Harry Potter Tour!

How can you say you've really seen England until you've walked in Harry Potter's shoes??? This past week, Julia, our indispensable American resource, visited. As she could never get our kids in bed because the Harry Potter movie was still going, we figured an 8 hour tour of Harry Potter film sites in London and Oxford was in order. Though it was pricey, I'd recommend Londontaxitours.com. It was the most reasonable we found, and they were very accommodating. When we got home and watched the first movie, everything was as he promised -- down to really nifty details!! The picture in the left finds us at the chapel at Oxford which was used to film the dance sequences in Goblet of Fire and the Hospital Wing in several of the films. Below....well, do I have to explain that????

Speaking of Christmas Livestock...

Here you can see the kids walking actual reindeer in Conkers, an interesting re-use of an old coal mine. It's an outdoor/indoor activity and nature park. This is in the East Midlands close to our friends the Warrens in Derby (many Warrens are in the background of this picture). It was a cold day, but we happened to hit the reindeer people at the right time and got to walk them all around the park. It was fun, followed by a great meal at a "Two for One" pub --- the economy has hit them hard so you can get fantastic food deals there if you will only go in and buy a pint (or two or three...)

Christmas Time in English Schools....

...the real meaning of no separation of church and state! You should have heard all the religious carols we sang (and no multiculturalism provided!). You can even see our elf, fifth from the right, standing row, adjusting his costume in the traditional Reception/Year One show. The Reception kids, or preschoolers, do a "Wiggly Nativity." Robert's year did a story about Santa and his elves. English people very much enjoy Christmas, but when it's over, it's OVER! Now, back to school tomorrow!