School broke up last Thursday, so on Good Friday we packed up the car and the children and made our way to south Wales to visit with our friends for the weekend. We love driving over the bridge into Wales.
Our friends live close to my sister Amy, so we got to spend the weekend with her too, and see sweet Isobel:
The children made Easter nest treats:
And I indulged in a chocolate bunny:
On Monday we said our goodbyes and drove on to Windsor to go to Legoland. Nanny Miles came with us (it was her Christmas present for the children) and it turned out to be the coldest day ever to be outside. (Maybe not, but it felt like it!) We braved the elements and had a great time, Noah and Ethan especially loved the Star Wars display:
We did a little gold panning:
There were lots of fun rides to go on:
The children loved the mini Lego scenes, especially the London one:
On Tuesday we went into Windsor itself to see the castle. The queen was in residence (Rosie kept asking if we could visit her!) and the Royal Standard was flying:
We were just in time to see the Changing of the Guards at the palace. It happens a couple of times a day; when the guards change shifts the traffic is stopped and the new guards march up the streets from their barracks with a band leading the way:
This happens every day, come rain or shine! I caught a little video of the guards returning to their barracks after the changeover:
I love our silly traditions. I also love old cobbled streets, I think they give a place character...
...as does crooked old houses:
I really enjoy walking around old churches; the wooden carvings, vaulted ceilings, tiles on the floor and stained glass windows are just gorgeous.
After a trip to the museum and a little window shopping, we drove back west to Bristol to finish off our trip by taking Ben and Ethan with us to see Imagine Dragons while Nanny Miles looked after Rosie and Noah. James' brother Dave met us there too, so it was nice to catch up with him. As it was the first standing gig for the boys it was quite a new experience for them, and they loved it.
The band were really energetic, you can't help but get sucked in by the energy of the music and lose yourself for an hour and a half. Ethan didn't complain about my singing in his ear all night, so I can't have been too bad!
The band handed out the printed set lists at the end of the show and Ben and Ethan were thrilled to be given one each, it was kind of them to single out the young fans and make sure they had a keepsake from the night. It was a great way to end our trip.
