Mr. Peacock, what a beautiful fan you have!

Stanley, Jaffa, George, and I went to Chiswick House Park yesterday, running around like we always do … When all of a sudden we spotted something rather LARGE and scary! It’s a dragon!!! Stanley goes running back to his mummy and daddy And Jaffa came running back!Georgie! Run, run! This time you will just be a “small bite”!

Why are you laughing, Mummy?  Ahhh, it’s been caged in. And it’s not real?!?!?! Really?Looked like the dragon was laughing at us.

Oh wow! Look at that. It’s the Temple of Heaven – are we still in Chiswick Park or have we landed in China? Dragons and now the Temple of Heaven?
We stopped to take a photo but Stanley was soon off.He had spotted something …A group of angry men and started barking at them!  Jaffa went to have a closer look And he barked at the horses And he barked at the Emperor!!!! Jaffa decided she didn’t want to be be-headed so she ran off.Actually she came after me as I went on to investigate what else could be at the park.  All this is very intriguing,
Huge clementines Oh, and giant colourful walking ants – now this is scary. And very colourful elephants – Jaffa, don’t get too close. As I went further, I saw a whole horde of animals running so I went running back to tell Mummy what I saw Apes! I told her Kangaroos led by a kangaroo in a spacesuit!  Giraffes!Zebras! Antelopes!Mummy said maybe the animals from Serengeti got lost and ran too far – all the way to Chiswick Park.

And dancing pandas?!?!?!?!
These pandas were having a get togetherDo you really think there are so many pandas in the world?And a bunch of monkeys clambering around a lotus flowerThankfully they were not real, especially that monkey leader with a spear!

Now that’s real! And guys, that’s a real swan Stanley! Be careful. This is too small to not be real!The fake ones are bigger and not so mean!Let’s stick to the large, fake animals They won’t attack us.Even the flowers were bigger than us
They were almost as big as buildings
Yes, magic mushrooms as well, it seems! Ahhh, and a bit of romance – Cinderella and her prince by the horse-drawn pumpkin carriage. We stopped for hot chocolate at the cafe.  Annie was giving Georgie a hug.Stanley was jealous and went to his daddy for his huggies.  By the time we left, it was just starting to get dark …And we did get to see some of them lit up.

As we walked back to the exit, we were back to the Chiswick Park we know – lots of places for us to disappear to. Back and forth Jaffa and I ran. The hoomans did not let Georgie off lead because the last time he ran and sat in the undergrowth and we couldn’t find him for the longest time.

Well, that was a bit of an adventure – all tired from our run in the park.  So tired, I didn’t even mind Jaffa putting her head on me.

May’s comment:  Yesterday evening was the UK premier of the world-famous Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House & Gardens.   The festival will be on from Wednesday, 3 February till Sunday 6 March – to coincide with the Chinese New Year.  During the day, the dogs are allowed in as usual but in the evenings from around 5:00pm, the lanterns are illuminated.  It is then a ticketed event of international cuisines.  Dogs are not welcomed then.

The elaborate installation of over-sized sculpted lanterns in the form of animals, birds, flowers and buildings are quite a contrast to the classic iconic buildings and structures in the garden.