School strike day

Anyone who is keeping up with the UK news probably knows that we are in the midst of a series of strikes by public sector workers, angered by low pay, the cost of living crisis and abysmal working conditions. It's rare that our health service workers strike but we have had nurses, junior doctors and paramedics taking action recently. School teachers, rail workers and postal workers have also been on strike. Yesterday was a school strike day, so in order that my daughter could do at least a modicum of her own paid work (at home) I went over to see what I could do to help. My older granddaughter is happier these days spending time with her friends and they seem generally a sensible lot so they are allowed to walk into town (only 15 minutes away) to the park or a coffee bar. It feels a big step towards independence but you have to allow it eventually. In this age of mobile phones, they at least have easy access to parental help if need be. She texts to say what they're up to and her phone can be tracked if necessary too. 

Anyway, that meant I had the pleasure of spending some time with my younger granddaughter, who is now eight. After some discussion we opted to visit a small 'butterfly and jungle experience' attraction in nearby Halifax (Manor Heath Park) and we had a really lovely time. There is a series of large greenhouses, kept warm and humid, where they grow tropical plants. There are pools, a stream and waterfalls threading through, home to fish and terrapins. There are also some large butterflies flying around in the greenery. We spotted quite a few, including some gorgeous blue ones, but they proved impossible to photograph with a mobile phone. The plants were more accommodating! There were some orchids and bromeliads but I don't know what many of them are. Perhaps they'll be familiar to those who live in warmer climes. 

We call these unusual, waxy plants 'flamingo plants' but I'm sure they have a more 'proper' name. We thought they looked as though they'd been coated with nail polish, so shiny. In one of the ponds there was an exquisite bright pink lily, quite unlike our native waterlilies which lie flat on the water. This was more like a lotus, standing erect. 

There were butterfly pupa in a tank, like little jewels hanging down. Fascinating. 

A banana tree caught our interest too... though my granddaughter assured me they'd seen plenty in Thailand! I've lived seven times longer than her but she has already travelled further. 

We spent quite some time leaning over bridges and watching the fish and wildlife below. 

This is what she was looking at - terrapins:

A coffee and a hot chocolate at the little café in the park was welcome. It's nearly May but it was a freezing cold day! Not that my little, fearless adventurer seemed to mind...