Mummy and the boys came over to LEGOLAND in Windsor this morning and Daddy got on the train to Windsor after work.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the restaurant “Bricks” and the boys played with the large LEGO blocks and the Xbox360’s that were setup for the kids to play the various LEGO games 🙂

Then, there was a fantastic show put on for ‘Cinderella’. It was really well put together and had all the kids AND adults transfixed for 35 minutes.

The bedroom is really cool with a kids area that has it’d own TV and bunk beds. The final touches in the hotel are just amazing – I.e. It is clear that expense has not been spared when it comes to making the place just great.

We meet Father Christmas tomorrow and there are several rides available for the boys to enjoy and then the journey home….

So Daddy got on the 5:18 train yesterday morning down to London Town and Mummy and the boys set off in the car just before lunch.  Sadly the car trip was not quite as rapid as the train journey so by the time they arrived they were all pretty tired and definitely in need of fresh air and excitement 🙂  Bruce did a great job of apparently taking them on a tour of all the little roads between the M1/M25 junction and Ealing…. 🙁  Took as long to make that part of the journey as all the rest added together it seems 🙁

Anyway, once we were checked in, we rapidly got our shoes back on to head into the city.  The boys were wired with excitement as we boarded the tube at Ealing Broadway station, heading for Bond Street station.  As with all things kid related the journey would have been just fine at 10 minutes long, so being 25 minutes made it 15 too loooooonnnnnnnggggg. 🙁

Anyway, we ate dinner at Pizza Express and then walked to Hamleys.  Olly wanted to pitstop in the Disney store on Oxford Street and subsequently made his purchase – a HUGE Dusty the Crop Hopper plane from the Planes movie.  It is so big that he couldn’t carry the bag as it just dragged along the ground.

Hamleys was fun and the boys actually wandered around for 45 minutes and didn’t find anything that necessarily floated their boats (would you believe) although Olly had already made a purchase he was actually not really in purchase mode (incredibly !).

We then started out to Harrods in search of the Toy Kingdom when it began to pour with rain 🙁  We jumped on the number 22 bus and it dropped us off nicely in Knightsbridge pretty close to Harrods.  So, that is two of the three required transport types down (Tube and London Bus) 🙂

Harrods Toy Kingdom came up trumps and the boys both acquired a couple of little items that made them happy for the journey and mummy and daddy saw a kids 2 seater open top (petrol powered) Range Rover for a mere £39,995 🙂 Made us smile.

Last trip was back on the tube to get to Acton Town and then the Black Cab ride back to the hotel to complete the transport type requirements as set by Olly 🙂

It of course took about an hour to cool down and get to sleep so by 11:30pm, all was well.

Until 4am when the floor above us began shaking as what seemed like a heard of Elephants ran through for about 40 minutes 🙁  Thankfully the kids did not awaken through the noise.

As Daddy departed to go to work at 7:45am he spoke with the hotel management who rather promptly refunded the cost of the nights stay which was a nice bonus.

Today, Mummy and the boys are heading over to LEGOLAND and Daddy will get the train over there after work – all fun for the Rust’s this week 🙂

Tonight we drove up to Weardale to experience the Polar Express. Our departure was at 7:30pm so we got there just in time to enjoy hotdogs, burgers and chips and a nice warm coffee before boarding at around 7:30.

The experience was truly incredible – right from the moment we stepped on the platform and the conductors shouted “ALL ABOARD”. The chefs were ready and were performing their hot chocolate delivery dance from the moment the train set off and they kept us entertained the whole time we were onboard.

We are so pleased that we took the boys up for this experience because it was really, really good.

The commemorative mugs that we received will remind us of the trip for many months to come.

Thankfully the boys have slept nicely in the car on the way home and with the exception J40 of the M1 being closed (no notice given – well 50 yards) the journey home was quick and easy.

Now just a few hours sleep and we are off again – this time to London Town for a couple of nights….