” the end of the beginning “

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” (Winston Churchill © 1942)

Times nearly up…well days and days of free time anyway as it looks as if I’ve found myself a job. After the best part of four years I’m starting training/job next week just as my savings are running out. Unfortunately it’s not what I’d hoped for exactly but in this David Cameron Conservative led Austerity poisoned era, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers. I hope that I’ll still be able to post from time to time maybe still once a week but until I know the exact hours etc everything is a bit up in the air.

Typically for the very first time the job centre has actually offered me training  with a chance of a job at the end, but as this job is the only on I’ve been offered I suppose I’ll have to give the training a miss or will I ?

Last weekend on Saturday we managed to get out and had a cold but enjoyable time at Paradise Wildlife Park near Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.Paradise Wildlife Park is a family-run animal park located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. It was previously known as Broxbourne Zoo, but became Paradise Wildlife Park under the new management of the Sampson Family in 1986.

 

Broxbourne Zoo, as it was then known,was opened in the early 1960s and privately owned by Cyril Stamp up to the mid 1970’s,then Peter Phipps to 1984. Unfortunately a day out at Broxbourne Zoo was remembered for very different reasons to those attributed to a day out at Paradise Wildlife Park. The zoo was notorious for poor animal facilities and by the early 1980’s was widely regarded and documented as the worst zoo in Britain.

Paradise Wildlife Park is home to over 400 animals, which include small mammals, paddock and farmyard animals, birds, primates, reptiles, and big cats. They house tigers, Cheetahs, snow leopards, ocelot, a jaguar and an African leopard. They also house white lions.Breeding at Paradise Wildlife Park has been successful, with the breeding of endangered species such as marmosets, tamarins, Burmese pythons and lovebirds. Many animals are bred as part of the EEP Breeding Programme.

We had a really good day out and I got many photos including ones with the very friendly and colourful Lorikeet birds.Yesterday and today I’ve one again been out taking photos. There’s not much around to photo so I’ve been concentrating on close ups and the occasional landscape shots. Once January is out of the way, we can once again hopefully start looking towards repairing and redecorating the ‘Cabinchaletshed ‘ and once more look forward to a naked summer.