Last weekend

It has been a long time coming, this year, but last weekend we had really nice weather.  Harry went on some adventures.  On Saturday Henry @henryandfriends was visiting the island, so we met for coffee.

The boys had coffee in Michelangelo's in Ryde. Well neither were really interested in the coffee but you can see they were enjoying the macaroon biscuits.

On Sunday we went for a walk,  We started by driving over to Freshwater.

The weather was lovely so it was a great drive.

The first thing to do was to climb this hill.  Harry checked it out before embarking on it.  It's quite a long and steep climb.

From the top Harry looked over Freshwater bay and Freshwater town.  It was a lovely clear day.

More climbing, not so steep but very long, up to the Tennyson monument, on the top of Tennyson Down. This is a memorial to Alfred Lord Tennyson who was the poet laureate in Victorian times and spent much of his time at his house in Freshwater, called  Farringford.  It is a hotel now.

There were views of the English Channel, Freshwater Bay, all the way to where Blackgang Chine is, where we went for a tweetup last summer, and over the Solent (the stretch of water between our island and the mainland), to the mainland and Hurst Castle, which was one of Henry VIII's fortresses to protect England from the Spanish who he thought might invade by coming down the Solent.

Then we walked down the other side of the hill, where Harry could see the Tennyson Memorial.  This is when we told him that it was not a circular walk and we would have to go back up that hill later.  He was brave about it.

Harry turned around to look at where we were still going to walk.  This is Needles Down and takes us to above the Needles, the chalk stacks that stand off the most westerly point on the island.  There is another fort there, called the Needles Battery.  That one was built to protect the Solent from the French when Napoleon was trying to take over Europe and it has been used more recently.  However, that is at a lower level so we didn't go in.

Harry found a signpost to make sure we were going the right way.

He also checked out the way back to Freshwater, just in case.

Of course, as always Harry decided to do what we baboons do and climb some trees on the way.

It was a very nice day out and we were happy to feel the sun on our fur!!

A rehoming and a return

Hello, I have been quite slow to blog about the latest re-homing.  It happened in January but I have only just got around to it.  Our dear friend @BiddyBT has already re-homed Brian, who has trained as a lumbar jack and keeps them in firewood.  Just before Christmas Brian asked whether we could find him an apprentice to help him in his work.  I put out a call and found a young relative of mine who was living in Kentucky.  Just after Christmas he came over to Baboon HQ, and we sent him off to join Brian.

Brian on the left has been with Biddy since May 2015, Jingle, in the white T-shirt, joined him in January and is learning to be be a lumbar jack.  I hear they are getting on very well and Jingle is fitting right in.

Brian and Jingle work hard but there is plenty of time for fun.  You know how baboons love to climb and Jingle wasted no time following Brian climbing up the tree trunk.

You can see that Jingle has joined a big family.  After a hard day's work its lovely to rest in the sun with friends and family.

Its not all about work by far, Jingle climbed on Brian and helped others up.  That's good, co-operation!!

Then a picnic in the sunshine.

We can see that Jingle has followed Brian in becoming a smart dresser and is fitting in well and having fun, as well as learning to be a lumbar jack.  Everyone does their bit at Biddy's house and they all dress really well!

Now, meet Russell baboon.  Here he is with me.  Russell was re-homed from Baboon HQ in 2012.  He had a good time but the time came when his re-homing had to end and he has been welcomed back at Baboon HQ.  Of course, now that he is a Baboon HQ baboon, he is supporting Arsenal, as we all do here, so we had an Arsenal shirt all ready for him.

Russell has already made friends with Ryan and Aboo so he is settling in well.

Good Friday at Baboon HQ

The Easter weekend is good for us because our people don't have to work.  So, like on any proper day off we went out for breakfast.  At the Bembridge bakery Harry came across hot cross buns for the first time.

The buns were very fresh because they were made at the bakery that day.  We heard that the baker had been at work since 3 am making hot cross buns, bread and Easter cakes.  Well they certainly did a good job.  All hot cross buns are nice but these were extra special and very sticky.

After all the buns we felt a walk would be a good idea.  We drove around to the famous Toll Gate cafe at Bembridge, parked there and walked across to the Bembridge life boat station.

