Well we're well and truly home from Middleton now, having enjoyed the rest of our holiday. A brief catch up on the rest of our week's activities is as follows:
Wednesday - a bit of a cold and blowy day, so perhaps not the best day to go to Carisbrooke Castle, seeing as it's built on the top of a hill! The keep and the castle walls were closed because of the high winds, but Jake, Grandad and I had a good time looking around the castle museum.
Thursday - a much nicer day today weather-wise, so we went with Mum and Dad to Brading Roman Villa, which Jake enjoyed looking around, and which had been made suitably interactive for the younger visitors. Digging was going on whilst we were there, so further discoveries were being made as we wandered around! We went on from there to Adgestone vineyard for lunch, and bought half a dozen bottles of white. Then Nicky and I took Jake on to Sandown to visit the new Dinosaur attraction (as well as a visit to the arcades and a game of crazy golf).
Friday - off to Shanklin today with Nanny and Grandad. More arcade fun (Jake now has more keyrings than he knows what to do with!) and a very nice pub lunch. Then we went to Godshill in the afternoon, and to the model village (of the model village of the model ...). Finally to Isle of Wight Pearl on the way back to the cottage. Mum and Dad got a late ferry home so that they could go to a wedding on Saturday.
Saturday - packing up day today, and we left the cottage at about 9:45, and spent the morning at Chessell Pottery. Jake's robot money box and Grandad's mug should be arriving in the post once they've been glazed and fired. Then it was off to Ryde (more arcades) for some lunch and for Nicky and I to have a quick wander up Union Street to the shops (Liz Earle) before heading back to Yarmouth for the ferry home. The roads were much kinder on the way back, and we were in at about 9pm.