Marwell Zoo Red Pandas

Now being Annual Ticket Holders at Marwell means that we can visit the zoo at the drop of a hat. In this case, yesterday we had to go to Chandlers Ford for a haircut, so more appropriately it was a visit to the zoo at the dropping of some hairs.

Well, when I say we, I mean, me and my better half. I didn't need to go to sit whilst hair was cut, but as the zoo is about 15 mins from Chandlers Ford, and for once it wasn't raining, how could we pass up the opportunity for another effectively free visit to the zoo! So, after the aforementioned haircut, and the, "Its suits you", "It looks lovely", and the, "You look magnificent", (done in the tones of River Song after she transforms from Amy Pond's friend Melanie into Alexis Kingston and looks in the mirror and expostulates, "I am going to be wearing lots of jodhpurs"  - TV ed) we bought ourselves a cheap and cheerful picnic, as buying food at places of entertainment are generally too expensive and headed off to Marwell. However, before we reach the Red Panda's I need  a slight detour.

Being a chap/bloke/man, I tend to notice that I need a haircut when I try and walk through the door and my hair impedes me from doing so. Not quite strictly true, but I get it cut whenever it starts to bother me, or when Bridget says, "You are looking a bit Tufty". But I can never see how I look like a squirrel given the total lack of bushiness in my hair these days. (If I can dig out one of those photos of you in your formative years and put it up, then you'll know what bushiness is all about - ed). 

Haircuts for me are just sooo simple these days, "Number 6 all over, tapered at the back and a neck shave please", there is a slight variant when the Summer sun pops out, I might move from 6 down to 4. What I do find disturbing is the, "Would you like me to do your eyebrows and ears".Yeugh. Keep your clippers out of those areas!

Anyhow, after having to queue, for what felt like forever; actually two minutes, in the biting cold before being  allowed to present our annual passes' bar codes to be scanned so let into the zoo.

There is a spot in the zoo, where the Red Pandas live. I have been to the zoo at least half a dozen times so far and had never once seen the Red Pandas anywhere but as dark figures up in the branches of the solitary enclosure tree.

But yesterday, two, yes two, that is all of the Red Pandas, were on the ground. So, to commemorate this and to firmly entrench myself in the good books after ticking the lovely haircut boxes, I  took some photos and a bit of video of the Red Pandas as is shown below.