This post picks up as we journeyed back to the UK from Thailand for our first ever Xmas in the England with the kids. The excitement was tangible, and trying to manage the expectations of snow and the perfect Christmas was pretty difficult! The first smack of excitement was dealt as we landed in Heathrow and exited the building to find our cab. It was freezing cold, bleak and dark, not the most welcoming of scenarios, but the joy of being able to see your breath in front of your face gave everybody a sense of wonderment and joy. The kids thought it was the coolest and most magical thing in the world and loved pretending to be fire breathing dragons.
The cold was of course relative, to us it was freezing, but to the local Englishman, this was actually quite mild, and in fact it turned out to be the mildest winter ever recorded since records began in 1659. It was great for us that we were treated to a gentle winter, but a blatant and stark warning to all that climate change is a real threat to our planet and overall wellbeing.
Mild maybe, but we were bloody cold!
Our stay in England was an extended one and lasted 3.5 months, the longest we have stayed in any one country since the start of 2015; when we spent 3.5 months touring New Zealand. Again, we were home swapping our way around the country, interspersed by staying with the trusty Parents/Grandparents, always willing to accept our huge family and everything that comes with it!
Of course one of the first points of order was a trip to visit a very special person indeed, M.r Claus himself!
Of course one of the first points of order was a trip to visit a very special person indeed, M.r Claus himself!
Santa was given strict instructions of where we would be this year, and yes, this year, there was a chimney!
Our first home swap found us in the South West of England, in the Dorset coastal town of Weymouth for 3 weeks. Staying in a beach town in December has it’s ups and downs. It’s certainly very cold, but you can get around town no problem and go for long walks on the beach without tripping over people every 2 feet! From Weymouth we were able to explore much of the region, especially the wonderful Jurassic Coast, rural towns and villages and lots of National Trust properties.
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Spot the difference.
Exploring West Bay of Dorset with Nanny and Grandad, this is where the British TV series Broadchurch was filmed.
The following paragraphs are an ode to the National Trust. We have been members now for a few years and relish the chance to explore as many properties as we can whenever we are in England. What the organisation has done to keep Britain's historical buildings and landmarks in such amazing condition is amazing. They also go out of their way to provide the youngsters with fun activities to do on each visit to any property, always a great day out full of educational tidbits and fun facts.
Corfe Castle by night.
Corfe Castle was built just after the battle of Hastings, in 1066 by William The Conqueror and has seen a remarkable history. By 1645, during the English civil war, Corfe was one of the last remaining royalist strongholds in Southern England and was finally destroyed by Parliamentarian forces after a siege. We were lucky enough to visit this amazing castle twice, once in daylight and once during the night where the castle was lit by candles and fires adding to it’s mystique and bringing to life it’s historic walls.
Corfe Castle by day.
Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928) is one of England’s most famous authors. Probably most famed for his book Far From The Madding Crowd (1874).
We visited Hardy’s cottage on a day when a local choir and orchestra were crammed into the tiny living room by the open fire to sing hymns and christmas carols. Greeted with Mulled Wine and cookies we got to explore Hardy’s boyhood home in the most perfect of Yule Tide ambiences.
We visited Hardy’s cottage on a day when a local choir and orchestra were crammed into the tiny living room by the open fire to sing hymns and christmas carols. Greeted with Mulled Wine and cookies we got to explore Hardy’s boyhood home in the most perfect of Yule Tide ambiences.
Thomas Hardy's cottage Dorset.
Stone Henge is arguably one of Britains most famous landmarks and is recognised globally, archeologists believe it was constructed anywhere between 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
THREE THOUSAND - TWO THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE CHRIST?!
This fact flawed us and still is just so hard to even comprehend. The biggest of Stonehenge’s stones, known as Sarsens, are up to 30 feet (9 metres) tall and weigh 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average! ON AVERAGE!
The smaller stones weigh up to 4 tons on average and were dragged all the way from Wales, just 225 km away!
We were also lucky enough to have visited on Winter Solstace (The shortest day of the year) and so we witnessed part of the Druid's ceremony.
THREE THOUSAND - TWO THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE CHRIST?!
This fact flawed us and still is just so hard to even comprehend. The biggest of Stonehenge’s stones, known as Sarsens, are up to 30 feet (9 metres) tall and weigh 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average! ON AVERAGE!
The smaller stones weigh up to 4 tons on average and were dragged all the way from Wales, just 225 km away!
