Sarasota visit

Jennifer is looking for items for her wardrobe and at the same time a visit to Costco was due to top up the meat and chicken supply and as Costco is in a mall in Sarasota it seemed like a good idea to combine the visit.

Rather than take the direct route which he done a few times we decided to take the route via Grove City on the Placida Road via Venice in to Sarasota. We left the house around 11.00 a headed off and there was not much traffic on the road until we got close to Venice which we passed through and our first stop was Whole Foods for lunch and Jennifer to buy some fruit, they always have good stuff here. From here we went to the Westwood Mall and walked through an almost deserted building but it was good as there are plenty of chairs for bored husbands to sit and wait for their shopping wives, so I joined in. Jennifer checked out H & M and a couple of other shops and then on to J C Penny which either have the wrong size or not quite the correct colour and as for swimming costume it was a disaster as it was mostly Tankini ( as in tank & bikini) and they were horrible to look at and no doubt wear and not cheap either. We also looked for pairs of shorts but nothing was suitable and so after a couple hours we ended up with one long skirt which was nice but the tops that would match were so long they could almost be worn as a dress, so forget that.

Oh well we agreed that if we did not find anything we would go next week to Port Charlotte to another even larger mall which has Macy’s & Dillard's and many others and hopefully find something there. Then in to Costco and quick check of the clothing section two pairs of shorts which were perfect and a nice cotton top  and at really good pricing and a lot less than J C Penny. We then continued with the rest of our food and wine shopping and then bought a nice tray of shrimps foe a starter and then decided to risk the pork ribs and just hoped that there was not to much garlic in there ( unfortunately at 0530 the next morning Noel realised there was). So we had a nice dinner and watched tv for a while but as both of us were quite tired after out long day out so we adjourned to bed.
It was a nice day out and perhaps an easier more relaxing day tomorrow with a swim or two.

Well Chelsea are playing tonight again, the stress is to great to take!

The morning was spent receiving about 500 photos downloaded form a transfer site with all the pictures used at our friend Rogers Funeral wake and I wanted to have them for our smug mug website, This took about two hours or more but still there some more work to be done as some are upside down and need to be turned whilst others could perhaps be digitally improved. What you can do today with digital photography is amazing.
The early afternoon was swimming and then watching Chelsea play Tottenham Hotspurs which Chelsea won easily I would say 2-0 mind you the Spurs gave away a most stupid own goal, its as though the player though he was at the opposite end of the field and deftly aimed the ball past the keeper in to his own net and then immediately realising it was his teams goalkeeper standing there, quite funny really but not for the Spurs.see link ....Spurs own goal
In the evening Noel BBQ's some pork loin chops the size of house brick but they were really excellent again and together with some salad and veggies it was most enjoyable.
In the evening we finished off the last chapter of the Jeremy Thorpe film with obviously a very biased Judge and even today the partner/lover of ex Jeremy Thorpe is still attacking the police for for handling the case badly some 40 years later.
Now the final word about BREXIT see link
BREXIT EXPLAINED

A visit to Engelwood Historic township

This morning we wanted to pay visit to the old town of Englewood which is about fifteen minutes drive from with a view to looking at restaurants for this coming Saturday evening. We don't usually eat out very much as Noel always has to watch the food he carefully and unfortunately even with the best will in the world mistakes are made to his health detriment but as it the car drive through evening we thought we would take a peek at restaurants and see what is available. (we looked at the card last year which is a combination of everything from old to new) but worth a watch. We think we shall go to a Restaurant called Englewood on Dearborn ( The Dearborn is the name of the street)

Anyway we drove through the town and videotaped some of it and whilst in the process of turning around in a quiet backstreet we came across a group of approx. 40 people mostly with guitars singing away to their hearts content. It looks like a a group of local retires got together in the bandstand to enjoy music and other peoples company for a sing as long, really nice. Cant see this in Wey Road though?
After that we drove back to Publix Supermarket to top up on food shopping and then headed home where Noel had his Sushi and Jennifer a chicken salad sandwich.
In the evening we started watching a BBC three part series about Jeremy Thorpe which was extremely good, we have seen it before but it was really worth watching again.
Well that's it for today apart from watching with growing dissatisfaction of the UK Government and all Ministers and for their failure to respect the order of the UK people, its disgraceful.

