Ellie disturbed a couple of times during the evening and night but with a quick cuddle went straight back to sleep. She woke as right as rain, with no recollection of her nocturnal interludes. We followed the usual morning regimen then walked her to school. It was a little chilly and there was a lot of high cloud.
The morning was filled with the usual shopping events for a Thursday but then we departed from the usual. Cousteau-Cub is currently unable to work as she has laryngitis and can't talk. Her work is all done with face-to-face interviews or phone calls... not having a voice rather interferes with that. We went into Chichester and collected her. The idea was a spot of lunch and then onwards to Arundel.
We stopped at "The Old Stables" at Fontwell. They have clearly spruced it up a bit since our last visit. The menu looked very good and the Silver Vixen chose gammon, egg and chips; Cousteau-Cub chose a jackfruit wrap; and the Gorse Fox chose fish and chips. The girls were very happy with theirs but the Gorse Fox obviously got the tail fin end of the fish. It was not very meaty (fishy) but would have served well as a flip-flop.
From Fontwell we drove on to Arundel and parked by the Lido. We walked to the castle gates and intended to use our Historic Houses membership to gain discounted (or free) entry. Wouldn't you know it; that concession does not begin until May 1st.
The Castle is, of course, famous for its Tulip Festival... and in 2019 when we visited it was wonderful. This time, it was clear that we had missed the peak display and, whilst still very beautiful, did not quite have the impact of 2019.
Walking round past the Castle itself, we made our way up to the walled gardens.
We wove back and forth through the pathways, each providing new views.
Eventually, we finished in the walled garden and head back towards the castle itself.
Finally, we stopped off at the old stew ponds which have now been turned into a conservation area.
It really was a lovely afternoon.
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