Sunshine and showers

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We've really had the true British experience - English gardens, cows, sheep, rain showers and hot sun within the same hour, chocolate digestives, red phone boxes, castles, cruising the Thames by speed boat and of course a decent amount of beer!

Our first day back in good ol' blighty was hot and sunny, similar to the weather we'd left behind in California. Unfortunately, time change had meant that we'd gone to bed late and had also been up for two hours in the night with Jake screaming the house down. This combination led to us sleeping in until gone midday. We needed it but it was a shame to miss out on such a lovely day, especially as my brother Gary had taken this day and the next off work. When we were all finally up and ready, we took a walk to the local park, walking on the shady side of the street (something you don't usually have to do in England!) The kids loved playing at a new playground so we spent the rest of the day there, exploring the new style of play structures and sliding down the grassy slopes on their bums! Given the great weather, we had a BBQ that night and the kids were entertained watching the stars appearing and watching for the flashing plane lights as they flew across the night sky. Later, they took flashlights down to the bottom of Gary and Milena's garden and had fun running around like hooligans!

The next day we decided to do a drive out to Arundel castle, about an hours drive. The day started off quite nice and sunny but by the time we got there it was getting cloudier. We decided to buy tickets to walk the castle grounds, thinking we'd upgrade to see more of the interior of the castle as we went. We handed over the £9 each and as we walked past the ticket booth and into the gardens, we got the true British experience: it started to sprinkle! We headed up to the castle and did a little bit of exploring inside as our ticket allowed, reeking havoc in the gift shop. The rain started to come down harder and Jake and Kyla had fun putting their hands out of the castle doors to catch the drops. We had to explain to passers by that they were California kids and hadn't experienced a lot of rain in their lives!

During a bit of a lull we rushed over to the main garden area but when it came down harder we took shelter under some trees and ate our picnic. The rain was off and on all afternoon so we managed to see the gardens in spurts. It was really pretty but rushed due to the weather. We'd have loved to have walked the ramparts but the weather made it just not worth it. We'd planned to see a bit of the medieval town center but the rain really started to come down hard so we rushed back to the cars, after taking a photo at a red phone box. It had to be done!!

The next two days were the weekend so in true British style, the weather continued to be damp. On Saturday my aunt and uncle, Wendy and Alan, came to visit for the day from Nottingham. We spent as much time at the local park as possible, but when it started to rain we ended up having to spend the rest of the day back at the house. That's hard to do when you have a combinstion of a non-child-proofed house and a kid (Jake) who loves to be outside and turns into a monster when cooped up inside. We made it through to bedtime with no broken limbs or ornaments thankfully!

On Sunday we headed out to see the animals at a local farm. By now the kids were over their time change so it made mornings easier. We parked the cars by the farm only to discover that it was starting to rain! We rerouted to the supermarket to get the necessary shopping done (I'm still in awe of how much cheaper supermarkets are here than in Anerica) and by the time we were finished, the rain had stopped. Hooray! The kids really enjoyed the farm and we spent quite a lot of time visiting the hosts, sheep, horses, cows and even alpacas.

The next day, Monday, was our last full day. Gary was at work. Scott and I had a rare day out together meeting two of my friends while the kids stayed home with grandma and grandpa. We got the train and met my friend from my Japan days, Janine, at Clapham Junction. We then all took the train to Walton on Thames where my travel friend, Fiona, picked us up and drove us home to meet her cute six month old baby. After I got my snuggles in we headed out to the marina. We spent a pleasant day cruising on the Thames, stopping for a pub lunch, and generally having a good catch up. The sun even came out!



So that's the end of our first leg of the trip. The only thing we missed was taking a trip on a double decker bus, so I suppose we'll have to save that for next time!



*** please scroll all the way down for more photos ***

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Comments

[Fiona]

Love it!
Have a great trip you guys - glad you enjoyed the river, true English pastime xx

[Born to travel]

Yep!
Yes is was! So fun. Thanks again!