Festive Family Fun

 Driving down to spend Christmas at Caroline and Mike's we stopped at Mottisfont (National Trust).

Well done Mottisfont - a fabulous Christmas display.  Adults were gasping with delight when they found their name on the naughty list.  All the work that had gone into this display was incredible and I was told it took a month to do.  We were entranced with it all.

After opening our Christmas presents on Christmas morning we headed to the beach.  Everyone was in good spirits as Mike and Matt braved the cold by taking a quick dip in the sea (temp 10 degrees).  We all celebrated afterwards with a glass of bubbles.

Meanwhile, down at the Branksome end Alun. Gemma, Emmie and friends also braved the water.

Then it was back to Caroline's for a delicious festive feast with turkey and all the trimmings followed by some excellent games which Chloe always seemed to win.

Boxing Day is a sacred time for football fans so Mike, Matt, Jamie and Chloe headed off to the Vitality Stadium whilst we said goodbye to "Christmassy" TV to watch this festive football match.

Bournemouth 3 - 0 Fulham

Dominic Solanke scored again as the Cherries move into the top half of Premier League table.  Fulham's goalkeeper was the day's pantomime villain after pushing a Bournemouth ball boy for a goal-kick.

But the real highlight of the day was Chloe being presented with a signed copy of the Bournemouth Juniors' Christmas card at half time after winning a competition to design the Club's Christmas card.  The competition was judged by the men's first-team management and her card was framed and signed by the men's first-team squad.  Well done Chloe.

The next day Emmie had a break from Panto so we all headed to Da Mario for delicious pizza.  Top service, top food and top atmosphere.

Then back to Alun and Gemma's for more presents, delicious desserts, cocktails and dancing.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Thank you for a fabulous Christmas and Happy New Year to my precious family. 

Mirror Mirror On the Wall, Emmie's Pantomime is the greatest of all.

After a delicious afternoon tea at Gemmas.  We went to see Emmie in Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs pantomime at Bournemouth Pavilion and what a brilliant show it was.

The legendary Su Pollard was leading the cast in the role of Wicked Queen and she brought her own brand of wicked humour to the production.

Noel Brodie returned for his ninth hilarious season and  played the role of Muddles.  Snow White's hapless best friend and son of Dame Dilly, who was brought to life by the equally brilliant Jamie Steen, who's costumes alone were enough to seal the show.  I swear he wore something different in almost every scene.

Of course, a panto isn't a panto without music and dance - Kylie's Padam went down well and  Emmie and her friends filled the stage with dance.

Then of course, there was the audience participation parts which included a very raucous 12 days of Christmas and a good blast of water from 12 water pistols, which were placed all around the auditorium.  Yes we all got wet.  Mike also got involved throwing "5 toilet rolls" back on stage!

We also managed to get a shout out.  An excellent evening of family entertainment.

                                 

                                                          Well done Emmie  X

Glow winter trail

 We wrapped up warm and set off with the Invincibles to RHS Wisley.  It  was a damp night but it was time to say au revoir to the TV for a night of sparkle and light in the fresh air.

Watts up?  Once inside, the trail sets off from the Village where we enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea.

The trail winds and weaves throughout the Wisley gardens offering up a feast of phosphorescence.

The Glasshouse offered a welcome blast of tropical heat with a fun Christmas beach theme, and through the other side the Glasshouse Lake sparkles with disco balls and gleaming rays of light that cycle through the colour wheel in time to jazzy songs.

It's a magical sensory experience with something a little different at each turn - fields of fire, glowing trees and than a stunning haze of purple lighting up Wisteria Walk. 

The grand finale is a fire and water display synced to music at the Laboratory lake.  It's dramatic and a fit ending to a beautiful trail.