Star Wars

Welcome to 2017

Sunday 1st January 2017Friday 27th January 2017Baggie

Welcome to 2017 and the first post of the new year. This is my traditional Janus-like post where I look back upon the year just gone and the one that lies before us.

A trip to see Father Christmas, in Lapland! (Part two)

Monday 19th December 2016Wednesday 21st December 2016Baggie

Hopefully you have read part one so see how we got to where we are. If you haven’t it might be worth having a look here. If you are continuing to read then I am assuming that you have read part one and are now looking forward to reading about our adventures in the Arctic Circle.

We woke bright and early to pitch blackness. Being so far north the sun only popped its face above the horizon for about 3 hours each day and daylight did not begin to almost 1100, something that we didn’t really get used to while we there. Candy Cane and Nutcracker picked us up at 0900 and we headed to an adventure park directly on the Arctic Circle for a taster of all the adventure safaris that you could pay extra to do solo in the afternoon. It was, a not too unpleasant, -12°C and especially wearing our supplied outfits we were wrapped up warm and ready for our adventures.

We were given the low down on the activities before we left the coach: the park had a sledging slope, reindeer sleigh rides, skidoos and husky rides. There was also a traditional teepee where you could take part in a traditional Arctic Circle crossing ceremony. It all sounded exciting. Queues formed at all the activities quite quickly but we were just entranced by the beauty the snow covered forest. There were a number of fire pits with elves dishing out hot berry juice and gingerbread cookies, so we headed there to take measure of what we should do. Speakers played Christmas songs and it felt somewhat surreal to be listening to Shakin’ Stevens sing ‘Snow is falling, all around me…‘ while standing in a snow covered field in Finland – I felt like I was in a 1980’s Christmas pop video – definitely a dream come true!

It was decided that Mommy and Auntie Liz would queue for the husky ride while Nanny Fran and I would queue with the Baguettes for the kiddie Skidoos. The queue for the kiddie Skidoos moved quite quickly and it wasn’t long before they all had their opportunity to drive their own Skidoo, albeit tethered so that they didn’t mow down the other Arctic tourists – which would have put a dampener on the holiday. Éowyn and Amélie loved it but unfortunately Ezra was a little on the small size and although he gave it a really good go his hands were not big enough to fire the ‘go button’ while holding on to the handlebar. Nevertheless he completed a circle and had fun before we encouraged him to give up.

We then joined Mommy and Auntie Liz in the queue for the Husky ride. It was possible that his failure on the Skidoos was playing on his mind but Ezra refused to go on the Husky ride, so he and Nanny Fran waited while the rest of the family climbed aboard the sledge. Unfortunately when we got off Ezra had got cold and a little distraught. I took him of to one of the fire pits while the rest of the family queued for an adult Skidoo ride (kids to be dragged behind a Skidoo in a sleigh. Unfortunately, Daddy wasn’t who Ezra wanted. Only Mommy could make him happy, so Mommy took him into the restaurant while I took Mommy’s place in the queue. Only I wanted to drive my own Skidoo so the others climbed under blankets on one of the Sleighs. Again it was a taster session so didn’t last very long but enough for a morning’s enjoyment. We then headed back to find Mommy and Ezra.

On the way to the restaurant we passed the shaman’s teepee and decided to head in. The elf-shaman told us that he looked after Santa’s reindeer and that magic makes his nose glow on Christmas Eve to light Santa’s way. He said that he would do the same magic for us and drawing his thumb through the ashes of the fire placed black ash on each of our noses telling us that when we go to bed on Christmas Eve that the magic would make our noses glow to help Santa find us more easily in our beds.

We turned up at the restaurant with black noses, much to Mommy’s and Ezra amusement. Although when Ezra found out the story he wanted to go and get his ‘nose magic’ so that Santa could find him too! Lunch was provided of vegetable soup, meatballs, potato mash and/or burgers and chips. We were not expecting any food so it was a pleasant surprise. Warmed and bellies filled with hot food we headed back into the snow for a reindeer ride and some fun sledging down a icy slope. By the time Candy Cane was due to leave we had had our fill of the morning activities and were happy to be heading back.

