Family Fun Day

As it was a long time since we'd gone out and done anything, we decided on impulse to have an all day excursion. And, since snowflake #2 is as dog-mad as ever - she often puts on her dog costume, runs around on all fours barking, and refuses to answer to anything except Wags or Timmy - dogs had to be included somehow. After a stop off to visit  the dogs at the Dogs' Home, we headed to Cambridge to meet the 'Dulux Dog'. I felt slightly sorry for that dog at first, having to sit in the store and be mauled by scores of excited children, but he had a beautiful temperament and nothing seemed to faze him. The girls also made fairy wands and had their faces painted; #1 was too busy examining to torches, batteries and other electrical bits and pieces to bother with kids' activities.

Next, we headed to Richmond. The ducks obviously get far more bread than is good for them, as most weren't hungry, but we got a lovely walk down the river in the winter sun, complete with a little dash of excitement when #1 fell out of the tree he was climbing and narrowly avoided landing in the water. We looked through St Lukes Church before continuing into town to visit the old Gaol. 

 

The snowflakes were fascinated with many aspects of 19th century prison life, from the drama of floggings and escapes to the more quotidian details, such as what the prisoners ate and how the laundry was managed. It was clearly something that they were mulling over for a while, as days later they constructed a solitary confinement cell in #1's bedroom, wherein several hapless stuffed toys were incarcerated (that is, once snowflake #3 had got sick of playing the role of the convict, largely on account of being told that she wouldn't be able to have butter with her bread and water).

After lunch we went to the maze, which is always fun as we can see how differently the snowflakes tackle it as they get older. It was #3's first time doing the whole thing on foot without being carried, and she charged around at a speed I found hard to keep up with. #2 had developed some interesting maze solving strategies, while #1 decided that cheating was, um, the more efficient way to proceed.

Following all that exertion, it was, of course, absolutely necessary to stop in at the lolly shop before setting off for home. For purely educational purposes: #1 was wanting to do practical research on some sweets we'd read about in Famous Five, while Daddy Snow decided to supplement the oral history of his childhood by introducing the snowflakes (and me) to a form of masochism known as sour bombs. Two of the snowflakes had enough sense to give them straight back to him.