today, against all the advice from weather warnings, we decided to go to a nature reserve – you know, to the OUTSIDE!. actually, we didn’t do that straight away, because the sun was shining, so we didn’t feel at all urgent – despite weather warnings! instead we played some games, read some stories, had a snuggle, pottered a bit, tickled a bit and had some lunch – to fuel us for the OUTSIDE.
we went to welney swan festival having read that, i think it was a bit oversold! As we drove there, the heavens opened and we wondered whether we weren’t being slightly mad!! but as we got there the rain eased, if not the wind, and bundled in heaps of clothes we raced into the visitors centre! we ahd not been there before, and it is v typical fenland! it has a small museum room about the fens, and a bit about the old fen lifestyle, which we had a wander about. the rain holding off we walked to the main hide – which is fabulous btw! and had a good look at swans and ducks. rain still holding off we went on one of the walks, peering from lots of little hides. we had some pepping up food and drink in one of them. the weather being v blustery, we were the only ones walking! unfortunately the rain absolutely tipped it down with an icy near sleet feel, so we raced back, with BB being the most vocally unhappy about the whole thing! [very vocally unhappy] both did some drawing, both watched the swan feeding, and BB charmed all the surrounding elderly ppl [ there were quite a few] by declaring she had seen a heron from the hide, and ‘loving’ a variety of the birds in the book she was looking at with chris. there was an artist in residence there, and we admired his work, but didn’t win it in the raffle.
so we went back to the visitors centre and to the arts bit. we didn’t see the help make a papier mache swan anywhere, but i guess due to the v v low number of visitors, it may have been quietly shelved. both girls made a willow swan, a silhouette swan picture and decorated a kitchen roll tube. kind of odd!! however, the pond room they did it in was utterly fab. [look at the photos] and they were both happy. Chris and i perked up with visiting the cafe – well stocked, and tea and cake [or mocha and cake for me] gave us enough energy to cope with ‘the shop’. SB came in under budget, and BB over, but told SB she can have a bit more budget at the montezuma exhibition when she goes there with chris. so all round perk!
back home, listening to our island story and the naughty kings charles!!
watched a bit of life in the freezer and bedtime!