The most exciting thing about today was the visit by the pool maintenance guys

Well every Monday two guys turn up to check the pool is safe to swim in and their are no alligators or snakes in there. This is a salt water pool and it needed topping up and so they poured enough salt for about hundred packets of fish and chips in to the pool and a quick wipe around and check and clean the filter all carried in less than ten minutes.
The rest of the day we spent resting, reading and Jennifer did some washing and in the evening it was time for a BBQ of the fantastic sirloin steak we got from Costsco.I keep forgetting to take a photo of them but we have one piece which is about three inches thick and amazing.
Noel is reading a book called Trust Me I am (a junior) Doctor, quite fun really …. whilst Jennifer is still doing her embroidery.

After dinner we watched a film we have seen before called 100 feet journey, a film with Helen Mirren as a French Restaurant Owner/Manager based in the French Countryside when a family of immigrant Indians turn up and take them on. A good film with a great outcome and well worth watching again.

Have been reading how good the weather is in Uk at the moment , which is a major surprise . Have also been checking on how we can watch the Formula One racing which starts in Melbourne mid march and discovered that the Fubo App we use for football will also carry the motor racing we understand.
Well its Tuesday morning and the sun is shining and I have been busy catching up with emails and photos and blogs and now its time for a cuppa.

Chelsea goalie scores own goal!!!

What a strange day for football. An early morning, for us anyway, at about 08.30 we gathered around the tv to watch the Manchester United vs Liverpool game which was quite good although I don't think Liverpool were at there best. However the amount of on pitch injuries was amazing and by half way through the first half Manchester United had used up all their subs whilst also losing a couple of good players during the prior game warm up. Anyway after a frantic game the score was a no score draw however with Liverpool getting one point put them on the top of the table again.
We now had about 45 minute break before Chelsea take on Manchester City in the Caribou Cup in Wembley and when we last played Manchester City a couple of weeks ago ‘boy they whipped our arse’ as they say here in America but  Chelsea lost by six goals to none and so today would be rather telling for the players and Manager who is is under considerable pressure. Well the game did not turn out with Chelsea getting thrashed again and it was pretty even in the first half but in the second half and during extra time I think that Chelsea had the better play but not scoring any goals. And so to penalties, and Oh boy was their a fracas as the goalie Kepa who was suffering with cramp, how a a goalie get cramp I cant imagine, but he was to be ordered off by the Manager and he point blank refused. See the video as per link.
Kepa Refuses to leave the pitch

Well after this farce and the wonderful bloody Jorghino missed the first penalty, he should go this boy. But in the end we lost the penalty shoot out even with David Luiz missing and it is strange that it was Luiz who try to comfort Kepa during the fracas and so maybe he intended to miss?? who knows as in the past when you loose the dressing room, then you are in deep trouble. Lets see what happens over the next few days as Chelsea is due to play their nemesis Tottenham Hotspurs on Wednesday this week.
If you are asking how I can watch all this football is because with my Amazon TV Fire stick I downloaded two Apps, one from ESPN which does the European Champion ship and non Premier league football and Fubo ( A Spanish tv supplier) who does the Premier League, I have to pay for both but can stop paying when we leave the house but for Noel its good as he loves his football. Not sure if we will get to see the Formula One will check on that nearer the start date of the season.
In the evening we listed to Pandora a great music streaming station which does not operate in the UK anymore which is such a shame as I used to listen to it for hours. For dinner Jennifer made cod with a prawn sauce and home made fries, really great and then back to watch the last episode of Shetland. 
Its been a little hot today we closed al the doors and windows and kept the aircon on which enable us to sleep better. Forgot to mention we both had a good swim during the day and the exercise help’s you relax and sleep.
Oh well a busy day ahead tomorrow with swimming and BBQ planned for tomorrow night.
One last comment about Brexit…
In the USA they are saying that if the papers keep on saying the same thing that people will begin to believe it like Trump is a Russian Spy, Yep that's what  some of the population think, because the Democratic guided newspapers keep printing it. Its the same in the UK, if you say the same thing about the peoples view that they want to change their vote people begin to believe this is correct irrespective of whether its true or not. Just like the a nod deal Brexit will make the English Channel run dry and the River Thames turn blue and all the space junk will return to earth on Southall, if you say this enough there is a large percentage of people who would believe it. If you said that if we stay in the EU then the Government cannot afford to pay our pensions but if we leave then they can and increase them by 50% then people would vote for Brexit. None of these Facts? are of course correct but that is what the current press is all about today including the BBC. The Press does not report news IT MAKES IT UP

