Holiday Update

I had a really great Christmas this year and I was able to see almost all of my extended family. Our Christmas lunch was delicious as always with lots of sprouts (my favourite), roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, sausages wrapped in bacon, turkey and gravy. We had Christmas pudding for dessert with clotted cream, cream and custard. We opened our presents after lunch and Catherine and I acted as the elves passing out the gifts to everyone. I got lots of presents - enough to fill my gym bag. I will have fun trying to take all my stuff back on the train! We played Newmarket in the evening and had some crackers, chutney and cheese. Now you know what a typical Christmas for the Hobbis family looks like!

This is the first time I’ve been down to visit the family since my grandparents moved to their new house. We went over lots to visit them there and they came over for dinner several times during our stay. They live only about a ten minute walk from my aunt. Their new house is really nice and it was good to see some of their familiar belongings around the new place. Millie, their black lab, seems to like the house too and she is enjoying going for walks with her new dog walker. My dad and Uncle Peter took her out for two walks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At one point they had to lift her over a stile (and she’s not light)! On one of the days we went to the Lord Nelson’s Arms for a pub lunch. I had the Ploughman’s lunch – a spread of apple slices, baguette, cheddar cheese, chutney and salad. It was really good but required a lot of assembling!

I’ve been having fun spending time with my canine relatives – Bryn, Grace, Rosie, Millie, Ted and Florence. I’ve got more dog cousins than human cousins! Rosie is a year and a half and very playful. She loves to play fetch with her rubber ring or tennis ball and will bring it to you over and over again. I’ve never met a dog that has wanted to play with me so much. It is nice to be in a house with a cat now after so many dogs! I think everyone knows I'm a cat person at heart!

We just left Somerset where we stayed with my Uncle Keith and Jan for three nights. We visited Auntie Elsie and John on the way there. Auntie Elsie always prepares a delicious spread of all my favourite English foods and she gave us lovely presents. This year we gave her a homemade calendar of photos of the family. We had dinner in the village with Uncle Keith and Jan on the first night and I had the usual - ham, egg and chips. One year they didn't have any left and it was so sad! Every year since we joke about reserving it for me. One of the days my family went into town and Catherine and I had a coffee in a little cafe and shopped while my parents visited with friends. We also made our traditional trip to the arcades to bet on the 2 penny machines. We went round the village where my Uncle Keith and Jan live, going in all the little shops. Jan has a cafe there and an artisan bakery. We also went to check out my grandad's old house and to place some flowers on his and my grandma's graves in the cemetery in the village. It's always a sad thing to do but it's important to remember them at Christmas. 

My family and I are now in my hometown staying with family friends Penny, Fernando, Rosanna, Molly and their cat Betty. We arrived yesterday and went on a walk around the village. It has been ten years since I have lived here and some things I didn't recognize at first. For New Year's Eve us four girls went down to the park with a blanket, some grapes and a bottle of champagne. We rang in the New Year by eating one grape for every strike of the church bells on the hour and sipping champagne from the bottle - very classy! It was a lot of fun and we stayed out gossiping under the stars and watching the fireworks.

Today I had a productive morning working on my Psycholinguistics paper and then a lazy afternoon watching TV and playing a board game. Tomorrow we plan on going into town and on a walk and then on Friday we are going to Oxford. My dad has gone back to Atlanta now but my mum, Catherine and I take the train on the 4th. My mum is heading up to Yorkshire to stay with friends and Catherine will be staying with me in Edinburgh. I'll keep you updated!