In Like a Grizzly Bear

November calendar imageSo highly anticipated, and now almost over: this was spring! These calendar pictures of spring are all wonderful, but my favourite is definitely the October image of New York in autumn.

Autumn has long been my favourite season, such a glorious and colourful time of year (although summer’s charms are almost equal). This month’s picture is also inspiring—I’ve always wanted to go to Africa on a safari (I’ve been to Morocco in the north of the continent, but that is quite different, obviously).

October calendar imageOnce, when I was about 14, I went with my parents to visit a small safari park in New South Wales that had plenty of wild and exotic animals roaming free. There were certainly lions and bears I recall, for I got up close and personal with one of them!

Dad was driving our car through the park when one of the grizzly bears decided to come and make a closer acquaintance with me. He must have liked the look of my little face peering out of the back seat window. He came right up to the glass, and his head filled the entire space—I got a very intimate view of his wild eyes, and slobbering jaw filled with enormous teeth that looked like they enjoyed crunching things, such as the bones of teenage girls. I can assure you I scooted over to the other side of the car pretty quick smart! One of the park rangers saw our predicament and distracted the bear by throwing an apple at it. Later dad was most concerned with the scratches the giant claws had made on the duco.

Surprisingly, the incident has not put me off visiting a game park one day!

Well, you know what they say: spring comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb—except that Melbourne is very changeable all the time. Enjoy the last of the season before summer (or winter as the case may be).

September calendar image