Fun With Zippy

As I write this, I am somewhere in America. I’m not entirely sure where because I’m still wrapped up tight in the packaging @Jabulani9 put me in to send me to Seattle. It’s quite alright though; I’ve had company this time round. Jabulani put Prince Philip and his horse in here with me, and we’ve been able to read the book all about Arundel Castle and cricket (odd game!).  I had a brief look at the Castle when Jabulani took me there last week to buy a few things to take with me to Seattle. Most marvellous place; if you ever have the chance to go to Sussex, England, you should most definitely include a visit there.

I had a very interesting stay with Jabulani.  I arrived in early December having been sent to England by @scanman.

Goodness me what a shock it was being taken out of my box.  I’d been enjoying the balmy warm in India only to find my shell turning blue with cold at Jabulani’s.  She assured me it was warm in her house; she even had the heating on!  Well, I was so cold, I spent my first night cuddled up with Baby Annabelle.  (Baby Annabelle is Jabulani’s daughter’s favourite doll. She was most accommodating.)

Afterwards, if I ever felt the cold, I crawled up with Jabulani’s cats – but only after we’d worked out that neither of us wanted to eat the other: claws can be such effective communicators…

Soon after I arrived, Jabulani and her 2 children got busy with Christmas preparation.  It’s like a military exercise in her house: decorations are taken out, presents are made, cards are written, all sorts of goodies are baked and cooked and wrapped…it smelled wonderful.  I had a great time decorating the tree, packing the hampers, wrapping presents – although sticky tape is very frustrating stuff.  I kept getting my claws in the wrong place and had to be rescued on several occasions.

I also cooked with Jabulani’s children.  They do quite a lot of the preparation; do you know, they even use the sharp knives!  I didn’t think young children were allowed to do that in England, but Jabulani swore me to secrecy.  Well, who will know?  You guys won’t tell, will you?  The pasta sauce was delicious.

Just after the Christmas rush, as if it wasn’t cold enough, along came the snow.  Jabulani told me she hadn’t seen snow that bad in all her time in England (nearly 20 years).  She loves it, strange woman, but that’s because she’s a South African who encountered snow for the first time 20 years ago when she lived in Boston, Mass.  She says that in snow-years, she’s only 20, so she’s allowed to be excited by it.  We were snowed in at her house for 5 days because they live surrounded by woods and all the roads are on hills.  I didn’t see a single snow plow around her way but eventually the snow melted. Even the schools were closed!  I wasn’t thrilled when she put me outside in the snow to take this picture for my blog!!

After the snow had melted, we took a trip down to the local Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.  They have migratory birds come from all over the place, as well as some rare breeds whose numbers they are trying to build up in breeding programmes.  It was a fascinating place, though I did get a little too close to some of the residents!

Fortunately I was quickly rescued and introduced to some of the less dangerous English wildlife.

A couple of weeks ago, Jabulani and her family went on holiday.  They went to a World Heritage Site in Shropshire: Ironbridge. It’s where the Birth of Industry happened.  It’s a fascinating place if you like history and an added benefit is there’s lots of wonderful things for children (and lobsters!) to do.  For anyone unfamiliar with Ironbridge, this is what it is:

The world’s first-ever bridge made from cast iron, built in 1779 and still standing.  It’s quite pretty actually.  Here I am right in the middle of the bridge looking down the gorge.

Then, when you’ve gazed at it in awe, you must rejuvenate yourself thus:  Latte and coffee walnut cake. Not as good as Jabulani’s own, but good enough on a cold day when you’ve been walking miles.

A couple of other things I did while in Shropshire:  At the Victorian Town museum, I sat on some slag (that’s the waste product of iron casting).  It reminded me of the rock formations in the ocean; I felt quite at home.

I ate good old English fish and chips

helped Jabulani make a tile of her trademark gerbera at the tile museum

which looked like this once it had been fired.

I met 4 dogs who were holding up a marble table.  Poor things didn’t say much and hadn’t been for a walk in ages!

and I got to play in the water at the Enginuity Museum.

On the way back home, the family took a little detour to the Jurassic coastline in Weymouth, Dorset.  They went to see Chesil Beach which Jabulani’s husband remembered visiting as a child.  They took me along and let me frolic in the sea water.  I wish they hadn’t; it was freezing cold and blowing a gale.  I had to get Jabulani to wrap me in her socks inside her boots to warm me up. I stayed there for hours too.  At least I got warm!

And so came the time to move on.  Jabulani tells me that @movinmeat has said he will host me in Seattle.  He’s to shave his head for St Baldrick’s charity.  You can read about it here.  I wanted to take some gifts with me to Seattle and since I’m in one of the countries finest medieval towns, I wanted castle mementoes.  Of course, the Castle is closed until 1^st April, but Jabulani explained who I was and the perfectly charming lady, Libby, said she would meet us there.  I’ve heard Jabulani saying to her children throughout my stay here that a little politeness and good manners goes a long, long way.  I must say, having seen it in action, I’m inclined to agree.  My enormous thanks to Libby for her kindness.  She even let me look at the swords which otherwise say “Please do not touch”.

I wanted to purchase one for @movinmeat for those difficult shifts in the ER, but Jabulani said the airline wouldn’t allow it.  Such spoilsports.  I think he’d have found it a very useful gift… And so I leave England.  I’ve had an awesome time here, or as Jabulani would say in her best borrowed English accent, “It’s been perfectly splendid to accommodate you old chap.  I wish you a very comfortable trip.” As she smothered me with more tissue paper, shut me in the dark and stuck 2.5m of packing tape on the box!  Well I won’t be getting out of here in a hurry.  @movinmeat’s gonna need that sword to rescue me… mind you, he probably has access to a scalpel!

She did say one thing though just before she closed the box which has confused me mightily.  She said “When you meet him, tell him immediately you’re allergic to lemon and butter.”  I’m totally flummoxed.  What on earth can she mean??

Filed under: England, Fun, Travel, Uncategorized, Zippy Was Here