Blenheim Palace

Blenheim has become our place to visit and we spent the afternoon there on our final day of the summer holidays.  Perfect weather and lots of time to relax and we got lots of photos which made photo of the day very hard!

Here were the other contenders:

We bought lunch from a deli in Woodstock and after parking we caught the train over to the Pleasure Gardens.

 I had never been to the Pleasure Gardens before (that I remember) and it was a fun experience.  The place seemed fairly full of primary school children - it was getting us acclimatised for the new school year.  We ate our lunch leaning against a wall and had a go at one of the floor mazes - the kids just started flocking! 



We had a go at giant draughts.  I feel the last time I might have played was outside at the Ruislip Lido.  Turned out not to be one of my fortes and then spectators appeared and started siding with John!  Most surreal!  Then it was time for the hardcore hedge maze.  It somehow represented a battle to do with blenheim.  There were two bridges so we were able to get a good overview.  And we did make it to the middle!

 Next up was the putting green for Jemima and Bartholomew.

Also had a quick (due the heat) wander through the butterfly house.



And we shouldn't be surprised that we found some good trees to hang out in!  Super cool!

Make a wish.  And wait a while to try and get the perfect photo of the moment!







And finishing up the outing with fun relaxing times by the lake.

Walking back to the car, it looked like we were going to collide with the purposeful line of ducks!

14/9 This just needed to be added!

 

Photos of the year - week 30

Monday 30th August

 Trying to do a collage of four photos as too cruel to choose!
11/9 Done it!

Tuesday 31st August

Blenheim.  79 to look through...

11/9 This one just won but it was hard so think it's going to need it's own post!

Wednesday 1st September

Setting up 3K good to go for the year... until it deflated the next day!

Thursday 2nd September

Forgot to take a photo today - but did take photos of my new class.  So this was the board against which all the photos were taken - with the child cropped off!

Friday 3rd September

 Making sausage burgers - Friday night excitement!

Saturday 4th September

The only photo I took today... possibly scariest photo of the day?

Sunday 5th September

Forgot to take any photos :-(

Spa Francorchamps

Watched at school and so with the first lap excitement started to type up my thoughts on word.  Here they are:

Oh my goodness its amazing!!!! So wantin to write but too brilliant!

It’s spa which is enough to make me love it!

oooh – safety car now too on lap two and theres so much already happened that I havent written about.

not going into pits while safety car out…

am also in school supposedly doing some sorting but now gripped to IWB!

there’s lots of talk of rain and though it seemed to start dry , there was a little shower on the first lap and it seemed whole pack went off at last corner in formation – caught out by wetness.  then barrichello went into Ferrari at that corner which caused safety car. 

weber in poll had terrible start (martin just said anti stall kicked in…) and went down to about 6^th.  Mclarens ultimately over the lap made it into a 1-2 and that’s where we are at this restart. 

hmm – why didn’t I go to the loo before it started…  well, guess I can use the children’s ones!

Lap 17 – well it had calmed down but with constant rain suspense (none quite come yet) but then Vetel (3^rd) slams into the side of JB (2^nd) and Button’s out the race L  Vetel manages to leap across the track back into the pit entrance and get a new nose.  But that’s big news for the championship!

Lap 28 – Poor Vetel – though it is his own fault.  He had to stop for a new nose so then started to climb his way back up, and then got a drive through penalty for that incident.  And so to climbing again.  And now he just got a left rear puncture when he caught Sutil when overtaking him so a crawl back to the pits and time to climb again!

Lap 35 – big debates now as to when to go for inters… think this predicted rain is really coming!  Mclarens telling Ham to not come in just as he goes off, but just misses the barrier – everyone else going into pits now but Ham (in the lead) has to get it back to pits…  come on.  Have actually hurt my head leaping up and down in classroom and hoping he didn’t hit the barrier!  He’s in the pits now.  Kubica overshoots pits letting Weber into second.  Ham out still in 1^st.

Lap 38 – Championship contenders dropping like flies – can’t think now if that’s my phrase or if I just heard martin or Jonathon say it!!  Alonso spins and leaves his car on the track at a perpendicular angle!  safety car is out!  it’s a case of surviving for the next 5 laps now.

Lap 41 – safety car gone in – everyone backed up and so tense seeing how bravely everyone treads on this wet track.

Lap 44 – made it!  Hamilton takes the victory.  Love it here – the marshalls marshall the drivers back up through the exit to the pit lane and they drive up it the wrong way rather than completing another lap of this longest circuit.

London baby

John and I enjoyed two London days out this summer holiday and we managed to cram so much in!

Day 1 - Wednesday

Day 2 - Saturday

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