As planned, on Friday lunchtime I headed off to the East Anglian Beer Festival in the Corn Exchange. I was there by 12:30 and things were still remarkably quiet...
But it son filled up and by mid-afternoon was getting quite lively. It is a lovely setting with the sunshine streaming through the skylights.
By 4:30 I had sampled a fair few beers. If I tell you the average price was £1.30 per 1/2 pint you can maybe work it out from the number of beer cards...
And then it was time for the walk home through the Abbey Gardens and across the river then along the path round St James' Middle School. The Cherry blossom is at its peak here...
Then it was across the A14 via the footbridge, along Shakers Lane and up the hill to collect the little ones from After-School club on the way. A great 1/2 day's holiday!
From my favourite brewer, Adnams, a Carbon-Neutral beer!
We were there a few weeks earlier than other years so got the blossom at its finest... 
...and a wonderful show of carpets of wood anenomes...
...and bluebells.
We also found plenty of early purple orchids...
...and even some early peacock butterflies.
But what we were really there to catch was the pretty and rare (for the UK) Oxlips...
They are out in abundance now - go and see them before it's too late.
Just across the River Stour from there is the end of the Valley Walk and I had come prepared by downloading and printing off the leaflet. The main walk follows the path of the disused railway - the old Stour Valley line of the Great Eastern Railway that linked Colchester with Bury St Edmunds. 
But we wanted a circular walk rather than just there and back to Sudbury, so about half way along we turned left onto a path down to the river. Here we found an eyrar of swans...
Is that the right collective noun? Maybe it should be a gargle? Whatever...
But we were soon back down to the River Stour...
...a bit of recurring theme in our Suffolk/Essex walks this holiday.
...Little Miss clutching her collection of swan feathers. Another good walk. And, what with their 3 1/2 mile walk around Clare in the morning that should have tired the kids out for the day!
But we did the Clare Circular Walk instead. We were soon out of the town. "We're going through a Blossom Tunnel", exclaimed Little W...
Spring flowers were to be found everywhere. Here are some cowslips looking fresh and cheerful...
The walk takes you out first north of the town then back and out again past Clare Camp to the Common.
It was a bit drizzly, but we still had good view of the town and castle as we headed back.
The walk returns to the Country Park via this bridge over the River Stour...
A good walk with some lovely country scenes. "I was wrong", said The Missus. "That was a delightful walk". Now for that picnic. But no, let's not have it in the Country Park...
We decided we would forgo the £17.50 to get into the Anglo-Saxon Village and concentrate on the craft market and Egg Hunt. The craft market turned out to be quite modest, but the kids loved this stall with its variety of precious stones.
And so to the Egg Hunt...
Quite simple really. The task was to match up the pictures of the eggs with the pictures of the birds that lay them. But first you had to find the clues. Fortunately, a map is provided to help you find your way. Ooo look, Little Miss has spotted one...
Little W was also taking part. This one was number 4. 
And as for number 6...
Who knows what bird this is from? We do! And they got a prize of a West Stow water bottle each for getting them all right.
We thought we would go for a walk while she was partying at Bradfield Woods. But by the time we were half-way there from Elmswell the view out the car window was this...
Well I don't mind walking in a bit of rain, but not monsoon conditions!
Yes. It does look busy here, but that's because the fire alarm had gone off and everybody had to get out the buildings. If you look carefully, you will see the Fire Engine parked at the corner.
Eggs are set on little mounds of sand and the dancers skip from one end of the rows to the other, lifting their knees and singing (of course) "Knees up Mother Brown". 
Dainty feet that they have, they managed to kick 3 eggs off their mounds without breaking any of them.
Eventually we had to go. But not before spending the last of our Victorian money in the sweet shop!
An excellent day out. Must try the egg dancing at home next Easter!
Yes. They wanted to go ice-skating. We got there just before 11am and there were no queues and we got straight on!
Little W has got the hang of it now. He fell on his bottom only 3 times. See if you can spot the three of them together on the ice.
The last time we were there it was on a Wednesday and house wasn't open, but yesterday, being a Thursday, it was. The kids enjoyed trying to find the mice hidden about the house, while I enjoyed seeing the story of the restoration they have done.
Meanwhile I just missed gettign to see inside the walled garden as they wre closing for the day. Rats! Must go back another time.
Do you think Little W was feeling the cold wind at all? Then we carried on to Carding Mill Valley to climb up The Long Mynd. Here we are at the division of paths... 
...where we turned left up to the Long Spout waterfall.
...and even when we had our picnic we had a sheep in attendance...
Then it was on via a drive through Corve Dale to Dudmaston Hall. The banks in the grounds are great for roly-polys, and the little ones couldn't resist.
After touring the house we ended up in the old kitchen where they could all practise their drawing. Here's Little Miss in action...
My plan worked! It tired them out so much I had a very peaceful eveing to myself after they had gone of early to bed. Let's see if I can repeat the trick today. They are certainly struggling to get up this morning!
Rather helpfully, there is a sign telling you where to stand to take your own Haywain picture...
Who pinched the wagon?
...so the view from across the other side of the river isn't too close to the original painting.
... at the Red Lion in East Bergholt for some lunch. The food was excellent, as was the Greene King Hare Raiser
Cheers!
