How can I survive a pandemic travel ban? Memory Lane Time Travelling Agency is the only way to go. Time travel vicariously with me as I relive the glory days of a pre-COVID world.

Best Grandparent’s day ever!

I picked up my grandchild at 8.00 am and one parent walked us to the bus depot. Grandy was only three year’s old so I was surprised when we got on the bus without any problems. We were so busy fastening seatbelts we didn’t even see the goodbye wave.

The one-hour bus trip went very quickly and the only problem I had was working out how to open the pram once we arrived. The parentals weren’t sure how we would get on, so they followed along with my private blog which I updated regularly throughout the day. Grandy really enjoyed this part of our adventure and made suggestions for the entries as we went along.

I let Grandy decide what to see and didn’t bother if it was in any particular order so we traipsed backwards and forwards at a whim. We were very lucky with the giraffes (first choice), we followed some other people into a large enclosure where they were being readied to go outside. That meant we got to watch them leaving their enclosure as well as seeing them outside. There were two mothers and two fathers, a baby, a young one, and a “teenage’ one, too many to fit in a single photograph. It was fantastic.

Next, we rode the zoo train. We wanted to just ride around the circuit but we had to disembark at the furthest point. This led most fortuitously to the lions who were putting on a good show.

We rode the train back to the start where we passed the elephant enclosure for what was now the third time. Each time the enclosure was empty and so we decided that the elephants must be invisible. We went into the monkey enclosure and then the bats. We were even treated to the back end of a rhinoceros having an enormous poo before quickly strutting back to his enclosure.

In between all these adventures, we had first and second lunches. Grandy had had enough by 3 pm so we decided to leave and catch an early train.

After leaving the turnstile gates we found a sign leading to the elephants who were being cared for in an isolation enclosure behind glass so managed to see them after all. By the time we left there and did a souvenir shop (as well as stamping out two pennies – a giraffe and a monkey), it was time for some afternoon tea.

Before we knew what was what we had lasted the whole day through to the prepaid 5.15 pm bus home. The parentals had kept up with us all day via the blog. By the time we got back to their house, we were exhausted both but very happy. I think Grandy enjoyed the day as much as I did. As I said in the beginning, the best Grandparent’s day ever!