A nice day for reading

Well the sun is shining and its pretty warm today and around 30 C  so have to be careful of sunburn which can easily happen if you spend to long in the sun.
Noel has still been trying to fix the video that for some silly reason would not load and is now waiting for a reply from Smug Mug. The day was mostly spent relaxing, reading and listening to music whilst Jennifer decided to check all the contents of the food cupboard and kick out stuff which is well past its sell by date. When people rent these house they sometime buy stuff they either don't need of just don't use and so we always wait until we have checked in to the house before doing our final shopping.
Noel sat by the pool for a while listening to music whilst Jennifer also did some embroidery of something for our new grandson Ethan and after a while and enough music has been listened to Noel read a book that he had got about the life of a Junior Doctor and the challenges of same profession. Its written in a humorous and light hearted way and interesting to read but could be misconstrued as how bad the NHS is.
You might say it was Scottish night tonight as we watched The Grand Tour which was around Scotland and then continued with another couple of episodes of  ‘Shetland’  where the body count is rising and this time its getting very personal. Prior to our TV evening we enjoyed two rather large by really excellent Port Chops which we did on the BBQ washed down with a glass of Stella.
And so a good evening and as its a little hotter today and these houses which are made of wood will retain the heat we decided to turn on the air con for the evening and night so it was little cooler inside.
Tomorrow morning there will be an early start as there are two football games Noel wants to watch, and so that will be the morning gone by the time the games are over.

A normal day in Rotonda

Following breakfast we headed of to the local Publix supermarket to bay some basic store stuff and that really didn't take very long. We were also expecting a package from the US Postal Service which was originally due on Saturday but just as we were ate the supermarket it was delivered. This is a safe area and so no one will take the package as its a largo photo for a friend.

In the late morning our friends from New Zealand gave us a call on Whats App and so a nice free chat and we could both catch up on a number of matters. Noel still continued to fiddle with the video file and finally after a couple of hours of frustration gave up and asked smug mug if their video people could take a look.
The afternoon was quite hot today and around 30 C degrees and so we took shelter as neither of us wants to get burnt. Then an early evening swim and the Jennifer cooked up a hot salmon pasta which was really good and tested with a glass of plonk.

For the evenings entertainment we watched the BBC series called 'SHETLAND' which is about the local constabulary dealing mostly with murders which does worry me about as each episode seems to have at least one of two deaths so it must be a little unsafe and perhaps worse the London. The other problem is the accents and after the second episode Jennifer and I agreed that we really did not understand what was going on and so now we have added the subtitles and itrs much easier to understand.

