Weathered

It was hard to choose a photo from today's day out. We took a steam train from Rolvenden station to Bodiam on the Kent and East Sussex Steam Railway, visiting the castle at the far end. 

Rolvenden station is quite lovely, decorated with period - I'm not sure *which* period - signs for Cadbury's chocolate, Colman's mustard and so on, as well as original railway signs and features, such as the 'train approaching' bell. And, as you might imagine, the staff are all very enthusiastic and delighted to talk about the line, stations and trains.

The trains are gorgeous, too; lots of wood and old fashioned sliding windows, and it must be said, more comfortable than a Virgin pendolino. And when we came to a halt at Bodiam and the Minx opened the window so she could lean out to open the door, I was reminded of when I first used to travel up to London (and the time I made an inelegant recovery on platform 2 at Waterloo station, disembarking while the train was still in motion and, in fact, still going a little faster than I'd anticipated!).

At Bodiam station there are lots of old trains and carriages, perhaps beyond repair. I love the way the natural materials have weathered. No plastic will age so beautifully or manage to retain some elegance whilst in decline. This fellow, with all the hues of red and pink was my favourite.

The castle was great, too. The National Trust have done a commendable job with it and we all enjoyed looking around and listened to surprisingly interesting talk about stone masonry, given by a lady in period costume. It made me realise what a great age the kids are now for a holiday like this. (There was a lovely half hour or so on Monday evening when they all just lay around outside reading their books.)