Week 3: Brixham, Bournemouth, Lily's London Party. May 15-21

5/15 - Sarah spent the day with us before going to visit Robyn.  We were planning to ride a boat to Dartmouth, but it was closed.  Instead we drove, road a 5 minute car ferry across the river, then started down the beautiful and interesting river walk. Which lasted 27 seconds, and all the kids crumbled into fits.  So we stopped and played at Coronation Park for 45 minutes, because they saw the playground from the car.  Then we started the walk again and ended up jumping on a small boat to go down the river to the castle. 

It was fun to be in an open boat and look at the city from the water.  We docked below the castle and Lilian wanted a picture... so Sarah snuck in. 

We wandered around the castle for a few minutes but didn't pay to go in... because it was tiny and didn't seem very child friendly. We played in the water at the edge of the dock, then headed back upstream.  This is such a different trip to anything Melissa and I have done before.  Late morning starts, just one or two events per day, lots of coloring and Lego building at the houses.  It is weird and fun, in a new way. 

5/16 - Tuesday morning I decided to run The Daymark/Brownstone Battery trail.  Iain challenged me to the run when we were in Croughton. It was beautiful 3 mile trail with several descents and climbs, from 150 meters down to 20 m above sea level and back up.  I was sore for several days. Some of the track was just 8 inches wide, rocky and midway down a slope to the sea. I certainly felt like a mountain goat at times. 

And while I was running, Lilian was locked in her room at the house.  She was playing with Finn and slammed her door.  It broke a tiny cast piece in the knob and disconnected the handle from the latch.  Melissa tried to keep her calm and figure out how to release her. Melissa had gone to the neighbors to get some help. She found a tall gardener who tried to open the door and stood on a short wall outside to try to get Lilian to open the door.  Melissa also had Lilian stack drawers to try to get to the window.  She was so scared Lilian was going to fall and hurt herself.  Lilian was able to put 2 drawers side by side with a pillow on top, which helped her get onto the radiator and then the window.  Melissa even found another neighbor with allen wrenches to try to take apart the door knob.  However, the knob couldn't be taken apart from the outside.
After I got home, Sarah (on the phone the whole time) told me about the ladder.  I set up at the back bedroom window, but Lilian couldn't coordinate pushing the button and twisting the latch.  In her defense, it was quite stiff and she's 4.  So we moved to the side window, on the large slope, and at that window she had to figure out the key in the lock, then she pushed the button and was able to get it open in just a few seconds.  I pulled her out and brought her down.  Then we climbed back up for a photo. From inside, I was able to disassemble the knob and open the latch then remove the whole thing. 
Lilian was so brave, the whole time, and didn't even pee her pants. She told Melissa a few minutes into the fiasco that she needed to go.  However, when it was bedtime that night... it took a few tries to get her comfortable enough to stay in her room.  

After a couple of hours of freedom at the Lego pile on the kitchen counter, THANK YOU SARAH, we packed up and went to Broadsands Beach. It was a mix of sun and cloud and quite windy.  The kids had a lot of fun.  

Melissa went in about ankle deep. While she was watching from the shore she spotted several fish jumping, then a gray seal caught a fish and floated on the surface to enjoy it's meal. 

But decided it was really beach snuggle weather, rather than boogy board weather. 

While I was reading bedtime stories from the Friend magazine, Lilian was still feeling a little unsure of her room.  Finn can be quite the "big brother" when the girls need him. 

5/17 - Wednesday We went down the hill to walk through the shops to try to find some souvenirs. Fun window shopping, but nothing jumped out at us.  Then we had the climb back to the top!  

After eating and a little rest we went back to the beach.  We tried the next cove over to look for sea glass and better boogy boarding, but it was full of sea weed and pure rock/pebbles. The kids didn't want to be covered in sea weed or dig in rocks.  So we hiked back to Broadsands. This beautiful woman was enjoying a much sunnier day and the scenery on the walk. 

It wasn't windy, so everyone was much happier to get deeper today.  See? Melissa's calves are wet. 

It was still a little too cold for grown ups to frolic, but the kids were happy as could be... even comparing the beach in a positive light to their Hawaii memories.

And how better to wrap up a beach day than with Lego?

5/18 - Thursday we left Brixham to start back to London.  On the way we were detoured by the Army closing some roads to live fire practice.  We even passed a road sign which read, "Tanks crossing. Sudden gunfire." We were on our way to Kimmeridge Bay to hunt ammonite fossils.  Our walk down the rocky bay started with a waterfall. 

Proceeded to countless ammonite fossil spotting. 

A boy who slipped several times, because he seemed to forget that the stone is slick near the water.  Only ended up in the slime/water once though and his rain coat took the most of it. 

