Day 6 Animal Park

21months 13days

After a brief waking up, Katie slept til 5, then back down until 7. Her and Fern got up about the same time and were immediately happy to play together. They sat at the table together for breakfast, followed each other round, pinched each others toys, but also exchanged lots of smiles.

We went to explore the fabulous shops of the town, wonderfully pretty and quaint. We found some pretty souvenirs, and had a great time in the Mermaid Shop. I loved the abandoned studio that someone had just stepped away from to run their business. We were in a beautiful boutique (beautiful but extortionate!) shop that had a cafe. Katie saw the tables and announced she wanted to sit. So we all went to the outside tables in the sunshine. It was stunning. We walked, very slowly, along the beach walls. Not because of the children, but because of the blipping mummies.

We walked back up the hill, stopping in a couple more shops, and at a beautiful church we had spied from the balcony, for a quick family photo shoot. We returned for the car, and drove to Devon for a picnic (the next village!) Katie fell asleep and missed the whole time at the park. So Ferny's daddy looked after the girls and the Mummies explored a pretty little stream, whilst fern played.

We met the two Jaynes and families and travelled in convoy to the Axminster Animal Park for another really fantastic, very special afternoon. I feel so at ease with our new friends - they made Katie and I very welcome and very comfortable. All of them were such good company and the children great together.

Katie loved the animal park. She spent a huge amount of time running round between the enclosures, she loved it!! We had a group photo shoot of "Jayne and the Blippettes" as Mr Jayne called us, before we went to feed more animals. Katie and Fern stood feeding the ducks seeds one by one. Katie then fed them bark when the seeds had run out.

We stopped for a coffee break before we went to see the lemurs, which she of course also loved. Her absolute favourite was the owl - its wild but was reared at the centre, freed and then chose to return. It is so tame that it allowed Katie to go up to it and stroke his tail before flying off.

The children all had ice cream. Katie spent the time telling Jayne that she'd seen Monkeys, and pointing to where she'd seen them. Then that she'd seen an owl, and where he was, then where the cockadoodles were. She stroked a cat and later said "stroked cat there" - she's doing a lot more talking about past events now.

We took Fern and family to the station. I was so sad to see them leave, it went far too quickly. But I know for sure we will see each other again.

Katie now knows which is our holiday home - she points it out as we turn the corner into the streeet. At bedtime, I asked her if she'd had a nice day (yes she had) and what she'd seen. She told me all of her favourites back and laid down with a gorgeous smile.