Remote Controlled Cars

When I asked Bluet what she wanted for Xmas, she told me she would like make up and a remote controlled car (she'd played with one when we ran into a school friend in the school playground one weekend last year, and loved it). The make up came in the stocking and from Abatha, but we neglected to buy the car. Fortunately, and without knowing any of this, Uncle Nick got Bluet and Ilona both a car. Here they are in the school playground trying them out

New Year New Accent

And when we returned from York we discovered that Ilona had picked up a northern accent:

York Travel Guide

York has many attractions and entertainments available for the discerning visitor - notably the railway museum, which sadly we missed this year, the tiny record shop. Also, there is a lot of history, seeing as it was the capital of Britain in Viking and Roman times. So for entertainments for the kids, we visited several of York's finest museums. Here they are.

First the castle museum, built in some old prisons on the site of some old castle or other. It has lots of rooms done up like the past (including a 1980s kitchen, with the kind of cupboards everyone had), and most excitingly, an entire victorian street recreated indoors.



In the olden days children could be thrown in prison if they refused to be seen and not heard.



An olden days school


Then there is the Yorkshire museum, which has a lot of history. Here the kids can be seen enjoying the history, including walking on a genuine Roman mosaic floor



Then there is this one called the dig where you can pretend to be an archaeologist - here they are digging up some bones. You also get to handle fossilised poo, to the great amusement of all children



So Wilder, what did you think of the museums of York?


There are also many hostelries, many of which also sell food and provide spaces for children to draw whilst parents relax. Here is Ilona's picture from the pub.



And Gran Helen came to hang out with all her grandchildren too.

New Year

For our New Year's celebration, we got on a plane and headed to York to visit Simon, Angela, Della and Gus. We arrived early afternoon on New Year's eve, and somehow managed to stay awake past midnight (without the kids).

Pre-flight snack

 

Kids on a plane


Della was very excited to meet and hold her new cousin (as was everyone else)


Seems a long time since Xmas now. Here Bluet shows Della how to play Lotti Karotti, her favourite board game


2018 began with a trip to the park with scooters, balls and bikes



A pen was found, turning the park into a restaurant, and leaves into waiters pads for our food orders


 And New Year's Day finished with a bath


And everyone went to bed in the same room

Christmas in Italy

Christmas day, after the presents were opened, we got in a car and drove to Italy to spend 3 days at a farm near Bergamo, with our friends Leila and Mike and their twin boys. The farm, accessable only via a rickety bridge, produces their own food and then cooks it for you, so for 3 days there was no cooking for us, which was nice. Unfortunately there was rather too much rain (and even an ice storm); the upside of this was that Bluet and Ilona discovered a frozen patch on the lawn where they could ice skate.

Also, there was a lovely, cosy recreation room with roaring fire to relax in and seats to sit on, as well as cows to watch being milked, goats to watch escaping, and even a pony ride for the kids (the highlight for Bluet, although she said it was a bit wobbly and she worried she might fall off).