The Night Before Christmas

Taken after church on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was lovely. We like to go to Mark's parents' church on Christmas Eve as they always have a lovely nativity service for the children. Any child who wants to can dress up to help to tell the story of that first Christmas so long ago. Lily dressed as a shepherd and Emma as an angel and very sweet they looked too. After church, we went back to Mark's parents' house for tea before heading back home.

It was late by the time we got back, so I needed to get Alex in bed fairly quickly. I put him in his new pyjamas, but there was no chance to get my usual Christmas Eve pyjama photo of all of the Podlings together. Alex and Tom had matching checked pyjamas for Christmas Eve, but Tom declined to be photographed in them! The girls also matched each other in pretty floral pyjamas and were more co-operative in the photo department! After putting Alex to bed with his stocking, the girls sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn before coming inside for hot chocolate and shortbread. We put out a mince pie and some milk for Father Christmas and a carrot and a bowl of water for the reindeer before heading upstairs to bed. I read them 'The Night Before Christmas'  from the copy my sister and I had as a child and said goodnight to three very excited children. They settled down surprisingly quickly, knowing that Father Christmas won't come to fill their stockings until they are asleep.

I love Christmas Eve! There is so much magic in the familiar tradtions, the anticipation of the children and the overwhelming beauty of the story of the birth of a baby boy in a stable two thousand years ago. 

"For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given" Isaiah 9:6

Off to bed for sleepy Alex

Sudbury Hall

We haven't been to the Museum of Childhood at Sudbury for quite a while, so we decided to take the Podlings there this weekend. As usual the Podlings had a fantastic time, even little Alexander found plenty to keep him amused. We love it there!

Although we have been to the Museum of Childhood a couple of times before, we have never been in the hall itself, something that we rectified on this visit. For those of you interested in such things, Sudbury Hall was used for the interior shots of Pemberley in the BBC's 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (Lyme Park was used for the exterior shots). I absolutely love that series, so it was rather thrilling for me to recognise some of the locations. I was rather flattered by the lovely old and very informative gentleman who was stewarding the Long Gallery, who seemed to think I was too young to have seen the programme!

After the hall and the museum the Podlings had a play in the rather fantastic woodland adventure playground. We then had a quick look around the churchyard of All Saints Church adjacent to the hall before heading back to the car park for a little picnic snack and thence home. It was a lovely day out and we still felt like we could have done with more time there. 

Poor William Tildsley, a groom in service of the dowager queen, met an unfortunate end when he was "accidentally killed by the incautious use of a gun"

A boy and his biscuits!

Ilam Holy Cross

The Church of the Holy Cross stands in the grounds of Ilam park. Although originally Saxon, much of what can now be seen dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Lily was rather taken with this throne carved out of an old tree trunk outside the church gates.

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