Moving!

Apologies for the 2 week break in posting - we have been moving to Exeter, so have had a lot to sort out. Additionally, we've just had our offer accepted on a house in Exeter so there is a lot of work to do to organise everything to ensure it goes smoothly. 

We had a lot of (much needed!) help on moving day from Sarah, Dan, Vickrum, Gibbs, Steve Williams and the Lewarnes which meant we were able to meet our deadline of 4pm to hand in the keys. 

Zachary seemed to very much enjoy the day - he had Auntie Vickrum looking after him and taking him out for a walk (and fun at the park) and later Uncle Dan played games with him in an empty room.

Zachary assists Daddy with dismantling the bed

Fun in a box with Auntie Vickrum

We had a huge amount of stuff to move and managed to fill a Luton van (plus two car loads!). Here is the mound of boxes which filled our spare room before moving:

Stacked to the ceiling - you can just make out the window behind

We waved goodbye to our wonderful Cardiff friends and headed for Exeter to move in with Bumble and Grandad Rob (as Exeter is my home town). They kindly vacated their bedroom (as it is the largest) and we moved as much furniture and boxes into it as we could. We also filled the loft and other random areas in the house with boxes (hopefully, it'll only be for 6 weeks!).

Zachary and Daddy like their new bedroom

Zachary looks a lot smaller next to all those boxes

Holidaying in Dorset #2

Here is the second part of our Dorset holiday album. We set off very early in the morning (as Zachary was up early and we thought we'd make the most of it). After a short walk down the cliff path, we arrived at Durdle door. It was only 8.30am, but already it was starting to feel very warm.

Zachary enjoys the view

Then onward we went to Lulworth Cove, enjoying a stroll along the cliff walk until the route descended to the beach below. Lulworth Cove is a famous Dr Who location, where they filmed 'The Curse of Fenric'.

Stopping for a view of the boats; Zachary with his protective sunshade as he refused to wear a hat

We had to walk down a lot of steps to get the best view of the cove

We then visited Lulworth Castle which unfortunately was gutted by fire but the ground floor has been renovated and made it into a museum. We climbed to the top of one of the towers to see the wonderful 360⁰ view. 

 

Walking in the gardens (sweltering!)

We finished the day with a trip to the beach. Zachary had never been in the sea before and he didn't like it much. He didn't mind the sand too much but eventually decided he didn't like that, either. 

Zachary claps for Mummy while she goes in for a swim

A lovely wander along the seafront

Zachary always screams for ice cream

The following day we travelled to Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck. We attempted to follow a walking route but got lost and turned back towards the castle. We climbed up the hill and wandered around the ruins, enjoying the stunning views from the top.

Lost in a graveyard!

Halfway up - nearly there!

We later followed a more reliable walk along the coastal path to Old Harry Rocks, which glistened beautifully amidst the deep blue ocean. 

Satisfied after a long walk in the heat

The next day we journeyed to Winchester to visit some of Swithun's relatives but we made the most of the trip and also had a look around the centre of the city. 

An old archway at the top of the High Street

We attempted a visit to the Great Hall, but Pinewood studios were filming 'Posh', so we couldn't go in

Cooling off at Winchester Cathedral

Swithun finds his favourite part of Winchester

We had a lovely meal with Ann and Gerald, then enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at their house with good conversation, tea and cakes. 

Zachary snuggles up in the middle

Holidaying in Dorset #1

We enjoyed a fantastic week on our summer holiday in Dorset, with wonderful sunny weather to match. We stayed in a beautiful self-catering cottage in a tiny village called East Knighton:

Cute cottage in the middle of nowhere

Lovely gardens at the cottage

On our first day in Dorset we visited the town of Dorchester and enjoyed a walk through the town centre to Max Gate, Thomas Hardy's house. One of the perks was that you were able to sit on the furniture and play with the items that were on display.

Max Gate - A National Trust house

Keeping Daddy in his place

Typing with Mummy. Unfortunately the keys just wouldn't move fast enough!

A stroll in the garden: with trees, flowers and a vegetable patch

After a wander in some local (Borough) gardens we then had a look at the ruins of a Roman Town House in central Dorchester:

Zachary wanted to get out and climb over the ruins instead of exploring them from afar

The following day we drove to the Isle of Portland, near Weymouth. Our first stop was Portland Castle. Even though it was early in the morning it was already swelteringly hot so it was refreshing to get into the shade of the castle.

Portland Castle grounds

Fancy dress!

Zachary is instantly drawn towards anything that lights up

Zachary's first ride on a cannon

The most pleasant surprise of the day (and one of my personal highlights of the holiday) was stumbling upon an amazing viewpoint from the top of Portland over Chesil beach where we stopped to each our lunch. Zachary refused to wear a hat so we sat him down in the tiny bit of shade that was available from a war memorial, but had to keep moving him as the shade gradually moved away from us along the grass.

Stunning - the photo doesn't do it justice

We drove to the other side of Portland and visited a quarry that had been converted into a stone sculpture park. There was no shade whatsoever so it was hard work walking in the heat but it was exciting to see the variety of stone sculptures as we made our way around the sculpture park.

Zachary with a rucksack sunshade enjoyed looking down at the sculptures

Stone sculpture trail

Climbing over fallen rocks that were blocking the path

A dragon sculpture

We finished the day with a stop-off at the Portland Bill lighthouse and a wander around the tip of the island.

Unfortunately, no babies were allowed up the lighthouse so we saw it just from the outside instead

See next week's blog post for the next instalment of our epic Dorset holiday.