Easter Monday saw us ambling with a group from church at the Wyre Forest visitor centre...
Tuesday saw us visiting Hartelbury Castle for the Alice in Wonderland trail and activities... the kids really enjoyed this, and it was good to see the place outwith the History Club the kids belong to...
Wednesday we headed off for Torquay, Devon and a 3-night stay. The first thing the kids wanted to do when we got there was to go down on the beach... it is really odd for us living so far from a beach in Kidderminster, we're just not used to it! We also went out for an evening stroll in the gardens on the Front before bed...
Thursday we had a day around Torquay... Stephen came through and we rode the 'Land Train' twice, played on the beach, played crazy golf, Bubs and Stephen went up in a balloon to 400ft for the view, and we all enjoyed a fab meal at the restaurant courtesy of the generousity of mum and dad...
... on the land train...
... flea market... one of the stall-holders recently won £2.5million on the lottery - he doesn't work there any more!...
... Torre Abbey...
... having fun... and ice cream of course!...
... crazzzzzy golf - we gave up on the score sheet, it was too demoralising!...
... beach fun (look! isn't the weather gorgeous!)...
... on the HiFlyer (not me, I was too scared!)...
... all kinds of yummy food in the Beefeater...
... evening walk, walking Stephen to the bus... pirates in the harbour?...
Friday we headed inland and up to Dartmoor, then to the House of Marbles, a stop at McDonalds, and back to Torquay for a walk along the front and round the harbour...
... Haytor... we started at the bottom, and it did take a bit of puff to get up to the rocks, but it was worth it! Bubs and Stephen went part way up the actual Tor... then it had to be ice cream for cooling down! There is *always* an ice cream van in the Haytor carpark... we had ice cream there in the snow in November last year!
... House of Marbles... a must to watch the giant marble run... play in the shop... and play marbles outside... and to watch the glass-blowers at work: this man was making a Robin...
... more ice cream!... evening fun on the beach (that's our Travel Inn in the picture behind the boys)... what a glorious evening!
Saturday: time to pack up and travel home... but time, first, for a play on the beach again... and time for me to indulge in my habit of picking up 'sea glass' (I think it's awful that so much ends up in the sea, but it is quite beautiful when the rough and sharp edges have been smoothed down by the waves)...
... the driver of the Land Train, informed us that these rocks you see are where Henry Francis Lyte penned the famous Hymn 'Abide with Me'...
When we arrived home... we discoverd that Spring had sprung while we were away! Amazing what a few days of sunshine can do!...
