A trip to the park with Nanna and look no stabilisers!

Harry rode his bike without stabilisers for the first time today all the way down the back track. We knew he could do it as he is really proficient on his balance bike but trying to time putting his feet on the pedals and a bit of courage was all he needed.
Yesterday we visited Nanna, my Grandmother, in Lancing and went to one of the children's favourite parks, Brooklands.

They went on the bouncy castle

Boing!

Boing!

Abbie had a Pony ride on Casper

Harry sat on a horse but then decided it was too high so wanted to get off.

I said to him it is just like riding a bike.

He said no it isn't, it's got ears!

Isaac kept asking to go on the little train which went round the lake

Isaac cooling off in the paddling pool

Big cousin Abbie helping little Ira

Their favourite bit of the paddling pool was the water tower and Abbie and Harry daring Isaac to go under it!

Le Touquet, Skate park and Swimming

On Monday we went to Le Touquet for the day

Harry digging a really big hole!

Aqualud http://www.aqualud.com/ is a water slide park located on the seafront in Le Touquet. It is great for older children and in warmer weather there are plenty of slides for younger children as well. We made the mistake of taking Abbie and Harry on a ride which we thought was going to be a lazy river with large inflatable double rings. We got to the top and realised that it was infact the "black hole" a pitch black ride with flashing lights and scary noises. Unable to climb back down through the queue we had to take them down the ride. Harry was so surprised he couldn't scream and Abbie, well she screamed the whole way down. Yes, a bad parenting moment but afterwards they thought it was quite funny!

We also found out how bad my French was; we walked into the pool and the lifeguard pointed to my head and said "douche". I thought he wanted me to wear a hat and I started talking to Ian asking whether my swimming hat was in the bag. I then noticed that no one else in the water park was wearing a hat and said to the lifeguard "but no one else is wearing a hat!" Eventually I clicked that although I had had a shower, I hadn't washed my hair. I think I better brush up on my French before we go on holiday.

While Abbie was playing tennis today I took Harry over to the skate park (when the big boys weren't there!)

This was his favourite ramp

He also attempted the quarter pipe! Next time I think he should wear a hat and padding.

We also went swimming today

Harry swimming frontcrawl

Abbie swimming frontcrawl

Abbie got her 50m badge today - Great swimming!

A great place for a picnic

We found a new place to have lunch in the field behind our house
This is the view when you are sat down

We could listen to some very noisy grasshoppers

We found lots of these spotty insects

Lots of bumble bees

and lots of butterflies

Another grasshopper

We found out that when you are sat down in this field no one can see you and you feel like you are miles away from anyone else - I was crouching down trying to take a picture of the grasshoppers and I stood up just as a couple of dog walkers walked past, they looked very surprised! It must have looked like I appeared from nowhere!

At the races - for snails!

Sunday morning Abbie and Harry found 2 snails in the garden. Abbie called her snail Freddy and Harry named his Heidi. I asked "why Heidi?" - he replied - "because he hides in his shell!"
Freddy had spotted the finish line and was more focused on the race than Heidi who kept changing direction!

A fresh lettuce leaf helped speed up the race.

Freddy crosses the finish line and claims his prize, Heidi gets runner up - another lettuce leaf!

A really windy day

At Auntie Anita's house Ira joins Harry and Isaac at the sandpit - doesn't he look like a little boy now!
Big cousin Harry teaching Ira the best way to dig sand.

Harry's new invention the - plastic bag kite!

It could catch on?

Harry flying his real kite - I think he preferred the plastic bag!

No one can tell me,

Nobody knows,

Where the wind comes from,

Where the wind goes.

A.A. Milne

Red currants from the allotment

Vegetables from the garden - Mr Courgette head?

Rainbow

Abbie and I spotted a beautiful rainbow this evening out of her bedroom window and wondered whether the end of the rainbow might be over in the woods!

Jellyfish

Unfortunately no swimming yesterday due to a jellyfish invasion along the coast!

Who needs to go scuba diving when the sealife comes to you!

Camping at Kingsdown

Abbie and Georgina

Harry pretending he is on total wipe out (again!)
Ashika and Abbie confident on the balance beam

The view from our tent

Leon ready for bed

Ian in charge of the campfire

Harry making his own campfire

Tom!

Alex finds a rock in the shape of a polar bear (and wants to take it home!)

Lots of rockpools

Ashika crossing a difficult section

Leon finds something interesting?

Muddy crocs

http://www.kingsdowncamping.co.uk/

If you have not visited Kingsdown campsite then you are really missing out. Amazing views, plenty of space and access to the beach. Last weekend we stayed 2 nights with Karen, Alex, Tom, Nalini, Ashika, Liza, Georgina, Leon and Darren and had a really brilliant time. Highlights included Ians attempt to light a chinese lantern and Harry attempting to put it out when it caught fire! Toasted marshmallows, cooked bananas and the high standard of camp cooking (partly due to Ian and Liza having bought camp cook books!) The mud down by the rock pools including Abbie applying a mud pack to Karen's arms and legs and Tom! Saturday which started before 6am and seemed to be the longest day ever! and of course grubby, happy but tired children at the end of the day.