Ben goes down to the Farm!

This weekend Marguerite, Jude and Ben took themselves off to an open farm in County Down for some fun and games. Sure Ben loves that sort of craic, he just loves seeing all the animals.  Here he is having a laugh with Marguerite down on the farm.









A couple of days before they went to the farm Marguerite, Ben and Jude had Ben's cousin Megan up for a night.  Here she is playing a game of 'criby'.  'Criby' is where players stand at opposite sides of the road and throw a ball at the kerb on the other side.  If the ball bounces off the edge of the kerb and back to the thrower then that is a point, or a letter to the thrower.  Today they played 'criby' to the word 'Belfast'.  So if you hit the kerb you were on 'B', then, 'BE', etc.  Get it?  In terms of scoring this game is similar to, but not the same as, the American game, dodgeball.   



Megan fancies her chances at any game so she and Marguerite challenged Jude. 

Well Megan sure can throw the ball straight as you can see here but .............













......... today they were up against Jude and sadly for the girls that meant a heavy defeat!!!!














Jude's not one for gloating mind you!















Aha ........ but the girls are no chickens and demanded an immediate re-match ..... in which they .......













........ played brilliantly to sneek a narrow win.  Well done Marguerite and Megan.

 
 










Afterwards Megan got to spend an hour or two playing with Ben.














Here is Ben having fun on a quick stop into Drumglass Park on Belfast's Lisburn Road.













  
'Ohhhh yummy, yummy, ice cream in my tummy, tummy, tummy', was surely something like what Ben was thinking here.












Jude spins Ben a yarn about this or that, God knows what, but Ben is totally focussed and listening to every word.

















Ben and his auld Dada have a wee break from their dander around the park.

Marguerite, Ben and Jude throw together a wee family pic.  

 

 

Next came the visit to Streamvale Open Farm.  The farm is near Dundonald in County Down.  Today was it's open day anniversary so they had 1987 prices, which meant a family being admitted for a fiver  ....... that's five pounds.  Not bad!











Ben was on his new 'trike' today and got wheeled around as if he owned the place.

Beep, beep!!!













Ben watched as the animals grunted and munched their food .......














...... before stopping for some of his own.














Jude is always rambling on about the hen he had when he was a child, he says it was the best pet he ever had.  Well here is Ben checking this one out to see if he would like one in his new house.












And here he is checking out the ducks.














Ben really loved the ducks, perhaps it was the noise they made was reminding him of bath time when Jude gives him his wee rubber duck and makes the same 'quacking' sounds.











'Quack, quack'.















Marguerite spotted some reindeer and started asking Jude about what she was getting for Christmas!! 

Wha?












Here's Ben chatting to the wee horse, or is it a pony?














'Surely this is a horse son, I'm not quite sure what that other one was son but this is definitely a horse son, I'm sure of it, I think', rambled Jude.












 Ben liked the auld donkey!















'Thanks Mama, I've had a great day at the farm today, you're the best' .........maybe that's what Ben was thinking here.  

There was just about enough time for a cool pic of Ben and Jude at the straw bale tractor.  Days like this are great fun for Ben ........ and Marguerite and Jude!