It's gotten cold and rainy here, and I swear it's even darker and cloudier than Oregon. We've cut back on our big trips, instead visiting places like Kensington Palace and Hyde Park in London and taking kid-friendly outings. The newness of being here is wearing off, and real life must go on. There are no half-term breaks this month so we must carry on through December before our next big trip (to Denmark and Germany.)
Kensington Palace is on our Historic Palaces membership, so we drove into London to check it out. http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/stories/palacetimeline.aspx for those who are dying to know more. It's a typical palace museum, with a huge section devoted to Princess Diana (you can even sign a memorial book with a note about how much you love her....weird.) It's located in Hyde Park, though, which practically everyone has seen at one time or another in a movie or on tv. Lots of famous people live in the mansions along the outskirts of the park, although of course we didn't see any. The park itself is one of the largest green spaces in London, and it's history is long, beginning when Henry VIII acquired Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536 to use as his hunting grounds. There's a really great Peter Pan-themed playground there, which we couldn't tear the kids away from. But of course it was quite cold and windy, so we're looking forward to going back in warmer weather (it'll be on the list of tours for any visitors that come our way.)
Another really cool thing here in Surrey is the farm-park. It's usually a combination of a giant indoor play structure and acres of outside playgrounds mixed in with a working farm and petting zoos. We like Horton Park (http://www.hortonpark.co.uk/) and Bockett Farm Park (http://www.bockettsfarm.co.uk/) It's kind of like the pumpkin patch farm Halloween activities we have in Oregon, but year-round. It's a great opportunity for kids to go absolutely wild, and it doesn't break the bank. The first time I took the kids to Horton Park, we spent 5 hours there and I was bored out of my mind. I've since remembered to bring a book--because there are so many playgrounds and animal activities, they play and play and don't need any attention from me. I'm somewhat inspired to open something like it myself back in Salem, but of course I don't have any land, any business sense, or any money. :-)
Another really cool thing here in Surrey is the farm-park. It's usually a combination of a giant indoor play structure and acres of outside playgrounds mixed in with a working farm and petting zoos. We like Horton Park (http://www.hortonpark.co.uk/) and Bockett Farm Park (http://www.bockettsfarm.co.uk/) It's kind of like the pumpkin patch farm Halloween activities we have in Oregon, but year-round. It's a great opportunity for kids to go absolutely wild, and it doesn't break the bank. The first time I took the kids to Horton Park, we spent 5 hours there and I was bored out of my mind. I've since remembered to bring a book--because there are so many playgrounds and animal activities, they play and play and don't need any attention from me. I'm somewhat inspired to open something like it myself back in Salem, but of course I don't have any land, any business sense, or any money. :-)
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