them here.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I know - we are very lucky, I've never come across anywhere else where you can get this close to them, as long as the lemurs are in the mood.

[desdemonaspace]

Nice pics, critter and human! Hee - S2C and Frank have the same haircut! (I was thinking: "Where's the mullet?")

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The mullet is long gone! The hair is too short for my taste at the moment, but is how he likes it. I like it better when it's grown about an inch!

[makd.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing the pix! cute animals: You petted a lemur!!!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

In the case of the Mum in Law it wasn't so much that she petted them, as that they mobbed her and spent about five minutes licking her handbag!

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

I love lemurs - spent ages watching them when we took the children to the zoo in France.

Hope D-d has a great time in Australia - how long is she gone for?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I love lemurs

Me too!

how long is she gone for?

About five weeks. The house will be quiet - not that she's all that noisy, but the knowledge that she ISN'T upstairs in her room makes the quiet quieter.

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

Who knew lemurs could be so cute? They're adorable :)
They are staying outside London for 24hours before setting off to Perth via Dubai.
That's so sensible to have an overnight stay in the vicinity of London before such a big trek. They will appreciate it when they land. Hope D-d has a great time there and they both arrive safely.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

They're adorable

Aren't they?

Re the Aussie flights - Take-off is about an hour from now, and they arrive about 9am our time tomorrow, I think, so definitely a long trek.

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

Aww - check out the sideburns on those!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Brilliant aren't they - you sort of feel he/she should be doing a selection of Slade's greatest hits!

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

Now that needs to be iconed :)

...

[spikealicious.livejournal.com]

Neat!

Hope your daughter and in-laws have a safe journey and lots of fun!

Wish my daughter had relatives who would've taken her travelling around the world. Great opportunity.

Re: ...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

They arrived safely in Perth, and when I got up this morning there is an e-mail from my Father in Law to say they have now safely arrived at my in-laws house in Australind (about 100 miles south of Perth). Daughter-dear will have to persuade Grandad to let her near his computer before I hear anything from her in person!

[jerusha]

The lemurs are so doggone cute! Glad you had a nice visit with your mom in law.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Aren't they lovely - I tell the cat that he might think he can do 'cute' but the lemurs could give him lessons.

[jerusha]

LOL...I'm sure the cat appreciates hearing that.

my goodness

[legendarytobes.livejournal.com]

The only place I know that comes even close for lemu exposure is Duke's Primate Lab, except for the part where we aren't actually supposed to touch or stroke the animals. I've found that there the ring-tails are all about the coming up to you, kind of like striped cats, really.

I am so jealous, though, of your ruff petting experience.

Gotta ask, did they alarm call while you were there. That close-up, that would could do quite the ear damage.

Re: my goodness

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Gotta ask, did they alarm call while you were there. That close-up, that would could do quite the ear damage.

Yes!! One was sitting on a 'perch' which crossed the humans' walkway, right above S2C's head, and he commented that he'd better move in case it peed on him - just as he said it, that one and one at ground level by S2C's feet suddenly did their alarm call! Husband had to put his hands over his ears, Mum -in Law headed rapidly away from the noise, and my daughter and I stood clutching each other laughing ourselves silly - gasping out that it was all S2C's fault for insulting the lemur!!

VERY NOISY!

[caliente-uk.livejournal.com]

Wonderful pics! :)

How are you coping with D-d being so far away? It can't be easy. *hugs*

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The time seems to be flying by. She will have been away for two weeks tomorrow, and the house has a certain stillness about it, especially on the nights when S2C is at work, and I am in all on my own - it is too quiet.

But she will only be home for one more year, and she will have to go away to go to university, and so I tell myself that this is practice for then.

I will be very glad when she gets home, though.

She sounds as if she is having a good time, but not so good that she'd want to go there to live - which is a relief!