A quiet time at home

We decided to have a quit day at home listening to music, swimming and resting around the pool area and we had Ham sandwich for lunch with lots of sun beaming down on us, time for a little kip now and again.
We had been able to by some Weetabix for breakfast which is good for Noel and so what with some yogurt and bananas this helps him keep to a diet which to some may be a little boring but for him its quite necessary. Following breakfast Noel got out his camera and took a few photos around the house and garden and the small river going by outside where you are advised not to swim in case of Alligators taking a bite out of you, no chance mate.

Alligators are basically scared of humans and would walk away unless disturbed or cornered but they do invade golf courses and roads from time to time
Noel was finally able to sort out the Amazon TV Stick and although we cannot get UK programmes as they are restricted we can can get lots of film channels including Netflix where you can get one months free viewing, not bad really as we only need less than one month.
In the evening we enjoyed a Roast Cold chicken Salad with some ice cream to finish and a glass of Chardonnay and then watched the James Bond move Spectre which is very good and then that polished off our New Years Eve and we were in bed before the clock struck twelve. There were some local fireworks going off but not many as we are in a restricted zone where it against the law to make a noise after 22.00 hrs

Getting unpacked and understanding the house

A nice lie in this morning  and afterwards we spent some time emptying the suitcases and then Jennifer opened every draw in the kitchen( and there are lots of them) so as to discover what kitchen equipment we have available and there is quite a lot.
Prior to leaving the UK Noel had purchased a SIM card for use in USA and a fraction of the cos charged by EE/T-Mobile while in the USA. T Mobile wants about £ 5.00 per day whilst the Sim card from Lycamobile works out at £ 28.00 for tons of free calls and data and so he tried it in his phone and kept getting a rejection as it required a code??. After communicating with the supplier it appears that Noels Samsung phone is ‘Locked’ and it needs to be unlocked and se he had found a local company who could this. So off we went to McCall Road to I-FIX phone repairs and they entered all the data and it can take a day or more for the code to be returned and so we should have come back after a couple of days considering its NYE and shops will be closed on Monday.
On the way back we went to Publix Supermarket for the some top up shopping and then back for a light lunch and an afternoon rest to try and rid ourselves of the jetlag.
We had also brought along our Amazon TV Fire stick which should work in USA and the idea is that we can watch some decent series and films without the hours of adverts which is standard for US TV programming unless you are on the Public channels which have a restricted list of programmes.Well it almost worked and we got some programmes but not all but now as it was getting a little later and still a bit tired we decided to leave it until tomorrow and have another go. However we were able to get one programme and so was able to watch a film called the ‘Hurt Locker’ which is very good.
And then to bed.

Go West young Man

We left the Hotel about 10.00 and decided on a brief beach tour before driving West. The beach looked very busy with people tanning themselves whilst the bars and restaurants were also quite busy serving late breakfast and coffee and some a few beers.
We are still getting used to our new SATNAV and at one point just leaving Fort Lauderdale Jennifer was looking at the map and Noel  glancing at the Sat Nav and realised we had missed an important turning on to Interstate I-75. This was most likely due to have the SAT NAV View with a top down view rather then the 3D view which is often better. Anyway we did a u-turn and headed back the correct way. The Sat Nav had said there where toll roads on the route and did we wish to avoid and so we said yes, but when we got to the point of leaving the I-75 and taking the route plan the road exit was closed for road works and so we ended up on the Toll road anyway.

We stopped mid-route for the Loo’s and to buy some water for the car and then continues on the way to initially Naples and then on up to Fort Meyer where we stopped at the large Costco store to purchase our basic rations for the next few days. It was a large store and the usual layout with big TV’s at the front and pricing was so low?? compared to the price we pay in the UK.  We had a quick hot dog and did our shopping and then headed North though Fort Meyers and then on to Rotonda West and briefly stopped at the Public supermarket for the last bits of shopping.
We found the house and opened up, they key was in a key safe outside the front door, and let ourselves in and we were duly impressed with the size and feel of spaciousness and that it was light and white, colours that we like.

So within the hour we had part unpacked, had a shower and opened a bottle of Chardonnay and sat on the patio by the pool before Noel BBQ’d a large rib eye steak actually it was getting a bit dark and the lighting by the BBQ was not too good and so it was a bit of hit and miss but it was great with a glass or two of Malbec.
We watched Television for a short while, actually we watched some adverts with some programming in the middle and then it gets so bad, Oh for the BBC.
So off to bed we go and lets see what tomorrow brings.

The sun is shining and it 26 degrees Centigrade

The Hotel breakfast buffet was quite busy and why they serve breakfast from 06-00/09.00 beats me as it was very crowed at about 08.30 when we arrived. Usual stuff of hot and old food and you could ask for an omelette to be specially made for you. Noel waited in the queue and and decided to not wait for fried eggs but take the scrambled with the usual scrunched up thinly cut bacon with some strange looking sausages which we were quite fatty and not to our taste.
Following breakfast we took a taxi to the Sixt Rental Car Agency to collect our vehicle, we wanted a Toyota Camry

but they could not [provide this and so upgraded us to a KIA Sportage which is fine. We then did a tour of Whole Foods and Target to try and find a chill bag so that when we do our food shopping tomorrow we have somewhere to put it.. We go back to the Hotel and we were sort of hungry and although they have restricted lunchtime menu it was great for us. So we sat  by the pool and Noel enjoyed a burger and fries and Jennifer some pasta and meatballs with a nice glass of Chardonnay to wash it down.