Rather that going to our hotel we decided to get off Candy Cane in the centre of Rovaniemi so that we could explore the city centre. We spent some of our money on souvenirs and a hot chocolate and cake. We found a soft play that the Baguettes enjoyed, but not as much as they enjoyed climbing and then sliding down the piles of snow in the street. Some pleasures are much more simple.

The next day was an even earlier start: 0830 and the temperature had dropped to a chilly -18°C – indeed it was going to fall further throughout day to -22°C! The first stop in this chilly weather was Santa Claus Village. Situated directly on the Arctic Circle, Santa Claus Village is the home to Santa’s official post office, where Santa posts his replies, and you are encouraged (of course you are) to send a postcard (probably the busiest postbox for postcards in the world). It would be rude not to, so we let the Baguettes sent themselves a postcard so that it would have the official stamp when it arrived. We had the obligatory photo of standing astride the Arctic Circle and the signpost showing how far we were from home (2260km according to the sign – not the furthest that the Baguettes have travelled but definitely the furthest North).

Then it was time to board Candy Cane and head to our second stop of the morning: Santa Park. As the mercury plummeted it was nice to know that Santa Park was an underground theme park (one of Santa’s abandoned toy factories as the rumours suggested) situated 50 metres below the surface and again on the Arctic Circle – meaning this is only place in the World where you can cross the Arctic Circle so far underground.

Santa Park was excellent and probably the only place where our time there felt really limited. However, we managed to cram a fair amount into our allotted time. There was the magical sleigh ride, a trip through the forest to Santa’s workshop; Elf school, where we learned the first four rules of being an elf (elf-school lasts 99 years so it was only an introduction), Mrs Claus’ bakery, where the Baguettes decorated their own gingerbread cordate biscuits; Auntie Liz and Nanny Fran met the Ice Princess while the Baguettes played on the Angry Birds soft play. In between all that excitement we managed to watch the elves perform one of their shows. It is definitely somewhere that we could have spent an afternoon, if not a whole day.

We returned to the hotel to rest up before the evening’s gala dinner and our audience with the big man himself. We took advantage of the last of the day’s sunshine though to have a look across the vista of Rovaniemi from the observation deck on the top of the hotel. Amélie also convinced Auntie Liz to help her build a snowman replete with cheesy puff balls for eyes, nose and mouth (we didn’t have any coal or carrots). It wasn’t exactly the most lithe of snowmen and somewhat reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars (Return of the Jedi – let’s not mention the Special Edition of A New Hope) so we named him Jabba the Car-Hutt. There was still time to encourage the Baguettes (and most of the grown-ups) to have a nap so that they were not too tired for the big man.

The gala dinner was a coach ride away and held in restaurant (probably on the Arctic Circle as everything else was!). We were all shown to our tables and the fun began. The Thompson reps kept us all entertained with sing-songs, quizzes (which our table won – of course we did, despite being cheated out of one point, but I am not bitter!) and a rendition of ‘The 12 days of Christmas‘ where each table had a different line to sing. The meal was fantastic with three courses that the adults enjoyed but the Baguettes were nonplussed by.

At the end of the meal there was some excitement and the Thompson rep announced that Santa was arriving and we all should run outside to greet him. We made it out and fireworks and the chill air greeted our exit. While, all eyes were on the fireworks Santa entered stage right with Rudolph. Excitement levels increased among the children before we all returned to our tables and Santa settled into his room.

Each table was called individually while the games and quizzes continued. When it was your turn you were led into an antechamber to Santa’s room. An elf took the children’s name (to make sure that they are on the ‘nice’ list and certainly not to hand Santa the children’s names so he knew who is was talking to) and asked them what they were expecting for Christmas. Nutcracker had been entrusted by Santa to look after the entrance to his chamber and so we took the opportunity to grab a photo with her as the Baguettes, and especially Amélie had really taken a shine to her. Then it was our turn to see Santa.

