A May Day Garden

Today we decided to visit Ang.lesey Abbey.  When I doubled checked opening times this morning, I realized we were going to luck out because it's usually not open on Mondays but it was going to be open today because of the May Day Bank Holiday.

What I did not realize was that Bank Holiday = Giant Crowd.

However, we still had a great time.

The boys enjoyed being able to run the garden paths:

 We found a lovely secluded garden chair that McColley declared his throne.  He then gave us his most kingly look:

Eventually we found our way to the restored L.ode Mill.  We explored the inside and then got back outside just in time to watch the water wheel get started up:

We left the mill and headed toward the Abbey.  Along the way we found the best climbing tree ever:

When we got to the Abbey we had to join the flow of visitors:

The Abbey is interesting because it was an abbey... up until Henry VIII dissolved it (along with all the other abbeys/monasteries/nunneries/etc).  For the next 300 years it went from family to family, so by the time the 1st Lord F.airhaven purchased it in 1926 there wasn't much of the original building left.

In fact, the only room that they can verify has remained 'the same' is the current dining room (where Aunt Roberta helped McColley finish up his activity):

By the time we finished up our Abbey tour Brayton was completely asleep:

We strolled over to the rose garden and I grabbed a bench while McColley and Aunt Roberta played hide-and-seek.  McColley hid:

And then ran as soon as Aunt Roberta spotted him:

Our last stop was the formal garden... unfortunately we just missed seeing the hyacinths in bloom: