Another trip down south!

At the weekend we headed down south for the second time in just 3 days, for a bit longer this time though.  We went to stay with my Uncle B & Aunty R not far from Wokingham.  We had a lovely time with them and had some great trips out too.

Our first trip was somewhere that the girls and I had been before, but it was the first time for A, The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre.

Dahl's writing hut, painstakingly recreated piece by piece in the museum.

M is as tall as James (as in the one with the Giant Peach)

K is as tall as James' friend the Old Green Grasshopper.

 In Miss Honey's Classroom, there was an enormous outline of the BFG for people to colour in and add to.

The BFG - a work in progress.

K's addition to the picture, The Queen in the BFG's pocket.

 As well as spending time in the various parts of the museum, We went for a walk following the Village Trail which took in various places in the village that provided inspiration for Dahl, as well as his grave.

K & M on the BFG footprints that lead to Dahl's grave in the churchyard.

The petrol station that inspired Danny's father's pumps in Danny, the Champion of the World.

The inspiration for Sophie's 'Norphanage' in The BFG.

The library Matilda went to everyday when her mum went to play bingo in Aylesbury.

 There was lots to do in the Story Centre, including dressing up.  M was particularly taken with the pigtails and persuaded Daddy to be the Trunchbull (apt as that's who he's as tall as!) for a photo. 

The Trunchbull throwing Amanda Thripp by the pigtails like a hammer.

The next day we went to Legoland!  It was a shame that half term down there and up here weren't at the same time, because it meant that we didn't get to miss the queues (one of the lovely bonuses of HE!).  It was a bit cold, but still fun and K & M really enjoyed themselves.  We've said that we'll go back another time, when it's a bit warmer and not during school holidays!

You can still have fun in a queue!

A styracosaurus on the Dino Safari

M & I on the Squid Surfer - K was setting off water bombs, but ended up wetter than us!

There were plenty of very impressive constructions to see in some of the queues, such as the one for The Dragon.

K & M decided this was Merlin...

...and this was Archimedes from The Sword in the Stone.

K in particular was very taken with the various baby dragons.

On our last day, unfortunately A had to go to a work meeting so it was just me and the girls.  The day didn't go entirely according to plan, partly down to me not looking at the National Trust handbook properly (if I had we wouldn't have turned up at 10.30am for a property where the gardens opened at 11am and the house not until 1pm on a day when rain was not far off a dead cert!), but partly due to no fault of mine.  We had a wander round Henley-on-Thames in the morning (the plan had been to do that in the afternoon) and had a look in the teddy bear shop and a bookshop and then as the rain started went to the library for a while before pizza for lunch.  After that we headed back to Grey's Court (which I discovered had been used as a location for Downton Abbey!) for a nose round the house. 

Grey's Court, aka the 'small country house' from Downton Abbey!

We saw the horse wheel, which was quite interesting, and then went to see the donkey wheel, which I anticipated would be similar but smaller.  But no!  It was like an enormous hamster wheel!