Sparsholt College, Hampshire

This week we decided to do something very different and took ourselves off to Sparsholt College.

We chose to go on the Lambing Weekend and it was so lovely so see all the baby lambs just born. We were lucky that Saturday was a really nice day, we knew the forecast for Sunday was not so good.  It was due to open at 9.30 so got there in good time and it paid off to be early. It cost £5 each to go in, with no extra charge for parking.  There were tractors and mini buses to take you from the car park to where it was all happening. We went to the lambing shed first and there was lots of oohing and aahing going on and you can see why from these photos.

They were being born all the time but we weren't lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time. Some of these little ones were only minutes old.  They had a big screen in the shed with a camera focused on the ones who looked imminent. There was a lady going round with a microphone so that anyone who wanted could ask a question and the shepherd would answer. Very lovely, well organised morning.

There were also cows and horses to look at but we kept on going back to the lambing shed.

We did eventually get something to eat.  Not our usual brekkie but there were plenty of vans selling fast food.  We went for sausage and egg baguettes which turned out to be very tasty.

After we managed to drag ourselves away and because we had to get home for our own four legged friends we got on one of the tractors back to the car park.

We were very glad that we went early because by about eleven it was very busy.  Also when we were driving out, there was a queue of traffic coming in of probably a couple of miles.

We did a short walk in the afternoon around Warsash Common which is one of our favourites.

Didn't get any new photos so a few old ones. These are foot paths locally.

Well, that's it for this week, we'll see what we can come up with next week.   Margaret x 

The Pump House

Change of plan regarding our brekkie outing today. Headed over to Gosport, but our planned destination has been shut since Christmas - not not re-opening until tomorrow. Luckily we had a back up plan, and headed over to The Royal Clarence Yard off Weevil Lane. Had read good reviews for The Pump House, and found it relatively easily on the left,

Front view of The Pump House Coffee shop/cafe

and although it looks tiny and closed - there was an open sign luckily.

Lovely little café.

Hexagonal inside

Probably has about 6-7 small tables (more outside - if it ever stops raining!), but very friendly staff, great menu (cakes looked good!) and cheerful atmosphere .

Front of menu

£15 for a cooked breakfast for me, bubble and squeak (with egg and sausage) for Margaret, and 2 coffees.

Very filling

Freshly prepared and quick. Yummy! So another highly recommended in the Gosport area.

Still lots of local flooding around,

Stubbington still flooded

though luckily it didn't rain while were out for brekkie, or for our afternoon walkies.
Headed up to the farm fields off Posbrook Lane.

Heading through the over-wintering fields

2 mile walk which even the two oldies (Jake and Polly) really enjoyed and they all ran around madly.

Pol and Peg perusing the view

Definite perks having longer doggy legs!

Polly  the wobbliest - running on ahead!!!!

Happy Peggy!

Nice and soft underfoot, but a couple of areas just a tad muddy! Getting a bit used to wading through the mud now.

Jessie decided to walk through the muddiest possible bit!

White dog - shows mud. Bah.

Jake struggles through!

All dragged through a puddle at the end to wash off the worst of the mud.

Friendly locals!

Feet rinse in puddle end of walk...

Polly and Peg just get away with drying off with a towel (short haired dogs are the way forward!).
 Jake and Jessie??? Full shower in bath.

Call the RSPCA!!

Mitzi however stayed in the dry 'sipping ' her water from the tap.

This is the only way to get wet says Mitzi

Good Saturday jaunt planned for next week........ so tune in next week for a Spring theme with baaa...baaa....x

Post shower slumber...Zzzzz

The Greenwood Tree Lyndhurst

Yesterday we had a lovely morning out down in the New Forest.  We went to The Greenwood Tree in Lyndhurst. We just headed out and took pot luck on where we would find for breakfast and we made a very good choice.

The menu included all the normal choices plus a few different options which is always nice to see.

You can view the full menu from the link above.  We decided to go for the eggy bread, 2 slices, which was scrumptious.  It came with either fried banana or bacon but we chose to have both and we added a hash brown and a pot of maple syrup. Good job we only eat like this once a week and we always try to walk it off.

The price was quite good, it cost around £15 for the two of us, which included the extras and coffees.  Altogether very enjoyable.

We had a bit of a wander around Lyndhurst which was very quiet for a weekend, guess a lot of people have been put off by the weather of late.

Trying to decide which of these very posh cars to go for, we should be so lucky.

 As it turned out it was a lovely sunny day and although there was flooding in the forest, the roads were mostly clear.  We only came across one road closed. If fact the New Forest looked beautiful yesterday.  Here are a few photos.

We didn't see many horses, just a few brave donkeys and an unfortunate car in a ditch.

After we collected our dogs we took a walk around Warsash shore. It is a bit difficult to find anywhere to walk at the moment especially for my two with very short legs.  We started off in Strawberry fields and then walked along the path above the beach. Not too bad but two very muddy dogs to take home.

Polly and Peggy

Peggy with Jake and Jessie

Finders keepers?

The Strawberry fields

That's all for this week, see you again next time..............................Margaret x

The Bluebird Cafe Lee-on-the Solent

Pretty miserable week weather-wise to be in the UK, but it didn't stop us heading out to brekkie!
The wind had eased up this morning - but persistent heavy rain, so decided to go local to make sure we didn't get flooded in!

Headed through Titchfield and Stubbington down to Lee-on-the-Solent seafront. The Bluebird café is open all the year round

Wet and Windswept Lee-on-the-Solent beach front (and the Bluebird café)

 and looks out across the Solent.

Grey wet and windy view

 Subsequently it is quite an exposed entrance to get in when the weathers bad. In the summer it is usually heaving with multiple tables/chairs filled to capacity outside (and they serve icecream!).

Not many in - so we got served immediately. Both of us had the 'small' breakfast, which included beans/fried bread/3 rashers bacon/fried egg/bread and butter and milky coffee for £4.50 each.

 

Nice enough breakfast especially for the price (you get what you pay for!), though not the best quality. Very fatty bacon and soggy fried bread. But served up within 5 minutes of ordering. No pancakes served here, but a variety of larger fry-ups and other options (eggs on toast etc).

Quick wander around Lee - nice little shopping area located on one street. By the time we drove back the puddles had grown in size

Huge puddles on road to Stubbington

 

 - and the 'prone to flooding' small road through Titchfield looked like it was about to be closed

Small road cutting through Titchfield/over the river

 - as water levels were above the car wheels. The whole of Titchfield haven/plain is already looking like a lake!


'Lake' of floodwater developing on Titchfield Haven/fields

Quiet afternoon in for Margaret, Jake and Jessie. With their little legs (Jake and Jessie's, not Margaret's that is!!), the soggy ground is getting a bit much for them to walk on, so they went for a quiet walk around the local footpaths.

Polly went off to hydro, so Peggy and I headed

Drive faster!! want to chase things! .....

 

 for Whiteley pastures to give her a decent run. Luckily it didn't actually rain, but our usual footpaths through the forest were absolutely flooded. Had to wade through a foot of water  in some places,

Usually a narrow sandy path!

which emphasised my need to replace my leaking wellies, as I squelched all the way around!

Usually huge gap between a small stream and this footbridge - not today!

Definitely the weather to catch up on your sleep,

Jessie dreaming of chasing rabbits...

 

Polly dreaming of tennis balls and sausages

or personal admin/social media!

Jake logging on to his Facebook page (Aww - screensaver with his girlfriend Polly!)

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!! X