Christmas in the country: Buxted Park in Sussex

Merry belated Christmas all and an even merrier new year! I've been a very lucky lady this year due to a venture to Buxted Park, East sussex. My family and I spent a lovely few days all cosy-ed up in the South English country scene, being fed right up like little turkeys. From the 24th to the 26th we nourished our souls with sweet things, special company, champagne and sleep. Oh so much sleep. (And mum tried to make Scrabble happen, which it did...problem was being a hotel rented phenomenon, you're always about 45% of components short. It was a brief, interesting game). Anyway check the place out below, here's a taster-

I wouldn't normally post for diary's sake, but as I think I can swing it back to a moral/message of gratitude, with the chance to showcase the beauty of traditional England, I bent the rules a bit.

The grounds were like a baziiiilliioon acres- of which we didn't get to trek due to the dampish weather- but nonetheless, the views were spectacular and vast. In sum, the place was totally 'grandeur.'

I'm gonna set the scene of our stay: service and attendance occurred at every possible moment- staff were on it like flies to sh*t, and the food was UUUMAGAHH- oooh so tasty, fresh and homemade! At Christmas day dinner for example, of the four courses; one was a mojito sorbet palette cleanser complete with freshly shaved mint, another looked like a mini art display with dark drizzle and curly pink beetroot, and my baked brie tart was sensationally oozing, creamy and delicately salted. If you're a big foodie, you'll love it here. The morning breakfasts had everything from continental cold meats, to cereal, to button mushrooms, to waffles the size of my face.

Table cloths were pressed white, and decorations were red and silver fancies. Nothing is done half-heartedly, and mostly everything is embellished. Even Tito the mojito maker shared a story of his Cuban mixing experiences...

The suite my rents had was probably 2.6 times as big as my house in London and the windows overlooked mass, beautifully-kept green. We spent most the communal time in their suite lounge, sporting wooly Pjs and eating chocolate like it was going out of stock= BLISS/bloat. I'd like to say here, that were aren't usually this lavish, but it's been a good year of hard work, so it was a treat for for all of us!

My favourite things about Christmas are: the seclusion from the usual routine and bustle, sublime stodge, family and warmth. I love the contrast to normal life and enjoying the company of everyone, who are about 285 times more 'happy to see you' at Christmas. Just wanting to promote the fact that you cannae buy this kinda love and joy with 'stuff.' Mind> matter, always. Memories are harder to lose and infinitely more enriching than objects.

The thing I took most from this awesome rollercoaster of a year, was that: 

You never know what's round the corner, so cherish every day- run with it, good or bad, and record your gratitude. Be positive, open-minded, work hard, do good, and remember to enjoy the lovely things as often as you can. Lastly, stay in awe of the great outdoors and treat people right (as often as your inner little demon that we all have will allow), because you never know what can change at any point! Life's good. It bloody surprises you too! And mostly, the good stuff is all founded on family, love and care.

Here's to a more enlightening, exhilarating, testing, prosperous, AI-filled, social media-warped, politically-disturbed 2016.