On the Trains

We've had such a fabulous day on the Severn Valley Railway today. It's such a lovely weekend with a wonderful atmosphere.
Annoyingly it was boiling hot like last year -  over 30 degrees. I know I shouldn't moan about hot weather but anything over 23 tips me over the edge!! And it was made all the more annoying by being about ten degrees hotter than yesterday and much hotter than tomorrow's forecast.
We went to Bewdley first. For ice cream, cake and tea, and a browse at some of the bric-a-brac stalls. My mum and dad bought loads of stock and I bought a lovely red blanket. To remind me of the million degree heat when I snuggle under it in winter!
The waiting room as lovely and cool so we sat in there waiting for the next train.
On the way down to Kidderminster we passed the most incredible fields of poppies I've ever seen. I have never seen anything like it - fields of red stretching off as far as the eye could see!
Kidderminster station was amazing! Corned beef sandwiches (which I've been looking forward to since last year!, fabulous 1940s singers, an original WHSmiths, an old grocers and a bomb shelter. It really is like stepping back in time.
We got the train back up to Arley and, defeated by the heat like last year, made the most of the shade in the beautiful station garden. My mum, Mrs L and I did venture over to get ice creams and my mum and I stayed to watch the "wedding". A full re-enactment of a 1940s wedding on the platform. Obviously I had  bit of heatstroke because my mum had to point out to me that the priest was just a man in a costume when I was confused as to why the couple weren't actually married.
It was about a billion degrees on the platform and I actually thought I was going to faint so it was time to get back to the shade.
Mr K, Mr B and Mrs L got off the next train at Hampton Loade and took the little people and dogs back to the campsite. (You can just see our campers on the top of the hill to the right of the signal box) Hay fever had reared its ugly head and Mr T and Miss E were suffering. 
My mum, dad and I stayed on and went up to Bridgenorth (sitting in the 1930's dining carriage and drinking the most vile drink I've ever had - shandy made with lukewarm larger and Sprite. Nasty, nasty, nasty!!!!!!!, It was my dad's idea as they'd run out of everything normal!! Then it was back down to Bewdley to collect all our shopping.
Then, enough was enough and it was time to head back to the campsite ourselves. My dad was a bit overcooked so we rang Mr B to come down to the station and get us in his truck. His wonderful air conditioned freezing cold truck!!
Mr K and Mr B had already got going with the barbecues and we had the most delicious dinner. Lots of barbecued meat and Mr B's amazing jambalaya (cue lots of Gypsy King singing!!!) made over coast in his Dutch oven. Impressive stuff.
What a brilliant day! The kids love hanging out of the windows on the "old fashioned" trains and sitting in Harry Potter-esque carriages. It's like a different world.