Petworth House revisited

We've visited Petworth House before, but that was a while ago, and due to a gross navigational error at the time, we never actually made it inside.

So it was high time we returned and this time we checked out the house itself. A good thing too, because the weather wasn't a nice as last time. It wasn't long after we began our walk and checked out a garden house thingy and a few deers that the rain began to fall so we made a dash for it.


The garden thingy

Posing in the garden thingy



All smiles for the deer


That's them

Inside after our mad dash, and here's the stairway and entrance hall.... noice.


Good spot for a rest.



There was the odd portrait to see


The kids took the "Find the Art Challenge". Here's Lucy trying to track down a portrait of Henry VIII. Where could he be?


Caiti had to track down a Turner and a Constable.


Found it!

Bodiam Castle

Here's some pics from the day we went to Bodiam Castle, which is a National Trust property in East Sussex.

It's an impressive little castle, with a moat and all those classic castlie bits that everybody loves. It's also got a pub right across the road, so there's something for everyone really.




That's the castle in case you didn't realise.







Some unusual looking knights.




And here is our dinner being served at the pub.

We're off to the Polo darling

Here's some pics from Cowdray Park in Midhurst, when we visited with Nanny Dawn to catch a spot of Polo. It was a nice day out - we packed the picnic, paid our £10 then spent half an hour driving through the fields trying to find which one was hosting the next chukka. We eventually made it and settled down on the sideline (if that's what you call it) to enjoy the action. All very la-de-da! Enjoy the pics.


The game was on the No. 1 field which has the nice backdrop of Cowdray Castle behind.


Picnicing... and yes, we are drinking Pimms - the adults at least.


Caitlin shortly before she threw the ball in front of a "pony" warming up on the sidelines. The ball was obviously barred after that little incident.


Some of the action. You wouldn't believe it but our old mate Ruki Baillieu was in the losing team. He scored a nice goal early on, but was a not at his best on the day for mine.

Things to do in May

Here's some pics of some of the stuff we got up in May.

First up - we visited Hatchlands for a spot of adventure trail exploring. You need to follow the clues - in the form of animal prints - around the property, until surprise, surprise, you end up at the gift shop!


This is Hatchlands - I do believe we've been here before


Following the clues


Where's that badger print gone?


Hugs


Sunglasses


Hoodlums

The other thing to do in May is visit a few villages for their annual May Fairs. Apart from the usual pagan rituals of children dancing around Maypoles and the like, there's usually lots of fun rides for the kids, bric-a-brac stalls for the Mums, beer tents for the Dads (and brass band members), and Pimms tents for the whole family (except for the kids).


The Coconut Shy was very exciting, especially when Lucy got a dirct hit and won a coconut.


This ride looks like it will be fun for the kids


Maybe not!


That's better.


Real live racing cars for the aspiring F1 drivers


The guy taking the money for this ride said this is how Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton started out.

Brighton is right on!

Firstly.... yes, I know my blog title is like a bad tabloid headline, but it's late and I'm out of practice with this blogging caper - but that is soon to change as I plan to post lots and lots of snaps in the near future.

Anyway, we drove down to Brighton the other week to check out what goes on there - apparently lots does. It seemed like a nice warm day and we had visions of swimming and lying in the sun. The sun was out most of the time, but the chilly wind meant that it wasn't much of a day for swimming and sunbaking.

We checked out the pier, the rides and the shops before heading down to the pebbly beach. The pebbles are a bit hard on the feet, but surprising nice to lie on - a bit like a full-body masseur sandal, and by strategically placing ourselves between the pier and the prevailing sou'-westerly breeze, we managed to get out of the wind and did in the end have a nice lie on the beach - which is something we hadn't done in a long time!


No points for guessing, but here we are at Brighton Pier...


... and from another angle.


We didn't use the towels for swimming, but they did come in handy on the windward side of the pier


Go Brighton!


There's lots of rides on The Pier, even a kids dodgems. Jo was fascinated by the "Super Dooper" where punters pay £8 to get hurled through the air like a trainee astronaut. Sadly, she didn't have a go herself.


The leeward side of the pier was nice


There's lots of 1920's throwback diversions...


...and rides for the kids.


Relaxing on the beach (with ice creams quickly melting)


At least you don't have to worry about getting sand off the kids, aren't we happy about that?...


.... the seaweed of course is another matter.


Artistic watery shot


The girls were getting a bit tired by the time we visited the Royal Pavilion


The locals seem to love it though.