Wandergliding: Sea Creatures, Kites and Castles

July 9th-18th, 2014

July was a fun month of hanging out with my English family and getting to know the emerging personalities in those little toddler bodies. Pippa, Amelie and Annabel kept all of the adults busy, and most of the time laughing and smiling.

In Weymouth, not far from Sid and Sonia’s house is the Sea Life Centre so one day, Gem, Charles, Sonia and I took the girls there. I was impressed with the variety of sea creatures that they had and it was quite well laid out. Pippa and Amelie were kept busy trying to find a stamp in each sea life station for their little “passport” they received when we arrived. A prize would be awarded if they turned in a completed book in the gift shop on our way out. After visiting the 14 or so habitat stations we ventured over to the splash park for the girls. Although the sun was poking out between passing clouds, it was a bit of a chilly day but that didn’t stop the toddlers. Annabel was in there like gang busters, shrieking joyfully as she would get wet from a spurt of water. Eventually Amelie and Pippa were just as involved and had a blast. A nice afternoon out for sure.

Amelie has found a friend:

In the aquarium tunnel:

Looking for seals:

There he is:

Go Annabel Go!

Tuckered out after receiving her medal:

Proud Pips:

A lovely Sunday afternoon barbeque and Charles´ mums place. That´s Charles on the left with his brother Mike...cooking up an obscene amount of meat.

Annabel chillin´...sort of...

Enjoying the food:

Another afternoon we headed to Portland Island which is situated at the south end of Weymouth and is connected by a narrow strip of land and provides shelter for the bay. I lucked out with the weather while I was in England and this day was yet another sunny one although it was a bit breezy. So why don’t we fly some kites? Luckily a little gift shop near the lighthouse sold some cheap kites. Unfortunately they were maybe a bit too cheap as only Gemma was able to put hers together and get it to fly properly. For the girls, it was their first time flying a kite and they loved it. Amelie didn’t quite get the hang of it as she would run towards the kite, downwind, causing it to fall out of the sky. She was also easily distracted so as soon as there was a mention of a snack she would just drop the kite string and run over to get a goodie. The kites were definitely worth the £1.50 each.

Sisters Pippa and Annabel in action:

Amelie, actually running the right way this time:

On yet another sunny day Auntie Shirley, Sonia and I took the girls to Corfe Castle, near Gemma and Charles’ house. It’s a stunning ruin of a castle that was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and it was one of the earliest stone castles in England. It was built on a steep hill in a gap in a long line of chalk hills. Part of the outer bailey remains as does the main gateway and a few other towers. It would have been an impressive sight back in the day and a very daunting task to try and invade as the hill up to it is steep and exposed. Since we were there with the little ones my aunt asked if I wanted to go into the castle by myself for a quick tour but I decided against it and instead we had a drink at a pub just outside the main gate with a great view of the castle and then we had an ice cream after that. Another nice British afternoon!

Corfe Castle: