Our container arrives tomorrow! For the last 4 weeks we have been living in Chichester, almost on a kinda stressful vacation. Hoping by the weekend to be in our house. More on that in my next post.
In the mean time, here is what we have been up to. (Once I get my computer up and running, I will put links to all these places, so you can look for info if you want to visit)
The first full weekend we were back we went to Arundel Castle. We didn't know there was a medieval thing going on at the time.
We think the castle is pretty good value for money. We took the second from top ticket, and got to see most of the inside of the castle. It was very cool. The medieval event had a village set up. We watched a display of falconry, which was awesome. A great weekend activity. Arundel Castle runs these kind of events quite regularly (there is one this weekend), so it is always worth checking their website.
We went for a late lunch at the Black Rabbit, a pub just down from the castle. It is worth a visit.
The next day we headed to Hayling, to the east side of the island. There is a park there with exercise equipment. The kids love it, and I can certainly see myself back there on my own!
The next day we headed to the Aldingbourne Centre. This a centre run by, and for, adults with learning difficulties. It is open to the public, with a farm and petting zoo (various animals), mini golf, woodland walk, and garden centre / cafe. It was ok, but I am not sure we will be back
We have been fortunate enough to catch up with some mums from one of the baby and toddler groups we used to go to. They have a end of year picnic at Mewsbrook Park in Rustington. This is an awesome park we used to frequent before we left. They have recently upgraded their play equipment and it is great. They also have a miniature train. The train lost funding a couple of years ago, so has not been running. Until this year. Somehow (not sure exactly, enthusiasts maybe? ) they got the train back running, and the mother and baby group were fortunate enough to take part in a test run. The boys loved it, but it was a little chilly and wet.....
Fast forward a week, and it was the hottest day of the year (so far). We had landed to go to the beach with some friends, but they had to cancel. We headed anyway to West Wittering. This is a stunning sandy beach, just south of Chichester. The traffic was awful. The day before the school broke up and it took us 50 minutes to do a 20 minute journey. Temporary traffic lights were to blame, but it was well worth it. We stayed at the beach for about 4 hours. It was great.
We went to Chichester Cathedral one afternoon. What a stunning building. Unfortunately my kids were not as well behaved as I would like.....it was not a pleasurable experience for me...... Maybe once they are in school I will come back with a friend or Paul and see it properly.
I arranged for the boys to have an intro session at Lavant House Stables. I though horse riding might be good for Isaac. Then the other 2 wanted to do it. The stables were accommodating enough to take all 3 at once. They loved it. And I loved the set up. It is an awesome stables, from what I saw, and I would recommend them. I think it will be a little far from Hayling for us to travel, which is a shame. If anyone has any recommendations for good riding schools in and around Hayling /Havant please let me know!
The slow worm had been making an appearance in the downstairs courtyard. Isaac is not afrai of it at all. The boy loves it, and will handle it where ever possible. If he doesn't work with animals in the future I will be amazed.
We have a house on Hayling, and we have been going back and forth getting it ready, and moving stuff over. Friday evening we went for a light dinner at the Ferryboat Inn. This is on the east side of the island. There is a passenger ferry starting back up next month to take you from Hayling to Southsea. Dinner was delightful, and the kids played on the beach while we drank Sam Adams on tap! This is somewhere I feel we will be a lot.
We went to a Frimley Park Lodge with my dad. It had a great playground for the kids. It also has a portion of the Basingstoke Canal. And a miniature train line, which do rides in the summer. My dad loved it! The kids quite enjoyed it too!
We have also caught up with some friends, which has been great! Shame Hayling is so far from Littlehampton. No doubt I will work something! Today we saw my friend Faye, and her tribe! The kids had a great time. They really enjoyed themselves. They sat together and had lunch, all 7 of them. I think lunch took over half an hour. They were just having a great time talking to each other. It was great.
So there you have it. Our mini vacation in Chichester is about to come to an end. Real life is about to kick in HARD. But that's ok. I am more than ready for it.
I will write my next post once we are on the house. The kids have schools, so will explain that too. Fingers crossed for a safe, no breakages, move!
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