Fareham frolics

We took our annual trip to stay with my Mum, and had our jaunts around the area
After our train journey and refreshments, we made the most of the nice weather (although not nice enough for the beach) and headed to the Alver valley. Mum was eager to try Geocaching, and we are always ready for an opportunity. The first one eluded us, so we moved on, through tall grasses, and scrabbling round trees

We had success, finding 6 in total. We all thoroughly enjoyed it, and got to walk around some pretty countryside

The following day we visited Gilbert White's house, learning about the naturalists life

After a coffee break, we headed upstairs to see the Captain Oates exhibition, and his exploits to reach the South pole

We had a picnic on the lawns, before walking round the expanse of gardens

To round off the day, we took a stroll around the picturesque village

We do love a good Ag show, so we were pleased that our holiday coincided with the New Forest show. We have been before and it is a great mix of animals, crafts, flowers and displays.

We had planned prior to our holiday, a trip to the theatre. Annie is one of our favourites, and with Craig Revel Horwood playing Miss Hannigan we couldn't miss the opportunity

As we saw the matinee, which ends at rush hour, we took the opportunity to make a stop at Ikea

Our next choice of place to visit was Fishbourne Roman palace. We arrived in perfect time for the guided tour, to learn the history of the archaeological site

We had a walk around the gardens, had a picnic and saw a small archaeological dig for kids to join in

As the weather had come out nice, we didn't want to waste the opportunity, so we had a brief trip to the beach. The tide was out, but we took a stroll to the waters edge and went looking for shells

For our last day it was a relaxed affair. We took a stroll into town, and it goes without saying that I had to take a visit to the new haberdashery/wool store

We watched local teams compete in handmade raft races

Before heading back through town, with a vital stop at Wilko to stock up for home.

It was lovely getting out and about, enjoying the summer fresh air, what we miss most from working indoors each day...