Kielder (part 2)

So following on from my last post, we headed to Kielder in the car.  We timed it quite well as the heavens opened as we drove, following the waters edge.

Luckily when we parked at Kielder, the rain stopped.  However we then discovered that the little clip that  secures Elsa in the carrier had gone missing.  Given that she was trying to climb out of it even with it on there was no way we could risk using it without her secured in!!  So it was time to test her newly walking little legs! ...and it was quite a test!

First of all we made our way to Kielder Castle.

After our two tour guides checked the route!

We headed past the castle and down a path to the side, through the trees we found the Minotour Maze, by Nick Coombe and Shona Kitchen 2003.

This fantastic maze is made of gabions full of local stone.  You can see the centre, made up of contrasting recycled glass, poking over the top.  I can imagine, on a day where you can actually see the sun, this would be stunning, glistening, next to the grey stone.

Elsa loved toddling round!

George was so pleased with himself when he found the middle!  So pleased he had to do it again, and again, and again......

I found the contrast between the hard industrial gabions and the soft dry stone walls covered in moss and ferns beautiful.

We then made our way back to the castle and sat in the drizzle eating ice creams!

We had a wonderful day, despite the weather, and will definitely be heading back to see what else we can discover.  

Here is a link to see all the current art works at Kielder Water. 

County Show 2011

Today we visited Northumberland's County Show in Corbridge. Unfortunately Ian was working so he was unable to come. This meant 1) I had to carry Elsa in her carrier the whole day and now my shoulder muscles are now making me pay! and 2) we had to get the train to Corbridge, which I think was the highlight of the day for George!

We haven't made it to the show before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the sea of parked cars that had flooded the fields surrounding the rugby ground should have given us a clue as to how big this was going to be!

First stop was the marque with all the poultry and small animals. It was incredibly noisy with all the cock-a-doodling, but George was fascinated with all the different kinds of birds. I'm not sure what Elsa thought of it all, but she made lots of chatty noises and kept putting her hand on my shoulder and leaning to see past my head, so I guess she liked it!

We then carried on and saw the horses, cows, and sheep. We especially liked this guy with the curly horns!

I had been told that at 12.15, the 'Monster Trucks' would be putting on a show in the main arena, so we got our positions in plenty of time so George could see. Half an hour we waited, with Elsa screaming because she was tired, the trucks came out revved their engines and George decided it was too loud and he wanted to go! George really really dislikes any kind of loud noise. I'm not sure where this has come from or why it has developed, and I'm not sure what to do about it either!!

So we made our way back to the train station, via the ice cream van! I tried to have a little look in the craft marque but that was not an option!

One thing I hadn't predicted was how many dogs there were going to be. A cat scratched George's hand on the way back from nursery a few months ago and turned our little boy who loved both cats and dogs into a boy that would run to the other side of the street when he saw one, if he could. So I spent the whole day holding his hand, reassuring him, and trying to drag him out of between my legs. In some ways a bit of caution is a good thing, George would think any cat would enjoy having its tail pulled, however I hope this extreme terror is something he is able to overcome.

After a very very long walk back up the hill and a special tea of spaghetti to recharge, George and Elsa really played together for the first time. George was playing tigers, Elsa was his little cub and he was looking after her, Elsa was really enjoying crawling after and being chased by George while making growling noises! I'm gutted my phone was out of power so I couldn't take any pictures or film, and I couldn't find my camera, next time I will capture it. (or more likely trying to capture will ruin the moment as both of them try to grab hold of the camera!)

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