We both needed a rest and so went back to the room and and had a lay down for about two hours and then considered if we wanted to join the free snack and drinks party in the evening but in the end decided against it and spent the rest of the evening watching a bit of TV watching a very interesting, but old, documentary about Gianni Agnelli the CEO of FIAT Cars watching him though his life before and after Fiat. It was most interesting and was quite long and so after about two hours we gave up and went to sleep with the usual breaks duty to time differences.
The beds in the Hotel were quite comfortable but the Hotel needs some sever TLC.
Tomorrow we leave for the West Coast of Florida and find our home for the next almost five weeks.

We are off to Florida

Not really an early start as the taxi would only pick us up at around 11.45 and take us to Gatwick Airport. We had spent the last couple of days taking down Christmas Decorations and also moving furniture from the Bar area  so that the carpet cleaner when he comes in the New Year has a clear run to try and remove some rather ugly red wine stains.
The usual traffic on the M25 and it was very bad if you were on the clockwise  side as it was at a snails pace and also the same on the Northbound M23 from Gatwick.
However we arrived at the Airport in plenty of time  and found the Norwegian Airlines check in area and was astounded to see so many people, apparently they had some European flights delayed due to bad weather and so there were many people now trying to check in. We were going to the USA which had a separate check in area and as we were in the Premier Class we checked in and got rid of the suitcases within about five minutes.

We were given ticket ‘s to the ‘One Lounge’ but when we got to the lounge entrance there was about twenty people waiting to enter and clearly it was full up and so we went to the restaurant and had a glass of Sancerre and some Salmon and prawns which was excellent but hugely expensive. By the time we had finished our meal they were calling the flight and off we went down the travellators to the other side of the airport, it seemed, and a few minutes later we boarded. The  Aircraft a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which had arrived much earlier that morning was about twenty minutes late being brought to the gate and so we boarded a bit later than expected and then we had to wait some more until finally the last passenger arrived who was not looking to good and had to be escorted to her seat. She looked confused and kept on getting up and talking to the service crew but finally sat down.
The aircraft was pushed back on to the carriageway and started its engines and no doubt the crew were doing the their final checks and then this woman was up and down again and finally there was a big discussion with her and then  the Captain  came out of the cockpit whilst another passenger who was a Doctor also attended. Anyway she sat down and the Captain went back in to the cockpit and then a few minutes later he made the announcement that we would be returning to the gate to offload a passenger who longer wished to travel, flight fright we understand. And so we returned to the gate and stopped engines and they brought out the gate and the lady got off and then so we had to go through the same procedure again to leave. So overall we left about two hours later than scheduled. Lets hope they charge her a lot of money for the delay etc.
We had chosen Norwegian Airlines as they have not a bad reputation and their Premier Class from a seat and space perspective is much better than Virgin or Ba whilst the pricing is a lot lower. We would not normally use premier economy on long flights based on our experience's with BA and Virgin and we would normally travel Business Class but the price differential was horrific. BA and Virgin to Miami wanted about £ 5800 business class return with no cancelation or flight changes whilst Norwegian was £ 2400 with the free option to change or cancel up to 6 hours before flight, no choice then.
The seats were very comfortable and plenty of leg space and even thought this was almost a ten hour flight, and what with the earlier delays we were in the seat for about eleven hours' so not bad really. Food was basic and Ok but because of Noel’s particular food requirements he had purchased some baguette rolls from Pret a Mange in advance of the flight just in case he could not eat the food on board.
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and they parked the aircraft on a stand which was a pain, and then the Immigration games began. It looks like they are trialling a new electronic system where you stand in front of a machine which reads your passport, asks you for finger prints and then finally takes your photo and then issues a bit of paper which says you are clear to go. Only you are not free to go so after waiting about 20 minutes to get to a machine, others would wait a lot longer we went round the corner and there was another long queue to go through the same procedure again with a real live Immigration guy , so add another twenty minutes. 

So from aircraft arrival to being able to leave was about ninety minutes, very slow compared to other airports in the US. Oh well.
We found the Limo driver to take us to the the Embassy Suites Hotel where we arrived at 23.30 instead of the planned 21.00 . So quite a long day really and glad to be in bed.
Lets see what tomorrow will bring.

Christmas is Coming

Well Christmas is nearly upon us after an eventful year with a new Grandson Christopher in January this year whilst Noel's health seemed to improve with quite a few ups and down's en-route, but that is life.
Following a Christmas with family we are due to travel to Florida for a few weeks where we have rented a house on the Gulf Coast in a nice area complete with private swimming pool which hopefully will get lots of use, We wanted to get away from the cold weather and start the new year without all the threats from the past.
Our Norwegian Cruise was good on the scenery front but we did not rate the shop much, too many people all trying to get served so we wont do that again.

