I was hoping to have plenty of time this year to prepare for Christmas but instead I have been as busy as ever.
On the 4th I took Shelagh to see My Cousin Rachael (Daphne Du Maurier) at the Malvern Theatre. It starred Helen George (Trixie from Call the Midwife) and was very good. I had read the book some years ago but had forgotten the details. On the way home we stopped for something to eat at the Dog at Harvington.
One of the projects I am looking after for work is to review apprenticeships in Wales. This meant three trips to Wales during December to meetings. 5th to Camarthen, 10th to Mold and 16th to Builth Wells. There was also the Lantra Christmas lunch on the 6th at the Warwickshire Golf Club and our own team Christmas lunch on the 11th at Chesford Grange.
On the 8th I went with Mark, Michelle and the children to Hanbury Hall as they had a 70s/80s Christmas display. It was a real blast from the past with all the food, drinks, sweets, toys and games that we had when my children were little and The Two Ronnies on the TV!
On the 4th I took Shelagh to see My Cousin Rachael (Daphne Du Maurier) at the Malvern Theatre. It starred Helen George (Trixie from Call the Midwife) and was very good. I had read the book some years ago but had forgotten the details. On the way home we stopped for something to eat at the Dog at Harvington.
One of the projects I am looking after for work is to review apprenticeships in Wales. This meant three trips to Wales during December to meetings. 5th to Camarthen, 10th to Mold and 16th to Builth Wells. There was also the Lantra Christmas lunch on the 6th at the Warwickshire Golf Club and our own team Christmas lunch on the 11th at Chesford Grange.
On the 8th I went with Mark, Michelle and the children to Hanbury Hall as they had a 70s/80s Christmas display. It was a real blast from the past with all the food, drinks, sweets, toys and games that we had when my children were little and The Two Ronnies on the TV!
At the beginning of June Mark and Michelle booked tickets for the Harry Potter Studio Tour on the 14th December as a surprise for the children. They asked if I wanted to go with them but there were no tickets left. Then the studio started to release one or two tickets here and there and I was very lucky to get one for the same time as Mark and Michelle. So I booked myself a hotel for the night and off we went.
We agreed to meet up at a NT property on the way, Canons Ashby. It's an old Tudor manor house and each of the rooms was dressed for Christmas from different periods from Tudor to Victorian times.
We agreed to meet up at a NT property on the way, Canons Ashby. It's an old Tudor manor house and each of the rooms was dressed for Christmas from different periods from Tudor to Victorian times.
From there we drove to our hotels which were in Aylesbury, about half an hour drive from the Harry Potter Studios. We just had enough time to book in and dump our bags before setting out again. Michelle arrived at their hotel with a fully laden Christmas tree. I would have liked to have seen the look on the faces of the reception staff!
The Harry Potter Studio tour was fascinating. The attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. The last time I visited was Brendyn's 9th birthday and he is now 13. As it was his birthday he got to open the doors from the Great Hall. There are two new exhibits, the Forbidden Forest and Gringotts Bank (before and after a visit from something big and nasty!)
The Harry Potter Studio tour was fascinating. The attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. The last time I visited was Brendyn's 9th birthday and he is now 13. As it was his birthday he got to open the doors from the Great Hall. There are two new exhibits, the Forbidden Forest and Gringotts Bank (before and after a visit from something big and nasty!)
The next day on the way back home we stopped off at another two NT properties. The first was Upton House, Banbury which was a country retreat for Lord and Lady Bearsted and their family in the 1930s.
The second stop was Charlecote Park, Stratford. Not all of the rooms were open this time but there were plenty of deer in the park to see. The river was very high after all the rain.
The 19th was the last meeting of the year for the Historical Society and the subject was Christmas Past which looked at the celebration of Christmas over the years and where some of our Christmas traditions came from. This was followed by a Christmas buffet which was very nice. The meetings are always well attended and I think I may be the youngest there!
RSS Feed
