Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Sunday was another rest day: we went to Crystal Palace Park in the morning, and in the afternoon we had a birthday tea to celebrate the family birthday coincidence. Monday was my actual birthday, and now that half term was over, we headed back to the Natural History Museum for a much better look at the dinosaurs and other exhibits. Mini-Elbeno loved every minute of it, and fell asleep on the train on the way home. This meant I had to carry him up about a quarter mile of very steep hill.

Tuesday, my former french teacher came to lunch, up from Exeter, and we had a great few hours talking about old times and catching up. He was kind enough to bring a couple of his books along as a gift.

We did most of our packing on Tuesday night, finishing up on Wednesday morning, and we had an extra piece of baggage to bring back because of mini-Elbeno’s new rocking horse (a gift from the grandparents). The flight went as smoothly as expected, but we accidentally picked up the wrong piece of luggage from the carousel! Luckily we noticed before we left the airport, but since we’d already gone through customs and immigration, we were not allowed back to collect the right bag, and had to wait for the airline to take it through customs and bring it out.

Anyway, we got home around 7.30pm, unpacked and went to bed. Woke up at 1.30am of course because of the jet lag!

Here’s how the holiday has been so far:

Arrived Thursday afternoon after taking off Wednesday night. Spent the first evening chilling and getting over some jetlag. Friday we headed to Greenwich, walked through Greenwich park and looked around the Royal Observatory. Didn’t have time to see a planetarium show, but took a picture of mini-Elbeno standing astride the meridian. He also had fun playing in the playground in the park. Friday was also Grandad’s (my dad’s) birthday, so we spent the evening with family. Mini-E received a gift of a rocking horse which he named “Caballo” and took to immediately.

Saturday we went to Battersea Park Zoo, a small affair which was quite enjoyable for the small chap. The weather was windy, but sunny. Sunday we headed up to town again to take in the museums, although they were packed because of the wet weather and the fact that it was half term. We did get to see a few dinosaurs, but spent longer getting lunch than actually enjoying the sights. Picked up a small stuffed triceratops for mini-Elbeno which he has named “Af”.

Monday was another very wet day, and we went to the Horniman Museum which is right on our doorstep, and which has been improved over the last couple of years with a lottery grant. It’s great for kids, with a hands on area of stuff they can play with, and also an aquarium in the basement and a section with weird musical instruments they can play with.

Tuesday we went up to town on the train and met a friend for lunch at St Pancras; we went to the Zoo in the afternoon, which stayed dry. Wednesday we met another friend (Mrs Elbeno’s old boss) for lunch, this time in Pizza Express in Greek Street. In the evening a couple of friends (more old work colleagues) visited us.

Thursday we all travelled down to the Westcountry to see my grandparents, mini-Elbeno’s great-grandparents. It’s about a 3.5 hour drive down the M3 and then across Salisbury Plain, passing right by Stonehenge. They were all fine despite a slight medical scare earlier in the week. Friday was another rest day: my brother arrived home from his year out in South America, and we went to the local park in the afternoon to let the littl’un let off some steam.

Saturday (today) we headed down to Leeds Castle. Saw a jousting tournament and falconry display which were both cool; took a look at the aviary with its toucans, macaws and various other colourful birds; and made our way through the maze to the centre and then down into the grotto and through the underground passage back to the outside. It’s a very nice maze.

That’s it so far. It’s a packed schedule and we have more to do in the next few days.