For many years we hosted late in the year a themed  party which stopped due to Noel's illness and now he is getting back on track we restated this a couple of days ago and it was a raging success as the photo will show. Unfortunately we did not get everybody that we asked due to various valid reasons but we all enjoyed the fun even though the carpet got a little trashed with a complete glass of red wine. Perhaps we may change the carpet in the bar to a more suitable color like burgundy so red wine spots wont show.
So now we are looking forward to some sun and relaxation and will blog on a regular basis. We fly to Fort Lauderdale Airport and stay for two nights and then head to the Gulf Coast with some shopping en-route and we are both really looking forward to the trip

See you in Florida

Christopher Denovan-Smith Christening in Dunster

After a good breakfast we headed off to the church to find an early parking space which are always at a premium here. Dunster is considered by many as a great place to visit but we have seen much nicer places in Somerset. Mind you we think Salcombe is worse.

We were able to find a good parking spot and then waited for the rest of the family to arrive but Noel was not going to be happy sitting on a wooden pew for about one hour and so waited outside in the car until the time for the Christening was near. The female vicar, or vicar'ess, whatever was clearly struggling with the robes of office and very nearly dropped Christopher on to the stone floor, not brilliant really ?
Christopher was able to sleep though most, if not all of the service, and even when they poured the 'River of Jordan ' water, no doubt direct from the church kitchen, must be a long pipe? he did not wake up.

Following the service we adjourned to the 'Foresters Arms pub for a light lunch attended by family and friends before we headed back to Weybridge leaving at about 1400 shortly after Christophers cake was cut.
We decided to try coming back on the M5 and then the M4 which can be rather risky on a Sunday afternoon and particularly on Sunday evenings  but apart from a few occasions of slowing down for bunching traffic and /or road works we generally made good time and got home in about 3.5 hours.
We both had a rest and discussed the events of the last few days and also the christening before having a light dinner and a couple of easy TV programmes before a quick shower and bed.
We plan to have an easy day tomorrow as on Tuesday we leave for Stratford-Upon-Avon for the night before visiting the Caravan and Motorhome show in the NEC at Birmingham.

ON ON they cried, now on to Dunster

Well after a good nights sleep and after breakfast we headed down to Salcombe for a brief shopping trip and a cup of coffee or tea. The little town is still quite busy with tourists which we understand is a problem during the summer holidays with the place overflowing with cars and people. Housing is being purchased and knocked down and rebuilt largely with second homes and this has caused a problem with the locals and then they cannot afford to by a house at a reasonable price.
Anyway we found a very nice cafe overlooking the harbour and enjoyed a cup of tea and two Hot chocolates before a little shopping and then heading back to the house.
A light lunch of sandwiches was the order of the day and then we left just after 2pm to drive the 2.5 hours to Minehead where we would stay in the Alcombe House Hotel where we have stayed before.
We arrived around 4.45 pm and was able to rest up, take a shower and enjoy the very nice room which had really comfortable chairs, yes we like this place.
In the evening we went to join the family in the cottage in Dunster which inside looks a little bit a second hand furniture shop, not to our taste but obviously somebody likes it.

There was about nine people for fish and chips although Noel needed to leave the batter, oh well one day, before leaving back to the  Hotel at around 9.30 pm as we were both a little tired.
We spent a short while reading and discussing the days event which leads up to Christopher's Christening scheduled for the following day.

Oh dear its Friday the13th??? but on to Salcombe

Following rather an early breakfast we left Looe in the mist and rain and headed off to Salcombe where Noel's sister and brother-in-law live n the top the the hill overlooking Salcombe Harbour entrance.
The journey from Looe took about 90 minutes and was a bit of A 38 fast road but will lots of slow and very unpleasant narrow country lanes with high trees and or fencing and the driving is atrocious with people driving much to fast in the center of the road and very reminiscent of India, No perhaps not.
We arrived at about 11 ish in team for a morning cuppa before heading off for a light sandwich lunch at the 'Winking Prawn' cafe in North sands bay

. The atmosphere in this place is realy quite nice and we have been there before on previous visits to this area.
The afternoon was spent catching up with all things family before we had a light rest and then a few glasses of wine and a delicious fish pie followed by apple crumble and both were really excellent.

Its perhaps a couple of years since we visited Salcombe but it is very cut off from mainstream life and not where we would choose to live, but they love it  which is great.

A few days in the West Country

After a busy few days around the house which included painting the outside decking twice with anti-slip paint, required as it was slippery in the wet, the complete paint took about 6.5 hours.
The results are very good and we are most pleased with the result even though neither Jennifer or myself could walk thro' tired and aching muscles from sitting on the decking painting.
Anyway, we had planned to leave for Looe yesterday but unfortunately noel experienced a health issue which meant leaving the decision to travel for the next day, ie today.

So all being well we left about mid-morning and followed the A 303 via Exeter and the A 38 on to Looe where we arrived at about 16.00. Before going out for dinner with friends that evening and before Jennifer went for a swim in the Hotel pool and Noel took a rest we sat on the balcony of the hotel bar and enjoyed a shared Cornish tea in the sunshine overlooking the entrance to Looe Harbour. The weather was really quite nice and a bit out of keeping for October but nice all the same.
In the evening we took a taxi to the restaurant called the Hayloft , about 10 minutes from our Hotel and met up with Tom and Liz where we enjoyed an excellent in a really nice restaurant called the 'Hayloft'

A very pleasant day and evening although subsequently suffered as a result of probably Garlic in the food which is a NO NO for him at this time.

Time to leave this pleasant site

Well and bit of an early morning so that we don't want to be late. So after our usual breakfast we finished packing up the caravan and loaded the car with our clothes and other stuff we wanted to take home and then departed the site at about 10.45.

The journey along the A2 to A3(M) and finally M25 to Chertsey and we were in the storage site by 12.30 and shortly afterwards ready to leave and we were home just after one pm.
Then an afternoon of sorting and some rest before heading back down the A3 for Noel to have his meeting with the oncologist to find out the result of his CT Scan and Blood test and thank heavens all was OK and so next blood test in three and six months and CT Scan in March next year not forgetting a lovely colonoscopy in November.

So a good day really and quite relieved with the Oncologist result and so we opened a bottle of wine to celebrate our good holiday with the family and the also the health report.
So the stay in the Safari Lodges was a things and the family really liked it

See the the video on youtube showing what the lodges and site are like.
Off to the West Country soon for a few days and hope the weather holds

Friends for lunch

Wow, the sun is shining quite a bit this morning and so we spent some time preparing the van for its return to Chertsey tomorrow. The usual things of sorting and checking wheel nuts etc all completed before our friends Roger and Sue arrived for a lunch appointment.
As I don't know Chichester very well with regard to parking in relation to the Cote Brasserie restaurant so I decided that a Taxi would be the best solution and it it certainly was. So we had a door to door and walked directly in to the restaurant for our lunch. Great and saves the knees.

Cant understand why John wont pay for lunch

It was also our mutual friend John's Birthday which he was celebrating in Spain and so we proposed a toast and a request for him to pay the lunch bill which he overlooked to answer, I wonder why?
After lunch we returned to the Concierge Camping site and a a cup of tea in the caravan and Jennifer and Sue had a look at the Safari Tents.
Following their departure we continued to start packing the car for an early start tomorrow and took off the security locks etc.
A very nice day and the weather was good which made it all the nicer following all the wet weather over the past few days.

The rest of the family leave Bosham and terrible Las Vegas shooting

It was rainy and windy overnight yet again but we all seemed to sleep OK. We wandered over to the tent around 0930 to lend a hand holding kids whist Joanne and Tim packed up all their bits and pieces ready for the golf caddy cart to come and pick up there cases etc. Checking out time is 10.00 the lady on the desk said although according to Tim that even she had worked here for more than one year she had not even visited the tents, wow what a lack of interest in her job!
Anyway they cleared out the tent and they came back to the caravan for a final chat before heading home whilst leaving there parents a little tired. They departed around 11.30 and then Noel cleaned three sides of the caravan as we had noticed how dirty it had got with mostly dark rain streaks before the expected rain, rain you say!!!!.
We finished off the rest of the BBQ food leftover of a couple of small rack of ribs, two sausages and one small steak but with a large baked potatoes and peas it was an excellent lunch.
It is such a shame that Monarch Airlines has folded as they were one of the best Charter Carriers in the UK and to fold after 50 years is most sad, we have flown them several times to Spain and were always impressed. Two of our good friends are currently in Spain waiting to find out if they can get home this Wednesday.
Have just seen the news about the mass killing in Las Vegas where a gunman(men)? opened fire from the Mandalay Hotel 32nd Floor and at the moment there are a minimum of 58 dead and 500 wounded. Somehow American has to stop the selling of machine gun types to the general public.


The above graph show just how bad the problem is.

Weather is slightly better today.

Once everybody had got themselves sorted for the day, the family headed off to visit Pagham Bay whilst Jennifer and Noel went to the Wittering's and Bracklesham Bay.
We were due to meet up at a pub in Bosham called the Berkeley Arms Hotel which had excellent recommendations on Trip Advisor but unfortunately our experience was not so good. We arrived and found that if you had not booked a babies high chair there were non available and the web site said they are dog friendly inside and out but when Michael and Becky arrived with Pickles there was a sign saying dogs only allowed in the bar and garden but not the restaurant.

So we moved table to a corner where we had more space and there was room for Pickles to lie under the table and we ordered the Sunday Roasts for all of us, some had the Lamb, others the pork and  one the beef and all said it was very good. Unfortunately the service was very very slow and we had to chase them a couple of times and what was most irritating the staff were taking breaks outside we were waiting for our dinner. Have filed a long Trip Advisor report which will link to this blog when published. Another thing that annoyed us was the lack of changing facilities for babies whilst the Loos looked well worn. So although the food was good, it took two hours from arriving to leaving and when you have young kids they soon get bored and also hungry. Wont go again.
In the afternoon Michael and Becky went over the Chichester Quay whilst the rest of us returned for a cup of tea in the caravan and then they went back to the tent and we had a little zizz before we all met up again for an evening snack of gravlax and cheese and there was also some desert. Yet again the wind was quite noisy but not enough to drown out the noise of the traffic on the A 27. At 2030 Michael and Becky left to go home as they have to work on Monday and so the rest of the family just sat around chatting until about 2130 and we came back to the caravan for the rest of the evening.
So a very nice day was had by all . 

