Nothing like a little adventure to add a few more little joys to your month! When I say little, I mean it – even just a day out or a different route home can bring new sights and new experinces. It’s always worth it!
Our mini-break this week started off in Horsham, where we did a great treasure trail to explore.
![Little Joys: Ye Olde Post Box of Horsham](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-adventures-horsham-post-box-982x1024.jpg)
Horsham is a nice little market town with a lot of history…
![Little Joys: Horsham Market Hall](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-adventures-horsham-market-hall-1024x768.jpg)
And narrow alleyways…
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-narrow-alleyway-horsham-adventures-768x1024.jpg)
It’s got some good doors too.
![Little Joys: door with painted flowers](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-adventures-horsham-door-780x1024.jpg)
Loved this photinia, grown like a tree and in full flower!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-adventures-horsham-photinia-1024x768.jpg)
Ivy-leaved toadflax doing its thing.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-wildflowers-ivy-leaved-toad-flax-1024x768.jpg)
The water reflecting on the leaves… the leaves reflecting on the water…
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-light-reflections-river-1024x779.jpg)
Cow parsley and lichen making art together.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-graveyard-art-nature-cow-parsley-1024x765.jpg)
In the park.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-horsham-park-adventures-nature-1024x644.jpg)
The dragon at the centre of the maze!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-adventures-horsham-park-maze-dragon-1024x768.jpg)
Lovely tamarisk.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-garden-tamarisk-1024x768.jpg)
Sungod.
![Little Joys: sundial with face at Horsham Park](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-horsham-park-adventures-sungod-644x1024.jpg)
I loved this, on the war memorial.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-horsham-adventures-war-memorial-1024x788.jpg)
Next we went to camp overnight at Knepp Wildland – a former farm estate which has been rewilded and now homes a huge amount of wildlife, including lots of rare and threatened species. I photographed my first insects before the tent was even up! It’s a conehead grasshopper nymph.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-conehead-nymph-nature-wildlife-insect-1024x777.jpg)
And this handsome blue fellow is an alder leaf beetle – they were once thought to be extinct in the UK!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-alder-leaf-beetle-knepp-wildlife-nature-1024x827.jpg)
Who lives in a house like this?
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-old-oak-knepp-adventures-nature-wildlife-1024x768.jpg)
The Bathenon. Check out all those antlers!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-knepp-camping-adventures-bathenon-antlers-nature-1024x768.jpg)
Knepp is known for its white stork reintroduction project, which appears to be a great success.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-wildlife-white-stork-camping-1024x810.jpg)
They were released here in 2019, and in 2020 the first stork chicks were born in the UK for 600 years!
![Little Joys: six storks flying in a blue sky](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-white-storks-knepp-adventure-nature-wildlife-1024x690.jpg)
The storks’ huge nests are easily spotted at the tops of trees!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-wildlife-knepp-white-stork-nest.jpg)
We were here on a mission to hear nightingales – they are rare across the UK due to loss of wild scrubland like this, but at Knepp there are as many as forty singing males. We went for a long walk until after dark, and heard lots! And we saw our first badger!
![Little Joys: wild scrubland at Knepp](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-knepp-adventures-scrub-sky-sun-rays-nature-1024x768.jpg)
Our bell tent brings us so much joy!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-knepp-adventures-camping-bell-tent-nature-1024x741.jpg)
It’s our budget home-from-home, and is no more trouble to set up than our tiny dome tent was. It’s just heavier to carry!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-camping-adventures-bell-tent-1024x768.jpg)
Next we went to Broadstairs. Love this giant echium! I’ve tried to grow it a few times but it never survives the winter. It loves the coast though.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-garden-giant-echium-broadstairs-adventures-1024x768.jpg)
Broadstairs has a lot of great micropubs and craft beer places!
![Little Joys: Beers at The Royston, Broadstairs](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-royston-beer-craft-pub-1024x768.jpg)
Cool lampshade.
![Little Joys: Lampshade made of colourful bottles at the Magnet, Broadstairs](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-broadstairs-magnet-pub-1024x663.jpg)
Loved the light coming through the door of our guest house.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-guest-house-door-light-1024x824.jpg)
Happy man.
![Little Joys: smiling face graffiti](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-happy-man-broadstairs-1024x925.jpg)
Broadstairs has some good doors too.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-broadstairs-doors-1024x964.jpg)
Pretty choisya flowers.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-nature-garden-choisya-1024x768.jpg)
Proper breakfast!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-big-breakfast-food-1024x781.jpg)
This guy shared a few of our crumbs.
![Little Joys: a house sparrow perched right next to our table](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-broadstairs-house-sparrow-nature-wildlife-1024x718.jpg)
Cool outfit.
![Little Joys: suit of armour outside Broadstairs Metal Craft](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-knight-armour-broadstairs-metal-craft-888x1024.jpg)
Osteospermum along the promenade.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-broadstairs-osteospermum-garden-nature-1024x783.jpg)
Gullprints.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-beach-adventure-gull-prints-nature-wildlife-1024x707.jpg)
Obligatory ice cream.
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-food-beach-ice-cream-1024x817.jpg)
Last time I was here a gull stole my ice cream. Not this time, mister!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-herring-gull-wildlife-nature-beach-1024x736.jpg)
Mermaid’s purse. Obsidentify says it’s a thornback ray!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-beach-finds-adventure-nature-wildlife-egg-1024x594.jpg)
Such blue. The weather was so kind to us!
![](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-blue-nature-beach-broadstairs-1024x649.jpg)
Me and him.
![Little Joys: our feet side by side on the beach](https://contactwithcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/little-joys-beach-feet-1024x768.jpg)