The Jurassic Coast

23rd-29th of April 2016

Oskar and Ivy this one is for you.

This stop in a little town called Honiton, half an hour inland from the Jurassic Coastline was planned just for you two, so we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

 Honiton was a small town with a quaint high street and surrounded by lush farmland and forest.

Again we were nestled in a rural area with narrow single car laneways and high hedges, which made driving anywhere a little tense.......Not that you probably noticed, but we were thinking...Please make it around this corner before a car comes as we cant see a thing!!! So many blind corners and nowhere to pull over!! Again, I am very glad I was not driving!

 We stayed on a farm again , much to your delight with an adventure playground, pool, trampoline, toys and books to use and  a lightsaber!!!....Needless to say Oskar, needless to say you were very happy here.

Our  animal friends included goats, ponies, ducks, rabbits, chickens we feed everyday, 2 dogs and a cat (Pusscat) who  followed us on field walks!!. There were pheasants and wild deer at dusk in the fields outside our window.

Oh and it was cooooooold! I went for a run one day and it hailed on me! Not fun running with hail hitting your face! It was nice that you were all concerned for me when I arrived home red faced and frozen!

You made friends with Will  (the  9 year old son of the owner) in the first 5 minutes of arriving,and counted down the hours till school finished so you could play with him again. I know you both are craving interaction with other children your  age so it was lovely for you to have Will to play with.

If you hear another child your ears prick up and ask if you can go say hello!

There was so much to explore in the region and our 5 days here were jam packed.

Thanks to a hot tip from Uncle Roy you learnt about the Jurassic Coastline. It was was home to many sea creatures that lived over 250 million years ago and have become fossilised in the cliffs and rocks at Lyme Regis that were once under water. You were on the hunt for Ammonites. We found parts of them and their impressions in stone, and although we didn't find a whole one, the search was fun and you were so excited about what he did find. Ivy, you were was more excited about the smooth glass collection you found....or crystals as you called them.

LYME REGIS

 

  

 We visited a 700 year old flour Mill of the town, now converted into art studios for the artist community of the town and museum.

Ate lunch in one of the best cafes we have experienced to date. So simple, very communal and with amazing food. Oskar you once again hogged all the tomatoes! We are trying to teach you to eat without it going all over your face too.... with little success!

AHHHH BEER

We visited Beer for a ride on a miniature train and a walk through the hillside gardens.....

You had the playground all to yourself  with another resident friendly cat.

We visited Beer's very rocky beach.....!

 

....which was extremely difficult to walk along!     

We lost Owlbert....and for anyone who knows the importance of Owlbert to Ivy...this was bad. 2 days later we went back to Beer....just incase he had been handed in and thank goodness.....we found him!!!

 BACK IN HONITON 

The local Deer Park and Hotel was impressive with it's grand guest house, gorgeous tree houses, beautiful walking trails with blue bells in bloom but .the deers were your favourite.

 

 

We loved this place but we really wish you both were on best behaviour so we could have enjoyed a nice quiet tea by the fire....alas, you two had other plans and we had to leave abruptly..... perhaps mum and dad will need to return here one day.

  

You are both still doing your bottom dance with glee before bath time, which is concerning yet amusing and you both like to annoy the other until someone ends up in time-out and the other crying. ....Please refrain from doing this........Please!!

Oskar you drew one of the best pictures you have done to date and were as proud as punch!

On our way out of here to make our way back to London, we got about 10 metres down the laneway before we had to pull over to let hundreds of cyclists pass us by........not your ordinary cyclists...........some even with pints of beer in hand all riding to raise money for the local ambulance service. It was certainly a sight to behold and you both loved it!