A better day today

Well after our disappointment from yesterday we were finally able to watch the Video with out interruption which was really nice. A good send off for our mate Rog .
Following this Noel decided to add the videos taken the previous day to the web blogs and here he hit a snag and for some reason although there were two almost identical video files one of them refused to load on the Smug Mug website saying it was an ‘unknown file type’ which is strange as it was exactly the same file type as the other video which uploaded without any trouble. So he spent quite some fiddling around and finally had to contact Smug Mug for help and they are looking in to it now.#

A brief house walk through

We both had a nice swim and sunbathe after Noel watched Chelsea play Malmo with a lot of trepidation after the last few games performance, the first half was not great but a better second half and three goals scored but they are nowhere near there best. In the evening Jennifer cooked up some noodles and chicken which was excellent and then we watched a film on Netflix.
We are still watching the fun and games in the UK with the labour party losing MP’s and joining some from the Conservative party and what with ex Mr UKIP threatening to start a new Brexit Party its all a bit lively. As for this young lady who want to return to the Uk after fours years as she said she made a big mistake, OH YES YOU DID, so no way for return even a charge of treason might be appropriate.
In USA a black American actor decided he needed a salary increase and rathe than ask he staged a racist letter to himself and then got some mates to beat him up whilst wearing MAGA hats (Trumps Make America Great Again) and so they could blame Trump Supporters beating up a black guy, the only trouble it was two Nigerians that staged the so called lynching which he paid for and now the police have the complete story. There are many Democratic managed newspapers who know have red faces after blaming Trump, yet again. Oh well why not just ask for a raise????
And so to bed.

A sad day with a lot of added frustration

Our good friend Roger was having his funeral today in Reading and we were unable to attend due to being in USA. The family had made arrangements for a web cast so his friends from the around the world could watch and for us this was due to start at about 10.05 local time. So an early breakfast and were ready to go. we signed on and was told by Obitus.com that we were ok and connected but come the service we perhaps only viewed about 10% as the rest taken up with buffering. We have a fast connection in this rented accommodation and so I tried phoning and with auto answering, dial this for that etc and finally after three attempts I got through by which time the service was over. Were we mad!!!!  An email complaint was duly sent  and lest see what happens.
We therefore decided to take a drive down to the beach and Englewood about 20 minutes away and see what it was like and it was very crowded, not quite like a beach on the Costa del somewhere but busy all the same and the car parks full. So if you want to go on the beach here in the height of summer season then get there early. This actually is not a problem for us as we are not beach people and much prefer swimming pools and shaded areas than lying on the sand in the full glare of the sun with people shouting etc etc.. We then looked for somewhere to stop and have lunch and its always a good sign when a place is busy and if not there must be a reason. We did a drive along Manasota Key and used the video which we will post on the Smug mug Blog as to large for Blogger to handle.
The places near the beach were mostly full and so we said , lets go and buy a nice sandwich in the Publix supermarket and we went t a different location in a large mall and next door to the supermarket was a diner.So in we went and the place was about 80 % full and we could understand why with the size of dishes and low prices. Noel had the hot turkey on bread with mashed potato and Jennifer a soup, followed by an excellent ham and cheese sarni with fries and the whole lot came to only 20 bucks. Make a note to go back.
On the way back to the house we noticed a car wash where they do for you and as the Beemer is looking a bit grubby we will take there in the next few days, no rush we have plenty of time.
Noel then watched the Schalke vs Manchester City game with a great final result for the away team. Two or three bad decision via VAR did not help and the sending off was quite ridiculous. Thank heavens City one. We were not that hungry and a sandwich did suffice and then we took a look at some videos on you tube from camping to train rides. And so to bed.

Well there was no Miracle

Well we watched the Chelsea game against Manchester United yesterday and it was painful to watch as it the same old, same old stuff. Loads of pointless possession, nobody takes a shot from outside the area and so a totally pointless exercise.

W now have Higuain a new centre forward with an unproved track record and nobody feeds him the ball as they are continually passing back rather than forward. Yet again this playing from the goalkeeper forward causes so many problems as it draws the opposing players nearer to your goal when a good punt up the field puts pressure on the opposition.

The daily press all have the same view about 'Sarri Ball' which clearly means loads of possession and no goals aided by Sarri's masterstroke player Jorginho is hopeless and no matter how bad he is Sarri still leaves him on the pitch when on the bench are some really good youngsters.

