It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I will be going back to our Tuscan Adventure in future posts but right now Christmas is almost upon us. I collected Anastasia last Friday, it's Xenia's last day at college and Chris' last day at work until the new year. The presents are bought, food shop done just one more on Monday for fresh produce. Now just wrapping, tidying, cleaning and best of all baking!!!! Merry Christmas everyone!

 

 

I love my tree!

I love my decorations!

I love my tree collection!

An Evening or Two in Siena

I honestly didn't think we would find anywhere to park when we got to the beautiful hill-top city of Siena. Having travelled there and circled round a bit at last Chris found a space and we spend a wonderful evening wandering the streets. We ate in the main square where there always seems to be some excitment the first evening there was a sort of 'Battle of the Bands' going on with marching/dancing bands coming in off the various streets that lead to the square. The beautiful square which is so familiar from so many films, unfortunately Daniel Craig did not emerge from any of the man-holes. We also re-visited the following week to take even more photos and soak up more Tuscan atmosphere. This time there was a huge parade with a lot of flag waving, it was an amazing spectacle

 

The Duomo



Beautiful building

Every street is a picture!

Xenia and Anastasia



Anastasia being a glamorous Italian

Xenia also

A scene from Letters to Juliet was filmed here



Il Campo without the horses or Daniel Craig

The red t-shirts are a band

We bought some beautiful ties from this shop

They marched all the way round Il Campo then waved and threw flags. Very exciting!

Are we or are we not in Italy!!!!!

We visit Belforte and Radicondoli

So, our village was Belforte and the one on the next hill over was Radicondoli. We went over to try and have dinner there but the three places to eat were all fully booked so we came back to our own village for a great meal and nice service. Both villages are so beautiful and especially when there were few people about it was like going back in time or walking through your own film-set.

 

Radicondoli Street

We ARE in Italy right?

The Church at Radicondoli

Out door film screen

My paparazzi

The story of the girls on holiday! This is ALL they do.

Beautiful Tuscany

These buildings surround the main car park.

Chris and I

Our village Belforte

The Church

Begging to be sat on

One of my best photos

Hello Tuscany!

This pot is so late as I have been having trouble adding photo's but it is all sorted now so I can catch up. A week after the wedding and after Alexander and Kelly had flown back to Indiana we headed to Heathrow Airport ourselves as our Tuscan adventure began. Neither Chris or I had been to Tuscany before so it was exciting to be going somewhere new. We flew to Rome and picked up a hire car and drove 3 hours or so to the small village of Belforte. The last hour of the journey was an incredibly winding road so we were all glad to arrive. We were so tired we just got everything into the house and collapsed.




Our holiday home

Our pool



 

Family Time....

After Josh and Jenna's wedding we all headed back to our house to spend Sunday together. It was a lovely day, after church Natasha and Christopher came over as well and we had a big family lunch and get together. Played games and took photos. It's hard not knowing when we will all be together again but it was a great day.

They are never ready for a photo!

It's hard getting nine people to all look at once and smile!

Our six amazing children.



Chris and I squeeze in the line up.

Alexander, Natasha, Xenia, Lorna, Chris, Anastasia, Jamea and Nathan.

Anastasia and Teri

Natasha and Christopher

Some kind of game......

......involving throwing the youngest around!

Alexander and Kelly

Josh and Jenna's Wedding.

On Saturday July 14th my nephew Josh married Jenna in Maidstone then had a lovely reception at Nettlestead Place. We went on to the London Temple then back to Nettlestead Place for another amazing party. We stayed much later than I had intended so it was an exhausting drive back. At the evening party there was dancing, a photobooth, snow-cones, a catering van, cookies and milk. After we had left Josh and Jenna left through a corridor of sparklers. It was a good opportunity for me to catch up with old friends from the ward I grew up in as well. It was a wonderful day inspite of the rain. There are no pictures of Nathan and Teri because they were on a different table to us and outside we barely took any pictures because of the rain but they WERE there!

Tree of good wishes

The tables were magnificent

Long table for guests

It was just so beautiful

Finding out what tables we are on

My place

Anastasia

Xenia

Kelly and Alexander

Natasha and Christoper

Anastasia and Xenia



Xenia, Anastasia and Jodie

Jenna spotting little nieces

Jenna and Josh coming out of the temple

Jenna and Josh

Jodie and Emma (My niece and Sister-in-law)

The cake

Jenna and her bridesmaids

The grand entrance of Mr and Mrs Herycz

The first dance

Pre reception

James and Natasha