WENDENS AMBO near Cambridge, Essex UK 22-30 April

FRIDAY 22 April

We are leaving the continent today and hopping over the Channel to the UK.  We are booked onto the 10am ferry however when we arrived at the arrival/customs gates at 9.40am, we were told that we needed to be here one hour prior to our ferry (9am) and that we were now booked onto the 12pm ferry.  They said we could still try for the 10am and luckily enough we were one of the last cars to make it onboard, phew, we didn’t want to have to sit in the car for another 2 hours waiting for the next ferry.

Leaving France

10am, the ferry backed out, we were leaving French soil finally.  The crossing took 2 hours and we went back an hour in time as we crossed over.  As we reached the English coast, we could see in the distance the White Cliffs of Dover.  As we got closer and closer they grew more impressive. 

We landed in Dover and simply drove our car off and up the freeway, there was no border control checking or even a glance, we didn’t even have to hand over the landing card we had to fill in.  Oh well, we are here now.  As we headed up closer to London, we joined the M25 orbital motorway which is not a wise choice on Good Friday.  We sat in standstill traffic for at least 1 hour.  Finally we got off the M25 and made it to Cambridge a little while later.  We had a late lunch and enjoyed the glorious sunshine and then excitedly headed to Ian & Sal’s place about 20 mins south of Cambridge.  We were excited to get there.  They live in the quainest of quaint villages called Wendens Ambo and their street is called Duck Street.  Too quaint for words.  We wound down through the thatched cottages and crooked buildings until we found their house; Kingfisher House.  A toot from the Aussies had the Pommies out front to greet us (Ian is an Aussie, but becoming more and more 'pommified' as the years go by - sorry Ian!)).

Sal cooked a lovely English dinner and we enjoyed having a backyard, toys for the kids and space.  We are here for a lovely long week.

SATURDAY 23 April

We woke to the most glorious hot day - incredible for this time of year.  We packed up a picnic and headed to the Common near the village Saffron Walden.  We lay in the park for a while, ate a lovely lunch and then took the kids through the maze.  Jack had it sorted in no time.  It was Sal’s Dad’s birthday so they came over for a BBQ and the kids enjoyed playing in the yard and splashing around in the wading pool and as the sun set slowly, we enjoyed a bottle of Moet with great company.  Sal and I were tired but Ian and Corky weren’t so at 11.30pm they went to a 40^th party two doors down.  Sal and I might as well have been there because the music thumped through the walls of the house anyway.  The boys finally got in sometime around 3.30am.

Fairall's House

SUNDAY 24 April

Easter morning!  The Easter Bunny excelled himself and found our 4 kids in a little village in the UK.  Impressive!

Despite Ian and Corky’s late night (or early morning), we were up and all out of the house at 9.15am because the village church bells were tolling and calling us to the Easter Church service.  After the service, there was an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt in the church gardens.  The kids were well satisfied once we had found the treasure.

Back home, we packed for another picnic on another beautiful day (but thankfully not as hot) and first went to bluebird woods where hidden amongst many trees were glorious blooming bluebird flowers everywhere.  From here we went to a green with a pub next to it and got a lovely beer from the pub and sat on the green while we ate out lunch, the kids played and Ian threw a boomerang around, I am sure much to the enjoyment of the English watching.

Sal cooked a superb roast Turkey for dinner, but before we ate, Ian, Corky, the kids and I went for a lovely evening walk around the winding country lane from their house.  It wound past beautiful old houses that lent too much to one side, lovely big open fields, old cobbled walled fences and over the train track where we waited for the train to fly past.  We looked like a comic act with the kids changing their mode of transport every couple of hundred metres … from Ian or Corky’s shoulders, to the back of the bike I was riding, to the little pink bicycle, to the little blue trike or walking on their own.  It took us an hour to do the circuit but we spotted many bunny’s in the fields which was highly appropriate for Easter Sunday.

MONDAY 25 April

Easter Monday and Anzac Day.  We all started off slow this morning, enjoying pancakes for breakfast.  The sun was out and shining but the wind was quite cold.  Corky and I went on the walk around the Wenden circuit again this morning and managed to do it in 30 minutes without all our little tag-alongs.  We packed up another picnic and went down to the glorious Audley End House at lunchtime.  It truly is a stunning building on a stunning estate.  The house stands on the site of a Benedictine Abbey founded between 1139 and 1143.  In 1538 the buildings and land were given to Thomas Audley who was Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor.  Hence the name Audley End House.  At one stage it was a royal palace for Charles II.  In the early 18^th Century, restoration work was undertaken by Sir John Griffin Griffin and what you see today is largely thanks to him (though I think the people who named him had a stutter due to his double last name!!).  During WW2, the Polish occupied the house for some of their military training.

After spreading our belongings over majority of the green in front of the house and having our picnic lunch, we went for a walk to the horse stables built in 1880 and then took the kids to the playground while we enjoyed a coffee.  Jack and I then had a look through Audley House and then met the others at the kids train ride.  Home for fish and chips and kids to bed for an early night.

WEDNESDAY 27 April

Today we went to Stonehenge, it is incredible to see these 5000 year old rocks in person.  It has been about 18 years since I have seen them last, and no, they haven't changed a bit.

THURSDAY 28 April
Today we went into London to meet up with Richard (Harry's Godfather - and this was the first time they met) and also Mel Doyle who was over here televising for the wedding.  Madi finally had her 2 Godparents together with her for the first time - Mel & Ian.

Regent Street

Regent Street

In Starbucks at Regent Street

We walked the wedding route that William and Kate were taking tomorrow.

10 Downing Street

A little someone we ran into ....!

Westminster Abbey

ROYAL WEDDING DAY - 29 April
We woke at 5.15am and were on the 6.10am train into London.  Once at Liverpool Street, we got the tube to St James' Park and then went and secured our spot for the morning to see the Royal Wedding go by.  We were situated at where the changing of the Horse Guard happens and we had a great vantage point to see everyone go by.  We stayed in this spot for 4.5 hours - standing the whole time and the kids go to sit on the fence and get a great view.  We saw everyone .... the Queen, William, Harry, Bridesmaids, other Royals, Charles & Camilla, dignataries and Prime Ministers and of course Kate.  It was incredible and the atmosphere was fantastic.  There were speakers so we could hear the whole service and the crowds sang along to the hymns and God Save the Queen and also gave a big cheer when Will and Kate were pronounced man and wife.  We are so glad we decided to go into the London to actually be there.

Kids viewpoint of wedding

Once all the procession had gone past after the service, we joined the millions and went down the Mall to see if we could see everyone on the Buckingham Palace balcony.  We got as far at the statue in front of the Palace but then got stuck because of the crowds and couldn't move any closer.  Never mind, we were right there for the 'kiss' and also the flyover of the jets.

Crowd in Mall for 'the kiss'

Fabulous Day!!  xx