He keeps on making the same rubbish changes and leaves Kanto in a position where he cannot influence the game like he did in the past. I think I could do a better job on winning the games, its not rocket science as they say but how can you see the badly dressed heavy smoker motivating a team to play a method which does not work. Give John Terry and Frank Lampard the reigns and with a little help from Drogba things might improve.

There needs to be a big change or the supporters who are already turning on Sarri will leave in their droves and go and watch the Spurs.

Now we really need a miracle...

Politics, bloody politics

Well over the past couple of weeks have reading all about the fund and games in the UK about Brexit and it is driving me mad that there those politicians who are doing there best to sabotage the whole thing. The EU is in a complete mess. France has so many internal issues what with the ‘Yellow Vest’ brigade and as the Italian Government offered to help the protesters  the relationship between the two of them is very poor. At the top of the EU there is infighting still about the Europe immigrant crisis and then Germany is on the verge of recession and they stand to lose lots of jobs if they don try see sense about Britain's desire to extricate itself from the grips of the EU. Its the EU structure that people don't like not Europe and there is a big difference. Why pay millions of pounds for it to be spent with record or control is not acceptable to me as a businessman ( ex).
I  have read all about the returning Syrian girls now its all over and that we should be sympathetic, I think the comments by Nick Ferrari of LBC say it most clearly and the answer is NO, and the same applies to the guys who are trying to get back and of course there is a major concern that they are using this process to start a war on English turf.
I do recognise that President Trump is not liked by all the people in the USA but the continued efforts by mostly the democrats to use all the ways possible to get him removed will not do them any good in the long turn. I do not believe the Republican’s applied such appalling tactics when Obama was made president and in many ways its an absolute disgrace . The President was chosen in a fair election and that is the way it should be and if the democrats don't like it tough but don't spend you time trying to get rid of the president, look to try to show how much better you guys are, but unfortunately they are not. We have similarities in the UK with IKIP dead, Labour is in a mess and so is Conservative with Mrs May having lost the trust of the population and every old politician standing up and repeating absolute rubbish including the very untrustworthy Mr Teenie Blair.
THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH
All this stuff in the newspapers about the end of the world following Brexit is absolute rubbish. The newspapers now do not report the news they try to create it if its a slow news day. Yes I know Honda and Nissan are reducing their exposure in the UL but they are not putting it elsewhere in the  world but setting up new plants in Japan. The demand for cars has dropped globally and this cannot be blamed on Brexit and of course nobody mentions that the interest by EU Investors, as recently reported in the Financial Times wanting to move to UK after Brexit and the opening of a new Toyota production line in Derby seems to be largely overlooked.
Would get over it and move on

Anyway enough of that its getting near time to see Manchester United Murder the Chelsea team unless there is a miracle out there

Achieved a lot today for a change

We needed some shopping today and the car needed some ‘gas’ as they say here, and Jennifer wanted a hair cut and somehow we achieved the whole lot in one morning. I have reported before about buying fuel in this country and firstly the price of £0.43 per litre which is somewhat cheaper than Uk and normally the garage will not accept a debit or credit card without a US Zip code so you end up going in to the garage and saying I will have 25 buck’s please on pump number 10 or have to give them debit or credit card which they keep whilst you fill up and you wonder what they will do with the card in the meantime.
However on this occasion I remembered an old trick where you take the numbers from your UK postal code, in our case 138 and then two zeros hence you get 13800 and voila the card is accepted. We have a BMW 530 car on hire with a engine size I guess around two litres and it seems to go on for ever and when I topped it up is showed that I would be able to do nearly 700 miles with the cost of $ 31.00 amazing. The Beemer is not bad card but needs a bigger engine, even my Toyota Land Cruiser which is a lot heavier than the BMW would leave it in the dust. The car is quite comfortable and had less then 600 miles on the clock when we picked it up and it is full of gadget’s if only one understood how they work.
Then  on to the Publix Supermarket and on the same parade of shops is a hairdressers, wow and it was open on a Sunday, so Jen went in to book an appointment for next week and found they could do it right away and so half an hour later at at the cost of $ 13.00 she had a nice short haircut which suits here and also this warmer weather. In the meantime the old man did the shopping and got it mostly correct which was a bit of luck really.
In the afternoon we had a nice lay in the sun and did some swimming then BBQ’d a rather large rib eye steak which was absolutely delicious and they are of a size where one steak is big enough for two of us. Actually with our two lots of shopping in Costco we have enough beef, pork, fish and chicken to last about a month and so we only need shopping mostly for salad stuff.
In the evening we watched a programme called ‘White Cloud’ which we think was on ITV or SKY some while ago featuring John Simms and about a guy who goes to Hong Kong to see how is wife died. Not a bad series this with some great shots of Hong Kong.
In the meantime the master bedroom will be painted tomorrow and so then we are back to square one apart from being a few thousands pounds lighter.
And so to bed

