Hazel trying out her new swimming goggles in the bath.

April 6th. Today we headed out to Gawsworth, on the way to Macclesfield, to take Hazel to a park that she has been asking to go to. She spotted it from the car on our way home from nursery recently. It was a very nice little park, spotlessly clean and vandalism free. Let's hope it stays that way!

Hazel at the Congleton Leisure Centre swimming pool.

Picking up after the family's trip to America... May 27th: We met Frank, Eileen, Helen and the three boys at Stockley Working Farm in Arley, Cheshire (http://www.stockleyfarm.co.uk/). From the car park you pile onto a wagon with bales of hay along the sides as seats and are towed by a big tractor to the farm a couple of minutes' drive away. Once at the farm there was lots to see and do with extra entertainment on for the Bank Holiday. Hazel watched lambs and 1-week-old goat kids being bottle fed, held a lovely baby rabbit, met the two huge Gloucester old spot pigs called Bubble and Squeak...

(Is that a pathetic look or what?)

...watched sheep being sheared, rode a carousel and a pig-themed train ride, drove around with her cousins on tractor ride-on toys, played on an enormous bouncy castle, had her face painted like a fairy, and stood with me while a falcon flew onto my gloved arm.

That's Joseph (Batman) hanging upside down.

Spiderman is Matthew.

Adam a bit too young for face-painting.

Helen and Joseph watching Matthew swing.

Macclesfield Beer Festival. A great time was had by all.

Also, Hazel and I made sugar cookies the other weekend.

Very tasty, full of food colouring and coloured sugar. Yum.

We took a walk on the canal last weekend too, so here are a few pastoral pictures.