White Christmas

On the 22nd we drove up to Oxfordshire. Will had his dentist appointment in Witney & I had a wander around the shops while I waited for him. Afterwards we headed to Fletcher's Farm, Will's parents place, which looked an absolute picture in the snow. This was to be our home for the next few days.
On the 23rd we had a big family gathering at the local village pub. It was a lovely afternoon & really nice to get to know some of Will's family better. Some of them I had only met at our wedding & didn't have much opportunity for chatting at the time.

The 24th was nice & relaxed. We tried to earn our keep with a few jobs around the place. Will's parents had had a big branch chopped off one of their trees so we moved the logs from under the tree to the wood shed. The most efficient way of moving them in the snow was using the old family sled!
Will also helped his dad chop up a whole heap of kindling which should hopefully last them a while.

Below you can see the very last quince hanging on for dear life. Also note the brussel sprout 'snowmen' in the bottom right of the picture!
It really has been cold over here. Even though we haven't had any snow for a few days, it isn't melting because the temperature is barely getting above zero degrees. It made for some spectacular icicles on the greenhouse. You have to be careful walking around town because all the snow is piled on the roofs & every now & then you hear a noise like a mini avalanche & a whole pile will drop down to the ground. Will had a small amount come down & hit him which I found pretty amusing!

On the 24th we also popped round to spend some time with Will's brother's family. The kids have grown up a lot in the year & a bit we have been away.

Usually the squirrels wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the bird-feeders which hang in front of the kitchen windows. However because it is Christmas, & because it is so hard for them to find any other food at the moment she has relented slightly. The one below took his nuts up to the top of the barn to eat them in peace... The pheasants were also foraging around,trying to steal the food put out for the small birds.

Christmas day was a stunning bright winters day, albeit bitterly cold! We took advantage of the sunshine & blue skies to take a few pics.

Will's mum cooked up a superb Christmas day feast. Turkey & ham with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding & brandy butter for dessert.

After the Queen's message in the afternoon, Will's brother & his family came over for the unwrapping of presents.

We had given each of the three children a kiwi toy each, & Katie was especially taken with hers...

At one stage Will's mum did a very good impersonation of a zebra, much to Katie's delight, who recorded the moment on her new nintendo DS!

Soon it was time for the kids to bundle up again in all their warm layers & head home. It was a lovely family Christmas, which we'll hopefully repeat in another 2 years time.

The next couple of days were very relaxed. We headed back Reading way on the 27th after braving the madness that is the Bicester Village outlet shops. It was absolute carnage with everybody trying to get first dibs in the sales. There were huge queues just to get in the door to places like Prada, Gucci, Ralph Lauren etc. Just as well those sorts of places aren't exactly our scene! However we did pick up a few bargains, so it was worth the trip.

Today has also been pretty relaxed. I checked out the sales in Reading & bought a few clothes while Will stayed at home & caught up on a bit of work. Tomorrow we are heading in to London to spend a couple of nights staying with my friend Nicola. Then on New Year's Eve we will head back Reading way as Claire & Mike are hosting a house party to see in the new year.