I think this was the real magic moment. The Baguettes eyes opened wide as Santa said ‘Hello Éowyn, Amélie and Ezra.‘ It goes without saying that Santa knew their names and the fact that they were on the ‘Nice’ list. I think they were so taken aback that they didn’t say a lot to Santa and with a lack of conversation it was the perfect opportunity to take some photos, before Santa asked them if the would like a present. Obviously, they said, yes, and so they were presented with identical boxes that Santa said that they could open when they got back to the lodge. He also told them that they had to make sure that their rooms were tidy for when he came over on Christmas. I like this Santa. We said our goodbyes and left Santa’s room so that he could welcome the next family.

The route back to the table took us outside and back through the main entrance to the restaurant. As we stepped outside it started snowing: the perfect ending to a visit with Santa. We were one of the last tables to visit Santa so the Baguettes did not have to wait long before climbing back aboard Candy Cane and the return to Forest Heights and our lodge.

We obeyed Santa and let the Baguettes open their presents when we got back in the lodge. Not surprisingly, they were all identical and this year’s version of Thompson the Dog. Amélie was delighted but Éowyn and Ezra were disappointed but it didn’t take the shine off the fact that they had met the real Santa.

We were returning to England the next afternoon, so the morning was spent packing before a one quick last view from the observation deck before climbing back aboard Candy Cane for the return to the airport. We landed back at Gatwick with the temperature a veritable tropical 12°C!

So was it worth it? Would we recommend it? Did the Baguettes enjoy it?

When you are presented with the invoice for the holiday it seems expensive but when you actually add up what is included it is pretty good value for money. It is welcome organised and you are looked after the moment that you step aboard the plane at Gatwick, though at the same time you are not crowded or pressurised into joining it. We can not compare this against visiting Lapland in one day, however it is a long journey and the lack of daylight played havoc with our body clocks so I would have thought it would have been too much for the Baguettes, especially Ezra. To spend the extra days there wasn’t that much more and allowed us to enjoy the experience a lot more and have free time in the snow. Did the Baguettes enjoy it? It depends on which one you talk to.

Éowyn complained about the cold, but I pressed her about it, it wasn’t the fact that she was cold more the fact that she had to put so many layers on and then when you went into a restaurant or a shop or back into the lodge you had to take them off again. She has said since that she did enjoy it and has missed the snow. Her favourite part was Santa Park.

Amélie was the perfect age. She stared in amazement for the entire time we were there. Everything was brilliant. She loved the elves, the snow, the cold, seeing Santa. The money was worth it just for Amélie, for there was nothing that she didn’t like and when we asked her what he favourite thing was she reeled off almost everything that we did.

Ezra got cold once, while we were on the husky ride and it took some Mommy time to get him out of his malaise, but apart from that he seemed to enjoyed himself and keeps talking about it. He stood open mouthed in amazement when we saw Santa but he said that his favourite thing was sledging which was effectively when he used his daddy as a sledge.

The only disappointment that Lucinda and I had from the trip is something that can not be organised by a tour operator and that was the fact that we didn’t see the Aurora Borealis – The Northern Lights. We had one clear night, ideal for viewing the Northern Lights (although it was a chilly -20°C) but the Sun activity was low and thus no aurora. However it does give me an excuse to return to the Arctic Circle as viewing an aurora is definitely on my bucket list. Equally, we were disappointed that on our arrival back home England doesn’t feel as Christmassy as the land of Christmas itself. The warm (for the time of year) weather, serious lack of snow coupled with the excessive daylight (in comparison to the Arctic Circle) has made it feel more like November than the weeks leading up to Christmas. I am sure that we will get over it, although it would be much easier if the weather turned a little colder and we had the odd snow flurry.

I trust that you have enjoyed our little summary of our trip to Lapland and if I have not bored you too much and you want to kill a couple of hours of your time, there are 650 plus photos in this Flickr Album.

Peace and Love

Baggie

The Bagnalls at the Arctic Circle

Meeting Rudolph

Astride the Arctic Circle

That’s a big snowman

Santa Claus Village

The Elves and the Baguettes

Ezra Claus

How far from home?

