The Tower of London

 

The Tower of London is located right on the edge of the river and next to the Tower Bridge. Steeped in great English history it was a must do on the list. We headed here after St Pauls and The Monument. The grassed area in the picture below was the old moat that surrounded the building. Inside the walls is a living community where Beefeaters still live and work and where the crown jewels are kept.

 



 

The first thing we came across when we arrived is a pair of guys acting out scenes and showing the kids how people used to fight, what weapons they would have used and what clothes were worn. It was pretty entertaining and something to do while we waited for our tour to start.

 

 

 

What a fantastic tour guide, a real life Beefeater. He was great and quite funny. A very entertaining tour.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately we didn't get to go in there as the lines were a mile long and we just didn't want to wait in any more lines after such a big day. But we did see the Queen's Coronation gown and jewels earlier in our trip was a just as good.

 

 

The above picture shows three holes. If you were a baddie and got yourself past the first row of guards and over the bridge then you could quite possibly have been hit by either boiling water, hot oil or hot tar which were poured through the holes and if you weren't quick enough then the sharp spikes from the door would get you. Don't think I would have bothered trying to get in uninvited !!

 

Carts for carrying the gold around.

After the tour we were allowed to look around ourselves. There was plenty to see, could have stayed all day if you wanted to.

 

The King's Room.

 

 

 

 

 

At one stage the moat area was transformed into a zoo. There were a lot of these mesh animal figures around the place but the monkey ones were quite life like from a distance.

 

 

 

One of the buildings contained the armour and weapons of all the kings and soldiers over the years. Very interesting place to be. Lots and lots of silver wear !! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The perfect picture to end such a long and fantastic day. My legs and feet hate me from all the steps but what an adventure and the views were AMAZING. 

 

 

 

Our little fighter

Both of the girls do marital arts, in particular Taekidokai. Once they have mastered a level they can then grade to gain either a coloured tip for their current belt or grade for a new coloured belt.

This time it was E's turn to grade to a new belt colour.

Ready to get in there and kick some butt !

She looks like she is dancing and singing !!

Job well done E, I would not want to cross you in a dark alley !!

Jervis Bay

Sandy wanted to head out for the day but would not tell us where we were going (always love those days!).

It was going to be an outdoor adventure and it was somewhere where he also hadn't been before (even better!).

In the car we piled and headed down the coast and arrived some time later at Jervis Bay! We had both been to Jervis Bay before but had never been to the Cape St George Lighthouse.

My goofballs at the start of the track

The lighthouse is now in ruins but it's pretty cool to see how things once were.

The light house was closed a long time ago and partly demolished but there is a lot of history there to look at and read. Plus they have a whale watching viewing platform. We were lucky enough to see one but a long way in the distance and only a slap of a tail :( One day we will head out on a whale watching cruise !

Next we drove down the road a little further to explore the beach and the rock platforms.

You can just make out the ruins of the lighthouse.

Down in the sandy area before you get to the rock outcrop there were thousands of bluebottles that had been washed in and couldn't get out. Now these guys are very dangerous in the water as they provide a mighty big sting when they wrap their long tentacles around your body but man they are so cool to step on when they are out of the water !!! If you like popping bubble wrap like I do then you would have loved stepping on these little blue suckers because that is exactly what they sounded like. I know some of you will say that we are cruel but they weren't going anywhere !!

Next stop was our packed lunch at Green Patch beach. Both Sandy and I had been camping here with our schools when we were younger. This beach has the whitest sand of any beach in the southern hemisphere ! It is very pretty. After lunch and before we headed for the beach the girls wanted to feed the birds. Now there are signs posted that warn don't feed the birds but everyone does and was feeding them.

This is why there are signs not to feed the birds, THEY BITE !!

Ouch! Yes poor E the real animal lover of the family was the one bitten by of all things a ROSELLA !! And boy did she scream !! After that she would let out a little shriek if a bird came to close to her. I think that she may now have a fear of birds like her mother !!! (oh I know I may not look like a concerned parent but I do love capturing everything that happens so I did have to take a photo before I attended to the injury, sorry!)

Once she was all fixed up - and a thank you to the teenage boy that came over offering us some bandaids - we headed to the beach. It was so nice and the sand is so soft. I could have sat there all day !!

I wonder where they get it from !!

Our last stop of the day was at the boat ramp where we were able to see stingrays right at the edge of the ramp. That was pretty cool then add to that a kangaroo on the side of the road (alive !!) standing up to bid us farewell as we headed home.

It's days like this that I love, jumping in car heading somewhere with a packed lunch and go exploring. We are so lucky to live in this country and need to do this more often. Until the next adventure xxxx

Berry Farm Day

Once a year Berry holds an annual farm day where the "city folk" can come along and check out all things farming. There are demonstrations, stalls, food, animals and heaps of fun things to see and do.

They had all sorts of animals there which is where we spent most of the time as E did not want to leave !! They had goats, alpacas, sheep, donkeys, dogs, chickens, ducks and a MASSIVE bull. There was plenty to see and do and lots of farming equipment to buy. Tractors come in all shapes and sizes !

Told you he was massive. E loved him but was a little cautious !!

The kids also enjoyed hoping into a mock helicopter and also trying out their fire fighting skills with the local rural fire service.

The only problem with the day was that there had been a massive amount of rain in the few days leading up to the show and we were also there on the second day. This resulted in a VERY muddy paddock and some well coated shoes by the end. It really was a case of watch your step and look out for any dry or semi dry patches of grass !!! Note for next time, take gumboots !!!