Journal Weds 13th August 2025.

24 degrees at 6.30am today. I mean what the chuff.

Usual chores completed, everyone fed and watered, early onset boredom kicking in.

Had my now customary hour under the pergola, watching the blue tits gradually become more courageous on the new feeders. I’m confident now that when food supplies dry up going into late autumn and winter, they know where to come. The solar fountain once again had them queuing up for bathing time, and they really don’t care that I’m sitting there at all.

I checked the trail cam footage, and unusually nothing on there, just one false trigger. Pretty much every night we get foxes and badgers, then an occasional hedgehog and deer, but really not often. I cut some dahlias for my lovely Mother In Law, my vases are groaning and we have a storm coming this afternoon (hurrah!), so leaving them with their top heavy stems isn’t ideal with inclement weather. I’ve tied them together in a little posy and popped them in a vase for now, until I head out to visit later.

The reason for my impromptu visit before braving the supermarket is that they have 2 new rescue dogs, Truffa is 2 years old and is mum to Chevy, a baby at just 5 months old. They are adorable rescued Griffons and I love them already. We had our first playtime at the weekend, but I need more scritches and belly rubs (not me of course, them), so as they’re only 10 minutes drive from the supermarket I’m popping in to make a nuisance of myself.

I finally booked the hotel for our London trip yesterday, which was financially painful, but needed to be done. I was just going to book a Premier Inn Hub hotel (like a Premier inn but super tiny rooms), but I’d left it too long, and it was now full on the dates I wanted. Thank goodness though because when I read the Trip Advisor reviews, the recent ones were rife with bedbugs! No ta! So we’re now staying at the Ruby Lucy on the Southbank, which looks super cool. You can hire electric guitars like the Hard Rock Hotel, it’s fairground/carnival themed and is hugely into live music, regular local artists play in the bar. Plenty of restaurants close by, a Korean, Caribbean and Indian at first glance. That’ll do pig, that’ll do. I’ve shamelessly told them it’s my 50th birthday, because upgrade me bitches!!! There’s a first time for everything I guess. Didn’t even manage an upgrade on our honeymoon, they even tried to give us separate seats on the plane sooooo…..

What the hell can we have for tea that involves no additional heat in the kitchen. I can feel a rotisserie chicken coming on…… There is a truffle burrata in the fridge that I didn’t fancy at the weekend. Really should have that before it stinks out the fridge.

I did edit the Carcassonne footage together on my Mac, but I’m not going to pop it on Youtube. Too many faces of other people in the background, and I’m never sure if you’re supposed to legally blur them out. I don’t have the software for that, or the patience. Or indeed the inclination. So into the archives it goes.

The need to clear down the GoPro is driven by an impending trip to the zoo. Yes I’m almost 50 and I’m going to spend 3 days at Zooparc de Beauval for my birthday. Disney isn’t getting any money this year, not only was it double the price of the Zoo but the crowd calendars in school holidays are massive, and I cannot be arsed. I’m a mid-week off-season kind of girl.

ZooParc de Beauval is voted one of the most beautiful zoos in the world, it covers 44 hectares, has the largest covered aviary in Europe, 7 hotels, a tonne of restaurants, and some amazing shows. Including another epic bird show where they drop vultures on your head like at Puy Du Fou. You’ll have to read my Puy Du Fou blog if you don’t know what I’m talking about (or watch my Youtube video which inexplicably given the shit resolution because I didn’t know what I was doing, has 10K views). That show made me cry, and I am obsessed with vultures (yeah alright, I’m weird), from one slightly gothic old bird to another I guess.

I’ve already been told by the husband that if I’m a good girl, I’m allowed 2 things from the gift shop. Let’s face it, if that’s the condition, I’m probably not leaving with so much as a capybara fridge magnet.

TTFN,

V x

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