Woke up at 8:00, packed up, cleaned up our sleeping quarters and got ready. Catherine had gone for a run and made us a pack lunch to take with us on the road. Andy and I had our standard Milton Keynes breakfasts, and then we loaded up Ruby, Catherine's car. We arrived at the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios about 10:30 and went to the loo upon entering, to ensure we didn't pee our pants when we entered the tour!

SPOILER ALERT: If you intend to visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Leavesden, outside of London, England, please skip ahead to the paragraph entitled, "safe reading"!

The lobby area is exciting enough with the flying Ford Anglia and the globe from the fateful astronomy tower suspended from the ceiling, and the cupboard under the stairs complete with Harry's glasses alongside the que (line) to enter the tour. Before the tour they take the lot of you into a room where you can see all of the film posters that were created for all 8 films from around the world and then a brief interview with the producer of the films. Then you enter another room where Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson tell you about their experience over the last 10 years in filming the movies at this location as they stand before the giant door of the Great Hall. They sneak in the doorway, but Daniel steps back and reminds us that a lot of secrets will be shared and that we may never look at Quidditch quite the same way again, and then he slips through the door before it closes. The camera zooms out and as it does the screen begins to lift and before us, the same size as is on the screen, stands the door to the Great Hall.

To sum up the Harry Potter tour in a few words...ok, I was speechless through a good portion of the time we were there, exploring and snapping shots of all the different sets and props from the films. Part way through the tour, it directs you outdoors where you can pose in another model of the Anglia and Hagrid's motorbike. Also the Knight bus, 4 Private Drive, Tom Riddle's grave, the Hogwarts bridge and Potter Cottage from Godric's Hollow are there - alongside a picnic area where you can enjoy sandwiches and Butterbeer! We each had a Butterbeer & the BLTs that Catherine had fixed for us, some bananas, bacon flavored crisps and some chocolate sweets. Heading back inside the tour are some of the giant chess pieces from The Philsopher's Stone. Inside is the monster room, where the masks of many of characters are, as well as some of the animatronics, such as the Buckbeak used in the pumpkin patch outside of Hagrid's hut in The Prisoner of Azkaban. From there you're directed to Diagon Alley where you can see all of the shops lining the street. Next is the designworks where you can see some of the blueprints from some of the set pieces and even characters for the films. From the blueprints, the designers create whitecard designs to help map out the film shots and artists that create images of what a shot will look like after being pieced together.

The next room was magnificant! Andy had gone in first and sat on a bench along the wall near the entrance waiting to see my reaction, as well as Catherine's. The room was dimly lit when I entered, with dramatic music playing in the background. Before us stood an enormous model of Hogwarts, nearly 70 feet wide, and 40 feet tall! The detail put into it was just spectacular! I sat with Andy waiting for Catherine and while we sat, we watched the reactions of the children and adults of all different nationalities as they came through... Their reactions were all the same: a sharp intake of breath, eyes wide as an exclamation of wonder escapes their lips. Catherine's reaction was no different, besides the happy clapping that followed. We took pictures from all angles, and Andy & I even took a 4 minute video of the display changing lighting from daybreak to night, with little lights appearing in the windows of the Great Hall and other locations around the castle.

The last room mimicked Olivander's wand shop with shelves lined with thousands of wand boxes, each labeled with the name of an individual who took part in the making of the films - we were able to locate the boxes of J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Alan Rickman . After leaving this room, we entered the gift shop that had so many great pieces of memorabelia. We got some great souvenirs and then went to the little cafe for a snack since it was nearly 4:30 by this time! We had a lovely snack and as we were finishing up a siren sounded (though it almost sounded like someone playing the sax over a loudspeaker). It said, "Attention, attention. Please exit the building immediately. Please make your way to the nearest exit." Everyone quickly gathered their things and then hundreds of us poured out into the carpark (parking lot). We decided since we had had our snack, that it was a good opportunity to make our way quickly to the car before a major traffic jam occurred.

SAFE READING:
From there, we drove to Lichfield, and arrived at 6 Trenance Close (John & Jude's) and we warmly greeted by John. He said that Jude had gone to the hairdresser, but would be home shortly. She arrived about 15 minutes later and again big hugs and kisses were shared. From there we were treated to Yorkshire Pudding, onions, leek casserole, cabbage, green beans, carrots, parsnips, mashed potatoes, roast beef and rubarb crumble with custard for pudding (dessert). We sat and had a couple glasses of wine, as we talked in the lounge. We called my mom & dad twice, and the lot of us talked more until midnight and went to bed. I'm still amazed that after 8 years, it feels as though we've not been away from each other. It's easy, it's comfortable, it's family!