Time to relax and do your own thing

We were all up a bit late and the family took off and visited some of the coastal areas and also spent some time shopping in Chichester town. They seemed to enjoy there day messing around and returned to the site about 1700 and ready for a cup of tea and looking forward to evenings BBQ.
By contrast, unfortunately, Noel was still suffering badly form the previous Sundays evening meal of SpagBol which in the past had not caused a problem but for some reason it did, perhaps they have changed the recipe. So as a result we spent pretty much all of the day on site so Noel could be near the facilities. It is very annoying as it seems to be one step forward followed by two steps back but hopefully by the end of this year it should be better still, we hope.
A few glasses of wine and we sat outside as the BBQ was cooked, its always a little bit of a challenge when using an unknown


BBQ however the result was very good with pork ribs, Cumberland sausages and of course some really good rib eye steaks and supported by a mixture of salads. The children were still up and enjoying the event although they were both extremely tired but you know how kids can be?
It then started to rain, wow what a surprise, and so we moved indoors and completed our dinner with apple crumble and of course another glass of wine.
A really nice evening and once the kids had gone to sleep we sat around for a while just chatting which was a nice thing to do.
So we rushed back to the safety of the caravan whilst the rain came down, ah lovely weather.

The family arrive today for their surprise holiday

So following a good nights sleep with the rain pouring down and with strong gusty winds blowing most of the night we headed off the the Crown and Anchor Pub in Del Quay to meet up with Joanne and Tim and kids for a lunch overlooking the harbour. Although we had planned for a casserole dinner tonight they all seemed hungry and enjoyed the food .

We left the restaurant and headed back to the caravan hoping that the rain would stop before we got there and thankfully it did and we showed them around the caravan site and had a cup of tea in our van and then back to the car park for them to unload their car and put the contents on the electric golf buggy for a trip across the grass and then thro’ a stream to reach the Safari tent. Needless to say they liked the location and tent very much and we left them to settle in before heading back there about 1700 to join them for tea and get the casserole going. The tent is fitted with an Aga type range cooker which will take a bit of getting used to but somehow we managed to heat up the casserole and baked potatoes before Michael and Becky arrived with Pickles.
The rest of the evening was spent talking and enjoying a few glasses of wine with our dinner and whilst the wind was whistling around outside and making quite a noise. Lets hope the weather is better tomorrow when we want to have a BBQ

Lets check out the site and local pubs.

The overnight heavy rain had stopped and the sun was shining but we had a late breakfast and started planning our day. But first things first, we visited the site reception office to check whether the Safari tent had a casserole dish as we are planning for the first night a chicken casserole and a suitable dish would be very useful. The receptionist said they do not have a casserole dish but why don't you take a look and see what there is there so you can have an idea of what you might need. So off we went across the little stream to the group of four safari tents and looked in the one we have rented for the family. It has two bedrooms upstairs, both with singles and a landing space that would have room for a cot and downstairs there is a double bed and room in the lounge for ‘Pickles’ the dog bed.

The BBQ is a charcoal one and not a gas and so we need to buy some charcoal and fire lighter’s before Saturday. So after looking around the tent and the rest of the site and looking at their Thetford Loo cleaner, we jumped in the car to look for a suitable pub to meet Joanne and Tim and family for Friday. Noel’s geography was a little out and so off went in the completely wrong direction until we reached Emsworth with Noel swearing that del Quay has to be here somewhere until we resorted to the map and discovered we should have gone east instead pf West, well you cant be right all of the timer.
We came across the pub we have booked for Sunday lunch which looks Ok and with Good Trip Adviser reports but decided that for the first arrivals and pub by the sea would be better and so we arrived at the Crown and Anchor Pub at Del Quay where we had a light sandwich lunch which was excellent and subsequently booked for tomorrow lunch.  From there we went to Tesco to purchase charcoal briquettes and fire lighters and then on to Waitrose for some food for tonight and vegetables to make the casserole for tomorrow night.

We returned to the site and had a nice cup of tea and a cake and in the evening we had some filet of cod with mashed potatoes and tined peas, although the cod was fresh it did not have the taste that we expected and it was rather bland unfortunately. Clearly the frozen cod we get from Costco is much better as is the fish we get from the Fish Shop in Courmeilles , France and so we felt a little let down.
So a good day all in all and now for an evening of reading and music and perhaps a little TV, lets see.

