A wonderfully busy week

I think this week has been the busiest week ever.  I am shattered, if you continue to read on you will realise why.  But it has been a happy week.

Hubby and I have just been chatting and we have been to places in 6 different counties in as many days.

This time last week we were on our way home after a lovely day in Oxfordshire visiting my brother, sister-in-law, beautiful niece and my mum and dad (who were also visiting them). We met them all at Blenheim Palace for the day as my brother lives near there.  It was wonderful, the sun was shining and we enjoyed a family picnic (with wasps!). The ticket allows unlimited entry for 12 months so we will definitely be returning as it was a fabulous place and there was so much we didn't get time to see. 

The camera fell off the buggy just as it took this one, but I think its great!

On Tuesday, the sun was shining and we headed to the south coast.  We drove to the other side of Bournemouth and enjoyed a relaxing beach picnic (without wasps) and a long walk at Hengistbury head.  We even managed to get home to watch The Great British Bake Off!

On Wednesday we went to Marwell Zoo, we have an annual membership and haven't been for ages.  Unfortunately, we didn't see their new snow leopard cubs, but we did spot one of my favourites, the Red Panda.  The children like to take their scooters and we all enjoyed the fresh air on the route around the zoo.  We had a lovely picnic and somehow managed to avoid the wasps by sitting on the grass away from the picnic benches! I think we upset the rhino though, as half way through our lunch it came up to the fence and started snorting and pushing at it.

On Thursday we tried to escape the bank holiday traffic as we traveled up north to see both my parents and my in laws.  We broke the very long journey up by stopping off at Twycross Zoo.  This is one of the many zoo's we can get in free by using our Marwell Annual passes, so it made for a cheap visit on route.  It was lovely seeing the elephants and the orangutans and definitely broke up the long journey. We continued our journey up north and arrived just in time for tea at Mum and Dads.  Lovely.

Friday saw us back in the car yet again.  To head across to the East Yorkshire coast to meet up with my in-laws.  They were staying in my Grandmas house by the sea in Flamborough for a holiday and so we spent the day with them and revisiting places I used to go with my mum and dad and grandparents.  The children loved going rock pooling and then for a Knickerbocker Glory in the ice cream parlour I visited first 30 years ago.

Yesterday, Saturday we went by train (no more car journeys, thankfully) into York, with Mum and Dad.  We made the most of the morning sunshine and walked through the Shambles, by the castle wall, over the bridge and saw the Minster.  After a delicious Chinese meal for lunch we went to the National Railway Museum.  It was pouring down by the afternoon.  The boys, (Hubby, Dad and Thomas) enjoyed looking at all the trains.  The girls (Me, Mum and Lottie) were not quite as impressed.  To be honest one train looked very much like the others!

On our way to towards York Minster

As I write this, I am sat with a glass of Dads homemade wine, thinking wow, what a week! I will be ready to get back to work for a rest! 

We go home tomorrow.  Hopefully the traffic will be fine and moving! Then the rest of the week I think we are going to be sleeping, resting and getting ready for our return to school and work. It's been a fun, but extremely busy week!