We arrived at Barnes and Anna’s and their dog went nuts. She’s so cute, but super hyper. She settled down and we had some good before going to see the lights in the woods.
Six of nine grandchildren in the Telford/Atkinson clan.
Billy slipped in the mud while we were at the house, so that was a bit of an issue. It had rained the previous day, so once we were on the trail at Bedgebury we had to avoid puddles, which was easier for some than others. Fortunately we had brought wellies for the kids which helped a ton.
The lights were prettier than what my photos captured.
S’mores make everything nicer.
Hope was able to be with us for a week. I think she had a wonderful time.
We headed back to Highwoods for dinner.
Monday morning we headed to pick up James, Lou and Zoe to bring them back to Highwoods. Louise and I went into town for Lou to do her Christmas shopping. We got the shopping done relatively quickly and then had lunch at Pizza Express. We caught a taxi back to Grandma and Grandpa’s where we relaxed for a while. The boys and Barry caught a taxi to a local pub to have some male bonding time. The ladies sat around the table and had a good natter. Dinner was ready around 7 pm, just as the men returned. Lou, James and Zoe got a taxi back to their hotel. I helped to clean up after dinner and then went to bed.
I was awake by 5:30 am as Stuart got up to pick James up and make the Christmas food morning pick up at Sainsbury’s. By the time they returned, I had stripped our bed to get it ready for Granny as she was coming to stay the next three nights and we were staying at the Premier Inn. I then cleaned the bathroom and packed up all of our things. I helped peel potatoes and tried to keep the laundry going. The kids played while Stuart and James went to their dad’s house to pick up Matt and Josh. They had flown in to Heathrow and Andrew had collected them to bring them back to his house for breakfast.
Everyone returned around 1 pm, after I had washed, dried and straightened Hope’s hair. She has a ton of hair and it’s really curly. We had lunch and then the kids, Stuart and I went to check into the Premier Inn. The kids weren’t staying but we felt it would help if they came with us to get out of the way at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
We went back by the house to collect Hope for our Christmas Eve Christingle service at a small church in Westfield.
These three were like any kids in church.
The light of the world has come.
After the service, we went to our Christmas Eve meal at Bannantyne’s, a resort not far from Karen and Barry’s house. This was where Lou and James were staying. The meal was amazing. Karen had made a plan in July to do a Santa sack with gifts for everyone from Santa. I purchased half of them and she purchased half of them. It was so clever and everyone seemed to enjoy that part of the evening. There were 15 of us at dinner.
The Telford grandchildren.
After dinner we all headed back to our places of slumber. All of the children, except Zoe, stayed at Grandma and Grandpa’s. We had gone by the house before going to eat so we had set up all the Santa items needed and then used Hope as our Santa’s helper once they were back at the house.
Christmas Day we had Grandpa pick us up just after 8. We then went to collect James and Lou. We all headed to Highwoods. The kids were allowed to open their stockings before we had breakfast.
They were very patient. Breakfast was served around 10 am and then chaos ensued as the gifts were distributed.
Everyone was spoiled by family members. We had a great deal of help in the cleaning up of the mess made by all the paper. It always amazes me that we spend weeks getting ready for an even that lasts only minutes. I find Christmas Day to be a bit of a let down sometimes. At any rate, it seems everyone had fun. There are no pictures of the actual event, as Stuart was watching the kids open presents and I was distributing everything under the tree, with help from the kids. But I can promise you it was fun for the kids, and that’s the important thing.
We had our Christmas dinner in the middle of the afternoon. The kids sat at a table in the living room and the adults sat in the dining room.
The kids’ table.
James carved the turkey.
After the meal, Barry played the piano and I sang. This is one thing that really endears me to my father in law. He loves music and I love when he plays the piano and I can sing along.
We headed back to our hotel around 10 pm. It was a good day, but we were tired. Karen, Stuart and Matt cooked and prepared the meal so I know they were ready for bed.
