Sheffield Park Garden

We arrived at Sheffield Park with the intention of eating a quick lunch in the picnic area before going to explore the gardens. Unfortunately the wasps put a stop to any notion of a quick and peaceful lunch and I very soon had two hysterical little girls on my hands. I resorted to taking them to the baking hot car to eat, although neither of them was much in the mood to eat after the wasp fiasco. All of which meant that in the end we only had about an hour to explore the garden and there is a great deal more than an hour's worth of garden to see there. We took a stroll around one of the lakes and everyone had a pleasant time, although the girls were still a little jumpy about flying insects. They brightened up when we told them we were planning fish and chips on the beach again for tea!

The impressive house is privately owned and not open to the public

Lily by the lily pads!

Calm and happy again!

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Pooh Country

For lovers of the Winnie the Pooh stories like myself, a trip to Sussex has to include a visit to Ashdown Forest, or 100 Acre Wood if you prefer. I brought Tom and Lily here when they were little, but we haven't been back for years. A gentle walk through the wood will lead you to Pooh Bridge, where you can indulge in a good game of Poohsticks with your siblings. I remembered from our previous visit the scarcity of sticks near the actual bridge, so they gathered sticks for their games as we walked. By the time we reached the bridge they had a good selection. Poohsticks was played, (more competitively by some than others!) and everyone seemed to have fun. It is such a pretty spot I can see why A.A. Milne loved it so much.

Lily spotted this tiny baby frog in the crook of a tree trunk

Emma trying to right a fallen tree!

Playing Poohsticks

Whose stick is the winner?

A great many people come here to play Poohsticks, as evidenced by the large number of sticks in the river

Pooh Bridge

I think this is about the only photo of me from the entire weekend, so I include it to prove I was there!

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Beachy Head

We ended our first day in Sussex with a walk on Beachy Head. The chalk headland offers breathtaking views over the sea and is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain. The three older Podlings loved exploring the clifftop (well away from the edge obviously!) and seemed quite engrossed in one of their games. I love watching them when they are intent on their own affairs and oblivious to us. After our walk we drove to Pevensey Bay and enjoyed Huss and chips on the shingle. A wonderful end to a wonderfully memorable day.

My wonderful in-laws. 

Pevensey Bay

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Bateman's

Bateman's in East Sussex was the family home of Rudyard Kipling, who lived there with his wife and two surviving children, Elsie and John. Many of the rooms in the beautiful 17th century house are much as Kipling left them and it is a delightful place. Mark and I visited Bateman's many years ago, before we were married, and we very much wanted to bring the Podlings here. It is such a peaceful place and so gratifying to visit. I will always love it.

Elsie's sitting room

Kipling's Study

Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907

John's bedroom

Kipling's only son. John went missing in action in the battle of Loos in 1915. He was only 18 years old. His medals are currently on display in the house.

The Podlings of Pook's Hill (Puck of Pook's Hill is set in the area around Bateman's)

Bodiam Castle

We took a wonderful long weekend trip to Sussex with Mark's parents at the start of August. We love Bodiam Castle in East Sussex  and since it has been a few years since we were last there we thought it was high time we paid it another visit. Could it look any more like a castle? I always say that if you ask a child to draw a castle, they will draw Bodiam! The exterior of the 14th century moated castle is remarkably well preserved and the gatehouse contains the original wooden portcullis. It is a fantastic place for the children to let their imaginations run riot and, as ever, we had a lovely time. We ended our visit with a picnic lunch before heading off to our next destination, Rudyard Kipling's Sussex home, Batemans.

Emma in a fake fireplace!

Lily is pretending to be Santa as Emma sleeps in a fake Medieval bed!

Tom in the stocks!

I definitely need some of these at home!

They didn't work on Emma. She is so tiny that she could just put her feet in and out of the holes at will!

Alex loved walking around the castle

Alexander exploring

Tom, Lily, Emma and I climbed all the way to the top of the tower. We were rewarded with a lovely view, but it was hard to get a nice photo of them at the top as the sun was so bright. Emma wasn't too keen on going back down the long, steep spiral staircase and needed lots of encouragement. I told her that if she didn't walk down the stairs she would be like Rapunzel trapped in her tower and would have to grow her hair long so we could come and visit her! She seemed amused by the idea and talking about it kept her mind occupied as we descended. My brave girl!

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