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 .