hi there
We're fresh back from Paignton in Devon ...i'm downloading 16Gb of photo memory card as I speak!!
Well! We set off on Monday 3rd March at 7.20am and having passed "Stonehenge" we stopped at Shalden -just by Teighnmouth by noon. We had arrived at a small zoo -home to quite a few endangered species-a lot of the small monkeys etc. The zoo helps breed rare animals trying to re-establish and build numbers, including releases into the wild (with major successes with Madagascon Lemurs!).
The staff were immediately friendly and interested in us and our cameras. The lemurs were fed almost immediately we arrived - which was fun to watch these friendly animals (and keepers!).
There was a very active "dusky conure" who enjoyed playing with his ball/swing and enjoyed socialising with us and his keepers. Quite an fascinating bird -bright colours too! The two scarlet Macaws were attentive too! as were a group of porkupines who had an old meercat (who had unfortunately just lost its partner) and several passers -by in the form of robins and blackbirds -to share meal time with- the porkupines were suprisingly cute!
The rather large Kookaboro sang very clear and loud and the many small mice/rodents/lizards were fascinating to view. Although quite a small establishment it suited our purpose of length of visit and our wait until we could book in our hotel. A very worthwhile and fascinating collection-we thought! (under a fiver entrance fee!).
Litrally yards away - the "Smugglers' tunnel" which led down to a smallish cove -my late Aunt & Uncle lived for many years in nearby Dawlish but I don't think i had visited these before (or "The Ness" which I think is a pub/restraunt.

So we drove to Paignton via Torquay and even saw Torquay football stadium via the diversion because we should have gone along the seafront -really! Because we stayed at the Preston Sands Hotel last November-overnight - we knew the way-parked up, booked in and unpacked. We had a small walk along the front -along to Paignton Pier where we had a coffee/diet cola and flatjack.
We took our camera and enjoyed click'n' away on the front including some beach huts waiting for the summer months.

To our suprise we'd bought dinner as well as b&b - so we had a delicious veggie meal.
Tuesday saw us catch a delightful sunrise which really lasted - almost ten minutes. After breakfast we made our way to Paignton Zoo -we got in "free" as part of our Marwell Zoo Annual passes-and spent an enjoyable day dashing round catching all the action on our Canon Eos40d's.
Before dinner there was a superb rainbow-bright, full and colourful that you could see the end on a ship moored directly out in the Torbay - view from the bedroom window-again i hope i've captured on film.
Wednesday we set out to "Living Coast" -again on "Marwell Zoo Passes". It is basically an avairy with displays. Built on the old "Spa" on the front and is home to several types of breeding penquins, some seals, puffins, wadders and loads of other unusual birds - based on a walk through bases -again it was feeding time-this time the penquins. Paulas' camera is playing up with a lens contact problem so this was slightly annoying to her/us!
Later in the afternoon we returned to the hotel and strolled to Paignton seafront including what the locals call "Tat-Alley" -the tourist street of postcards abnd icecreams.

After dinner we tuned the tv into the radio coverage of Liverpool vs West Ham and Paula enjoyed the citypool 4-0 win , Torres hatrick and superb finale of a S Gerrard goal!
We went to bed at 11.30pm and just settled down when at 11.45pm the newly screwed to the wall tv and stand fell off and bounced quite well!...as the workmen had been busy fitting in all rooms we joked of a domino effect!

Thursday saw us back at Paignton Zoo and we tried to specialize in Elephants,Lion , Tigers and Seaturtles' shots. We had the bonus of a lovely moment share with mother and one year old birthday black Rhino-we saw the local news tv story earlier.
Dinner was again superb finishing off with Paula having a strawberry -bannana split and me with chocalate gateaux and ice cream- talk about two kids! The other guests had been very friendly all week and the staff very kind and efficient!
After breakfast Friday we took last looks at the room and view and drove for an hour to the Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth. The immediate thing that struck us individually - was the peaceful feeling standing with thirty or forty donkeys -what calm ,placid, friendly creatures.
Th Sanctuary helps children some with learning difficulties and illnesses with a special environment with carefully selected donkeys to ride and overcome some difficulties such as co-ordination. A superb expierence we thought...there is reports coming out of the great value phycalogically for peoples mental wellbeing to mix and socialise with animals. On a personal front our pet birds and the visits to zoos have lifted both of us quite considerably over the last few years together.
And so a three mile drive throufgh a superb little village and surrounding countryside to Honiton and the Black Hills, through to Stonehenge where we stopped for a coffee at "Countess Services"before arriving back home to see the birds and our flat at about 3.30pm (after visiting the local tescos for supplies).
The birds were kindly and very well looked after while we were away by Fiona and the only stress was caused by discovering we had a broken window.
Saturday we did the Hurst Community School Boot sale with my pictures(framed) and some poetry, my dad (Stan) and nephew Rhys had theier own table next to us-the difference being Dad sold stuff and we just paid the pitch but we spread the "Word" and talked to a few friendly people. We listened to Liverpool beating King Kevin's Newcastle and reports on citypool losing to our local Premiership team at Madstad.

When i've downloaded the 16Gb of photos produced them in the new Serif Photoplus X2 image manipulation software -please view at www.flickr.com/photos/colinbp or www.flickr.com/photos/paulabirds And also some for sale at the NEW website :
http://www.colinpuddephatt.com/

Thank you for you time
bye for now
Colin