Last weekend's adventures:

August is a remarkably beautiful time to be in England and we are taking full advantage of the pleasant weather. This last weekend we kept up with our never-ending sight-seeing by staying closer to home...

First stop was an old favourite - Old Hunstanton Beach in Norfolk County. Though the North Sea can be quite chilly, particularly on a windy day, we quite enjoyed watching the surfers with their little parachutes. We also built sand castles and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Next stop:

Rockingham Castle

This remarkable castle, built on the instruction of William the Conqueror, has been the Watson family's home for 450 years. Prior to the Watsons' ownership, the Castle belonged to the Royal Family. It was bequeathed to the Watsons by Henry VIII. There are very few other homes that have been continuously occupied for nearly 1000 years and within that time been owned by just one family since being relinquished as a royal castle. I think this is a particularly extraordinary aspect of Rockingham's long and fascinating story. The castle is now home to James Saunders Watson, his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children. On certain days it is open for public viewing... and we managed to get there on one of those days.

Mom and the girls at the main hall entrance.

Ever wondered what an original castle toilet looked like?
(Or what might still be inside?)

Pictured on the flag is the mythical Griffin - a creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. It is the official mascot of Rockingham Castle (and is even inscribed on the dessert china). The girls each got a puzzle sheet for the tour which required them to locate the Griffin's missing armour around the castle. As they did so, they got to tick it off and at the end, they each got a castle badge for being good helpers.

We love exploring English gardens, they are an unlimited buffet of sensory experiences. Not only can you see and smell the most beautiful plants ever, you can also feel a variety of neat textures. Above: We feel the soft fuzziness of "lamb's ear."

Views of the English countryside from atop Rockingham Castle.

On our way home from Rockingham, we stopped at an English Heritage site (free entry since we are English Heritage Members): the Lyddington Bede House.Set beside the church of a picturesque ironstone village, Lyddington Bede House originated as the late medieval wing of a palace belonging to the Bishops of Lincoln. By 1600 it had passed to Sir Thomas Cecil, son of Queen Elizabeth's chief minister, who converted it into an almshouse for twelve poor 'bedesmen' over 30 years old and two women (over 45), who all supposedly had lunacy, leprosy or the French pox.

Inside, we enjoyed reading of the Christmas Feast of 1240, when the aforementioned Bishops of Lincoln gathered together. It is recorded that they ate more than 2,200 oxen, several hundred fowl, and thousands of "galleons" of wine. No vegetables, for it was said to "engender wind." Heaven forbid! 'Tis much better to have a bunch of carniverous drunken clergy...

This is the inside view of the slate roof at the Lyddington Bede House. If you click on the photo, you can view it full-screen and perhaps make out the little knobs of wood tacked inside each slate piece that actually hold it on. Fascinating!

This is inside one of the Bedesmen's rooms. Cozy, don't you think?