On Evelyn's birthday George & I booked the day off of work & took a road trip to Buford to see the animals at Cotswold Wildlife Park. It was the first time in over 3 years that I had been so I was really excited to go back & see how Evie reacted to it all.
Because of the time of year & the weather forecast there were maybe 50 people in the entire park which was an incredible experience all by itself. The grounds are gorgeous & it felt like we had them exclusively so I had no worries about keeping a close eye on what Evelyn was doing &she was free to run (she loves running) around as much as her heart desired.
I was amazed at the number of animals that she could recognise: Although the words weren't all perfect she knew what a monkey was, a crocodile, spider, pig etc. & she wasn't afraid of them which I'm very proud of. She did, however, headbutt a pygmy goat in the farm area. It wasn't intentional, the little guy just came up to her while she was cuddling another goat, she turned to say hi & met his horn with the side of her eye. Needless to say she shed a few tears & had a bit of a shiner for the rest of the day but she was very brave & after a little gentle persuasion she petted another so I don't think that there will be a lasting negative impression on her. Fingers crossed anyway.
We had lunch in their cafe & then drove home early afternoon. As soon as we got in the car the heavens opened & it started tipping it down with rain - couldn't have planned it if we tried.
I absolutely loved seeing her in that environment & it makes me really proud to see how intrigued she is by everything around her & how comfortable she is with new experiences. I'm excited to see the changes that this next year will bring & also very glad to have these memories to hold with me forever.
Thank you to everyone who wished her a happy birthday! I hope you've all had a lovely Easter weekend.
