Bedtime Story

Unexpected but very, very welcome overnight guests in the way of Jo and little Akira, who arrived on the sunset and settled right in with her Uncle Dave for a good old story time (Max makes a good cushion to lean the book on).

Good timing meant they were able to all wrap up as warm as they could and head out with Tess up the hill in the dark to watch the official fireworks display boom and bang away down in the village below. Back inside for a coal fire to warm frozen fingers and toes, eat chocolate biscuits (if Dave left any...) and some general dethawing before falling asleep on her mum's lap in the middle of The Snail on the Whale (they'd already skimmed through the legendary "Lovable Lyle the Crocodile").

And that massive Teddy? Well, Tess decided to pass that much sat on and cuddled hairy reindeer to Akira.