Wednesday: Had a lay in today. decided we were so savvy with London and U.K roads that we would venture back out beyond the M25, Just in case there was a problem, I spent 1 1/2 hours writing out the route to Legoland. Yep it lasted until the 3rd junction and got put in the glove-box. Mind you we didn't get lost, we found another way to turn around on the main road outside our door. It took us an hour to get to our destination and after choking at the price we entered what turned out to be one hell of an experience. we expected lego toys but not the rides they had, (a bit like rainbows end in Auckland ) we decided to take on the Loki's labyrinth first. to enter all you have to do is walk through the waterfall, as all adults know it will stop before you get wet, well this one dribbles on a bit, ensuring you get at least damp. After completing this we headed to the Vikings River Splash. watching the kids on the little water canons lining up to fire on the boats as they drift down the river it looked harmless enough. As we entered the Round tub we realised we were definitely going to get Wet, for a start the seat was soaked and as soon as we sat down so were our pants. a small waterfall drizzled us as we headed down towards the water canons, these are now manned by teenagers who were looking for wetness and so they drenched us. the rest of the river run was great fun until the big waterfall at the end of the run, this time it waited for us and dropped the lot on our tub. What a blast, and as we walked away soaked we came across a family dryer and spent 5 minutes trying to dry off. Other rides included the Spiders Web which is great for stirring up your stomach, then somehow i ended up on what was described as a fun ride, only to turn out to be a roller coaster. there was so much to see and do, whether you had kids ( which most people did have ) or not. we went numerous rides and finished up at the cities / countries of the world in Lego. I ended up taking another 260 photos which i will have to sort out when i get home.

Tuesday: 3 days to go before flight time. Today we hit London as touristy type people. Deciding the underground would not be a good idea until 9.30 we had cruizey morning and the headed in at 10am. Jacqui's been looking forward to this trip for some time so away we went to Madame Tussauds to check out the Waxy people. we were not expecting the way they were set out where you can interact with the models, I stood waiting to take a picture of Patrick Stewart when Jacqui told me I was waiting behind a waxwork photographer, did I feel a fool O yes. What an brilliant time we had, although we didn't do the scream experience which looked similar to the york dungeon we had previously done. the last part of Madame Tussauds was the 4D movie Marvel Characters was certainly a Wow factor show. The 2nd part of the day was spent at the Tower of London, I didn't realise how big it was inside, we came here in 84 but missed the opportunity to enter as we were late in the day and the Crown Jewels were in Australia having a holiday. This time we got the tour and the time to explore, although we still missed the chopping block in the top room of the White Tower. Time ticked by when we were told it was closing time. We spent a little time looking into the Thames and reflecting on what we have done during our holiday, I have to say Tower Bridge has never looked so good. On the way back to our hotel we stopped in Kensington for Dinner in a Restaurant we found on a side st. the food was good, as day turned into night we found the tube to our room. Tomorrow he head off to find Legoland on our last day before we fly.

Monday: Time for more Bye Byes as we leave Wokingham, up late so we missed Andy as headed off to work, we spent the morning with Sandra before heading off to find London, We knew it was east and was large so felt we would run into it eventually. 45 minutes later we found our Travelodge without to much stress. unpacked our bags as started to re-pack for the trip home,Ummm, our bags seem to have shrunk in the past 4 weeks. With tim.e ticking on the nerves started as we headed off towards London's Westend for Mamma Mia. Slightly shocked that we made it into the city unscathed we found a Italian restaurant for dinner  and off to the show. What a show it was, absolutely stunning performance that had the audience up singing and dancing as the show ended. Definitely worth going to. Unfortunately today was a photo free day but I'm sure we will catch up tomorrow as we head back to the city for our tourist day

Sunday has arrived along with it another farewell, this time Ginia and Glenn, holidays with family are great but there is always goodbyes to get through. Going by our track record and needing to be in Wokingham by 12pm to meet up with Andy for football, we decide not do the scenic route through Chipping Norton and instead hit the motorways. the choice was right as we get to there at 11.30. With Sandra dropping us off at the train station we head into Reading and meet up with Richard and get the bus to the Madejski Stadium to watch Reading play Spurs. We had a little time before the game to have a bit of a wander around Reading and see some of the historic buildings and sites, Jacs personal favorite - the statue of the lion on the memorial at Forbury Park. Richard arrived and it's off to catch the shuttle to Madejski.  Splashing the cash in the club shop before finding our seats for the game. So OK the result didn't go our way but we still enjoyed the atmosphere of a proper game of football with the pre-match hype, the roar of the crowd, the singing and the chanting, all quite spine tingling. At the conclusion we find O'Neill Irish pub and dissect the game over a beer and a meal. it was great to spend the afternoon with the boys. tomorrow we head to London for the last few days.

Saturday: Finally sorted  London accommodation with guidance from Glenn, starting our adventures today a little later after farewells to Kathleen and David, we headed off to Stratford upon Avon to check out the Bard and friends, the first of our stops was Mary Arden's house and Tudor Farm. Again we had found a little gem, we both had our pics taken with a Falcon called Zulu after watching the Falconry show. finally found a door way that even Jacqui had to duck through, The staff who are volunteers all dress in Tudor Dress and we had a chat with a leather and wood carver before heading onto Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Again we weren't let down, the cottage ! well more a house and gardens were wonderful, finishing in the sculpture garden and hedge maze. there were a few points in the gardens i would like to try at home. the historian gave us a great talk on the house and family, giving us the true facts to the tale. Unfortunately we ran out of day time to move onto William Shakespeare's home, as we had a date at a pub for dinner, never mind, we had a great day with what we saw. tomorrow we head away again. This time to Reading for a certain game of Football

Friday: Well the realisation of less then a week to go starts to sink in. We decide to change our plans and not to travel over the bridge to Wales, instead a little compromise, we traveled through Cheddar Gorge before heading north to work our way around Bath, The Gorge was stunning, while Bath was slow to get through again our travel times seem to be out by a few hours but we got to see some amazing scenery before arriving at Ginia's at the same time as Kathleen and David and spent the next few hours chatting and catching up. The pressure to find accommodation in London in 2 days time is now on so best get on with it.

Thursday: Up up and Away, up bright and early to miss the Traffic! Yeah right. We must be getting used to it now as we negotiate our way out into the countryside without incident. heading down to our first stop Stonehenge, I remember being taken their as a nipper and we able to climb over the stones, Not these days with so many tourists ( no we don't count ) It was Jacqui's first sighting of the stones and with so many people around there was something missing. onward we traveled, hunting down the elusive white horse of Wiltshire. I have to say it was a stunning drive through some beautiful countryside when a round a bend it appeared. Another first for Jacqui the Northerner. Snapping some pics and taking in the scenery. Back to driving and our destination of Wells, the countries smallest City. Upon arrival we were fortunate to get upgraded ( desk clerks don't like men crying at the thought of climbing 3 floors with cases ) therefore we got front and centre on the first floor with a 4 poster bed, Yeah for tears. With views of the Cathedral from our room it was a great spot. Out we go to see the sights, the Cathedral was amazing  and we got lucky when the choir decided to practice during our walk, the sound was incredible. Overlooking the town square, we were doubly lucky this time with an upgrade and Wells Night on the town. Jazz band, Rock concert, karaoke, jugglers and acrobats, food and beer stalls, after dinner in the hotel we went to our room and watched the jugglers and acrobats right below us. We decided we like Wells. Tomorrow we are off to Alcester to catch up with  Ginia Glenn Tom Kathleen and David.