Stowe

About thirty seconds before this photo was taken Mr M came as close to falling into the lake is it is possible to get without actually falling in!! Heartstopping and very impressive!!
We had a lovely time at Stowe today with Mrs S and Mr M. 
It started off a bit disastrously when it started chucking down just as we got there. I was in just a light top and Mrs S was in shorts!! We decided to go to the cafe and wait for the rain to pass. 
I was a bit mortified when Mrs S had to pay almost £19 to get in! It's been about nine years since I paid to get in to a National Trust place and I was clearly a bit out of touch!!
It had stopped raining by the time we got there so we sat outside for some tea and cake and after the children had run amok in the shop for a bit we set off to the gardens.
They scooted down and Mrs S and I strolled down chatting. It's been ages since I've seen her and it was lovely to catch up.
We walked round the lake, narrowly avoided disaster at the waterfall and ended up at the Secret Garden. 
Mrs C and I often noticed that it was at that point in our walk that the children got annoying and we realised we were starving and desperate for tea.
It was the same today - there was lots of faffing, climbing on logs, falling off logs, crying about climbing on logs and falling off logs, and general grumpiness all around. 
It was time to head back up to the cafe for a late lunch.
Fishfinger sandwiches, jacket potatoes, sausage rolls and tea. Delicious!!
Mrs S and Mr M came back to our house for a bit before heading home. The children took themselves off and we drank tea and chatted. Very nice!!
Mr K arrived home not long after us. He got his dissertation bound and handed in this morning and having stayed up all night getting it finished (and most of the last week!) he was feeling a little bit the worse for wear and took himself off for a snooze.
His Masters - which he started shortly after Miss E was born - is finally finished.
Don't tell him but I'm very proud!!