The age of steam!!

I spent the day at Audley End Miniature Railway near Saffron Walden with Alison, Max and Annie.

There was great excitement as they arrived to collect me from home and to see B. The last time B saw Max he was a little bundle accompanied by an oxygen cylinder, so it was good to see this energetic little boy full of questions and chat. Max wanted to see our garden and agreed with my view that it's not child friendly!! No grass, no toys, no trampoline and lots of steps!!

He has a thing about knowing "what can you see out of the bedroom window", so we did the round of all the windows. He has an amazing memory, so it will be interesting to see what things impressed him most and he talks about in the future.

We headed for Audley End, a much more child friendly environment!! The bouncy castle was a major hit which worked up an appetite for the picnic that I had taken with us. A bit of liaison with Alison made sure I had things they would enjoy. Got that right as Max "the picky eater" polished off more food that I have ever seen him eat!!

The 15 minute train ride was a new experience for Annie and both kids enjoyed looking for the toy animals in hides throughout the grounds.

Tea and cupcakes was called for after the ride. Annie did the taste test and approved!!

Then back to the bouncy castle to meet up with the friends that they had made earlier in the afternoon. Max is everyone's friend and very sociable to kids and parents alike!! He introduced us as "My Mum" and "My Rona" to all and sundry!!

By the time we got home Annie was crashed out in her car seat and after I'd updated B on the events of the afternoon, I sat down with a cup of coffee, followed Annie's example and fell asleep!!