birthday and watercress
Yesterday, I walked past a pub where I’d spent my 21st birthday. I was suddenly filled with feelings of guilt when I realised what a horrifically long time ago it was…! All this moaning about how I’m too young to have to knuckle down and behave like a grown-up, well it trurns out, I’ve grown up without noticing. Thankfully I was never hedonistic-above-all-else, but now that the kids are slightly more independent, I’m remembering the things I did with my time before I was constantly dealing with nappies, sick, healthy eating and dribble, and I want to do them again!
This has all sprung to the front of my mind as I’ve just had another birthday, we went out for lunch:
Then I got tea and cake and G&Ts on the terrace with Viv and Len, who are people I never get to spend as much time with as I would like to, so that was a real treat. I even got taken out for dinner by Aunty Jo, so really I couldn’t have had a better birthday.
Today we took Ollie, and dragged Thomas to see a steam railway. We did have a good time, and the boys were quite interested in the train, but ultimately they were a bit too young for this trip. Now that we know the layout and which stations are good for a picnic, we can plan our next visit if Ollie continues his passion for trains.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
is this steam train also in the guildford area? you need to give me all this info now you are discovering it all! Fred loves trains too – just got into the Choo Choo noise!
June 29th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Hi Rosie,
The Guildford paddling pool is classed as Stoke Park, but it’s actually behind Guildford Tech College on Stoke Road. Look here: http://tiny.cc/lttSH you can see it on google maps satellite image. For parking, park in the student car park at the far back right-hand corner. We weren’t really sure about this parking but everyone else says they do it, and there’s a specially-made exit from the car park to the paddling pool. There’s also a big play area on your right as you go in. I think it’s officially called “Stoke Park Gardens”.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:37 am
The Watercress line is something my mum found out about. It runs between Alton and Allesborough, so a bit further away. There’s also something called the Bluebell line, which might be worth a google.
The best place in the world is the Lookout Centre in Bracknell, or really just outside Bracknell. It’s really easy to get to, details at the bottom of this page: http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/lookout . The centre does charge for you to go in and use the science bit – which is absolutely brilliant, and has a small under-fives section. But the outside play area is free, and there are woods to walk or bike around, and a large picnic area. The only reason I haven’t posted about it yet, is because I took so many pictures to sort through!