Palace Gardens

We took the train from the palace to the gardens. The weather was perfect for this outing!

Blenheim Palace

The sun was shining as we set out for Blenheim Palace. It was pretty neat and we learned lots of interesting facts about it. The kids loved the water garden, maze and train. We ended with the golf cart tour around the huge 5K acre grounds.

National Trust

We joined the National Trust to get into parks, palaces and gardens. We have gone to Cliveden a few times and really like it. This time they had a children's scavenger hunt. We missed the first clue, but doubled back to find it. We walked all around the gardens, saw the chapel and rolled down the hill behind the house.

Rain and sunshine

It rained and rained, so the kids played games with Nana and Didi. The boys played chess and the girls played indoor golf. They all had fun.

The sun finally came out and we headed to the quaint town of Marlow for a walk along the Thames, the brick maze and the big park. It was warm enough that everyone had a great time.

Bowling

We all headed to Blenheim Palace, but due to the typical English weather (wind and rain)that was not condusive for any sort of outing, we went to plan B. Bowling! We had a lot of fun and had many laughs over the fact that Anastasia and Joe beat some of the parents!

Nature walk

The kids pulled Nana and Didi to Burnham Beeches for a long walk after their flight. We explored the area, saw the new sculptures and ended with an ice cream at the cafe.

This was followed by a few bounces on the trampoline. Didi was able to do lots of twists and spins.

May half term

Not too much noteworthy, but we have taken a few photos and wanted to pass them on to you all. The kids are off for a week and we are gearing up for the visit from Nana and Didi.
Currently Anastasia wants to be a babysitter when she grows up and an engineer. Please notice the power ranger belt, Barret, sword and flip flops.
Our biggest project as of late was the new trampoline. It is really cool and we all had fun bouncing around. Here are a few pics.

The London Eye

Eric was able to get a bit more free time before heading to Germany. So the kids and I met up with him. We went into the London Eye and saw all the major sites of London. It was a bit hazy but not raining and it was pretty cool. The kids liked it and were hamming it up for pictures. Eric treated us to McDonald's which Anastasia actually ate. Amazing! The we walked around a bit before heading to the tube! MIND THE GAP!

Sport Idol Trophy

Joe has been working hard at PE and earned the Sports Idol Trophy. It was really cool. His teacher, Mr. Grant said that his bat skills were superb. He was even doing great at the ropes, lawn bowling and football. He is having a lot of fun and enjoying the new sports.

Local Tour

We started off our morning late. The kids slept in!! Too much excitement with Uncle Eric. We showed him around Joe's school and embarrassed him a bit. Then went to Ana's school. We then headed to Jordans, Uk. Saw the Quaker village, barn made out of the Mayflower Timber, Quaker house, and William Penn's grave. We went a bit further to Chalfont St Peter's and saw Milton's house as well. Then to lunch and to the tube. Eric traveled into London to Kings Cross for his train up north. We had a great visit and look forward to more company.

Uncle Eric's Trip

Uncle Eric came to visit during his work trip in Europe. We picked him up from the airport and our adventure started.
We showed him around our small village- Farnham Common. Visited the neighboring town of Taplow and hiked around Cliveden. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-cliveden We had beautiful views of the Thames River, great weather and fabulous gardens. The guys convinced me to take the stroller with the kids, what was I thinking of not taking one?? A definite necessity!
We followed this trek by a short stop to the Burnham Beeches for ice cream. Headed back home for a bit of football in the garden (translation: soccer in the backyard).
We then walked into the village and ate at the Forrester. We had some great pub grub. Kids did well as we sat in the garden. Headed home for bed. Uncle Eric even told stories when we were kids - the washing machine hiding spot and the washing the hair in the toilet. Good times!! Cannot wait to see him and the family again.