After our visit over to Portsmouth to meet up with my Grandfather we decided to spend the Sunday relaxing after all the train travel that we did so by Monday we were all a little tired of being in the house so we set off to Morden Hall park as there was going to be a Craft fair going on. When we arrived we found the park to be at it’s busiest that we had seen it with no space for us to sit down to give Sam his food and worrying about being stuck outside in the rain. Thankfully we did eventually manage to cram into the National Trust cafe but after that trouble I didn’t fancy trying to crowd into the very small craft fair thing that was going on – especially as the stalls seemed to be starting to close.

So our trip out didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped it would on that Monday and I ended up feeling a little cheated out of my enjoyment of the park. Because of this Sam and I decided to make the trip out again today as the weather was just beautiful and we wanted to enjoy the park without the crowds.

With a little preparation I brought with me one of Sam’s feeds that enabled me to have a few extra hours at the park and really gave me the chance to have a good amble around the various foot paths and enjoy myself. Sam chatted away while being pushed about in the buggy and seems to be enjoying being outside as much as I do now – when I look down at him his eyes are always looking about him all that is going on.

We stopped for some lunch in the cafe  – and this time it was much quieter. I treated myself to a tasty cup of hot chocolate while Sam feasted on a jar of baby food. After finishing up in the cafe we headed back out and had a nosy round the outside of the old snuff mill as well as popping into the little secondhand bookshop where I treated myself to even more books including a very old looking one by Rudyard Kipling called “Humorous tales” which I had not heard of before. All in all a great trip out 🙂

It’s been a good few years now since I first went past Wandle park tram stop while on the way to Ikea with Rich. When I first saw it I said to Rich that I thought it was a fantastic name for a park – I even went so far as to say that if I had a park I would want to call it that. So every time we travel past that stop on the tram and notice the Wandle Arms pub on the way I always think to myself that one day I’ll get off and go have a look round.

Well today Sam and I did get off – though we didn’t intend that Wandle park would be our destination, a naughty man who shouldn’t have had his bicycle on the tram caused a big delay while extra transport people came along to evict him and the offending bike. So instead of going a few stops further down the line we got off at Wandle park instead and had a wander around.

The weather today was glorious – lovely and sunny and warm with a slight breeze to keep you feeling refreshed. We started out by having a quick look at the playground and Sam even had a very gentle go on one of the swings while being held on my lap – he really seemed to enjoy it. As the other climbing frames and spinny things were a little too old for Sam we went off to see what else the park had to offer. That’s when we came to a little section that looked like in better times to have been some sort of small formal garden and nearby that was this little monument thingie which was engraved with the date the park first opened in 1890.

I’m happy to say that this park has won some lottery funding to pay for improvements including the raising of the River Wandle (which runs underground through the park), sadly the Fuzzy family will have probably moved up North by that time but maybe one day we will get to see the park after all the work has been completed.

Ahh – there’s nothing like a nice lazy Sunday to recharge your batteries for the week ahead. After a morning of shopping and a little house work we decided to have a quick walk in the nearby park. Rich took Sam in the baby carrier and for what is possibly the first time Sam seemed to enjoy it. We put Sam in facing outwards so that he could see what was around him and he seemed to enjoy having a good look everywhere.

To give Rich a break from carrying his increasingly heavy son (who is now over a whole stone in weight!) we stopped to have a rest on the grass and managed to take this great photo. Rich and Sam also had a go on one of the swings in the kids playground – but Sam seemed not to care too much about it.

Oh – and I also managed to finally finish Sam’s cot bed blanket that I’ve been working on for about 4 months. I’m particularly taken with it and just love how well it turned out, especially how well all the colours seem to go together. I’m a little late getting in done though so it will have to go away until next winter when Sam can have it on his bed.

Today Sam and I made the journey over to Cheam to visit Joh and Claire. Sam and I arrived a little early so that Sam could have a quick bite to eat before we all went off to have a wander around Nonsuch park.

Foolishly I forgot to take any photos from our trip out so I can’t show you just how lovely the park is, the picture on the left is of Nonsuch manor which is very similar to the style of the old manor house where Rich and I work.

We bought some drinks and cake from the little cafe in the manor and ate them outside while admiring the scenery. After fortifying ourselves we then went for a good walk round the park which as well as being lovely is also huge. Before we knew it it was time to dash off to catch our train back, Joh very kindly walked us back and even though she is 9 months pregnant it was me that was out of breath when we got there!

Joh is due to be having her little one very soon now and I’m really looking forward to being able to visit her in such lovely surroundings while she is on her maternity leave.