Shopping day in Sarasota

We thought a little bit of shopping in Sarasota and lunch at Whole Food’s would be nice day out as they make a really nice prime rib baguette and so at about 11.00 we departed the house and headed north towards initially Costco as we also wanted to buy some nice prime rib steaks and a few other bits and pieces which are only available in Costco. We arrived just about midday and spent about an hour looking around and as usual you end up by buying stuff you never came to purchase, Oh well, we have all done it.
And so $ 200.00 later we departed for Whole Foods and as there are two in the Sarasota area we thought we might try the one we had not been to and so we arrived and did some initial shopping and then headed over for the counter where we expected they make the sandwiches to order but there was no sign of any sandwich activity. Noel asked the lady behind the counter about the sandwiches and she said we don't do that here?? what that cant be right and so we chose some pre-made ones which from a limited choice would do but it was not what we wanted. As we had decided to eat in the shop seating area we went along the back of the shop there was something that we had not seen before and it was Brasserie Honore with a great menu and also selling prime rib baguettes, now here was a dilemma , do we eat the sandwiches we have just bought but did not really want or go for the prime rib baguettes, actually there was no choice and the baguette was simply superb. So now e have our sandwiches for tomorrow.

We headed home and got there about 16.30 and had a little read and then watched a Netflix film and then to bed. In the meantime Noel had been looking at Hotels for where we can stay en-route to our friends in Santa Rosa which is about 400 miles away and so we are planning to stay the night in a Hampton Inn in the hick town of Perry.
Oh well we will most likely spend all of Saturday at the pool. What a nice way to spend the day.

Its Valentine Day

Well yesterday with the rain pouring down, yes it rains here and on Tuesday overnight we had really heavy rain, thunder and Lightning and all quite exiting really. The trouble is it topped up the pool and dropped the temperature from 30 C degrees down to 25 C so will have to brave this out. However yesterday morning we headed to the real estate agent a few miles down the road to get a copy of the house contract for next year and also pay the deposit. It had stopped raining by the time we left them and were looking for a bite to eat and an easy good beef burger would be nice and although the agents had recommended one to us it was rather exposed as its normally a warm weather open air restaurant. However we found a place which was nice and right by the inland sea but also a little on the chill side but at least they had some gas heater running so we were Ok, and it was a nice place to return to when it gets warm.