No idea what that means

Ready to go

Snow is falling

Husky ride

Nanny Fran and Amélie

Santa Claus Post Office

Auntie Liz and Éowyn

Éowyn on a skidoo

Amélie on a skidoo

Ezra on a skidoo

Mommy sledging I

Mommy sledging II

Mommy sledging III

Éowyn’s gingerbread heart

Amélie’s gingerbread heart

Ezra’s gingerbread heart

Cheers

Nutcracker and the Baguettes

Santa’s arrival

The Real Santa Claus

The Bagnalls with Santa

Bagnalls in the snow

Where is Ezra?

One excited boy

Daddy and Amélie

Cuddling Nutcracker

What did Santa give you?

Reading the safety information

Badger Moot 2016 – Part One

Saturday 12th November 2016Tuesday 15th November 2016Baggie

With a somewhat predictable opening, I apologise for the late delivery of the write up of the 2016 Badger Moot. For those of you that are new to the concept of the Badger Moot, each October half-term the greater Badger Clan (descendants of Grandpa Badger – Lucinda’s Granddad) gather in Dorset for a week’s holiday. This has been an annual event since 2004, with the exception of last year due to obvious reasons, making this the 12th moot (13th if you include Uncle Bill’s 70th birthday celebrations) and the 11th (12th) at Berwick Manor. Berwick Manor is a large house set on the Puncknowle Manor estate in the Bride Valley, West Dorset just north of Burton Bradstock. As this is the twelfth time we have stayed here we know it very well, it feels like a home from home and it is large enough to accommodate the ever-growing clan of Badgers (and indeed there were Badgers this year in the shape of Uncle John and Auntie Margaret who had flown over from Sydney to take part in this year’s Badger Moot).

As usual we can pick the keys up for the manor on the Friday afternoon, however it was not only the last day of term for Éowyn and Amélie, they both had after school clubs that they wanted to attend and Friday evening was Amélie’s weekly Rainbow meeting and their Halloween party (a week early for there would be no meeting during half-term), so we made the decision not to leave for Puncknowle until the evening. I still thought it prudent to take the day off work, to pack and get the car packed and sorted, so with the knowledge that we were going to miss Uncle Bill and Auntie Sally’s traditional Friday night curry we took to the roads a little after 7pm.

The post rush hour roads were relatively clear and we had a good run down to the Bride Valley arriving around 10pm. This gave us enough time to say hello, unpack and have a quick drink before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning in Bridport is market day. It has become a tradition to spend the first morning of our holiday wandering aimlessly around the market looking for bargains. It has also become a tradition that I give the children £10 to spend on whatever they want while they are on holiday, in the knowledge that when it is gone, it is gone and they can ask for nothing else. Bridport has probably one of the best toy shops in the area, in the form of Toymaster. Toymaster shops are a group of over 250 independently owned shops that collectively purchase under the Toymaster buying group and although independent can use the Toymaster brand to promote their business. The Bridport Toymaster is fantastic and the Baguettes excitedly run from one aisle to another working out the best way to spend their tenners.

They spent probably the best part of an hour trying to get as many toys, or as big a toy, as they possibly could with Ezra probably doing the best coming away with Ramsey (one of the T. Rex’s from Disney’s A Good Dinosaur) to go with his favourite toy of 2016: Butch (the leader of the T. Rex’s from the film). Ramsey was on special offer – half price – and so he had enough to purchase a light sword (not a sabre – although it was somewhat reminiscent of Kylo Ren’s lightsabre from The Force Awakens – complete with cross-bar). His only disappointment was the fact that the light sword (or light saver as he calls it) was green and not red. As I have explained my son has a penchant for the dark side – he wants to see those crystals bleed!

We left Bridport with the Baguettes’ booty, some trainers for Éowyn (her feet have grown one and a half sizes since August, and now all her shoes are hurting her!) and a nugget of information. One of the stalls at the market was selling fossils (this is the Jurassic coast after all) and the Baguettes showed a real interest in the Ammonites. So as we were browsing I started a conversation with the owner who asked if we were going to go fossil hunting. I replied that since they were showing an interest we would when we visited Lyme Regis later on in the week. He then pointed us in the direction of Charmouth explaining that the visitor centre has lots for the kids to do and will happily give you information on the best place to look for fossils along that stretch of coast. We thanked him and made a note that we would indeed visit Charmouth later on in the week.

