Collecting Dragon Eggs

What can you do on a drizzly Good Friday?

I know, follow the Easter bunny to Mountstewart.

Once there, buy a map from the Cadbury ladies and set off to hunt for dragon eggs.

Wait a minute!  We have a Phoebe who LOVES dragons!  She expected to be following the Easter bunny to hunt for Easter eggs, NOT DRAGON EGGS!!!

So, she was a little bit excited as we set off.

Look Auntie Debbie, I can see an egg!

We soon found the first egg.  The question was "What was the name of the dragon who lived by the sea?"  I know this one.

Puff noted down and away we go again.

(I sang the song.  Bea protested and walked away.  So did the other people at egg one.  Molly said she liked my singing.  I like Molly)

Then it was off to the lake to visit the secret island and spot the ducks.

Thankfully we had Phoebe and Josie with us to answer the complicated dragon questions, like "What was the name of Pete's dragon?", "Who trained a dragon?" and "What was the dragon called in How to tame your dragon?".  Phoebe even volunteered the name of the Clanger's dragon before either grandparent could answer.

On our journey, we managed to conjure a patronus.

Expecto Patronum

Molly found egg number five, which is a coincidence, as she is 5.  She was even able to answer the question.*

(I may have whispered Smaug to her)

Finally, we got to egg 8 and our quest was complete.

Then the Easter bunny checked our answers and gave the "responsible adult" chocolate bunnies.

Thankfully, the adult was responsible and shared out the bunnies

Phoebe did a bunny hop to celebrate

Then after a little lunch, softened by a fine rain, we headed up the hill

To the magic ink pot play park

Molly and Phoebe found the sleeping dragon and managed not to wake him.

Then, as we realised we had forgotten to roll our eggs, the Big Girls headed to Scrabbo, where they enjoyed the view and rolled some eggs.

Happy Easter

Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday, between the rain showers, we set off into the wilds around Woodburn.  (Well we set off eventually when everybody had found their way to the car park that signals the start of the wilds.)

Husband has bought himself a go pro which he was keen to try out...

We quickly walked along the forest path, pausing in the trees only once to search for paper eggs.

Then we followed the signs

to the side of the reservoir

where, once Dilly and Beans had enjoyed their swim, we ventured into the deep, dark woods to begin the egg hunt in earnest.

Some eggs were very tricky to find...

But once you spotted one, you popped it in your basket.

and then carried on hunting...

Dilly and Beanz, side by side.  

Giant dogs to terrorise small children and make them feel like they spent an afternoon in the forest with real bears.

Then, with a gorge to traverse 

and a mountain to climb, our hunting continued.

Once we reached to top of the mountain, Molly found that paper eggs did not satisfy her hunger...

so it was time to climb on the old tree and have a snack.

And of course there was time for a selfie

Then, with only a few more eggs to find and ditches to bound across, our egg hunting was nearly done.

There was not extra credit given for finding a carpet of moss

... but much joy to be had from looking up.

Then it was back to the car park to swap the paper eggs for chocolate ones.

To watch husbands go pro video click here