"Arise, Arise, Riders of Théoden! Eggs Shall Be Eaten..."

Honestly, I wasn't looking for Easter Eggs - just admiring the well-decorated grounds

As I mentioned in my little Easter post, we spent the majority of this afternoon at an Easter Egg Hunt, held in the grounds of Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead.

This wasn't really my usual "tree safari" (there were way too many people around, for one thing), but a chance to do something a little different.

As I stressed earlier, we weren't there for the egg hunt per se, but there were plenty of other cute animal-themed activities on offer.

We started our afternoon watching - safely at the top of the hill - the "big egg hunt", which, after a countdown, saw hundreds of kids and their parents charging down into the natural bowl behind the manor, and up the other side, hunting for the many, many tiny eggs that had been scattered around for them to find.

Ready, set,,,

GO!!!

It was basically the Ride of The Rohirrim, but chasing down chocolate eggs rather than Sauron's orcs.

There were some impressive customed characters wandering around the grounds of the stately home - including children's TV star Bluey - who, of course, we had to get some pictures with.

I think Alice must have been looking even cuter than usual as she got so much attention and made a ton of new friends.

There was a small petting zoo, but the highlight of the afternoon, for me, was the outdoor talk by Living Things, about the variety of reptiles, creepy crawlies, and mammals that had been brought along to educate the rapt audience of children, their parents, and animal-lovers such as us.

We were introduced to a number of creatures that neither Rachel nor I had even heard of before, and the presenter was great with both the excitable younger members of the audience and the animals she was carefully handling.

The snake was cool, but...

...who doesn't love a meerkat?

"NANU NANU" AND HOPPY EASTER!!!

As part of my current "get fit" kick, I was quite adamant that I didn't want chocolate for Easter, so Rachel and I exchanged non-edible gifts this morning before heading out for an Easter Egg hunt event.

I got Rachel a beautiful, tiny (and working) ceiling lamp for her latest dolls house project, while she got me a box set of Mork & Mindy DVDs (it has an egg on the cover!) and a miniature table tennis set.

Rachel confessed that when the ping pong set was ordered, she hadn't realised quite how small it was!

Knowing my "no chocolate or sweets" request - and my poor willpower when it comes to such treats - Rachel's parents got us some delightful Easter socks instead, which we wore today on our exhausting adventure.

I'll tell you more about that - and share of pictures of the 'celebrities' we met - later on, when we're not so tired out. 

Please be aware that Rachel, Alice, and I were not participating in the egg hunt, just the other fun activities that were going on around it.

Eggs-ellent Easter Socks

Growing The Western Library With Easter Treats

Magnificent Easter treats from Rachel today

Nothing says Easter more than books about American Civil War battles and a 19th Century cannibal outlaw.

As is "tradition" in our house, rather than exchanging chocolate eggs (we know Rachel's parents will have us covered in that department), Rachel and I get each other small gifts to mark this holiday instead.

Iain MacGregor's U.S. Civil War: Battle by Battle is a beautifully illustrated Osprey book that looks at 30 key engagements from the war, both on land and sea.

It is resplendent with illustrations of uniforms, flags, ships etc as well as the usual high-standard full-page 'action' paintings that Osprey's publications are renowned for.

The Kentucky Cannibal, by Ryan Green, tells the true story of Boone Helm, a murderous mental asylum escapee whose journey to "the West" earned him a reputation for killing and eating adversaries and travelling companions alike. 

I got Rachel a couple of outdoor, solar powered, lamps that she wanted.