Home for the Holidays (December 2013)

We were back in the UK for Christmas. The benefit of being just 7 hours away and not 24!

As mentioned in the previous blog, Gemma went to the UK early for Carol & Dave's wedding - here are some snaps:

 

 

 

First snowball of the season :-)

Mulled wine and figgy pudding:

Gemma stayed with Nicla and Fabrizio a few days before I arrived. Back to the British weather.

Agathe's birthday meal in Henley:

Fab's homemade chocolate nuts!! Mmmmmmm

I landed in the UK shortly after, and we spent a couple of nights in Reading with Nicla and Fabrizio. We all took the train into London for the day, mainly to see the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Walking through Hyde Park:

 

Stopping off in a cafe near Charing Cross:

We took the train to Gloucestershire and it was great to be back with my parents and the bears after two years away.

We found a quaint little cafe just behind Tintern Abbey:

What better to way to celebrate mum's birthday than with Krispy Kremes?!

We went to Clearwell Caves for their underground Christmas display - this year it was The Perfect Christmas Tree.

 

Constructing the gingerbread house on Xmas Eve:

 

It was meant for the kids...but Willis got there first on Christmas morning!

No tap dancing with Danny Kay but plenty of egg nog...."it's good!"

 

Gemma and Milan:

 

It's not just the adults who enjoy a drink on Christmas Eve....

Non-alcoholic of course!!

 

Christmas day.

 

 

Our Christmas Day walk with the dogs:

 

Ted waits patiently...

 

But Willis can't help himself:

 

We landed back in New York just in time for New Year's Eve. Not wanting to brave the cold in Times Square from 3pm, we signed up to the Central Park Midnight 4 Mile Run! It was absolutely freezing, about -10 degrees! Gemma improvised some ankle warmers with plastic bags:

Halfway round was meant to be sparkling cider....it turned out to be a frozen slushie, which we had to wrench off the frozen table!

 

Still, its not every New Year's that you get to see in with fireworks in Central Park.

All finishers received a frozen bagel and frozen apple at the end. A very, very cold start to 2014!