After lunch we headed to another traditional haunt: Hive Beach. Framed by the dramatic limestone cliffs Hive Beach has a real majesty from where you can appreciate the power of the sea. Indeed, we donned wellies to head across the pebbles to the sea to play chicken with the waves. The first few minutes are always very tentative as the kids run as soon as they see a wave breaking but then they get bolder and bolder and that is when you know that someone is going to get wet. This year it was Éowyn and she just say alone on the pebble sulking and muttering that she wanted to go home while the others continues to play. Eventually we ceded and headed back to warmth to prepare ourselves for the evening meal and the week’s fancy dress night.

It is also traditional that one of the evenings we would all realise that we are still kids at heart and dress up and everyone from Uncle John (at 80) to Ezra (at 3) put on costumes for the evening. This year’s theme was ‘Stereotype’s from around the world’ and there was plenty of opportunity to be a little bit racist! So there were lederhosen (Germany), stripy t-shirts and baguettes (France), prison outfits (Australia) and kilts (Scotland) to name but four. The Bagnalls decided to use costumes we already owned and go as Hawaiians replete with Leis, Hawaiian shirts, Coconut boobie-shades (bikini top for those of you that don’t know) and grass skirts. Ezra didn’t want to join in the family theme, however and decided that he wanted to be a dragon. Could he get away with being Welsh? He is only 3 we let him off!

Sunday, we had nothing planned so we decided to take the man from the market’s suggestion and head to Charmouth. Despite visiting Dorset over a dozen times neither Lucinda or I believe that we had ever visited Charmouth, therefore it was an adventure for us all. Lauren and Maddie, the Baguettes cousins, asked if they could come too so the S-Max was turned into seven seat mode and off we set. Charmouth, as its name suggests, is a village in West Dorset at the mouth of the river Char. Overlooking Lyme bay and framed by steep hills and cliffs it lies about a mile to the East of its bigger and better known neighbour: Lyme Regis. Like Lyme Regis it is sited on the Jurassic coast and again like its neighbour its cliffs are a constant source of fossils as the sea erodes them revealing new fins almost daily. Charmouth is famous for the quality of the marine creatures fossilised in its vicinity, it is also the only place in the world where remains of the terrestrial herbivorous armoured ornithischian dinosaur Scelidosaurus have been discovered.

We parked up and walked down to the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. Situated up a wooden staircase with a view of Golden Cap (the highest cliff on the south coast of England) the Heritage Coast Centre is replete with Jurassic related activities and books, souvenirs and toys to buy. It also has a wealth of information about the area, help on how to look for your own fossils and an impressive display of local fossils found by professionals and amateurs alike. We entered the Centre and it was relatively full, this, we found out later, was because the tide was high and so there was little of the beach on which to go fossil hunting. Nevertheless one of the activities was to polish your own fossil. The local volunteers had procured a box of ammonites from a local quarry, not great quality but good for the exercise that they had in mind.

For £1.50 you could choose your own fossil to polish and keep. All the Baguettes (and Lauren and Maddie) wanted a go so we got in line and paid our money. After choosing your fossil the work started. It need to be sanded flat ready for waxing. Starting with a course block of sandpaper and graduating to a finer sandpaper roughly 10 minutes of elbow grease was enough to smooth the fossil ready for the volunteers to wax. The Baguettes were very pleased with their efforts (and indeed Éowyn has since taken it to school for show and tell). This spurred them to want to find their own fossils. So after lunch we hired a (rusty) rock hammer and goggles from the local fossil shop and headed to the beach. Despite our best efforts we did not find much. Maddie found a good Ammonite fossil; Éowyn, one that wasn’t and Daddy potentially some sea vegetation imprint (or just a case of pareidolia), nothing that was going to set the world of palaeontology alight.

