A Tudor Christmas

Today is the shortest day of the year, when many wild bears will be hibernating.  We small bears feel very much like doing the same!  However, I have a blog to write for you, about a visit we made to Little Moreton Hall last weekend.

Our human guardians, Polar and Grizzly, like to take us out for fresh air and regular walks during the winter but, when it has been very rainy, lots of our favourite footpaths are too muddy for small furry feet.  

'I know where we can take you,' Polar said.  'There's a Tudor house nearby, which is always decorated for Yuletide and will be fun for you to visit.  We take most of our friends there, but we haven't yet taken you three yet.'

We put our Christmas jumpers and hats on and scrambled into our bear bag.  Soon, we were at Little Moreton Hall.  It is a fantastic-looking house, with walls and floors running at all sorts of funny angles because it is so old.  Polar carried us up to the top of a little hill - made by humans - for a better view.

'The upstairs rooms aren't open at this time of year,' she said.  'We'll have to come again in the spring or summer, so you can run about in the Long Gallery.  I think you'll enjoy what they do downstairs, though.'

On the way in, some nice ladies were giving all the grown-up human visitors spiced apple brandy and little ginger biscuits.  Grizzly let us try a little sip of his drink and Polar shared her biscuit between us, which made us all warm inside.  

In the courtyard, we made friends with the jester, who was doing silly things to make the human cubs laugh.  He told us that there would be music in the Great Hall shortly and that there was a feast laid out on the table.  We all cheered.

'It's time for your run first, bears,' Polar said.  You can explore the Knot Garden.  People aren't allowed to walk on it but I don't think anyone will mind if small bears run around on the gravel.'

We ran about playing hide-and-seek among the hedges for a little while, before Polar called us back to get in the bear bag.  

'There will be lots of people in the Great Hall to hear the musicians,' she explained.  'You'll need to stay in the bag to avoid being accidentally trodden on.'

Polar was right.  We were squashed right at the back of the hall.  The musicians were a group called Piva, who play instruments like the ones the Tudors had and sing and play music from over five hundred years ago.  We liked it a lot.  Some of it was very pretty but there were also sing-along songs about drinking beer which made us laugh and had us bobbing up and down in the bear bag.

After singing songs about feasting and smelling the food on the table, we small bears felt very hungry.  Polar and Grizzly told us that the food was only for display and not to eat, but when the bear bag swung us close enough, we stretched out our paws and sneaked little pieces of fruit and nuts.

In another room there was a big octagonal table covered in sweet things to eat, but the lady sitting at the table was watching too closely for us to nibble anything.

Endon liked the look of the Tudor Rose sweets, which were made with honey.

'We'll have a nice tea, with home-made bread and mince pies, when we get home, little bears,' Polar promised.

'Can we make ginger biscuits and spiced apple brandy too?' asked Hanley.

'I don't know if more brandy would be good for small bears,' Polar replied.  'I could make you some warm apple juice with honey and spices, if you like?'

We thought that sounded like the perfect Yuletide Tea!