A busy day for us both

The rain had stopped and there was quite a bit of sun about and after breakfast we headed of to Rowlands Castle Railway Station where Noel could board the 10.46 to London. The journey up was interesting and can you can see some lovely houses, one was a great looking modernised farmhouse with Llamas in the garden. The only problem about these houses is that as you can see them from the train they can also have trains running by every few minutes on the busy Waterloo to Portsmouth Line.
The train arrived on time and any by 12.30 I was at the restaurant and during the next three hours we had some good food and excellent chats about the past. Most of the attendees were ex company directors including myself and we could reminisce about the various bits that were challenging or made us laugh in the Company. There was also planned a function the evening but it would make it too late for me being located on the South Coast and also by late afternoon I start to get a little tired.
Jennifer on the other hand after dropping me off at the Station headed towards Chichester and whilst on the way spotted a sign for a Roman Ruin called ‘Fishbourne Palace’ where she spent a good couple of our exploring the ruins and learning a lot about its history. A good walk then a light lunch followed by a trip to the Chichester Waitrose Supermarket which was a great place to shop she discovered and much better than the Waitrose in Weybridge.
Fishbourne Roman Palace

Anyway Jennifer enjoyed her visit there and then came to meet me at the Station in the very heavy rain that had started.
We returned to the caravan and enjoyed a nice Chicken salad sandwich and yes, of course, a glass of wine. The evening was spent reading and listening to music.
Ah tomorrow we can have a lay in.

A caravan holiday in Bosham

Well we agreed to move the caravan from its storage near Gatwick Airport, about one hour away from Weybridge and with lots of bad traffic risks, to a place nearer home so that we could use it more frequently. Having to go an hour to collect and then get organised as against 10 minutes is great for us and based upon this change of location we decided that we would have a holiday on the South Coast near Chichester in a place called Bosham.
So at about 10.30 we left home and ten minutes later we were with the caravan and getting it unlocked , changing  a fuse which had blown and after checking the tyre pressures, and the wheel nuts and battery we were on our way by 11.15 en-route to the South Coast. Our route took us on the A3 via Guildford etc. and down to near Portsmouth where we joined the A 27 East. We had one stop en-route and also a truck had broken down on the entrance to the Hind head Tunnel which slowed us down for about 15 minutes but finally we reached our destination caravan site just outside of Bosham.  We are staying at a site called Concierge Camping which we had visited about a month ago when we did a tour of sites in the area and liked this one very much indeed although its quite expensive as caravan sites go.

We arrived at about 13.00 and spent a little while chatting to Guy the owner and then the gave us the info on our location and by 14.30 the caravan was set up although we still needed to transfer the food shopping and bedding to the van but this did jot take to long. Clearly a cup of tea was called for by this time and we had a little rest and a shower in the very nice facilities that they have here, background music in the shower no the less.
Dinner was a nicely roasted  pork chop with veggies, as they say, and a bottle of plonk to wash it down. It started to rain a bit and in fact it rained pretty much all the night but had stopped when we awoke in the morning. The caravan is very warm and the central heating is excellent and so we lack for nothing.
Tomorrow Noel has to go to a colleagues retirement party in London and Jennifer will get a free day to herself.
Later in the week the rest of the family will arrive to stay in a Safari Tent, sounds like a fun weekend

Sunday 17th September- We arrive back in Newcastle

After a smooth crossing back from Bergen we arrived in Newcastle Port at around 06.30 just as the sun was rising.

CHEERS !!

So we had to be up early for a shower and breakfast around 07.45 as the notification from the crew was that disembarkation would start at around 0730. We finished breakfast and headed back to the cabin and were surrounded by air blowers and dehumidifiers everywhere with crew still drying out the wet carpets etc. At 0815 they announced we could get o the ship and and after a quick trek accords the dock we collected our cases from the collection point in the car park and were on our way shortly before 0845.
We decided to us the A1 (M) again and it was a pretty quiet journey except for one part near Doncaster and the of course on the famous M25. We  arrived home just before 15.00 after had two stops en route for a drink and lunch.
We are glad to be home as the continual rocking of the ship was beginning to get to us.
A very pleasant evening catching up on the Singapore F1 GP which had a very interesting start.
Well that is it for the moment and out next travel plans are to a caravan site towards the middle of next week and with the family joining us for a long weekend.
Still have a lot to do on the Blogger and also organizing the photo blog whilst have sold a few things on ebay and need to get that organised as well.

Saturday 16th September–Water water everywhere!!!

Forgot to mention that when we go back to the cabin last night the information surrounding our disembarkation had arrived and yes its bloody early.

