What could be more magical at Christmastime than going to see Santa? Going to see Santa and his reindeer, of course. With our curiosity well and truly piqued by the sign we saw yesterday we had no choice but to head down to Stewart's Garden Centre and get in on the action.
It was raining, of course, but we wrapped up warm and traipsed along the country paths of rural Dorset, passing thatched cottages and ancient hedgerows. Soon we were at our destination, happy to be back in the warm and dry.
We wandered around, looking at the array of glittering trees and tacky ornaments (maybe we'll revisit in the post-Christmas sale...) until a member of staff wandered up and told us that the place was shutting in 15 minutes. So much for our cup of tea in the adjacent cafe after sitting on Santa's knee.
In a slight panic we looked around until we found a sign to the grotto, and followed an arrow pointing to somewhere in the outdoor plant section. In we rushed to find...nothing! A metal enclosure surrounded a large straw-covered corner. But mystical Christmas animals? Nowhere. The stable was, quite literally, bare. And the cafe was shut.
The walk home was a bit colder and damper, a little less sparkly than the way there.
This way to fun.
Classic English scene (including rain).
Not real.
Not real.
What?!?
If they're invisible they're even more dangerous.
These were as close as we got. Pretty exotic for the English countryside, mind...