Charmouth was a good opportunity for Éowyn to practise using the camera that Nanny Fran bought her for her birthday. You can see some of her efforts below and many more on the Flickr page, indeed she has her own page, here. She definitely has an eye for it and it is interesting to see the world from her angle, it is just a shame that it imprinted the time and date on the photos she took (why do you even need that on a digital camera?). That has now been removed for future snaps.

As it was Sunday we, as a family, had decided that it would be nice to have a Sunday lunch and all chip in to help cook it. Now, Berwick Manor is equipped with an Aga and more modern electric oven but to feed 25 both would need to be called into action. It was thus decided that the two chickens, parsnips and Yorkshire puddings would be cooked in the electric oven with the legs of lamb and roast potatoes in the Aga. All good, until we realised that the electric oven wasn’t getting up to temperature and after 20 mins in the oven the chickens we still tepid. What to do? We needed a method of cooking them so we decided to employ the barbecue. Where there is a will (or a hungry Bagnall) there is a way. The barbecue was lit and the chickens (then parsnips, and then the Yorkshire puddings) were all duly cooked and we all sat down to Sunday lunch, albeit a little later than planned.

Monday was the only really inclement day; it was warm but it was raining. Nevertheless it did not stop the Bagnalls from leaving the house any going on an adventure. We decided that we would head into the county town of Dorset: Dorchester. With the interest in all things prehistoric growing in the bosoms of our children we headed to the ultimate (in the area) destination: The Dinosaur Museum. The museum is the only museum in the country that is solely devoted to all things dinosaur. It has a combination of fossils, life-size reconstructions and lots of hands-on attractions for kids of all ages to enjoy. It was probably a little smaller than I expected and this coupled with the fact that the weather was inclement and it was half-term combined for quite a cramped feel. However, the kids loved it (so did the grown-ups) and Lucinda realised that she has a lot to learn about pre-historic life in order to help answer the myriad of questions coming from the Baguettes.

Along with all the models, fossils and hand-on experiences during half-term the museum was running the great dinosaur hunt. Dotted around the museum were eight different clues each with a letter. Collect the clues and the letters, and they will spell a word. Find the letters, fill out your form and hand it to the staff for a prize. The Baguettes duly did (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy) and they were awarded with a special Dinosaur hunter’s medal. Something they all show proud in wearing.

We left the museum and headed into the shopping area while it was only drizzling. While wandering around we had one of those moments that demonstrate how small the world really is as we bumped into Amélie’s best friend (and her family). Living only a few streets away in Staines upon Thames they, too, had decided to go to Dorset for the half-term. Even stranger they were staying in Charmouth where we had been the day before. Our little gathering had to split up as the rain increased in intensity and we headed back to the car and Berwick Manor.

Another annual tradition that we initiated in 2013 was a visit to my Auntie Margaret (actually my first cousin once removed) and Uncle Ray’s. They moved to the isle of Portland from West Bromwich to retire near to the sea and as we are only down the road it seems rude not to visit. The girls enjoy visiting their honorary Grandparents and Auntie Margaret always has something for them to enjoy.

The journey to Portland takes us along one of my favourite roads in England (the B3157 – the Jurassic Coast Road) and it doesn’t take too long to get there from Puncknowle. With the knowledge that Tuesday was our turn to cook for the family we decided to head to Portland early as we would have to leave early to prepare the meal. This was probably good for Auntie Margaret as she is still recovering from open heart surgery that she had over the Summer.

Auntie Margaret had bought them some activity books to do to keep them entertained. That was until Auntie Pauline, Auntie Margaret’s younger sister turned up, then she became the entertainment. Auntie Margaret had also been kind enough to buy the girls fans to replace the ones that they had stolen when they were on holiday in Italy. The Baguettes keep Aunties Margaret and Pauline and Uncle Ray entertained (teaching them how to Pop See Koo! – don’t click on the link otherwise you will be singing it for days. You have been warned!) and I think Auntie Margaret, especially, was completely worn out by the time we left.

This is a becoming an epic and as you can guess from the title I have decided to split this up into two write-up for it has only covered half of the holiday thus far. You will have to wait until my fingers can type the second part to discover what else we did down in Dorset.

Peace and Love

Baggie