December update

Yes, it is appears my blog is, at best, managing a monthly update!

So, what since November 14th then?

Well ….

OK, actually ‘Expedition Everest’ in Animal Kingdom, Orlando not the real mountain, way too much like hard work! Yes, yet another visit to the USA and most certainly my last … for 2011 anyway!

 

The villa wasn’t too far away from the September location, only a couple of miles so not too difficult to find even without the satnav. The Cadillac was awesome and only $50 to fill up for a 400 mile range. A powerful 3.6l lump under the hood ensured driving never had to get dull! That and WJRR on the radio as well … what a damn shame we don’t have anything remotely like WJRR here in the UK!

Got to see a real alligator in the wild totally for free, the first time I’d just seen one when out and about and it was a big bugger too, not sure how big exactly as we never got a good enough view to see the whole body at the same time but it had to be way over 7’ and maybe considerably more. On that day our plan was to go rent a boat on one of the waterways guaranteed to see local wildlife. We’d tried earlier on in the vacation to do a boat trip only to find Virgin Holidays had sold us an excursion which no longer existed. Anyway, we tried again the day after Thanksgiving and no where was open for renting boats, they didn’t want to know. So, way too early we headed off for a town called ‘Eustis’ where we had a show booked for the evening and decided to have a wander along the lake side. The first thing we saw were two snakes and then someone pointed out the alligator! We were already seeing more wildlife than we expected to see on the boat trip. I said to Robin, all I need now is to see a turtle and I’d have crossed everything off my list … within minutes, there one was swimming right beside us … anyway, pictures speak louder than words so here are some of that amazing afternoon ….

 

So, anyway, all these animals on one sweet walk! It’s times like this when I remind people, I am not atheist, I am agnostic. If we were to have gotten on any of the boats we tried we may not have seen what we did and got such great pictures and all for free as well, nothing fake about anything here, we really were that stupidly close!

The show, incidentally, was OK but not amazing … it was meant to be a bit of madness and that’s what it was. No real storyline. Probably about as close to a panto as we were likely to see out there! For any more pictures you will need to get your bottom over to Facebook and look on my profile there, in case you are not already a friend there, go to Facebook

 

Whilst there and having lost a little weight recently, I decided to go a little mad and buy new clothes for myself … rather a lot as it happens and I’ve bought some since getting back too which has meant nearly my entire wardrobe being either chucked or given away so now I am just wearing new stuff and it feels quite good … a habit I can’t afford!

For those wondering, which is probably no one … I did finish the September video but YouTube won’t let me upload it because of how long it is. It appears I also can’t watch it via the Xbox at home either so, I put a lot of time and effort into making it, Robin may have seen some of it, I’ve not see it complete at all and it’s unlikely anyone else will see it either which is rather a shame.

Speaking of holidays or ‘writing’ in this case. Zoey & Adam have now completed the booking for June next year to Spain so that’s going to hopefully be awesome, not been there for a long while.

Once again I have another cyst and it hurts like hell, well, more itches now and it doesn’t look very nice either, am totally sick of them to be honest with you dear reader, I really should do something about them, find the cause.

Am broke now just about so shall have to do what I didn’t want to do and repay after Christmas which I can do, it isn’t a problem but I was hoping to have left 2011 in credit, I may still, not too sure yet.

Javis and Sian have had Grace, she’s about a week old now … I don’t really know how to feel about that, totally not sure about anything in that department to be honest. She’s lovely and I am really happy for them but, apart from her being Josh’s 1/2 sister, I have total uncertainty how close I should get with there being no actual relationship there.

Zach and Danny are both doing really well and developing personalities already, love them both loads. Immy & Josh seem to have both grown up loads since they were born which I am sure is just a different perception but it seems strange all the same.

No where near as prepared for Christmas as I planned to be, my bad!

Look, you’re probably bored reading, I am getting weary typing so until January or the next significant even, I bid you all a memory Christmas and a better 2012

December update

Yes, it is appears my blog is, at best, managing a monthly update!

