The
boys were invited to their friend Lily's birthday party
at Alice
Holt Forest Park, near Farnham, on a lovely May
Saturday. The theme was mini-beasts, and there was face
painting for children who wanted to look like spiders
or butterflies. The boys have never been keen on having
their faces painted, but hands are a different matter.
James challenged the artists to do a rhino beetle, whereas
Matthew was a little more conventional in his choice
of a ladybird.
About
18 months ago, Malcolm's team at work went on a "strategy
retreat" to his boss' summer cottage. This year
the team went to the boss' winter villa in Italy. The
plan had been to hold the work meetings in the villa
itself, but the builders were in so the place was rather
dark and dusty. Luckily a bar in the nearby village
was all too happy for us to camp out there, and ply
us with coffee and soft drinks every now and again.
During
the spring half-term week this year we decided to
go back to Whitemead
Forest Park in the Forest of Dean. On the way
to the forest we spent the weekend with Malcolm's
niece Caroline and her husband Jonathan, and toddler
Samuel, who live in Abergavenny. Of course it always
rains in Wales, and the Sunday dutifully obliged as
it poured all day. It didn't stop us venturing out
to hear Jonathan preach (he's a Presbyterian minister)
or climbing around the castle. But by Monday the clouds
had cleared and we explored the town and park grounds,
and even tried a bit of football (which James enjoyed).
Leaving
Abergavenny we headed west to the forest, stopping off
on the way at Raglan
Castle. Raglan is a large and well-preserved castle
with a lovely moat. We chanced to visit on the day they
had medieval fighting displays and archery practice
for the children. We also found a family of swallows
nesting up a chimney, and spent ages watching the parents
swooping in and out with food for the young. They were
not the only wildlife to be seen; the moat also has
a rich stock of water birds and fish.
One
of the highlights of our stay at Whitemead was a falconry
display, held on-site just a stone's throw from our
apartment. The falconer spent over two hours showing
and flying his birds, and all the children had an opportunity
of holding one or more of the lovely creatures. There
was no rush, just a relaxing pace and plenty of time
for the boys to get close to the birds and interact
with them. Not something you'll find at Centerparcs,
I'd guess.
Last time we visited Whitemead we saw a cute pony
in a nearby field; this time we found she had given
birth to a foal, and the two now live together.
We
wanted to revisit the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail,
something we'd enjoyed on a previous visit, but the
rain drove us instead to Clearwell
Caves, a still working iron ore mine.
