The Dawn family meets the Skywatcher family (again)

[Dawn]

OK here we go. We'd planned to get together again for a while and the last day of the Easter holidays worked so it was off to Herstmonceux Castle and Science Centre aka the Space Castle for a mini-Secrets meet.

Herstmonceux Castle has to be the worst signposted castle in the whole history of castles. And we weren't helped by the fact that Steven insisting on mapreading and holding the map upside down. We pretty much arrive on time and pull in to the entrance right behind the Family Skywatcher.

Fifty two hours later the woman in the ticket booth figures out how to work the card machine and we're off to park outside the Science Centre.

You enter through the gift shop - Disney could learn from this as the boys were immediately in raptures and started pleading for some plastic trinket or other. We were delayed slightly by Chris not understanding the instruction "SLIDE" on the door but soon we were in and back out again and you start in the outside water garden.

Lisa doesn't know how to work the Archimedes screw.

[Skywatcher]

Oh great start

[Dawn]

It was decidedly nippy so the slightly damp boys were forcibly removed from the water stuff and taken inside where there were tons of buttons to press and switches to switch and things to do and it was totally awesome.

We did this.



And this



And the boys did this



Then the other boy joined in.



Lisa did some balancing and easily beat my score of 0.1 seconds.



Steven built a globe



The boys made a stained glass window with only minimal brutality toward each other.



Adrian made a pretty pattern



Steven and Matthew spend hours mastering the Seige Cannon while singularly failing to knock any blocks from their target. In fact Matthew managed to shoot his cannonball backwards over his shoulder. I have still to work out how but he did it several times. Show off!



I just plugged into my Borg regeneration chamber.

[Dawn]

Oh oh oh the funniest bit was watching Lisa trying to put the internal organs into the human body.

What side does the stomach go on again??

[MystikPiglit]

That looks like a very interesting place.

[Dawn]

Outside into the not so cold now for the ummmm...outside bit. A voice from nowhere announced a bubble show starting in 5 minutes. We debated going to it because it was inside a tent and may have been warm but we didn't go despite a second plea from the voice from mid air.

Thomas found a girlfriend.

Steven and Matthew play with the biggest anti climax experiment thing in the history of science.



The grown ups just kind of stood around commenting on the weather.

Then there was this.



Which we all sat and watched for a bit.



Then it was a bit of stroll into the observatories to look at the telescopes. Didn't stay in there long as Chris and Adrian were getting lens envy. And besides, the boys wanted to get back to that water play area to get proper water over them. I tried to build a little dam but it had several leaks until Thomas pointed out my structural engineering deficiecies.

OK so it's now lunchtime and we have picnics and it's now warm enough to sit outside and eat so we hop into cars and drive down to the castle car park.

Via the gift shop.

[Dawn]

As we walk from the cars to a picnic spot Lisa shows me something.

Something you've all been waiting forever to see.

WATER FOX!!!!!!

[foreverducky]

Looks like a good day! Thank you for sharing!

[Dizneyblonde]

Looks like you all had a fab time!

[Dawn]

Lunch eaten so it's off for a walk around the castle grounds.



Lots more bits for the boys to run around and play in.







I wander into some cool trees with the boys to have a look and we find a "tree car"



Lovely grounds to walk around with lots of little things to stumble upon like the circle of logs with rune symbols on. Boys wore themselves out running around this. Quick chat with the peacocks and we headed back to the cars. Thomas is showing random strangers the hidden Mickey we found in one of the cool chestnut trees and drawing strange looks.

We head back to Chez Skywatcher for a welcome beverage. We have a quick peer through the special "look at the sun" telescope which was really cool even though apparently the sun wasn't performing for us. I thought it looked awesome.

Matthew is showing Steven his Bakugan collection. Thanks, now Steven wants at least 60 of them despite never seeing the TV programme.

Thomas starts to show me his cubes. At first it's cool. We start with the standard rubiks cube and he demonstrates how he can do that cube and how his record compares with the world record. Then he gets another cube and does the same. Then I start to get a little anxious. Then the cubes become more and more complex. I start to back away nervously but he's following me saying "wait you haven't met the awesome power of the 7 square cube yet" and "look at this mighty one" It was scary witnessing that kind of intelligence up close. I'm glad I don't share a house with it.

Then Lisa gets the Discovery Cove photos out. There's talk of how it's worth every penny and how you get 2 meals and all your drinks free and then Lisa utters the words - CARPE DIEM! I'll have to check the website.

Quick wander round the corner to grab the local geocache and to admire the Mazda while the boys play together in the garden. Sadly it's time to go now as it's a school day tomorrow. We had a lovely day and it was a wonderful way to round off the school holiday.

Next stop - Bodiam Castle.