Oh, look at that young childless couple, so happy and relaxed on their holiday. 

After exploring across the bay for an hour and a half we were playing at a freshwater stream running down through the rocks.  Finn was smashing rocks together, when he split one and exposed a beautiful fossil.  We took it and gave it to Sarah.  The "ranger" at the car park said we were free to take samples, as long as we didn't use tools. 

There was an ancient sea life museum in town. 

We spent the night in Bournemouth, so we walked down to the beach with an order of fish and chips, scampi and a sausage.  

This purple hotel actually had the purple light above the bed like the Premier Inn advertisements showed.  When we were planning the trip, Lilian was starting to second guess being away from home for her birthday.  We used the fact that Premier Inn's logo and décor are purple to help keep her excited.  The Inn in Brentford didn't have the purple lights, so she was really excited to see it in Bournemouth. 

5/18 Friday after packing up in Bournemouth we hit the road for Acres Down Farm in the New Forest.  We walked and talked with my cousin Mandy for about an hour.  Then we drove into Lyndhurst and visited a sweets shop and a toy store where each of the kids chose a new stuffed animal. 

We then returned to Acres Down for a cream tea.  Mandy taught Hannah how to make a daisy chain during tea. 

We missed a turn leaving the New Forest to go to Brentford. Melissa was glad that we did as the missed turn took us back through the little village and she was able to give a New Forest horse a little snuggle when he was standing in the middle of our road. 

That evening we went straight to Teresa's for dinner. Jude surprised us all by dropping by for a chat on her way home from work.  She stayed and talked while we ate, eventually one of her kids messaged to ask if she or dad would ever get home and she thought she better head off. 

Lilian, Guy (Teresa's husband) and Alad (Jude's husband) all have birthdays May 22 and 21, so Teresa and Jude's families didn't come to Lilian's Sunday birthday party.  I saw this cake, Colin the Caterpillar, at a gas station so I bought it to share with Guy and we sang to him and Lilian after a wonderful dinner.  Teresa made several wonderful items, lots of veggies, yummy chicken skewers, and Maltesers blondies. Also strawberries and honeydew melon... which our kids shocked everyone with the amount they consumed. 

Finlay had his Lego collection in the livingroom, nicely organized into bins.  Our kids spread everything out and built for several hours.  Finlay and his girlfriend were a great help, playing with the kids while we chatted. 

Let the record show, Guy was giving bunny ears in almost every photo we took, not just the "let's be silly" ones. Really fun evening!  Jonah told great stories, and started almost every one of them with, "just follow me.. I promise it is relevant."

5/20 Saturday - Saturday morning we drove to Glynis' to park and ride the tube at Boston Manor.  We dropped in an chatted with her and Brendan for around an hour.  Then we road in to the city. 

Everyone seemed to do well, didn't get scared at the dark tunnels, and was happy to ride escalators out of the last stop. 

We spent a few minutes on a Golden Tours Hop On/Hop Off

Then walked around a lot of the Tower of London. 

Hannah was the only one willing to pose in the helmet. 

Everyone enjoyed looking at the suits of armor and the model horses. 

The dragon was a hit, I think. 

Cute knights and

tough ladies. 

Leaving the Tower you have to walk up a long hill back to the street.  Conveniently, there was an ice cream van parked at the top of that hill.  Since when does a 99 cost four GBP?

These are the faces we were able to achieve after realizing that when Grandma Workman ask them to, "take a picture of Big Ben," she was not asking for a photo of the bell itself, but actually wanted a photo of the kids at the houses of parliament. 

Headed to Hyde Park chapel.  The kids did so well going to another new ward primary.  Interestingly, the ward had a "visitors Sunday school" and "locals Sunday school." 

After church we went to the Natural History Museum.  This is the Titanosaur, the biggest dino and the new exhibit. 

Lilian also found her favorite animal, the Komodo Dragon. When this girl is happy, she sure takes a better photo!

After the museum we went to Glynis and Brendan's for the party.  Nia, Jess, Beth and Emily were awesome!  Nia ran a half marathon that morning, so she didn't stay all night but played a few of the party games with the kids.  

Then she left. So glad she made it.

They are playing pass the parcel.  Mandy, Pud and their girls planned so many games and brought prizes.  Our kids had a blast!

Auntie Glynis made lots of wonderful food. Auntie Monica made this pretty princess castle cake. Sarah brought loads of Nutella biscuits and gifts for all three. Pud entertained me with photos and stories from his work (keep an eye out for Disney Star Wars The Acolyte, he just finished with set work).   Everyone had so much fun!  The kids were just at home with everyone.  This is how family should be, and it doesn't matter this was the first time they'd met.