2 to 5 January 2024 - A Visit to Center Parcs Whinfell

This was a four day visit to Center Parcs near Penrith. Sue and I were invited to join Kate, Jessica, Jacob, and Jacob's friend Seb, in a house for six people that Kate had booked for a very reasonable price. (Click on any image for a slideshow.)

Tuesday

After fun in a squash court, and some swimming, our first evening was taken up with a spag bol supper and the completion of a 1000 piece 'Book Covers' jigsaw. Once we got over the fact that the edge pieces were a uniform brown colour, this was a delight to complete and it held everyone's attention for the evening, not to mention putting the coffee table out of action for the duration. The jigsaw just fitted onto the table so long as you ignored the long edge pieces.

Wednesday

Short tennis.

Table tennis.

A view to the swimming pool.

Happy mum; happy child. On their way home to a lasagne dinner.

Thursday

Setting off from 28 Beechwood.

The lake (closed for the winter) and another view to the pool.

This Christmas decoration was taken down minutes later.

The moorhens and mallard ducks were very tame.

More table tennis.

Then a caving adventure for Jessica, Jacob and Seb.

Back home in the dark for a pizza dinner.

Friday

An aerial adventure, last minute booking, for Kate and Jessica, and Jacob and Seb.

Before we go, leaving Sue to thrash grandad at ping pong, a happy family with ice creams.

A lovely trip. Thanks go to Kate for organising it.

NB There were lots of other activities, I've just shown those recorded 'on film'.

Two Christmas Lunches

Christmas Eve sees us enjoying a family lunch in Timperley. Jacob's friend Seb joined us. The ten of us just about fitted around our dining table. As usual, baked potatoes, beans, cheese and Coronation chicken were the order of the day, followed by apple crumble, and some of Kate's 'Bacup Biscuit Box' for anyone who might still have been hungry..

Jessica and Isabella (cousins) seem to get on well together.

We hoped Isabella would take after her mum, who has an aversion to chocolate....

After lunch, whilst the grandmas had a snooze and the children played hide and seek, some of us enjoyed a game of Rummikub.

Back in Didsbury, monkey face seems to prefer yogurt to chocolate. Or maybe there was no chocolate available?

Christmas Day found us (after the Alderley Park parkrun) up in Bacup for Christmas dinner with Kate, Jacob and Jessica. That was Kate's Christmas present from me and Sue! We had a lovely time.

On Boxing Day I went for a walk. (See separate entry.) But the next day we had the pleasure of company again, and Sue read 'Seen and not Heard' to Isabella many times - she was fascinated by the story. It's over ten years since my cousin Richard's daughter had this book published, and it's great to see it still being enjoyed, as it was by Jacob and Jessica a few years ago..