Jeff's Aunt Cathy lives in Tewkesbury, a few hours from London. We had a wonderful Christmas at her home and our time there flew by. Cathy took us to a Pantomime, a traditional play for children that is like a melodrama. This one was Cinderella, 2 burly men played the step sisters. There was lots of audience participation, singing and laughs.
They took us to Burton-on-the-Water, a Cotswold village with lots of charm and pretty canals.
Christmas was one of the best we have had. It was nice to be with family and the girls were spoiled. Thank you Cathy for all the delicious food!
The next day we went to Gloucester and toured the cathedral there. They used the cloisters to film scenes in the Harry Potter films. I was very excited to see Morris dancers and Mummers there too. I had been reading about Winter Solstice traditions and these have been performed in England during solstice tide as long as anyone can remember. The days during the winter solstice are so short in England.
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Cotswolds
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Isabella and Jennifer
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sipping hot chocolate
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A stop for afternoon tea (Isabella took this picture)
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Bourton-on-the-Water
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What did Santa bring?
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Christmas dinner
Steven, Jennifer, Ken and Cathy
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Elena, Aunt Cathy, Isabella
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Morris dancers
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Mummers
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Morris dancers
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We visited Jeff's grandfather's grave for the first time.
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