The Gaggle of Ganses arrive!

Well, at long last our dear relations from Santa Barbara arrived. Collectively they are known as the gaggle of Ganses and we are so glad that they decided to come all this way to see us and spend the Christmas season with us! They arrived on Sunday night (20 Dec) after a few delays at Heathrow. Rhiannon and I met Grandma Bucky (aka G-Buck), Uncle Phil, Aunt Libby, and cousins Ruby and Molly at Gatwick airport where they rented a car and followed us back to Chalfonts.

We spent yesterday going for walks and runs (the Gaggle minus G-Buck is really into running), and taking short trips in the car just around the local area. It was actually a horrendous day weather-wise, with very blustery winds and beating rain, but the Gaggle didn't seem to mind! We took them to the Cat Center and then called in for drinks and crisps at the Red Lion.

Today we went to Hever Castle and then to a pantomime in East Grinstead.

It was a big job to get everyone out of the house with daylight enough to fit everything in, but we got there in the end!

Turns out that Uncle Phil and I have something else in common - our legs turn to concrete when we go into museums. Even though Hever Castle (childhood home of Anne Bolyn) was interesting, the pace of the rest of our party was just way too slow. I ended up hanging with Molly, Rhiannon and Tryfan and we pretty much raced through the inside part of the castle and then raced around the Maze outside and toured the other parts of the beautiful grounds.
Then we went to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in pantomime style. It was pretty entertaining, although it was a bit more polished than we were expecting / hoping for.

Grand finale of the panto

To end the day out, we called in at Den's Fish Bar in Forest Row for some fish and chips, which we took home and enjoyed in the comfort of Chalfonts!