After finishing up work at the start of last week, it was Christmas Eve on Wednesday so in keeping with our Christmas Eve tradition, we headed over to Marrocco's for lunch, followed by the Christingle service at the Southwick Methodist Church and then to the Cricketers for a drink before heading back home. Then on Thursday was Christmas Day and surprisingly wasn't a super early start which was good, but once the kids were awake it was all excitement and activity opening the gifts and seeing what they got. We spent the day at home overindulging as expected :)

On Boxing Day, with the weather rather chilly but clear, we drove over to Mill Hill Local Nature Reserve which we had passed by but never visited, and really was quite stunning walking around there with the sun slowly setting in the distance. And then on the 27th, despite the cold, we headed over to Nymans for a wander through the gardens and house. On the way home we decided to stop at The Clayton Windmills, known locally as Jack and Jill, just to briefly see them (from the car since it was closed) and also the view from there. The next day, Sunday, was just a chilled out cosy day at home.

Yesterday we decided to attempt drinks and dinner in Brighton, so got the train into town late afternoon and stopped first at the Heart and Hand in the North Laine area, and then at The Cricketers which dates back as far as 1547 making it the oldest pub in Brighton. After the two drinks there, it was over to Pizza Pilgrims (a favourite of Ellen and Ian's) for dinner before heading back to the station to get the train home.

Today we had Greg, Kim and the boys over to ours for our Christmas catch-up, so after some time at home and lunch, we took a walk down to Southwick Beach for a stroll along the promenade while the kids enjoyed the beach and pebbles.

That brings an end to my updates for 2025 - no big plans for New Years Eve tomorrow, just a quiet one at home but planning on having some friends around on Friday for a New Years catch up then. But for now, happy new year to everyone and all the best for 2026!