We went to Pontins at St Annes for 5 days on a coach tour. This time the illuminations were onand also the shows were in full swing. We went to see Forbidden, The Hot Ice show and a Queen tribute band. All of the shows were really good. The remaining evening we took a tour of the lights on an open topped bus which was a new and interesting way to see the lights. It wasn't very easy to take photographs as you will see but they are different. Blackpool is certainly not the busy seaside town that it used to be with very little traffic along the lights and few people about at the shows or anywhere else.

A thirst quenching drink in a theme pub on the seafront

Lorne lives near to Blackpool and we are members of a few of the same card groups so we decided to meet for real instead of just online. She is just as lovely in real life

The next photos are all of the illuminations from the top of the bus. There weren't many of us took the trip but it was fun.

A day at the zoo-the first few pictures are the Jurassic garden which has some very lovely planting but some awful dinosaur sounds.

At the parrot show-the parrots are really clever and can be taught like young children to do tasks and even to talk.

The newest arrivals at the zoo were the giraffes in their new house and garden

Vic's favourites are the meerkats

We went on the tram to Fleetwood and walked for a long way along the seafront . I had always thought that swans could be quite fierce but this one with lots of signets seemed very tame even with the little Yorky close by.