Stitching with Elli

Debbie and Bonnie managed to convince me to let them come on my trip to Australia and New Zealand. I told them it might be verrrrry boring  because I would be busy with other things  and not often have time to take them with me. They said they understood and they still wanted to come.

On the first day in Australia, we were all pretty jet lagged so we did something fun and not strenuous. We went to a wildlife park!!!

All the way to the park there was a constant stream of questions while they  bounced from the windows on one side of van to the other side….

“Will we see a kangaroo?? I want to see a kangaroo soooo badly!!”

“Oh, wait is that a kangaroo over there on the hill?”

“What do Koalas eat?” (when Debbie found out it was leaves, she thought that was nasty)

“Why do those trees look bald?”

Then Debbie yelled. “KANGAROOS ON THE RIGHT!!!!!!!!” We actually saw a mob of kangaroos from the windows on a hillside. Well, some of us did. Bridget didn’t get to the window fast enough and was very disappointed. But, she cheered up and decided to not lose out on any fun by moping about it. After all, maybe there would be another group of kangaroos to see soon.

After many twisty turns we arrived……

“Which is it? A car park or a wildlife park?” Bridget inquired “why do cars need to have a park anyway?”

“They just park cars. You know, like in a parking lot? in straight rows?” Debbie informed her. Bridget was still slightly confused. Did that mean the animals got “parked” in straight rows? Why didn’t they just call it a zoo?

Soon she forgot to wonder about that part. She was too busy looking at animals.

At the first exhibit they first thought the cage was empty. Debbie explained to Bridget that sometimes animals are hard to see…they can blend in.

Then the animal came out….he wasn’t hard to see at all!!

They couldn’t find a sign, so they weren’t sure what kind of an animal it was…but, Bridget found out that it liked nibbling on fingers!

Debbie was scared Bridget might be hurt….but no worries mate! Bridget was just fine –  no damage.

Nevertheless, Debbie thought maybe they should find some animal that didn’t bite to see next. They got out the map to get their bearings. When visiting a zoo, it is an excellent idea to  plan  where you are going, before you actually start going.

Debbie thought the duck pond would be a nice safe place to go next. Bridget wanted to see kangaroos!!!

Since the kangaroos were closer anyway, Debbie gave in. Off they started. At the kangaroo exhibit they couldn’t see very well. Debbie took certain steps to fix this problem…..vertical steps actually.

“Now who is being dangerous??” Bridget laughed at her.

Debbie ignored that comment and instead started exclaiming about that big fluffy bird over in the corner of the exhibit. Bridget informed her that was an Emu…and it didn’t fly which is why it couldn’t get over the fence.

They both agreed that kangaroos were very nice, but it was too bad they couldn’t see them better.

They got back on the path and headed for the duck pond….but before they got there they found…..

Kangaroos!!!! So many kangaroos!!! You could even walk right up to them and feed them! Bridget was so excited she had to sit down on a log and just stare at them for a minute.

They they got up and walked around trying to find the  kangaroo that would be easiest for them to make friends with.

“What do kangaroos do if you wake them up?” Bridget asked, slightly nervous. After all , Nellie was very grumpy when you woke her up in the morning…What if this particular kangaroo was like Nellie?

” I’m not sure, But I suspect that it depend upon the kangaroo.” replied Debbie.

“Interrupting a nap seems like a terrible way to start a friendship.” Bridget observed. Suddenly, the kangaroo stuck her head up. “Uh oh Spaghetti-os !! She woke up!! I hope she isn’t a grumpy afternoon Kangaroo” Bridget squealed.

Debbie agreed that the kangaroo didn’t look too friendly when she woke up. They both decided this was an excellent time to go see what Emily was doing….

They watched the kangaroos from my lap for a bit, then got brave on their own again.

They finally moved on from the kangaroos…it was hard to leave them, but they managed. Arriving at the duck pond. Debbie admitted Bridget was right that the pond wasn’t nearly as interesting as the kangaroos.

They found a bench that was more comfortable than the rocks on the side of the trail.

“Look at this funny-looking duck over here!” Bridget had heard some funny honking grunts from behind them.

After the duck pond they found some wallabies. I had explained to them that wallabies were like very small kangaroos.

“Bridget, Didn’t Emily say wallabies were small kangaroos basically?”

“Yes” Bridget confirmed.

“Then why is that such a big animal? And it doesn’t look anything like a kangaroo!” Debbie asked. “I think they have their signs wrong.”

Bridget said she didn’t know why the sign was there but that this most definitely was not a wallaby.  It was a camel. She had seen pictures of them before. Plus, Emily once told that when she was a very little girl camels were her favorite animal.

Debbie stared at the camel for a bit. Then said she wasn’t sure why Emily had felt that way. They were kind of funny-looking animals.

Another exhibit and another fence that was not built for dolls to see over or around…

Then ,they found the wallabies!! Bridget and Debbie were even more excited about them than the kangaroos…after all wallabies are more “doll sized”.

They even found a few momma wallabies with little babies in their pouches.

The next exhibit had some deer that didn’t look familiar. They couldn’t read the sign well because it was up high…. Debbie thought it said it was an Axis deer. (Bridget wanted to know if there were any “Allies” deer. and if there were…did they fight with the Axis deer?)

They loved seeing the wombat

“He looks so adorably sleepy!” Debbie cooed.

“Everything is looking sleepy.” Bridget observed at the next stop…which was the capybara’s pen. “Maybe they are jet lagged like we are.”

“The meerkat’s aren’t! Look at that cute sentry meerkat…I wonder if he is looking out for the axis and allies deer.” Bridget laughed at her own joke.

Debbie decided that it was a good thing the meerkats were almost the last exhibit to see. Bridget was starting to get an odd sleep deprived sense of humor from her jet lag. Get that doll to bed!

They saw a kookaburra…but he didn’t do anything interesting. He just sat there.

And they saw bats….which ,thankfully, didn’t do anything either!

Finally at the end, they saw the cute koalas…

Emily got to hold a koala, but the dolls were too small. They just cheered from the sidelines…

They both agreed that it was a fabulous day which they would remember the rest of their dolly lives.