The day was filled with anticipation of snowmobiling on a glacier. After using this as incentive to drag them away from the horses and dog, there was a little feedback and accompanying moaning heard when we discovered that our tour had been pushed back a few hours. No matter, this gave us the chance to explore some of the other local hot spots…literally. First stop was actually not hot but wet - Gulfoss, translated as Golden Falls. Not quite golden but large and damp, and a sight to see nonetheless. Next stop, Geysir geothermal area, for some boiling water and mud and a spewing geyser, Strokkur, who belches forth approx 20m in the air every 8-10 minutes, or more frequently if you’re not paying attention. Very cool to see, particularly the water drop back down the ... read more

Some science and some arts to round out our English experience. First, the arts. A tour of the globe theatre for those of us who have an ‘appreciation of Shakespeare’…or those who’ve done one term of midsummer night’s dream. We were disappointed to miss the season of The Globe but we managed to catch the final dress rehearsals for Much Ado About Nothing on our tour, which was really special. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the set/actors but picked up some really interesting stuff about actors and plays of the time, including the origins of the actor’s ‘role’ and why so much of Shakespeare explains what the actors are doing. A really engaging and interesting tour before a great pub lunch overlooking the Thames. And now for the science. I’m told there was a ... read more

In continuing the theme from yesterday, we had a very lazy morning. Mel and I headed to Mayfair for afternoon tea with bottomless prosecco and the kids had lunch and icecream by the river while Geoff went to watch Ben play rugby. ... read more

The much-anticipated day had FINALLY arrived. Sleep was in short supply overnight and the day eventually dawned. How were we going to wait until 4.00 to embark on this life-changing adventure?!? How could we ensure the excitement, the anticipation and the overwhelming jitteriness?! We had a grand solution - depart for Arundel Castle and leave her at home with Aunty Mel and Charlotte! Winning!! So off we set towards the castle and the medieval festival. Lots to see at the castle, as indicated by the massive number of people in the car park. Luckily there were plenty of activities scattered amongst the grounds to keep everyone occupied so it never felt particularly crowded. First stop was a mock battle, followed by the gardens, full of beautiful flowers. A quick visit to the castle keep (but not ... read more

Today’s objective was to not repeat our visit to Chessington of 15 years ago. Charlotte’s enthusiasm for the Dragon’s Fury roller coaster was dampened significantly on the way up, with the chant of ‘I want to get off, I want to get off!’ echoing around the park. No such issue for Eloise who spent a large portion of the time in the hour plus long queue wanting to get on. Lucky it was worth the wait! Beeb had a lovely time feeding the bevy of Humboldt Penguins - a whole bucket of fish to get through and her assumed pace of eating made for a long VIP experience but she loved every minute! All of them had sweet individual personalities and it was fun getting to know them a little bit. The day was rounded out ... read more