Bergman Travel Diary

Today we took a giant step back in time to the Victorian era with yet another visit to the Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth... this time for their yearly Victorian Christmas Festival. This year marks the 10year anniversary for this gorgeous festival and we were not to be dissappointed. As soon as we got inside the gates, all securely rugged up from the cold snap that has suddenly set in as Christmas approaches, we headed for the booth giving tickets out for visits to Father Christmas' Grotto. Then it was off the the HMS Warrior, where the grotto was set inside the ship, surrounded by Christmas parafenalia. Father Christmas was certainly a sight to see. He was dressed in tradition Victorian Santa green... so different from the red he wears these days. The grotto and Santa looked like something out of a Christmas film... put tingles all down our spines. The boys even posed for their yearly picture while we were there. As we headed out again after our visit, we passed the booth, where...

Today the sun is shining and seemed to be calling us outdoors .... well, at least Matt & I, that is! So, after a lovely slow morning start we decided to take Storm out for a walk in the woods at Queens Enclosure (right near our home). We grabbed the cameras and headed out the door, leaving the boys to do their own thing for a while. The woods were a magical colour today: most of the deciduous trees have lost their leaves now as Winter approaches, but the woods are filled with evergreens with moss crawling up their trunks and vines climbing all over them. The light slowly filtered in from above the canopy, making the most amazing light for photographs. It was bitterly cold as we wandered around, but this didn't stop us - just made us feel refreshed! We went slowly and softly as we looked for some Squirrells to shoot ... digitally speaking! We were not to be dissapointed as many of these furry little critters were playing about and gathering nuts while there were still some ...

Today is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK... the day when the country sets of wads of Fireworks to remember the famous Gunpowder Plot in 1605, where a failed attempt to assasinate King James I (also King James VI of Scotland and son of Mary Queen of Scots) left Guy Fawkes (who had been put in charge of the plans execution) was left to take the fall for the entire group responsible when he was found during a raid of the cellars underneath Parliament. Fawkes was then hanged, drawn and quartered on the 31st of January 1606 (at the age of 35). As the locals all started letting off their backyard fireworks for the evening we headed off for 1st Cowplain Scout Den. Tonights agenda: Zanes investment into the Scout group. During parade Zane and three others were invested into the group at 1st Cowplain, given their first badges (will be sewing them on later), had their neckerchiefs (simply called a scarf back home in Oz) put around their collars, gave their first official salutes and shook the hands ...