It was a beautiful day and Harry enjoyed feeling the sun on his fur!

We walked on past the Bembridge Coast Hotel and the Crab and Lobster pub and onto the cliff path.

Harry was surprised to have the cliffs on one side and fields on the other.  Just over near the houses there were some sheep but no lambs there yet.

Part of the cliff path is wooded and we did some climbing in the trees.

Then we came out to where we could see the sea again.  Its a very varied walk.

Usually the target of this walk is the monument you can see at the top of the Culver Down, where you can see down into Sandown Bay where Harry was a couple of weeks ago.  However, this time we didn't do the climb so we turned and got back to the Toll Gate cafe in time for lunch.  We were quite muddy!  Well yes lunch, Harry ate his toasted cheese sandwich so fast we didn't get a picture.  He was very hungry after that walking and climbing.

We are very glad we did a long walk yesterday because today the weather is bad so no sunny walk today.

Time out at Baboon HQ

Last Sunday was a lovely sunny day so we decided that Harry should visit Sandown Bay and walk along to Shanklin and back.  The walk started as you would expect.

A nice early morning view of the beach.  That looked like a good start!  However, things got a bit unexpected after that.  Harry walked along to Shanklin and met this character.

Despite his small size Harry is quite a brave baboon so he stopped to find out whether he had found himself in the middle of a pirate raid.  Well no, just crazy golf apparently!!

Reassured, he walked along a bit further and the next thing he knew he thought he was in the middle of Moby Dick!!

Well it does make you question what has happened in Shanklin recently!!  We really didn't expect this, more crazy golf we assume!! Crazy being the word!!

Harry had to get home to watch Arsenal being knocked out of the FA cup by Watford so he walked back to Sandown.  Well you might think that was the end of the craziness, but you would be wrong!!

On Sandown pier Harry met this chap, yes a giant cow eating an ice cream.  Harry stopped to warn him that he appeared to have bitten off the bottom of his cornet and the inevitable outcome would be ice cream dripping out of the bottom.  He didn't seem to care much!!  He said he does it every day.  Oh well!!  We had to conclude that Sandown Bay had got itself a bit mixed up.  Fun though!!

Today my person took a day off work to make up for doing some Saturdays, at work,  for open days.  We had hoped for good weather for a walk but it is cold and grey so we decided to go out for breakfast.  Tom, who is our Thompson Holiday bear really wanted an outing so we let him go.

Toast and marmalade at Bembridge Bakery.  They make specially good bread and cakes there!  Talking of cakes!  Tom is an adventurous bear so he went to investigate the cakes.  I can tell you he was impressed!!

That is just half of them!!  He brought home some hot cross buns.  Really we are meant to eat them next Friday for Good Friday but we thought we would have a preview!!

Days out at Baboon HQ

We have been a bit quiet at Baboon HQ while our people have been getting on with work stuff and all that.  However, lately we have had a couple of days out.  Last Sunday Harry went looking for spring flowers.  As you know our spring flowers arrived before Christmas and we have missed taking pictures of crocuses on the island, although they are still alive and well on the mainland.

Harry set off, with our people to walk to Fishbourne.  A nice village where the car ferry comes in.

First he found snowdrops,

along with a morning glory flower.

Further on he found little daffodils with a hyacinth.

Nearer to Fishbourne we found a different type of snowdrops.

Fishbourne Green is always a haven for daffodils at this time of year.

Now what are these?  They are pink and Harry thought they were pretty but we do not know what they are.

Primroses, outside the Fishbourne Inn.

Then there were these other flowers outside the Fishbourne Inn.  We don't know what they are either.

Yes, of course Harry and our people felt the need for coffee in the Fishbourne Inn.  Yes, as we have said, Harry is not Mini-Kolo and he doesn't have a caffeine addiction!  He is always interested in the treats that come with the coffee.  This one was particularly nice, not that our people know this because Harry polished them off!!

Ah now, on Friday my person took a day off work because they had worked some Saturdays for an open day.  What is the most important thing to do to start a good day off?  Answer, breakfast out!  This time we went to French Franks, which is near home, because my person had an appointment at 9.30 (new hair cut)!!  Harry loves croissants so that is what he had.