We had breakfast this morning and when leaving the 10th Floor Spey Restaurant was faced with a flood with water several inches high in places and it was pouring down the corridors and dripping through the roof from the 10th to the 9th Deck. I didn’t know that you could sink with water coming through the roof however about 20 minutes later announced that that a pipe to the swimming pool had broken and so all the water you could see was  from the swimming pool. The service staff and engineers were running all over the place with towels trying to stop it but no doubt some of the most expensive cabins/nee suites will have been affected. How they will fix before the ship leaves on its next cruise on Sunday afternoon I am not sure. Perhaps that's enough excitement for today.
We returned to the cabin and have decided this is a morning of R & R and then after lunch we will do our packing, bags must be put outside your cabin between 2200 and 0200 and must weight more than 20 kilos. As I always carry a set of baggage scales with me this should not present any problems!!!!
On leaving our cabin for lunch we noticed that the cabin opposite which is an internal cabin for people with a disability was being emptied and there was a very wet bed and carpet being sorted and apparently the biggest smell in the room was not that of wet carpet but of chlorine from the swimming pool water. Some people were complaining over lunch about this but where else could you get a swimming pool delivered to you cabin door?
A nice restful afternoon in the cabin with sometime outside on the balcony as it is really sunny and warm outside and even on the outer decks people grabbing the sun. Later in the afternoon it was bag packing time, why is it that it takes less time to pack when you are leaving than when you are leaving from home, either to much distraction oir to much choice of clothing. Anyway whatever we wear tonight will also be tomorrows wardrobe until we get home.
We had our usual table in the restaurant and dinner with a couple of glasses of wine. The food has been quite good really and so no complaints about that but we do have some niggles to share with Fred Olsen on their web driven questionnaire which I gather will be sent out after we get back to the UK.
A final goodnight glass of wine in the observatory lounge and then early to bed in view of the early start and as breakfast is served from 0630 only 0830 we had better be up with the lark as we could also be one the first or second group of people off this vessel due to the fact we have a suite.
According the ships information the ‘MV Balmoral’ has 710 cabins with a max passenger loading of 1350 with 510 crew. Following the problem with the pipes it now only has only one swimming pool instead of two.
Tomorrow will be a long journey back from Newcastle down the A1 and A1(M) with a couple of break en-route and we hope to be home mid afternoon.

Friday 15th September- A day in Bergen

The phone started ringing at around 08.00 from the Medical Centre to say that they had booked a Dentist appointment for in town and that I should be available to leave at 0930.
There was a slight communication with regard where to find the Taxi but we did and he took into town which was already showing lots of white entertainment tents etc., but more of that later. We arrived at the Dentist and after a wait of around 30 minutes, we did arrive early, the lady dentist took a peek and then quoted me a price to fix it of around £90.00 which I thought was quite reasonable. Half an hour later all was complete and we left the building and started to walk around the old port area.
We were aware from the news that there was going to be cycle races in and around Bergen over this weekend but its a much bigger event that we thought and even Chris Froome was due to make an appearance in the time trials for Team Sky. However the negatives about the racing is that they were putting up pedestrian safety barriers everywhere and of course the white marquees everywhere and beginning to close off some roads to cards and and pedestrians, this is not the Bergen we know, even some of the famous waterside fish restaurant had to be moved to make way for this big event. We stopped and had a tea and a cake, an early morning and quick breakfast makes you feel a  little hungry late morning.
We continued walking about the area for about another hour and then decided we would go to the fish market for lunch and chose one of the outdoor restaurants in a large gazebo with heating and enjoyed a large bowl of fresh shrimp with salad and bread roll and a glass of Chardonnay. Noel was still having trouble from the split pea soup and the effects it can have on the system and realised he was safer back on board the ship than walking around streets hoping for no problems but with all the tourists from the boat and others for the cycling finding ‘the gents’ might be a challenge whilst Jennifer opted to go on the hop–on hop-off bus tour . So we phoned the taxi company that brought us to the Dentist and fifteen minutes later he arrived but not in a taxi but a 15 seat minibus as they had run out of Taxi’s. I chatted to the driver on the way back to the port and he said that due to the cycle race some cruise ships had to be diverted away, which was not good for business whilst there were still Hotel bedrooms still to be had so perhaps having this event may not bring the money expected. When we arrived at the Ship I undid my seat belt and was reaching for my wallet and he said ‘NO CHARGE’ as according the laws re taxi fares there must be a meter in the Taxi and as this was one of their minibuses used without meters he could not charge me, well that saved me £15.00.
Jennifer returned about 90 minutes later and we sat on the balcony overlooking the town in the sun until it was getting a little cooler and time to dress up for the evenings formal event. On the P & O Arcadia which we used two and half years ago their ‘formal night dress code’ was very organised, if you wore fomal wear than the ship was yours but if you did not then only the café and associated bar was available. On this ship there seemed to be no such rule,  so in the bars you have people in the finest sitting next to a  couple in holey jeans and tea shirts and trainers, not good. So you wonder why that have this formal night at all?
We had a nightcap in the observatory and then headed down to bed whilst noticing that the swell was increasing due to that fact we were now on the high seas heading for Newcastle. Tomorrow is a day at sea and then off the ship, no doubt early

Thursday 14th September- We arrive in Olden- An Up and Down Day

We arrived in Olden overnight and we awoke to the sound of rain on the balcony, oh well, it is Norway in the late Summer early fall.
We had our usual breakfast just in time before they close the buffet. Noel is still watching diet and has the same boring breakfast each morning of a little bit of Muesli and two Weetabix and a yogurt. Of course all around are people starting with fruits and yogurts and then moving on to the full English, Its far to much for me and Jennifer. Likewise at lunchtime we eat lightly but there are people with plates full of food and we wonder if they do the same at night.
Noels tummy, for the want of a better word, is playing up due to the soup from yesterday and so we are spending the morning on the ship and we might go away ashore this afternoon if things have improved.

