This morning River and I set out to find a swimming hole along the River Trent between Swarkestone and Barrow-on-Trent. One of Molly’s co-workers had described how to find the footpath. We managed to make our way through the massive field of six foot tall nettles of which we’d been warned. Along the way, we found these Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) plants, which are in the same genus as Jewelweed. Jewelweed is quite common in Massachusetts and is especially popular with the kids because its seed pods explode when you touch them. Himalayan Balsam behaves in a similar fashion, though unfortunately as you might guess from the name, it is an invasive species in Britain.

We popped quite a few nonetheless.

We did eventually find the swimming hole. There is a channel between the bank and an island where the water is about five feet deep. Just downstream, there is a shallow pebble beach suitable for splashing. A rope swing is attached from an overhanging willow branch and I thoroughly enjoyed splashing into the chilly water.

It was great to find a nearby place to swim, though the weather isn’t often hot enough to require immersing oneself. I’m sure that we’ll visit there again sometime soon.

The castle and fortified town here are truly remarkable, one of the finest examples of military architecture in Europe.

Though I find castles inherently fascinating, we were inspired to visit Carcassonne because of our family’s favorite eponymous board game.  If you haven’t played it yet, you should! We spent the day claiming roads and cities and cathedrals.

Molly got this road on the way into the castle.

But Sage got this one:

River and Molly both managed to get a claim on the castle.

There were even some farms within the city walls.

I’m not sure who won the game, but we had a great time playing!

You can see more of our pictures from Carcassone on flickr.

The girls’ aunt Deana made these beautiful aprons. The fabric is decorated with a pattern of little gnomes and toadstools. I can’t really find the words to describe these wonderful creations. The necessary copious superlatives escape me. Amazing work, Deana!

River was so inspired on opening the box that she went into her closet and found the pants and shirt that Deana had made for her last year, the leg warmers Molly knit, the sweater made by Susan, and the headband she herself made. It was an entire ensemble of handmade clothing. She looked a bit like a gnome or a faery herself.

Opening the pockets of the aprons, the kids found these cute little creatures:

We spent a bunch of time today making homes for the squirrel and the bluebird.

Also in the box was some suitable entertainment for faery families. I’m particularly excited about this game, Faery’s Tale, which is “a game of imagination and make-believe in which you cooperatively tell a story – creating you own fairy tales.”

Essentially, you create your own faery character exploring an imaginative, adventurous world populated with pixies, brownies, sprites, goblins, trolls and more. The game emphasizes that “despite the wondrous powers of the faeries, their heroism springs not from fey magics or incredible gifts, but from courage, kindness, and friendship.” It sounds amazing! We’ve just begun reading the background information. So far, I’m very impressed.

Another game in a relatively similar vein is Munchkin, whose byline is “Kill the monsters, steal the treasure, stab your buddy!” Well, maybe it is a wee bit more cynical than the idealistic Faery’s Tale.

It appears to be a simplified dungeon adventure game, but it claims to have stripped out all of “that stupid roleplaying stuff” that can bog down some other games. When you go out adventuring in this game, you might pull on your “Boots of Butt-Kicking”, and wield the “Staff of Napalm” or the “Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment.”

And finally, the box also included an expansion to one of our long-time favorite games, Carcasonne. We’re hoping to make a pilgrimage to the south of France this summer to see the medieval city for ourselves.

Carcasonne Princess and Dragon adds a new level of dynamic play to the game. Princesses can remove opponents’ knights from the castle, and a dragon can swiftly lay waste to anything in its path. While this ability to change the landscape so drastically adds a new twist to the game, it needs to be handled a bit delicately with younger players, or those who are overly competitive. Or both. An especially popular new rule involves the fairy whose presence not only can earn you extra points but protects from dragon attacks! All in all, a welcome addition to an already amazing game.

Thanks Cass and Deana and Evie and Henry! We love you!

I’ve yet to see what I would consider a “true forest” in England, and it turns out that Sherwood is no exception. I’ve always thought a forest to be “a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth”, but this is only one definition of a forest. It turns out that there is a secondary meaning as well.

From the Nottinghamshire County Council website:

‘Forest’ was a legal term, and meant an area subject to special Royal laws designed to protect the valuable resources of timber and game (‘Vert and Venison’) within its boundaries. These laws were strictly and severely imposed by agisters, foresters, verderers (wardens) and rangers, who were all were employed by the Crown.

Medieval Sherwood was not – as many imagine – a continuous swathe of dense virgin forest. It comprised birch and oak woodland, interspersed with large areas of open sandy heath and rough grassland. Sherwood also contained three Royal deer parks.

Medieval woodland was by no means wild. It was a productive resource, carefully managed. Landowners got the most value from their woodland by using techniques such as ‘coppicing’ and ‘pollarding’ to produce poles and laths for building. ‘Underwood’ (twigs, brushwood etc) was collected and sold for domestic fuel, and the woodland supported several industries, such as charcoal burning and the stripping of oak bark to use in tanning leather. The autumn crop of acorns produced in oak woodland was used to feed pigs. Cattle, sheep and deer grazed ‘wood pasture’.

This explanation makes the landscape much more understandable to me.

In Sherwood Forest, there is a large oak tree known as the Major Oak. Legend has it that this tree was the place Robin and his merry band feasted wealthy travellers before fleecing them of their lucre. It is a beautiful tree, its limbs spreading far into the clearing around it. The girth of its trunk is incredible. It is a majestic tree!

It is highly unlikely, though, that Robin’s crew took shelter under it’s boughs. Although it is at least 800 years old, perhaps over a thousand, it would have only been a sapling when Robin roamed the forest. Molly suggested that the metal supports that have been installed to prop up the old branches were unbecoming and that such a magnificent tree should be allowed to die with some dignity. Apparently, there are over 1000 trees in the Sherwood Forest that are over 500 years old. I suppose one of these trees might replace the Major Oak in the public imagination sometime in the future.

I suppose there are some that might question if Robin really existed, but I like to believe that he did. In fact, here is a modern reincarnation: River Hood.

She’s been taking target practice very seriously!

Here is Maid Marian playing one of our favorite games: Settlers of Catan.