We were also lucky enough to have visited on Winter Solstace (The shortest day of the year) and so we witnessed part of the Druid's ceremony.
All smiles on a very moody and windy winter's day.
As usual on our journey's we managed to meet up with some old friends, on this occasion we got the chance to meet up with the Brooks family in Lime Regis. We had met almost exactly a year ago over Christmas in Sydney, Australia, when they were also on a family tour of the world. Things were a little different this time around. Instead of a fun day in the park followed by a BBQ, we were pelted with sideways rain and frozen to the bone, before ducking into a cafe for a Cornish Pasty and cup of tea to warm us up! This my friends is England at it’s finest!
Not Sydney.
The coastline of this part of England is stunning, and we were lucky enough to be blessed with some dry days to go for some long walks along the cliff tops and take in the rugged scenery.
Durdle Door Dorset England.
Exploring the Jurassic Coast Dorset England.
Three weeks flew past and we were soon into the business end of December. Spending Christmas with family in our home country, in the cold, for the first time was awesome. Snivels and colds aside everybody had a great time and much cheer, good will and good food was enjoyed by all. Of course there was the usual traditions to adhere to. Such as leaving mince pies and reindeer food out for Santa. Turkey dinners with all the trimmings, silly jumpers and hats, christmas crackers, too much booze, cake and chocolates, family games and movies etc etc!
Christmas morning.
The celebrations of course whizzed by and before we knew it we were straight into 2016 and off for a week long adventure in Amsterdam on a last minute home swap that we had managed to organise. With a flight time of 35 minutes from Southend Airport and free accommodation for a week, how could we resist? Our good friends Scott and Stacey would also be in town as they transited back from Canada to Singapore and we got the chance to catch up with old friends; the Bralsford family, which was great for the kids to catch up with old school friends too.
Amsterdam is an amazing city, the perfect place to walk, walk and walk some more. The canals are awesome, lined with lovely old houses, museums, bars and cafes. The city is vibrant, but not too busy, clean and fully geared towards healthy living and sustainable energy. The highlight of the trip was meeting up with friends and of course the amazing Anne Frank House museum. The girls were totally in awe of Anne as they had both read the Anne Frank Usborne book (read Kaitlyn’s review here) and had also seen one of the many movies dedicated to her. The Museum did not disappoint! At Anne’s father’s wishes it had been left empty, without furniture and had been sophistically appointed with pictures and snippets of information throughout, so as to give the visitor glimpses into the awful years that were spent here whilst in hiding. Moving, to say the least.
Amsterdam is an amazing city, the perfect place to walk, walk and walk some more. The canals are awesome, lined with lovely old houses, museums, bars and cafes. The city is vibrant, but not too busy, clean and fully geared towards healthy living and sustainable energy. The highlight of the trip was meeting up with friends and of course the amazing Anne Frank House museum. The girls were totally in awe of Anne as they had both read the Anne Frank Usborne book (read Kaitlyn’s review here) and had also seen one of the many movies dedicated to her. The Museum did not disappoint! At Anne’s father’s wishes it had been left empty, without furniture and had been sophistically appointed with pictures and snippets of information throughout, so as to give the visitor glimpses into the awful years that were spent here whilst in hiding. Moving, to say the least.
Outside Anne Frank's house.
With the Woodies in Amsterdam!
Ice skating with the Bralsfords!
Our week in Amsterdam complete we were straight back to the UK and onto our next home swap in Essex in a beautiful barn conversion in the countryside. It was here that we celebrated the twins 5th birthday, complete with a day in the local kiddie play gym and a visit from Nanny and Grandad.
The big 5!
Norfolk was our next stop and we were lucky enough to have arranged a swap right on the broads themselves in a wonderful home with amazing views and even our own little boat to putt around in. Waking up each morning to the stillness of the water, low hanging mist, quacking ducks and honking geese was wonderful. We really enjoyed exploring the area, the broads, the pubs, the beaches and of course the National trust properties too. Visiting Felbrigg Hall, Sheringham Park, Oxburgh Hall, Wimpole Estate and Blickling Hall, all amazing English country houses and estates dating back 100’s of years, and each with a unique history.
Our last weekend in England was a special one as we celebrated Dan’s mum’s 65th surprise birthday party, organised in full by Dan’s Dad, of which he is very proud and deservedly so! 17 family members were whisked away by private coach to a sumptuous lunch before heading home to continue the festivities, food and drinkathon with the further special guests of Aunties and Uncles. A great weekend and fun had by all!
The Party Bus!