I forgot to mention that that when we had our first night on board and we were complaining about the seating arrangements and timing, there was an Elderly American and his daughter travelling together on his ‘bucket list’ and they had booked through and agent in California and it seems like the agent screwed up badly with their arrangements. First of all they could have travelled from from San Francisco to London and then up to Newcastle about 14/15 hours but they were put on flights from LAX to Portland Oregon and then to Amsterdam and then on to Newcastle taking almost 36 hours and from arriving at Newcastle Airport they went straight to the ship. That was tiring enough and then they checked in to the room and of course someone assumed that with a male and female travelling with the same surname they were a married couple and so they gave them a double bed instead of two singles as requested and this was only corrected the next day as the crew was to busy. Ridiculous and so one can understand why they were so upset when we sat down to dinner. Did I mention how noisy the restaurant was? you could hardly hear yourself speak with table so close to each other .

So after a light lunch we decided that we would stay on board as it was safer for Noel in his current state and so we stayed in the Cabin and passed the time of day by sleeping and Jennifer doing some sewing and reading. Later in the day they delivered the canapés which looked good although when chewing on the smoked Salmon on toast came across a very hard bit??? which after a bit of investigation turned out to be a part of one of Noels rear Molar teeth, Damn.
So off we went to the Medical centre where they could arrange a referral to a Dentist in Bergen, and from there back to cabin to arrange an appointment with my Dentist on Monday and also phone the travel insurance company to let them know of this new occurrence.So tomorrow in Bergen we will visit a Dentist at some time during the day and also the port to try and sample some seafood for lunch, all being well. I forgot to mention that whilst as Guest relations we checked on the cabin account and yes the web based cabin account does not work due to poor Internet Wi-Fi, which seems strange for a ship based

programme and the other bill which showed us reaching nearly £ 200 has now been reduced to about £60.00 which is about right.
In the evening it was ‘British Night’ and all the food was of British heritage but with a German Chief Chef and Asian cooks you can guess how the Bakewell Tart turned out, nothing like the real thing. Noel had the roast beef and Yorkshire pud which was very good whilst Jennifer had the best British dish of them all Chicken Curry Marsala and rice.
We spent about 45 minutes in the observatory lounge watching the mountains and villages slide by in the Nordfjord and then headed back to the cabin just after nine pm for some blogging and reading.
So an exciting day tomorrow a visit to a Norwegian Dentist, cant say that I am looking forward to it.

Wednesday 13th September- Hellesylt and Geiranger

We arrived in Hellesylt early in the morning , as usual, and after breakfast we walked in to town, more of a village really with very little in the way of shops, I think there was one tourist shop, a Hostel and a Church on a hill.
Anyway we went for a walk around the area and took a few photographs and Jennifer wanted to visit the Church which was on a steep hill, I can go up but not down so easily with my knees, and so Jennifer went up the hill to the Church and I sat around and admired the view for a while and then headed back to the ship. Jennifer returned at about 12.00 and shortly afterwards to ship was got ready to sail away.
We went for lunch in the Palms Café and we both had the split pea soup, which was excellent although it cam back to haunt Noel all afternoon and evening. The ship then sailed through the fjords for about 90 minutes and reached Geiranger where you have to use a  float out walkway to get to the shore. This was good as in the past it was by boat transfer which is not good for many people.
This is a much bigger town and we know that we have been here before when we did our road trip many years ago in Jennifer MGF. This place has three Hotels and lots of shops and two camp grounds for Caravan and Motor homes right by the side of the Fjord and of course with stunning views, and a great place to stay if you want some piece and quiet.
So we walked around for a couple of hours and then it started to rain and we headed back to the ship for a cup of tea and rest before Dinner. Jennifer had the Red Snapper with scallops and Noel the Lamb Shank and both were excellent and washed down with a couple of glasses of Merlot. After dinner we went up to the observation lounge to see us us depart Geiranger Fjord which we did until it got to to dark .
When we arrived at the lounge it was quite empty but at about 9.30 pm it started to fill up and then shortly afterwards they had to have a quiz ??? why, which leads me on to a moan.
There are almost thirty items listed on the ships newspaper outlining all the entertainment for the day, from quiz to talks (one about a murder) and one asked why is this all necessary when you are sailing through some of the most attractive scenery in the world. In every bar and lounge there seems to me music played all the time and the only place for peace and quiet if the Library which is often full. Can’t people just enjoy their own company and and the views.
Another moan is the inclusive wine deal, each time you have a drink you hand them your ships identity card which states that you have the ‘all inclusive’ but you keep on having to sign chits with your name, cabin and signature, why???. Is it  not possible for the ship to use the card only. Also you can access your on-board account through the TV or through the ships internet portal, if you compare them they are different and both seem to be wrong. We seem to being charged for drinks which are included in the package anyway we will have to sort this out later today before it gets worse. I did try to access the Ship Wi-Fi portal this morning but that is not working- say no more…