Thulani back in Dorset

DORSET ENGLAND:

Day fifteen: Sherborne

Abbey:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherbornehttp://www.sherborneabbey.com
Today I took Thulani and Mlle Lapin to Sherborne as they were keen to see where the Queen had been to visit only a few weeks earlier. I think he was quite sad to have missed out on meeting the Queen of England as she took her special jubilee tour. And just after that the Olympic torch passed through Sherborne as well! Thulani and Mlle Lapin enjoyed looking at the exquisite architecture and were especially impressed by the fan vaulted ceilings.

I think Mlle Lapin is getting very hopeful that Thulani will propose and he certainly doesn't seem to be averse to the idea as you can see from the photo!

Day sixteen: Fish buying.
My eldest son is a keen animal lover and has a passion for fish keeping. His current tank count is six!

Today we purchased three new Siamese fighting fish. They are all male and have to be kept separately or they will kill each other. They are very pretty little fish that can breath air as well as having gills. This is as they sometimes have to survive in extreme conditions when water is in short supply and may end up living in a small puddle until heavy rains come. They live a short life and breed prolifically in the wild and are quite hardy as fish go. they come in various colours, ours are red blue and a sort of silvery/purple.

Thulani in Dorset Day 1-6

Day one:
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,

Thulani in Dorset

Thulani has arrived to stay with us, the Danby family. We are Karen (mum) Alastair (dad) Sophie (eldest daughter) Rufus (eldest son) Joe (10yrs) and Mimi (4yrs).

We live in Chetnole a little rural village in the county of Dorset in the south of England. At the heart of the village is our Church, village hall and the Chetnole Inn not forgetting the Playing field.

Dad Alastair works in the nearby town of Sherborne (which is about 7 miles away) and the children go to school there too. Eldest daughter Sophie works in the village next to us called Leigh, in a care home for the elderly, although she will be heading off to Leeds university in September to start her medical degree.

St Peters church Chetnole:

The 15th century tower is the location of some interesting gargoyles. One depicts a huge demon with heads where its eyes should be. Another of the gargoyles appears to be straining in a somewhat constipated manor. The nave and the north aisle dates from the 13th century and the chancel from about 1860.

The Village Hall is a small hall which is utilized for many meetings, clubs and keep fit activities. Every Wednesday morning a coffee morning is held and some local produce is on sale along with the availability of post office facilities. A traveling Library van visits Chetnole too!

We do not have a train station as most people would imagine but we have what is called a halt, which means that if we want to catch a passing train we have to flag it down like you would a taxi!! The children love this, as in the summer we occasionally take the train to Weymouth beach for the day, returning after a fish and chip supper on the seafront. We also occasionally take the train to Bath(famous for its Roman Baths) for shopping, rugby watching and visiting our friends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chetnole_railway_station

We love to go to the Chetnole Inn for lunch or supper as the food is delicious and Mimi likes to visit the giant rabbit that lives in their garden. http://www.thechetnoleinn.co.uk She also likes to go to the playing field to have fun on the swings and slide before heading home to Neals Lane in Chetnole.