A trip to the museum

Emma dressed as a maid

The weather on Sunday was somewhat less pleasing than Saturday, so a trip to the Brampton Museum in Newcastle-under-Lyme seemed a good way to pass a rainy afternoon. We love it here. It is quite a little museum, but very sweet and the Podlings particularly love the toy gallery. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Emma loves to play with the dressing-up clothes in the toy gallery.

Alex loves the display of vintage toy cars. He would dearly love to play with them!

I fell in love with little Nelly, a well-loved toy elephant from the 1920s. She seems a little sad to be shut in display case all by herself. I wonder if she dreams of the little girl who used to play with her.

I love the Victorian artefacts on display. The Victorian era is a particular favourite of mine.

Raspberry Rambles

We enjoyed a lovely walk around Ridgegate Reservoir in Macclesfield Forest this afternoon. The Podlings consumed their own bodyweights in wild raspberries, frequently stopping to pick handfuls which they shared with one another. We ended our afternoon with an exciting picnic tea which saw us repeatedly dashing under the shelter of nearby trees to avoid the rain showers! We were forced to admit defeat during our second cup of tea when the showers turned to a decided downpour, but we had finished our picnic by then anyway and at least it stayed sunny for our walk!

Tea and biscuits at Beeston Castle

Sunday afternoon saw us enjoying tea and biscuits with a fabulous view over the Cheshire plains from Beeston Castle. We never travel without a Thermos! 

Shortly before a butterfly landed on Emma's hair bow, no doubt mistaking it for a flower

The floor is lava! Very much the game of the moment.

This three-hole entrance to a rabbit warren looked poetically like a rabbit paw. There are so many rabbits on the hill at Beeston Castle and we love to see them.

Alex looking after the biscuit tin! You have to keep an eye on him as he likes to take a bite of a biscuit and then put it back before taking another one!