Back to the house and Noel watched some more football, this time it was the Spurs playing Borussia Dortmund and it  was a really good game with BD just edging the first half but in the second half the Spurs came out like a new team and beat them 3 to nil after fully controlling the game. Well worth a watch. Chelsea are due to play on Thursday but not sure if this on US TV or not and will check later.
Had a couple of discussions with the people doing the chimney yesterday and they completed their work and I have paid them so hope it works. And so to bed and then overnight I was disturbed by Michael who was at our house as the Virgin Engineer had come to fix the missing broadband and found the problem, thank heavens and so now our Hive Central heating control is working as is the Wi-Fi internal security camera. At the same time as Michael and the Virgin man was their Jen’s brother in law Peter who does all our painting and decorating turned up to start repairing the ceiling and wallpaper so that it can be dry when its painted next Monday. So hopefully all the outstanding house issues, Boiler problems, Chimney leaking, damaged ceiling, broken broadband will all be finished by early next week and so the Estate Agents can come in to take the final photo. Needless to say Noel really enjoyed being awake from 04.00 for approx. 90 minutes whilst all this was going on.
Finally, I have been using like many other people a programme called ‘Whats App’ which enable phone and video call to people who also have the app. As its free of charge I thought how can this be, well the answer lies in the fact that its now owned by ‘Facebook’ who now not only take you data from Facebook but combine it with your data from What's App and sell it to the highest bidder and of course its used for target advertising. So I discovered that the originators of What's App have started a new programme with great encryption which is so strong that they cannot read it either, so I am giving that a try as I don't like Facebook using my data with approval and selling it for their own income.SIGNAL COMMUNICATION    see link for more info.

Still quiet on the western Front

Well a little more shopping and swimming and relaxing and the occasional Zizz in the afternoon slowly fills up the week.
Although this part of USA is not the most attractive it has the warmth, and in Rotunda West where we are staying its so quiet that at night you can hear a pin drop, as they say, and that is what we like about this place its quiet, near the shops and the good temperature . 

We do understand that if you want to book anywhere on this estate in the spring you need to do it a year in advance as if not all the good places have gone and so this morning we started working on what is available for Feb/Mar 2020 and  spent about 90 minutes touring the area and looking at the five houses offered which are available for next year, well five out of another 30 which are already booked up.

Anyway we have chosen another part of Rotonda West and we think this house will be even quieter than the current one, we shall see next year . So that's the effort for today apart from communication with a neighbour who is controlling our side gate key to allow some Chimney builders to repair the top of the chimney which had started to leak and caused damage to the master bedroom 

We also rechecked flight pricing for a possible return to the UK to attend the  funeral of our close friend Roger but its quite expensive and the long travel times that present a challenge and so we will watch on the web,
This evening another swim in the pool after Noel watched the Man U and Paris SG game on an app on Amazon called Fubo TV where you can get a seven day free trial. Not a bad game but Man U were outclassed and lost by two goals. After there recent performances this was a let down as I think they were overawed by this team.
Oh now for dinner.

As expected not much to report

Well its been a week of lying in the sun and some swimming and shopping in the local Publix supermarkets which has an excellent choice of food.
The steaks and pork chops we purchased in Costco Sarasota were huge and to be frank I have never BBQ'd such large pieces of meat before but so far the meat has been really excellent. We have enjoyed lots of salads and then when it get dark we look at TV via the Amazon fire TV stick which helps us get Netflix and Amazon own shows, so we have enough to watch.
I have spent a short while this morning checking to see if my SKY sport App will work here in USA but the programs are restricted and can only be watched in the EU. So will have to find a way to watch the Manchester city vs Chelsea game on Sunday, its supposed to be on NBC but this will probably be a pay for channel, will need to check
So have also been busy with final arrangements for the chimney to be repaired and then the bedroom to be redecorated, but in the meantime the home broadband has been down for two weeks and I am hoping my son can get this fixed as I cannot access the security system and or the heating controls..
Oh well back to the pool.

Roger Allen RIP

Our good friend and member of the exclusive Parrot Club passed away late yesterday after a long illness caused by the dreaded cancer. He will be very much missed by Jennifer and I plus many of his good friends.
We were able to spend lots of time with Rog and Sue up and till I came down with the rectal and liver cancer in 2015 and so our regular jaunts to their house in Spain had been put on hold but during those visits together with other friends John and Lyn we had a really great time with lots of laughter and the odd Rioja or three.

Dear Rog Rest in Piece...

