Framlingham Castle.

I’ve been wanting to go here for ages and not got round to it; it was an excellent opportunity for an Eastern Clique meet up too 🙂 We ended up meeting with Em and her 3, Michelle and Chloe, Jax with Big and Small and WF H with her 2 girls. My lot had a complete ball.

The journey down was a bit slow although i enjoyed the last slow winding road to the castle and got there without hassle. Parking was nearly tricky (and i accidentally turned the wrong way into a one way street!) but we met everyone nice and easily and went in. Unfortunately the weather was alternately sunny, windy and rainy in quite dramatic quantities but it didn’t spoil the day really.

There was a crime and punishment day being run by a couple of highwaymen, which was excellent and all the kids joined in with most of it.

They won best ambush with their “Maddy as weeping maiden” set up 😆

I was a little alarmed later when Amelie and Maddy both successfully picked my purse out of my handbag without me noticing! 😯

We had a good showing in the horse racing

and Michelle and i competed in the mums race!

We did the audio tour, which all the kids enjoyed. The younger 3 all listened to the Horrible Histories style version and loved that and they were all enthralled by it. Nice to have them all old enough to make the most of such things. The wall walk was hagh but (as jax promised) not as scary as it looked!

I was really glad to go as i’ve recently read The Time of Singing by Elizabeth Chadwick which was about Roger Bigod who built/rebuilt the castle after his fathers conflict with Henry II mean it was torn down. It was quite emotional to stand on the very walls he had built in 1190-1215 (ish!) and think of all the things he had to cope with (standing against King John) plus everything that has happened since. Mary Tudor rallied her troops against Lady Jane Grey from Framlingham – i got a tear in my eye looking down at the grounds and imagining it all.

And you can only chuckle at those 12century crenellated ramparts with Tudor fake chimneys stuck on them to make it look less military and more domestic by the grim Howard family. Imagine what modern day planning consent would make of that!

We then had a lovely end of day with Em and WF’s at their house (thank you!!!!!) and a late journey home, missing (i believe) a bit of a sticky A14 moment.

And now i have caught up 🙂