Paignton Zoo and Christening

Our trip to Paignton was great and we arrived right on opening time to a forecast of clearing showers with sunny intervals by the afternoon which explains why we all got soaked in the afternoon. We saw lots of different animals as you will have seen from the photos with the highlights including the baboons and the elephants. The reptile house was great too but mainly because it was warm and dry.

The zoo is no longer a traditional zoo with the concerns rightly raised by visitors about the welfare of the animals but is looking well cared for, thoughtfully laid out and with an emphasis on education and conservation.

Glen and I got on with the cricket on Saturday and there 15 youngsters there for practice in the morning. The training included slip catching and that was to come in useful later in the day. I know the weather seems an obsession at the moment but 5 minutes before the end of the session the heavens opened and we found ourselves soaked again. Despite that the match in the afternoon went on with Verwood playing the top of the table side. They won by three wickets which meant a much better performance from Verwood. Adam and Dan batted superbly to give us a respectable total on a difficult pitch with just 4 not out from me as I went in at the very end.

The bowling was good all round and I took 3 wickets for 27 from my 12 overs. That was easily surpassed by the slip catch I took though. The nick was fast and low and I managed to dive to my left to hold it for a great catch although I say it myself. I was very pleased.

Today Alison, Joe and myself have been to church, first time for many years apart from a funeral. It was the christening of Joe’s friend’s baby, Tommy and Joe was Godfather and looked very smart in his suit, Joe not the baby. Interestingly the service was conducted via Powerpoint! The songs were all on overhead projector as was the reading from the bible and the vicar’s sermon was accompanied by slides outlining the main points. I imagine you can already watch church services on the internet but it was fascinating to see new technology being used in this way. You may be able to pray using MSN one day, talking a ‘God’ one to one with emoticons indicating the depth of his fury at your sinful nature. I was pleased that everyone at the service denounced the devil and his works as part of the baptism service although the guy with the goatee beard and horns looked like he had his fingers crossed to me. Perhaps the services will be available as a listen again option or video conferencing would leave you free to enjoy religion from your own home without the need to dress up or wear a hat. The possibilities are endless.

Back to school tomorrow. It’s raining again by the way.


http://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/


http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/