We couldn’t decide whether to stay home on Tuesday and just go have a picnic somewhere or go for Leeds Castle which is supposed to be “the most pleasant castle in England”. After much ado, we decided on the castle and we’re so glad we did. Those Brits really know how to preserve a castle!
The grounds were probably even better than the castle! The scenery was simply breathtaking with early spring popping out all over!
We had a lovely picnic and Peter showed us a few of his adorable little first steps! What a child this is! WE don’t think we’ve ever seen a better baby. He just sits in that stroller for hours and takes in all the scenery. That may change now that he’ll soon be off on his own feet.
The inside of the castle certainly was “pleasant”.
Here is the queen’s bedroom. The size of the bed is an indication of how powerful the monarchy that is lives there is. The queen doesn’t actually sleep there.
She actually sleeps here:
And here is her bathtub, complete with a linen covering so she won’t “scratch her back”. It is portable and is carried from one castle to the next:
The kids were each given a little poster with pictures of things that could be found in the castle (see picture above). Hazel was completely determined not to leave until she found every single thing on her list! We finally had to assure her that some of the items had been removed since they printed the poster.
The Chapel:
We then moved to a newer part of the castle and the Lady who most recently occupied the castle.
The Library was a favorite!
As the we discovered at the exit, the maze was closing in 10 minutes so we literally dashed up the hill to a delightful maze after which we meandered on down to the car passing splendid peacocks, swans, cherry trees and sun sparkling on water on the way!
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By the time we hit the car park, the real world had set in. Peter, who had been congested, could now barely breathe and Jeff called to say that he couldn’t turn his head because of his swollen gland and was on his way home to be taken to the emergency room at a nearby hospital. We hurried as fast as we could but got caught in rush hour traffic and by the time we got home, both Jeff and Peter were in pretty bad shape.
Saydi rushed them to the hospital and we fed the kids and got them in the jammies. While Grandfather told them a story, I made a fruit crisp for friends from the ward whom Saydi had invited for dessert at 8:30. We had a delightful discussion with these fascinating new friends and Saydi, Jeff and Peter arrived home at about 9 o’clock with lots of meds and neither feeling much better.
Jeff took some potent pain medication which only made matters worse and made him throw up several time in the night. It was from the magical world of castles and swans to the real world of waiting for antibiotics to kick in. We left the next morning hoping and praying that Jeff was feeling better. Peter seemed much better so Saydi insisted on taking us to the airport.
What a grand adventure we had….with crazy events happening on each end and delicious “meat” in the middle. What an adventure this family is having. How do we love them? Let us count the ways….later. Thanks to the Shumways for providing us with memories to keep and love more!
…..with one last stop on the way to the airport. That Saydi knows how to fit a lot into one day!
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