Thames boat ride near the palace

The palace is extensive and runs along the Thames. The gardens are massive and we only did a small portion before the kids headed off to climb trees. We enjoyed the boat (power this go) down the Thames. We even watched the boats in the locke.

Hampton Court

I am reading the Other Boleyn Girl book (the one made into a movie.) So we decided to see where these events have taken place- Hever, Hampton Court.... Which led us to our most recent outing-- Hampton Court. Again, we got stuck on the M25 and found a scenic route! Then as they were having a 10K, we could not get the 2 miles to the palace. But well worth the wait.

We explored the maze, picnicked in the gardens and even went for a boat ride. It is really amazing with the different architecture.

Castle courtyard

Joe and Ana had a great time looking through the old ruins, searching for the 33 fireplace and BATS!!! Glad to report that we did not see any of those, just evidence. We could even see the holes where they would have poured boiling water or tar as a defense. If you look , you can see where they would have had stained glass windows. It is amazing how this has survived!

Bodiam Castle

This is part of the English Heritage group and as members, they let us know about harvest fests, halloween hauntings, etc. This is a pretty old castle dating back to the 1300's.And today is more an outer shell of a ruin. But it did not really matter as the kids really enjoyed picnicing, exploring and climbing all over it. We even got to climb all the way to the very top of the east tower. We had fantastic weather, enjoyed the children's book describing the castle, (explaining everyone drank beer because the water was so bad. It was interesting that the pigeon coop was nestled directly above the well. I too would be drinking beer.:)), and we liked the movie that showed what it would have been like during that time.

The only obstacle that we had was the M25 where we got lost and stuck in a huge traffic jam. This led us to our new route through the lovely British country side of Kent. We had fun, but it was a bit longer than we had intended.

Joe's new math target

Joe has earned a new target and was able to recite his 10 tables. He is pretty excited. Now he has his own 100 square for addition and subtraction.

To start the weekend, we all suited up and went for a bike ride on a newly found public footpath.We call these adventure walks as we never know where we will end up. The kids zoomed off on their bikes and we did catch up!

Italian Gardens, Water Maze and Adventure Playground

Here are a few pics that I took in hopes that Tom would put this in our backyard when we get back to the states.:) Wishful thinking. The water maze was triggered by weights when walking on plank boards around the turret. The kids also enjoyed the hammock swing at the play area.

Rowing on the Lake at Hever

Tom decided to take one for the team and be the "rower" for this part of the trek, we even let the kids have a try, but after accidently whacking a duck, they were a bit apprehensive.

Hever excursion

We ended up visiting Hever Castle today. This was the childhood home of Anne Boyeln that was later bought by the American Aster family who revamped it. Evidently after Henry had her beheaded, he gave it to another ex-wife as settlement. Talk about keeping it in the family. It is a smaller castle with a moat, idyllic village (people still live there), and incredible grounds. There is a hedge maze, labryinth, water maze, lake, lake walk with waterfall, playground and amazing Italian gardens. We got there right as it opened and spent all day. Anastasia was chatting when Joe said, "Ana is gone!!" She slept on the drive back. :)

Window markers and Legos

The kids have enjoyed drawing with the window markers. They entertained us by building legos and pictures in the conservatory. This is like Clue- Joe was with Ms Scarlet in the Conservatory with the candlestick....

Assembly (Continued)

Joe gave his synopsis of a story and embelished it to his liking. Here is a clip of him reading it. He sounded very confident.

Assembly for Yr 2

Joe is really enjoying his yr 2 class and being the big kid in school. He has been a playground helper, assisted his sister at school, and was able to read his story in front of assembly today. Anastasia was well behaved during assembly and curbed the chatting!

Adventure Walk

We took yet another local adventure walk/ ride in the nearby woods. We had a beautiful, warm day and the kids had fun exploring. Joe even took a bag with a canteen, flashlight, first aid kit, and food (much to Ana's delight).

The kids rode their bikes over some rocky and hilly terrain. It was fun and everyone was glad to get home and have a rest.

Bracknell Lookout

We went antiquing and to the "Lookout" today. We headed south toward Windsor and veered west toward Ascot. It is some pretty landscape around there. We stopped at a few shops before heading to the forest. Bracknell houses the tower which overlooks the forest. It also is home to the adventure rope course. It looked awesome but the kids were not big enough to try out. So we visited the science museum, playground and did a short trail. The weather held and a good time was had by all. It is close enough that we will certainly be headed back. Maybe we will take the bikes, there are some awesome mountain bike trails available.