Sweet Home Alabama

...We're coming home to you.

Please keep the State of Alabama and those affected by the storms across the South this past week in your prayers.

Longboat

While Laura was here we were able to do a longboat cruise down one of the many canals that run throughout England. Originally, this was a primary mode of transporting goods throughout the country. You can see the longboat we were on (and Ted the Airdale) behind Laura and Wiley. It was the most gorgeous day. They met up with David and Jo (whose boat it is) outside of London in the morning and rode down to a pub where I met them for lunch. We then did the same ride back to their marina, passing a 15th century church that was destroyed partially when England split from the Catholic Church.

We got to experience 3 locks! Very cool experience. Picture above and below are from inside the lock.

Wiley and Mr. David driving the boat!

And then something happened that David and Jo both said they had never seen before. So, the locks have these big wooden doors to let water in or out. They have these huge wooden "poles" effectively that you use to swing them open or shut. There is a correct side one should be on to operate these "poles." When we came to each lock we got out and helped David do this. Unfortunately Laura got on the wrong side. It kept going and suddenly she was hanging on over the lock and water. It was pretty hilarious watching as you could see the progression of her face going from "Oh no." to "Well, guess I'll just lay over this thing and hold on."

We obviously had to let her hang a little bit so we could get a good picture! It was such a perfect day in perfect weather to see the amazing English countryside by water.

Chatsworth

The other weekend while Laura Puckett was here visiting, we took a long weekend trip to Chatsworth in the Peak District, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. On Sunday when we got there, we caught the tail end of a gourmet food fair.

We toured the house and then proceeded to get lost in the maze they have in the garden. Very tricky! They also had a farmyard. I loved it. A lot. It made me want to move to the country and have sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, and goats.

Meet Gladys. She was heavily pregnant.

We loved the lambs.

Sweet piglets living next door to Gladys.

So cute! They were jumping around and frolicking. Actually frolicking.

This guy kept trying to get out of his fence. If you walked over there and paid any attention to him at all, he was up on 2 legs. He also was very good at posing for pictures.

Chatsworth was a fantastic family-friendly weekend trip, only 2 1/2 hours north from Central London. Besides touring the house, garden, and playing in the farmyard and adventure playground, you can just hangout on the grounds for free. The gorgeous hilly fields complete with a herd of deer would be perfect for a picnic. It was the perfect last weekend trip out of London.

Warwick Castle

On our way home from Stratford-Upon-Avon, we stopped by Warwick Castle. It is owned by Madame Tussaud's company so it is, of course, a bit cheesy. But I don't think there is a more kid-friendly castle than this one! We got there at the end of the day so we missed a lot of the activities, but there seemed to be lots to do and see, not to mention just looking at the gorgeous countryside around it. It was a nice day out from London, and I would recommend it to anyone with little knights or princesses!

Here is Wiley trying out a sword borrowed from one of the knights.

The view from the top of the Castle. Wil and Wiley climbed this while I staked out our seats for the knight fight. Apparently, as soon as they started climbing past the first tower (and it's one-way), Wiley had to go to the bathroom, so they had to climb and run quickly through the rest of it. Why does it always happen that a potty is needed when you are in the middle of climbing a very old castle?

Just practicing shooting an arrow!

Wiley said his favorite thing we did that day was shooting the bow and arrow. He did pretty well too!

Family picture looking at the back of the castle.

I believe this is after Wiley had recovered from being told that the large vulture-like bird who was not in a cage but merely tethered to a stump (There was a birds of prey area.) liked to eat little boys like him. His sweet father told him this little tale that sent him into hysterics after a long day out. Ah, life with boys, I guess. But here are my sweet (and mischievous) boys.

Stratford-Upon-Avon

The other weekend we took a weekend trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home of none other than William Shakespeare. We took a train through the beautiful countryside. Parr enjoyed watching out the window.

Wiley looking back from the Holy Trinity Church towards the town. The tower in the background is the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The grave of William Shakespeare at Holy Trinity Church.

We played around the churchyard where Wiley and Wil climbed a beautiful, old tree.

Wondering where Parr was? Here he is!

The River Avon looking at Holy Trinity Church.

Wiley and I outside the Royal Shakespeare Company, home to the Swan Theatre.

While Wil, Wiley, and Parr went for a McDonalds lunch by the River Avon, I toured the Birthplace of William Shakespeare. After touring the house, you could listen to actors recite Shakespeare in the garden. It was so wonderful! Beautiful weather and Shakespeare! Yes!

Stratford was a beautiful town, easy to get to as well from London. It was a bit touristy, especially around the Shakespeare bits, and I would imagine that it would be not much fun during the summertime. However, if you love Shakespeare it is really cool to see where he spent a lot of time in his life. I would have loved to have seen a play while there, but I do have the Globe in London!