Today we decided to nip to the nearby village of Thornham, home to a large estate with miles of woodland walks. We’d been before, in the autumn of 2010, but were hoping to see some cattle this time as that’s what the boy is into nowadays. Sadly the only wildlife we saw was a couple of squirrels, a nervous peacock and some chickens.

On arrival, we went straight to the play area next to the car park. It’s quite cleverly laid out, with interesting equipment and a really wide slide built into a tree! The plan for the afternoon was to enjoy a brief wander around the estate, but we hit a snag when Sprogzilla did not want to leave the playground. His happy demeanour quickly changed to one of frustration and anger the second we tried to walk out the gate.

After carrying him a good half a mile as he squirmed, wailed and pointed back the way we came, we gave up and popped him in the pushchair. Once a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich was presented, he eventually calmed down and we enjoyed the rest of our walk.

The first photo is of me and the boy inside a “den” made out of fresh branches. I’m presuming it’s supposed to grow leaves at some point and look more like a hideaway. We shall have to return one day and see.

The second photo is of Thornham Church, a typically beautiful rural English church on a very tiny plot! I wanted to get a better picture, but with the uneven ground and an assortment of large trees and hedges, I couldn’t get a good vantage point.

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