England Day 7

Wow!  David and Jacqui had planned a full day for us! We started out early to go to a Thomas the Train event in a nearby town.  How lucky that it it happened to be on the same weekend that we were there!  As far as I know, it was the girls' first train ride.  We got to ride the train between two stations, get off and have a snack, then reboard and ride back to the original station to play on the Thomas bounce house. 

David and Jacqui

Mama and Papa

Uncle Stephen couldn't resist sticking his head out the window as we rode along.

Cool!

Papa Paul and Delaney

The next place we went was called Hesketh Farm.  It was such a neat place - kind of like a pumpkin farm on steroids but without the pumpkins and with lots of livestock :)  It was so well-run and clean.  I had two favorite parts:  one was the "maternity ward" where mama sheep were either preparing to give or had just given birth , the other was the gorgeous view of the countryside.  It was perfectly geared towards kids our girls' ages.  We spent a couple of hours and ate lunch there.

Delaney snuggles a guinea pig.

Harper almost squeezed hers to death (out of love!) before Aunt Gaye saved it.

There were several mama pigs and their piglets.  A kind of unsettling part of the farm were the signs telling how old the piglets were and at what age or weight they would be sold to the butcher down the road :(

They had buckets with coarse brooms on them that we could use to scratch the pigs' backs.  Lots of signs telling us how razor-sharp pig teeth are.  Who knew?

Lots of open land for kids to run and tables for picnics.

Delaney met a new friend at the top of the rope tower.

See what I mean about the view?

Love this girl!

and this one!!

Our last stop of the day was to the Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm.  Interesting name.  It turns out that it was decorated as a 50's-style diner and the restaurant served "American" food like pancakes, hamburgers, shakes, malts, etc.  I almost wish I would have waited to eat lunch there instead of just having dessert.  Allan got chocolate, Harper got strawberry with sprinkles, and Delaney got bright blue bubblegum ice cream.  Jacqui ordered pancakes with Nutella and bananas.  Harper loved them and has had them for breakfast since we got back home.  Great place!

The coffee bar part of the restaurant was actually an airstream trailer.  Cool!