Lunch & Sparkle

Today was the first pre-Christmas lunch out with Mum, my sister Susan, my niece Sharon and my nephew's fiancée Emma. Our venue was the Poplar garden centre in Marks Tey, which does delicious and generously-proportioned meals created on the premises. After we'd eaten, we had a look around their Christmas wonderland and bought some baubles. This year's theme included decorations based on Nutcracker-style toy soldiers, some of them so tall they towered over my petite Mum!

In Extras are a life-sized sleigh pulled by two reindeer and laden with gifts, a large star of infinity and a rather scary little royal character hanging on one of the many beautifully decked trees. Magical!