Late in the afternoon Thulani and Mlle Lapin arrive in their travel box sat on a tiny cushion snuggled together on the huge journal that is so much fatter than the first day it set out.
Day two:
A quiet morning then Thulani heads to street dance class with Mimi in Sherborne.
Day three: Thulani goes to school with Mimi.
Making new friends and drawing.
Mimi, Thulani, Mlle Lapin & Mimi’s best friend Clarendon.
Stopping for a drink and a snack. Then Time for some number work.
Day four:
Today Thulani and Mlle Lapin went to visit Cerne Abbas to see the Cerne Giant. We had a lovely chat with fellow travelers, Steve and Helena, who had come to see The Giant too.
The Cerne Giant is nearly 60 meters high and 51 meters wide. It is one of three ancient figures cut into the English chalk downlands, the others being the long man of Wilmington in East Sussex and the Uffington white horse in Berkshire. The giant is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and was given to the National Trust in 1920 to ensure its permanent protection.
Who is he?
The origin of the Giant is still unknown. Some believe that he represents the Roman god Hercules and is over 1,500 years old. Others suggest that the Giant is a caricature of Oliver Cromwell, and is only about 350 years old. This argument centers on the fact that there is no reference to the Giant in any historic documents until 1694.
Local folklore suggests that if you want to conceive a child you should try it on the Giant as he is purported to be a very strong fertility symbol. I can speak from experience as when I first moved to Dorset we rented a house in Cerne Abbas and within a month I was expecting my first baby! So with that in mind I didn’t take Thulani and Mlle Lapin too close...Mlle Lapin thought it was very romantic being in love near a hillside .....she is a rabbit after all!
Then we went to see reputedly at one time the smallest pub in England.
This little flint thatched building on the banks of the Cerne is typical of many old buildings throughout the valley. Tradition has it that King Charles II asked for a drink of ale/porter here when it was still a forge. On being told it had no license the King promptly granted it one so that the smith could oblige.
A pub called the Nutshell at Bury St Edmunds claimed also to be the smallest pub too and this led to a bit of rivalry and in 1982 a football match was held to settle the matter, unfortunately The Nutshell won and they also won the re-match.
Day five:
Ballet Class first, then off to the school fair, where Thulani enjoyed the bouncy castle and some pony riding but Thulani drew the line at blue ice lollies and face painting!
Day six: Packing for holidays then taking Sadie the dog to kennels. PANO STALOS,
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