Today we went to Stonehenge! It took us ages to get there, but it was worth it. We got a shuttle up from the visitor centre, and then we saw the stones... Terrific, towering, tremendous stones the largest as big as 3 Dads. I got a photo where I looked like I was holding up a stone. It is amazing how old they are - 3000 bc. We came up with some of our own explanations about why the stones were placed: 1. They were used as a signal at the winter and summer solstice. 2. It was a pen for some type of animal. 3. It was a place where the gods landed to collect offerings. We spent ages in the gift shop because it had so many cool things. I got a Stonehenge watch, and Nici got a wristband. The exhibition was cool and there was a virtual area that made it like you were at Stonehenge in all the different seasons, and at the solstice. There were artefacts threat had been excavated from near the stones, arrowheads and tools from the Neolithic people. Stonehenge was awesome!!! Gemma Stone henge has VERY tall rocks that were crumbly and stumbly. There were layers of rocks pointing upwards then A layer on top that went acrosswards. In dawn and dusk you can get special permission to go and touch and feel the stones. We went to a village of little huts from the Neolithic people. The beds were made a of sticks webbed together and the bed covers were made of animal skin. There was a rock with a toggle you could pull to see how many people you would need to help You pull it. I needed 99 more people!!! Stonehenge is a important place for winter and summer solstice. Baby jaguar was very excited because she is a solstice cat! She bought a Stonehenge badge at the the gift shop and I got a new drink bottle which tells you that one of the Stonehenge rocks weighs two tonnes, apparently the same as 22 sheep! I loved Stonehenge. We went to the Cotswolds and looked at some old villages. For Lunch I had gammon and eggs and it was delicious. After a short walk to the toilets it started pouring down on us and we got totally soaked! We had to get changed in the car because we were so very very wet. It was absolutely hilarious! ( lucky for some people who had umbrellas. Us... Not so much...). After a long drive home we finished our day by going to McDonald's. We decided it is the same as NZ McDonald's. I got a cool snoopy with a magnet who stands up and does a spin on one of his feet. He doesn't do it anywhere, he has to do it on a platform under a tree that has Woodstock in a nest because that is the magnet. Because it was New Year's Eve we stayed up really late and watched the tv to to see the London fireworks from the London eye and it looked like London was going to blow up! ( the London eye also shot fireworks from the carriages, and also for the barges as well). We gave the uk boys some glow in the dark pois, that we took outside and made cool light patterns. We also saw awesome stars like Orion and the Pegasus. Finally I was totally exhausted so I fell in to bed and had a good nights sleep. Goodbye 2015! Daniel We had a wonderful trip to Stonehenge and the Cotswolds .The stones are still wonderful to look at with the history behind them. The museum there now gives a great insight into their existence. Robyn and I reminisced over when you could just rock up ( excuse the pun) and walk around the stones . Those days are long gone and with over a million visitors a year now to Stonehenge , They have needed to protect the stones and archeology underneath them , So control where people walk etc. We then drove to a English village in the Cotswolds . Lacock is lovely even in the winter months. With buildings dating back to the 1600s we had a late lunch here in the Red Lion. This pub, which was constructed around the 1800s, had the low beamed ceilings and wooden floors.. Here I was given a useful tip by the landlady. SPROUTS yes Brussel sprouts will help with my bald spot as she was patting it apparently . Even though I'm not overly keen on Brussels I shall not poo poo this advice and give it a try. She said I could even get a bit of a curl happening, So Shirley temple- watch out!! On leaving the Red lion the heavens opened up.we all got drenched in seconds...all a bit of fun sprinting from shelter to shelter back to the car. We also visited a village called Castle Combe...so lovely with the old buildings , It gave a real sense of how it was way back then. Set in a wooded valley and next to a stream it is a real 14 th century village. The church there Saint Andrews has one of very few medieval clocks still running today. Glen.