Thursday photo #242

Christmas week. It’s one of the few times of year that things calm down. We remained busy right up until Christmas Eve, but Christmas day brought a change of pace that continued into boxing day. My husband has gone back to work today and at the weekend we’ve got plans to visit both his family and mine. But for just a couple of days, we chilled out. It was bliss.

Sudeley Castle Spectacle of Light

Last Christmas, we went with some friends to visit the Illuminations in Birmingham. It was lovely to catch up with them and we all had a really wonderful evening, so this year we decided to do it again. However, as they live in the Cotswolds we decided that this time we’d try Sudeley Castle Spectacle of Light instead of going to Birmingham. It was the right decision.

This year’s illuminations at Sudeley Castle took on an Alice in Wonderland theme. It was wonderful to see the Cheshire Cat smiling at us from a tree. Flamingo croquet sticks were out ready for the game. The Mad Hatter was greeting guests whilst looking frantically for Alice. Probably my favourite part though was seeing this moon in the water with the backdrop of the castle. That and the real full moon lighting up the night sky behind the castle. What a glorious evening. 

The Polar Express

This week was our third trip on the incredible Telford Steam Railway Polar Express. It is always one of our favourite Christmas days out but it is incredibly popular and sells out early. This year, I missed out on tickets and resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn’t be able to go. However, a few weeks ago, Telford Steam Railway got in touch and invited us to ride the Polar Express on its last journey of the season.

I will of course be producing a full blog review and video. However, it suffices to say that this was the best Polar Express yet and it comes highly recommended. It is well worth keeping an eye on the Telford Steam Railway website and signing up to be notified of when tickets go on sale next year, usually around March.

Thursday photo #242

We’ve had an incredible few days with the girls. As well as Sudeley Castle and the Polar Express, we also made it to National Trust Croome for the girls to have a bike ride and see Santa. We even managed to fit in a morning of bouldering at a local climbing wall with my cousin and his wife, which was a brilliant activity that will definitely be repeated. This week’s photo has to be taken from the Polar Express though – with a seasonal addition to the usual faces. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.