Kate B Right! Happy New Deer! Pet Your Hairy Moo Moo Cow

[$harkToootth]

I always liked White-Tail Deer (my Dad and I call them the Staten Island Deer) and when I went to the UK the first time, I had the pleasure of meeting the Red Deer (kind of like going there, it was like 'here but different'... they were super cool!) in Richmond Park. In fact, one of my lame hobbies is walking around my town at night, eating cold cuts and drinking cherry juice and waving to the deer. They know I'm one of the hommies so they don't even flinch when I walk by.

I've never met a reindeer. I would like to. Who has met and pet one? They seem... NICE!

[dubkitty]

i wish.

[friendship]

no but I would like to feed one an apple

[$harkToootth]

I would too!

[shikawkee]

I'm part Sami. My family has a shit ton of reindeer.

[Chankgeez]

Yes, shikawkee, but are they allowed in the house?

[shikawkee]

Yes, shikawkee, but are they allowed in the house?

Oh hell no! <g>

[$harkToootth]

Give them lots of love from friendship and I, please.

[Olin]

I was seeing a girl from Edgware, an hour or so from Lewisham where I lived at the time, and I was a younger man who was more willing to entertain the whim's of my partners and put up with their quirks. She was a posh horse person (bad!) and always wanted to go to Bentley Priory to pet the reindeer, so to Bentley Priory we headed every week or so. It's a big fancy estate that has a deer sanctuary, where every now and then they do indeed get some reindeer in for you to pet. Being a big posho she wasn't satisfied with passing carrots through the fence and instead insisted on finding "the staff" to ask if she could be let behind the fence to get more up close with the deer. They insisted that the reindeer they had were not very well socialised and may beat her up, so that never happened, but you could pet them a bit through the chainlink. They felt the same as all the other deer and were honestly a bit disappointing. Kind of like something that should be at the roundabout zoo in The League of Gentlemen, just normal deer but with a bit more antler.

In hindsight, that girl was quite a lot like Big Suze and reindeer have been engrained in my memory as kind of a disappointing animal.

I'd give them a 5/10 overall (would be a 4 as I don't really like deer, too skittish, but their purported hostility gained them a point).
General experience 3/10.

[coldbrightsunlight]

I have fed a reindeer. Was cute but also a little scary because I am a skittish beastie around skittish beasties

[dubkitty]

i KNEW i remembered Bentley Priory from somewhere! it was the RAF Fighter Command headquarters during the Battle of Britain, which has fascinated me since i was a child. one of the few times in human history when you can honestly say that a few hundred men changed the course of history. add in a deer park and it's on my UK tourism agenda!

[$harkToootth]

WOW... the Brits in this thread are being real downers
Just kidding Coldbright and Olin. Love you guys! Those stories are disappointing though. I want to pet a goddamn reindeer and feed it an apple! Merry Christmas!

[Olin]

i KNEW i remembered Bentley Priory from somewhere! it was the RAF Fighter Command headquarters during the Battle of Britain, which has fascinated me since i was a child. one of the few times in human history when you can honestly say that a few hundred men changed the course of history. add in a deer park and it's on my UK tourism agenda!

Definitely go, the park itself is lovely and there are some old pillboxes left over and there's never many people there. Going to the manor to look around then going for a walk in the park is nice, leads to some pretty broad views of London from on the hill. Surprised anyone has heard of it at all!

Sharky you gotta embrace the disappointment of reindeer and embrace the joy of the highland cow. Those things are 8/10.

[dubkitty]

well, i'm a total history nerd with a particular focus on the air war over Europe in WWII, so i guess i have specialized knowledge. I've read numerous accounts of ACM Sir Hugh Dowding, the head of Fighter Command, pacing the corridors and looking out over the grounds while contemplating the struggles of his boys.

[$harkToootth]

Dear Olin, I am a HUGE fan of highland cows. I met one once! It was great!
10/10 compromise. I’m cool with a Christmas Highland Cow.