#40@40: Keeper for a Day

A simple little day out at the zoo. But rather than just seeing the animals you get to be a junior keeper and get behind the scenes for a day. London Zoo run the scheme for the general public and you can get a ticket off their website. Its pretty popular so I had to book well in advance. I actually got the day on an offer via Living Social.

We were told to report to the staff entrance at Monday at 8:45am. where we were met by Karen a keeper with 18 years experience. She gave us a quick introduction and a uniform to wear (OK it was a green boiler suit) and then it was off to work.

First up was cleaning out the Giraffes' sleeping area. A big room full of smelly straw which we shovelled away and replaced with fresh. Then we got to feed the giraffes themselves from high platform with carrots and leaves. There tongues are black and very rough feeling. Some of the zebras came over to see what was happening with caused a bit of a fight as the giraffes are territorial and chased them off.

Next it was a trip around the aquarium. Both the front and behind scenes with me asking loads of questions (like where do they get their sea water from (as its not all the same!)). We got to feed the piranhas which involved drop defrosted small fish into the tank from a good few feet above!

Next it was off to the food prep area to make the Bearded pigs food. An interesting round room covered with recipes on the blackboard walls for all the different types of animals. Apparently Gordon Ramsey had also visited this bit of the zoo for one of his programmes. We left the food in buckets for the keepers to give them at lunchtime and we went out to visit the pigs. To give the pigs and bit of a treat on the way out we threw hazelnuts into the enclosure. They make quite a noise crunching the shells and the pig had a bit of excitement routing around for the nuts.

After that it was on to the Penguins to scrub the poo off the pool, which we did with plastic brooms. We got to meet rocky the rock hopper, who was to be fair more interested in woo-ing one of the other penguins. I got opportunity to touch him and stroke him, which felt very unusual as under the feathers he is very solidly built penguin, all muscle. Not what I had imagined they would feel like.

After lunch, in the staff canteen, it was off to meet the Koatis. It was raining slightly but fortunately they were inside. We joined them in their inside room and sat down on a bench and they could run backwards and forwards across our laps looking for food. They didn't seem to be worried about us at all and I think were probably a bit annoyed in the end that we didn't have any food.

The Anteaters came next after a quick journey around the monkey walk. The little yellow monkeys don't like the rain very much and they peered at us from under the broad leaves.

The zoo has two Anteaters, we got to feed them and clean their snouts. You take a handful of meal worms and make a fist. The anteaters then lick them right out of your fist with their long (20cm) tongue which flicks out at the bottom of your fist. A very strange feeling that one. While they are feeding you can clean their snout with a damp sponge. amazing creature they are so large and solid. At the end of our time with them they got a treat of an avocado each. while their mouth isn't really design for fruit there large claws ripped them to little bits which could be licked up.

Next to the anteater is the large bug house and we got a bit side tract looking at all the creepy crawlies. Made me think how I really need to come back as a member of public to go around the place again.

And so on to meet the Meerkats. Now they got proper excited when they saw us coming as they knew one of their favourite treats as on the way, live food. We had a bag full of crickets and meal worms. I took and handful of the bugs (some of the ones weren't keen on this bit) and emptied into the crowd of Meerkats below us. Actually the meal worms dropped down but the crickets tried to hang on until I shook them off.
The bug caused a bit of a fight as the Meerkats dashed around after the crickets. In fact they seem to ganging up on one of their number and the Meerkat keeper said that it wasn't that unusual with groups of animals but he would have to keep an eye on them so that none of them got hurt.

After that chaos we finished with something a bit more calm, feeding the Lemurs. On the way there with our buckets of food the Otters looked eager but they were out of luck. We got to sit in the Lemur cage with a handful each of the food and the Lemurs came right up and took it out of our hands. I had one sitting on my knee sorting through the food it turns out he only wanted the carrots and just picked up and tossed the swede onto the floor.

We exited out of the Lemurs area oddly enough straight into the Bat house. Then it was back down to the staff area. A quick change, souvenir t-shirt, tote bag and magazine later and it was off to the canteen for a cup of tea and cake, finishing around 4ish.

Another good day out, pretending to be keepers. Someone even ask me directions to something at one point. So I must have looked the part.

#40@40: Indoor sky diving

This one was a present from my Mum and Dad. Getting fully into the spirit of the list and making me do something very out of the ordinary. Indoor sky diving is the pastime of trying to balance on a column of air inside a specially built room. The column of air is provided by a huge wind turbine blasting up through the mesh floor and the room is a 15 foot circle with a roof about 40 foot up (there's a good reason for the high roof that as I found out later!).

So one Saturday I drove over to Airkix at Milton Keynes with the folks to try it out.

A huge structure on the end of the ski centre greets you as you drive up to park. It looks like something industrial for maybe mixing concrete. Eek!

At reception I had the usual signing of your life away and this time had to read some very stern warnings about shoulders and injuries to them.

Once nothing is the operators fault its off to the briefing and to get kitted out like a real sky diver.
We started with a briefing video with mainly went through the correct neutral body position to be in and the different hand signals we would be needing. Of course due to the wind we won't be able to hear anything. In fact they later gave us ear plugs too so this would be pretty much all the communicating we could do.
In all there were five hand signals to learn:  two legs (bend or straighten), chin up, relax and OK.

Next it was off to get our flight suits, helmet, goggles and ear plugs. The only unusual thing about these, apart from looking like a cartoon character in it all, was the two handle sewn into the back of the suits. These really were so the instructor could 'man-handle' us later on.

The flight room itself is a perspex box with netting floor and a very high ceiling. On one side is an anti-chamber with a bench for waiting your go and a control room. The rest of the outside is the Spectator area were Mum and Dad go themselves a front row seat. Actually the brightly lit area around the perspex box for spectators made me think the whole thing was looking a little too much like an execution booth.
So through the air lock we went into the waiting area and lined up on the benches. leaning back I could feel the padded bars of the handles.

My fellow jumpers were a mixed group of about eight people, all shapes and sizes. It turn out sizes was important as the guy in the control room turned the fans up or down so nobody zipped straight up or got stuck on the ground.

One at a time we went to the doorway to the room for our one minute with the instructor.
The first guy was all over the place I think he didn't really get into the neutral position and was kicking and flailing around a lot. The next ones did OK with control turning it up for the really big guys. Then the lady before me decided she doesn't want to go and she had to be led into the room by the instructor. She did fine in the end and looked like she enjoyed it.

Then is was my turn.

So I was standing in the doorway with my arms in. The instruction was to just fall forward into the room and the wind and the instructor would catch you. Whoa! the instructor grabs you by an arm and a leg then gets you into the right position. I get a flurry of hand signals: relax,arms forward chin up, push down with your pelvis. Mostly pulling me into the right position it takes some sorting out but in the end I'm floating around ok
My instructor is telling me to get my arms out more and at this point I become aware that I'm yelling my lungs out with excitement. I float over to visit mum and dad and get eye to eye before I head butt the screen and slide away.

Then the one minute is up and I'm guided back to the waiting room. it feels both like its been no time at all and quite a long time. I'm pretty excited and pretty tired for just an minute activity.

So its back to the bench to watch the others and wait for my next go

My next time I have the option to go for height. The instructor lets you do this if you were OK the first time
round. Some decide against it and some like the first guy he does offer the option.
So my next and last turn I get the signal go up and yes yes I give the thumbs up.

He gets me flying as before in the neutral position, partly I think so they can take the official photos. He has to check I can balance which I must have done pretty well. And then signals to control for three trips up.
He grabs a leg and an arm and spins me around faster and faster to I guess maybe once a second and then up goes the power and we both swoosh up spinning around and around. I think it was about three stories up or 30 feet. Up down, up down, up down with me yelling my head off with happiness. Finally back out through the door and as I landed I did a little dance which apparently got a little cheer from the people in the spectator area.

After everyone's last go at the end the instructor did a turn, swooping and spinning around with a bit of precision landing through the doorway. Then it was back down to get changed and collect our certificates and DVDs.

The pressure in the ears had me blowing my nose afterwards and I felt tried like I'd done a lot more that just two minutes of flying. It was great fun and very intense. I can vividly recall the all sensations.

Another results of all that wind was a very dry mouth so we went for a drink before heading home.

Thank you Mum and Dad it was bonkersly brilliant.