So, what since November 14th then?

Well ….

OK, actually ‘Expedition Everest’ in Animal Kingdom, Orlando not the real mountain, way too much like hard work! Yes, yet another visit to the USA and most certainly my last … for 2011 anyway!

 

The villa wasn’t too far away from the September location, only a couple of miles so not too difficult to find even without the satnav. The Cadillac was awesome and only $50 to fill up for a 400 mile range. A powerful 3.6l lump under the hood ensured driving never had to get dull! That and WJRR on the radio as well … what a damn shame we don’t have anything remotely like WJRR here in the UK!

Got to see a real alligator in the wild totally for free, the first time I’d just seen one when out and about and it was a big bugger too, not sure how big exactly as we never got a good enough view to see the whole body at the same time but it had to be way over 7’ and maybe considerably more. On that day our plan was to go rent a boat on one of the waterways guaranteed to see local wildlife. We’d tried earlier on in the vacation to do a boat trip only to find Virgin Holidays had sold us an excursion which no longer existed. Anyway, we tried again the day after Thanksgiving and no where was open for renting boats, they didn’t want to know. So, way too early we headed off for a town called ‘Eustis’ where we had a show booked for the evening and decided to have a wander along the lake side. The first thing we saw were two snakes and then someone pointed out the alligator! We were already seeing more wildlife than we expected to see on the boat trip. I said to Robin, all I need now is to see a turtle and I’d have crossed everything off my list … within minutes, there one was swimming right beside us … anyway, pictures speak louder than words so here are some of that amazing afternoon ….

 

So, anyway, all these animals on one sweet walk! It’s times like this when I remind people, I am not atheist, I am agnostic. If we were to have gotten on any of the boats we tried we may not have seen what we did and got such great pictures and all for free as well, nothing fake about anything here, we really were that stupidly close!

The show, incidentally, was OK but not amazing … it was meant to be a bit of madness and that’s what it was. No real storyline. Probably about as close to a panto as we were likely to see out there! For any more pictures you will need to get your bottom over to Facebook and look on my profile there, in case you are not already a friend there, go to Facebook

 

Whilst there and having lost a little weight recently, I decided to go a little mad and buy new clothes for myself … rather a lot as it happens and I’ve bought some since getting back too which has meant nearly my entire wardrobe being either chucked or given away so now I am just wearing new stuff and it feels quite good … a habit I can’t afford!

For those wondering, which is probably no one … I did finish the September video but YouTube won’t let me upload it because of how long it is. It appears I also can’t watch it via the Xbox at home either so, I put a lot of time and effort into making it, Robin may have seen some of it, I’ve not see it complete at all and it’s unlikely anyone else will see it either which is rather a shame.

Speaking of holidays or ‘writing’ in this case. Zoey & Adam have now completed the booking for June next year to Spain so that’s going to hopefully be awesome, not been there for a long while.

Once again I have another cyst and it hurts like hell, well, more itches now and it doesn’t look very nice either, am totally sick of them to be honest with you dear reader, I really should do something about them, find the cause.

Am broke now just about so shall have to do what I didn’t want to do and repay after Christmas which I can do, it isn’t a problem but I was hoping to have left 2011 in credit, I may still, not too sure yet.

Javis and Sian have had Grace, she’s about a week old now … I don’t really know how to feel about that, totally not sure about anything in that department to be honest. She’s lovely and I am really happy for them but, apart from her being Josh’s 1/2 sister, I have total uncertainty how close I should get with there being no actual relationship there.

Zach and Danny are both doing really well and developing personalities already, love them both loads. Immy & Josh seem to have both grown up loads since they were born which I am sure is just a different perception but it seems strange all the same.

No where near as prepared for Christmas as I planned to be, my bad!

Look, you’re probably bored reading, I am getting weary typing so until January or the next significant even, I bid you all a memory Christmas and a better 2012