Knotts Berry Farm was deserted which worked out amazing for us..

When visiting somewhere for the first time you expect it to be daunting. Honestly because of the time of the year that we went it was quiet which made visiting Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park such an amazing choice.

The musical part of the park wasn't the best I've heard and the actors and actresses seemed a little bored of the act. Saying this the guy that was chosen from the audience did throw a few curve balls towards the actress which made the show a little more entertaining.

When walking around the park it was like a ghost town, being in a ghost town has it's advantages.

For example walking straight on to the roller coasters. I did three coasters within 15 minutes including walking from one coaster to the next.

The view from the front of the queue is always awesome when there's only you and at the most 100 other people in the park. 

The mine train was a little dated for the adults but for the children who were on the train they enjoyed being on it.

The park is the oldest theme park in the US which began as a farm in the 1920's. The Knotts family specialised in boysenberry's. Selling jams, drinks and pies a restaurant was born. 

With all the history that is involved in Knotts Berry Farm and an area that is dedicated to the Old West when the ghost town was built in the 1940's. The buildings are authentic. The mine and log ride were purchased and added to the numerous attractions in the 1960's.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

My Dad posing with a few of the locals.

The coaster rides are amazing my favorite being the Xcelerator. Be prepared to sit in a hot rod seat that smashes 82 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds. Racing up 205 feet into the air before plummeting back down towards the ground at a 90 degree angle  this ride is a must for any thrill seeker. 

 There are so many amazing rides to choose from including the rides for the children at camp snoopy. The show for me was a little bit on the young side so we left it early. All the children were clapping and singing with the songs and joining in. 

Saying goodbye.....

Saying good bye to loved ones is never easy. In my case last night I had to say goodbye to my 13 yr old lab cross springer.
When you wake up to find her shaking in pain in the corner of the room, and every time you go near her she moves away. It's the sudden thought that her time on this planet is up.

At 5.25pm last night my oldest girl was put out of her pain by the vet. After a hard decision of whether to operate or not I decided it would not be fair on her.

Have you had to make this hard decision before?
It's the worst part of owning an animal. It's the hardest part of owning an animal.

In the end I, myself know I made the right decision and no matter how hard a choice I know now she's pain free.

So to the vet I would like to say a big thank you for being respectful and patient.

Warwick castle

An almost 3 hour journey from home took my mom, TJ and myself to many adventures in Warwick yesterday.
From amazing countryside (not that I don't see it everyday) to tudor houses.
For myself I love architecture and how over the years it evolved.
Warwick Castle in itself full of pleasant surprises with various collections of furniture dating 100's of years. One of my favourite pieces being the child's suit of armour although this would not have been used on the battlefield, it was amazing to see how tiny the 6 yr old suit was.

Whilst one half of the castle was decorated for medieval times , the other half was decorated early 1800's with models in each room displaying the various clothing that would have been worn. 

I found whilst walking around the castle there were very few notices about the building or information to read about who, why, what, and when it was made. Although there was a time tower which was a little informative on how the castle was passed down from person to person and for what purpose it was made.

A visit to Bucklers Hard

I decided that our day out would be to Bucklers Hard. An 18th century village where warships for Nelsons navy were built. Set in an idealistic village, surrounded by Beautiful scenery on the Beaulieu river.

The Maritime museum has items dating back to Admiral Nelson and his crew members, as well as many other boats that were made at Beaulieu. 

Ships built at Beaulieu

With open houses to wonder around life in 18th century was definitely hard. Reading the information provided and listening to the guided tour. I can imagine how hard life was back in the 18th century when listening to the historian.

Guided tour 

  To look around the little village and the museum it took us around 2 hours.

Outside the museum

Costing £6.50 an adult and £4.50 a child.
There's is an option to upgrade the ticket to an unlimited yearly pass which was only £10 a person.
This did not include the additional price of the river boat cruise.

Shipwrights cottage and St. Mary's Church 

Along the houses on the left there are two houses in which you can look around. the shipwrights cottage and St. Mary's Chapel which holds a hidden room.
As you progress down the hill towards the waterfront there is a pub and grill area. with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

Shipwrights School

The building in the background at the waters edge has just been re- built with 150 year old oak wood. Provided by the Beaulieu forest.