Stuart walked to Highwoods on Boxing Day morning. He picked me up a bit later, as it was raining, and we went to Sainsbury’s one last time. We got back to the house around 10 am. Karen’s sister and her family showed up around 11.
Clearly, my camera wasn’t the official camera, but this is Stuart’s grandmother, the grandchildren and the great grandchildren.
The celebrations continued. We chatted and played games and then went back to the hotel. I had virtually finished packing that morning so Friday morning wouldn’t be so hectic when it was time to leave for London.
Friday morning Stuart and I got up and had breakfast at the Premier Inn. I had started developing a head cold, which is so fun in the winter. After breakfast we called a cab to take us back to Grandma and Grandpa’s. We did another load of washing and then repacked our bags. It was a tight squeeze but at least we were underweight on our bags.
Barnes, Anna and the girls all showed up around 10:30 am. The kids exchanged gifts and then we took a photo with all the cousins. Who knows when we will all be together in the same place again. It’s difficult when everyone is scattered around the globe. Giles and Jen were in Vietnam for the holidays, so there was still one of the brothers missing. One day we hope all 5 boys and their families can be together for a holiday.
Any idea how hard it is to get 9 children to all smile and look at the same camera at one time? This was the best one I could get.
We had such a brief time Friday morning with all the cousins. Everyone went to lunch except for us. Stuart, the kids and I headed to the train station. Jack, Millie and I caught the train to London to meet up with Cathy, Kayleigh and Claire. Stuart and Hope carries on to take Hope back home. His drive was to be about three and a half hours there and two hours back.
The boy needed a nap on the train.
Looking at the city from the train can be quite entertaining.
Lunch at a pub was our first order of business.
After we had a proper catch up, we went to Trafalgar Square and had a picture with the famous lions. Jack had to pull Millie up to the base as she couldn’t climb up on her own.
We walked around Trafalgar Square and looked at the Christmas markets. Jack used some of his Christmas money to buy some gloves. He had ski gloves but needed some gloves just for warmth. After our shopping we walked to Regent Street to look at the pretty lights.
My American boy in the streets of London.
Stuart’s journey to and from Tipton took nearly 9 hours, when it should have taken him about five and a half. I felt so sorry for home. We returned to the hotel just about 20 minutes before he did. We all showered and got our things ready for the following early start.
Our alarm went off at 3 am to get to the airport for our 6 am flight to Zurich. Our 6 day Swiss adventure was about to begin. We were all very excited.
The crew is ready to take off.
Our flight was about an hour and a half. When we landed we got to passport control and ran into the other Telfords who had flown out of Gatwick airport. We all got taxis to the Park Hyatt hotel and were ready to walk around Zurich. I was a bit disappointed the Christmas markets were not still up and running, but it didn’t really stifle my fun. The kids and dads decided to hire some scooters to ride around town, which was a bit of a pricey novelty, but a lot of fun.
The girls rode with a bit of assistance.
European side streets, especially in a city that sits on the side of a hill, are always so quaint.
As we walked around the old town we decided to stop for a hot chocolate. Being by the river was very cold. Their outdoor cafes have fluffy cushions and blankets available to customers, which helps.
Waiting for their hot chocolate proved to be chilly.
We are cold!
A snack break was in order while we decided what we were going to do for Louise’s birthday lunch. In the end we went to an English pub for some fries and drinks. Then we found a fondue restaurant, which was an adult pleaser, but not as much to the liking of the kids.
Cheeses goodness.
After lunch, the crew decided to have another go on the scooters. We then headed back to the hotel. Louise and I went for massages, which were a bit pricier than I would normally spend, but was nice at any rate.
Once the massages were completed, Louise went to her room for the evening as she has not been well since she arrived in the UK on the 22nd. Everyone else convened in our room until we decided to go across the street for pizza and pasta. Then it was back to the room for an early night. A transfer to the train leaving for Arosa was to pick us up at noon the following day, so having an early night after our early start was in order. Skiing, here we come.
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