Today we visited Wimpole, a National Trust estate comprising a Georgian mansion and beautiful grounds with a home farm. It was a glorious sunny day (albeit a bit on the chilly side for spring) and we spent the first part of the afternoon pottering around the grounds. We were with a friend who is almost 39 weeks pregnant so she waddled with us. In retrospect I wish I had taken Little Piglet in his carrier (we have an Ergo, and he sits comfortably on my back) but because he was sleeping in his carseat when we arrived I had simply transferred his carseat to the buggy base. It did make for some hairy moments, such as when the buggy wheels toppled into a cattle grid. And eventually our progress across the fields was halted by a stile. Had my friend not been quite so pregnant we might have made it over the stile, and it would have been no obstacle for the Ergo. We passed some rare-breed cattle en route and enjoyed some stunning views of gently rolling hills. Little Piglet was not overly impressed with the scenery and indulged in some breadsticks which proved (once again) a useful distraction. He is not a fan of spending time in the buggy and would have been happier sitting on my back.
Following our gentle stroll we sought out the restaurant for a drink. Some hardy visitors were braving the outdoor seating area and rewarded with a lovely view across the garden. We all resisted the tempting cakes (me because I am on my post-pregnancy diet, my heavily pregnant friend because she feels fat enough already and Little Piglet, to be fair, was not given the option) and enjoyed a refreshing drink. Little Piglet was not very impressed with the seating arrangement. Now that he is mobile (crawling and cruising), sitting still is no fun at all. And the floor was far too dirty for little hands. So he wriggled on my knee whilst I attempted to occupy him with my mobile phone and a bottle of water. My little milk monster was also craving his milk fix but refusing to feed in the noisy restaurant so I eventually fed him sitting on the toilet. I felt very guilty as he slurped away, listening outside to women discussing whether our cubicle was in fact occupied or out of order.
The journey home proved a bit too long for Little Piglet. He had been cramped in his carseat for most of the afternoon, with the exception of a brief outing in the restaurant during which he was not even allowed to stretch his legs. However I enjoyed the drive through the Cambridgeshire countryside and I anticipate that we will spend many happy afternoons exploring Wimpole in the future.
Land of Milk and Mummy 