So Movember seems to be the month of visitors!
The ever swish Xaosnyte:


My bestie talamia:

and for the first time I met naughtyme in person being all big and buff and witty:




As usual culinary exploration is important: Sushi first and foremost:

There was also seafood, Thai food, Italian and Indian cuisine on the menu. Unfortunately the ravenous beastie of hunger was too busy being sated to be bothered with photographic evidence.


We partied at the Winston: Pics of me looking super sleepy on the journey back:






We did some geeky stuff:






The highlight of our exploits was probably the Crocodile Park: Trying to find the place was an interesting, it is clearly not located for easy access. I suppose the idea is to keep crocodiles away from more populated areas but our Ford Ka was less than amused with us testing its off-road features! Once we finally located the place despite lying signs, crap roads, unfriendly looking metro cops, stay dogs and general uselessness: I got to hold a baby croc!







It placidly endured my attentions but I was warned to be careful. Should it have felt so inclined it could remove a finger or ear fairly effortlessly.

Some other random images:






We were also introduced to a 70 year old Male named Hannibal, a rather apt name I thought. Hannibal is apparently a refined crocodile with a discerning palate: If you give him meat with fur, feathers or bones he will spit it out at you. I wonder what his palate thinks of the free range rude? We only got to see him partially submerged in the water swishing in an agitated fashion as the Keeper tried to coax him out. As it was a cold, overcast day, Hannibal didn’t care to oblige us choosing his nice murky, warm pool instead. While it is entertaining that such a monster could be so coddled never has a grumpy old man been so big, so powerful and so terrifying. Even though I didn’t see all of him I was honestly still awestruck by his magnificence. Frightening as Hannibal is, the eccentric crocodile keeper tells that when Hannibal is feeling magnanimous he is occasionally allowed to stand upon his tail. The keeper must have an impressive pair. If you look at the pictures closely you will notice the absence of Mr Keepers left index finger which was forfeit to puff adder bite. The right index finger was gifted to a buzz saw (which was almost removed by a croc anyhow before the saw finished the job properly) other chunks of leg nourished a surly croc. That particular croc we were informed was brought to the park in the first place because he had eaten a person. I don’t think it is possible to fully appreciate how terrifying these animals are until you have watched them ripping carcasses apart at feeding time. You can watch documentaries about them but it really doesn’t have the same stupefying impact

Hannibal:







Mommy croc looking after her eggs:



Feeding time frenzy:









Rosie the Alligator, a lovely sweet girl who is clearly in love with the keeper:






A male Alligator who hissed like anything at the Keeper, clearly he is jealous of Rosies affections:




During all of this my set A Strange Fortune came out.
Here is the set intro because If you are anything like me you get so excited at the prospect of the set itself that often the intro gets overlooked:

“Is our future set in stone? Is fortune a predictable river flowing towards a point, with only minor deviations eddying and swirling side to side within the current? Could it be something simple enough to be seen in tea leaves and fortune cookies...or even one day whittled down to a mathematical equation? I would like to believe that is not the case. I would like to believe it is not so simple. Make your own fortune!”

For a person who professes to believe I am the master of my own destiny I am fascinated by all sorts of items symbolic of luck and fortune and silly little superstitious rituals. I collect Fortune cats, I pick up coins for good luck, I love fortune cookies, I have special attachment to items of clothing and jewelry. I won’t walk under a ladder, I dislike spilling salt. I realize the silliness of all of it and yet…the dichotomy is amusing and interesting to me. Without getting unnecessarily poignant let us say it is a really personal theme and leave it at that.


The Lolcats version of The Creation of Adam supplied by Arethusa


I leave you with a vital piece of knowledge for all the Mo-sisters this Movember:




This concluded part one of Movember visit blogs more to come on sister units, womance, tattoos, furry things and shiny stuff