Happier days in Spain 2014

Getting used to the house and some shopping

Well the last couple of days we have spent doing some final shopping and in the meantime enjoying the sun and the warm weather with the temperature around 27 degrees centigrade and the pool is roughly the same temperature.
Watching TV in this county is very frustrating as its full of adverts and so we have our own Amazon Fire stick which enables to watch certain Amazon prime films and also Netflix which has a good selection of British programs, with a lot from the BBC. 
We have BBQ a couple of times including nice sirloin steak and yesterday we did some huge pork chops which were really delicious.
In the meantime have been watching some of the absolute rubbish [put out by the the anti Brexit idiots who liken it to the end of the world with all sort of rumours and statements all contain the word 'COULD' which means absolutely nothing.
If you remember the Millennium and the BUG that would cause aircraft to fall out of the sky, all computers to turn off leaving us without power, water  or anything even the traffic lights would stop and which 'Could' kill a million people. But what happened was nothing and everything went on as normal and that wil happen after Brexit. If the Brits cannot find a way to move a few oranges from Spain I would be surprised.
There appears to be a number of Lords and or large landowners who all receive large land subsidies from the EU and so they will lose out when we leave, its not a political view but one motivated by the loss of money. Where have I heard that before.
Oh well back to the swimming pool

Nearly there!!!

Well, another Hotel breakfast and then a little delay whilst Noel caught up with the Blogs and photos and then about 11.00 we set off for our shopping trip to Costco Sarasota.

As usual this place was packed and the car park pretty full but this may have been because this weekend is ‘Super bowl Weekend’ and so there will be parties and BBQ’s and so the trolley were full of beer, wine and steaks etc for those who were planning a party. I heard one guy who had a trolley quite laden with stuff say to the check out out girl as she was ringing up all the purchases “ I only came for a dozen eggs”. So we had lunch first and both decided to have a hot dog, which for Noel later turned out later to be a bad decision( Noel discovered there was an extremely high fat content and Garlic- Hey ho of the the Loo we go).  We bought some steaks, and pork chops and fish and also the most expensive bits were the razor blades we both needed as well as some glucosamine tablets which helpfully will help us both.

After the shopping we took the main road out through an area obviously heavily populated by the Amish people and there were many of them riding bicycles as to have horse and carts around the very busy streets of Sarasota would be very dangerous for all Then we left Sarasota for Rotunda West by way of the local Publix supermarket where we bought the last few bits and pieces we needed and then on to the house which will be our home for the next two months. By this time it was about 28 degrees Centigrade and so in our long trousers we were both getting a little warm as we unloaded the car and carried our shopping and suitcases inside. The a cup of tea and a biscuit and slight relaxation and then a shower and a BBQ which took a little while to understand. The steak was delicious which we enjoyed with a baked potato and salad.

Our home for the next two months

We did not bother with TV as its all adverts anyway and tomorrow I will set up the the Amazon Fire so we can watch some decent TV. Ando so to bed about 9.30 pm, after a little light reading and some music

Head Southwest for the west Coast of Florida

The usual start for the day with breakfast provided by the Hotel, a limited choice, but more than sufficient. We left the Hotel around 10.30 and picked up some fuel with the usual issues about the machines not accepting Credit Cards without a USA Zip Code and so the lady said how much do u want to spend , and I said I am not sure but knowing that fuel is so much cheaper here I said $25.00. Actually the car was full with $ 23.75  which is amazing as we have driven several hundred miles all for about £ 18.00, would cost three times that in UK.
We took took the main roads which was planned as avoiding the Motorways takes a long time but still it took us nearly 5.5 hours to arrive in Sarasota after brief stop for a burger in Wendy's, which was rubbish and will not be repeated. As usual when you arrive at the Hotel its always the other side of a main dual carriageway and so working around the roads and then two U turns when everybody is in a hurry to get home was not so easy.

Homewood Suites Sarasota

We checked in to the Hotel and had a nice cup of tea and although the ‘social’ was on that night the food was pizza which is a bit of a no no for Noel and so we had a glass of wine in the room and a very nice smoked salmon salad and then watched TV for a while.
The photos we had purchased were included in a PowerPoint presentation and so not the easiest to extract just the photos and so many hours have already been spent getting them ready for upload.
And so to bed .