More adventures of the Nicholls family: January 2008

Here are a selection of photos from our Christmas trip to the UK. There were plenty of other people we saw, but we didn't always take the camera out of the bag. For example, we had a great day in Horsham with Chantal and Issie and Paula and Adam. We had a day watching Arsenal beating Spurs with the Kerr-Dineens, and Rachel and I had a pub and curry night in London with a group of friends. I also spent a night at the Liles where I ate for four, wrestled with Abby, and read to Fraser. The next day I took back Christmas presents for the children. I was speechless when they opened them - two England football shirts! If I'd known...

Emma came to Storrington to see us and posed with a couple of elves on her lap.

Christmas Eve and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Cookies and milk are laid out for a Santa in need of sustenance after a long night of work. I suggested that Santa might like a beer but was told not to be so silly. Humph.

Christmas lunch. Christine and Alex joined us for lashings of food and drink and, later, several games of Cluedo and Table Football.

Sam on the London Eye. He got excited about the trains coming in and out of Charing Cross.

Ever wondered what Hannah looks like when she has a temperature of 103 and is feeling terrible? This is it! For most of the next five days she slept.

Sam took charge of the camera and took these postcard shots.

I had a very pleasant New Year's Eve with Sue and Peter Wreford in Cambridge. Private Eye crossword, a walk around Cambridge including a pint in The Pickerel, great food, games, the Clash, spilling wine on the floor - it was just like old times!

New Year's Day lunch with Jess, Derek, Bethan, and Jenny at the Bewicke Arms in Hallaton in the wilds of Leicestershire. Beautiful place, great lunch, beer allegedly very good (I was driving).

We dropped in on Great Aunt Sheila in Dunstable for tea and biscuits. Sheila's neighbours were very generous in decorating her house with Christmas lights and plastic Santas. But she will probably ask them not to bother next year.

Lunch with Great Aunt Margaret in Woking.

Sam looking sneaky. Teresa looking worried.

We went for a walk on Box Hill with Ron Williams and with the Family Simic - Ana, Milan, Katarina, and Pavlé. It was wet, it was slippery, but everyone enjoyed themselves (uh, except Sam who was too cold). Here are Katarina and Pavlé with Hannah looking out to the South Downs.