Well and that was not all he did.  At lunchtime he went to one of our favourite places in Ryde, Olivos.  Look who he met!!  Harry had not met Henry before so he was very excited.  They had pasta.  Henry had ham in his, but Harry doesn't eat meat so he had it without ham.  It was very nice with broccoli and mushrooms in a creamy sauce!!

After that Harry came home and napped for a bit as he was tired, but in the evening he went out for a mezze at very nice place in Ryde, called Ada, but he didn't get pictures!!  Harry ate every meal out on Friday.  Wow!!

Baboon HQ

Hi, this is a nice sunny day so we started the day by going for a walk.  We visited the hardworking monkeys in our Sainsburys window, who advertise products for special occasions.  Today they were all ready for Valentine's day.

They have been resting since new year but are busy again now.  They work very hard all year and we do like to visit them.

Then we thought we might introduce you to some of the more unusual residents of Baboon HQ and a new arrival.  I'll let the baboons introduce the less usual residents.  There are a lot of non-baboons at Baboon HQ, most are lions, bears and other monkeys.  These are some of the more unusual ones.

Hello, I'm Edward and I would like to introduce my friend Westbourne.  He lived at Baboon HQ before there were any baboons here and in fact when it was in London.  He is called Westbourne because he came from an antiques shop in Westbourne Grove, London.

Our people used to go for dinner some Fridays to a pizza place in Westbourne Grove, they saw Westbourne in the window for a couple of years and always stopped to talk to him.  However, he was far too expensive for them and they hoped he would find a good home.  One day they were going on holiday and they decided that if he was still there when they got back they would buy him, never mind the price!  He needed a good home.  When they got back he was no longer in the window, so they thought he had found a home.  Manperson decided to ask the shop owner about who had bought their friend.  It turned out he had not been sold, just put in the back of the shop.  The owner sold him to manperson for half the price.  He as been with them for nearly 20 years.

Westbourne has an interesting history it seems he was a bellhop in a hotel in Philadelphia and had a tray on this head for drinks to be rested on him.  He had no tray when our people met him so we were not sure.  However, wait for further information in a minute.  We became friends when I arrived, we have a shared background of living in an antiques shop window.

Hi, I'm Hoppo and I would like to introduce Socrates.  Yes he is similar to Westbourne.  We saw him recently in a shop window in Union Street, Ryde.  Manperson decided to buy him.  He somewhat confirms the story that Edward told you about Westbourne's origins.  When Socrates arrived he had a tray on his back.  We removed it as he doesn't need to work as a drinks table here.  We called him Socrates because he looks philosophical.

Hello I'm George and I am introducing two of the four Tibetan monks who live at Baboon HQ.  These two live in the living room, two more live downstairs in the study.  They are very quiet but they help with our meditation.

Hello, you all know me, I'm Harry!  I am introducing Johann.  Now, this is an unusual story.  Manperson went skiing with his brother and brought Johann back as a present for our person.  Right, yes, I can see how you are thinking!  How many people would go on holiday and bring back an oven glove for their partner.  Yes, it would often not be welcome!  However, Johann was welcome, he is not used as an oven glove, he is our Baboon HQ kitchen manager.  He makes sure we have all we need and helps us with our cooking.

Hi, I'm Little Tony.  Please meet Brian, he is a celebrity robot who advertises car insurance on television.  He is sweet and funny and talks a lot.

Howdee I'm Ozzie, this is Benny, the skeleton sock monkey and Mungo who is a gorilla.  They are good friends.  Benny is unusual and funny.  Mungo arrived at Baboon HQ because he was described as a baboon.  Well he is not a baboon but he is very welcome here!

Finally a not unusual, but new resident of Baboon HQ, a celebrity bear, who advertises holidays.  In the adverts he goes through lots of troubles but ends up happy on holiday.

Hello, I'm Freddy, I am introducing you to Tom.  He only has one eye, but look at that smile.  He even has a smile on his foot, look!!  He makes us happy with his smile.

Well there are some non-baboon residents of Baboon HQ.  We have more unusual ones who we can introduce another day.