Day 10 - Hometime

So this was our last day of holiday. We'd done most of the packing the previous evening, and so there wasn't too much to do in the morning at the hotel before putting our bags in the back of the car and heading off.

First stop was Downtown to check in and drop off the bags. We were there after the rush so didn't have to wait and we got the seats (upstairs!) that we'd requested on the phone the previous day.

We didn't stop off at Downtown any longer (as there is no Virgin shop to browse around any more) and we made a move for I-Drive and brunch at Denny's, encountering our first traffic jam of the day with people queueing to get to the sales at the Premium Outlets.

Denny's breakfasts were enjoyed by all. The carafe was in use, so Nicky and John had to make do with glasses of orange juice, but they got through about a gallon each anyway! Next stop Walgreens to pick up some flight pillows and then back to the I-Drive queue going all the way up to the Prime Outlets. We stopped off part way up and walked the rest of the way to the Congo River Crazy Golf, where Jake won on the Stanley course.

On our way to the airport we stopped off at Borders and at the Hess petrol station to fill up the car, and then we dropped off the car, had our usual mooch around the airport and something to eat, before taking off at about half past nine.

England is really cold!

Day 9 - Christmas Day

So today started with presents. Santa had still managed to find Jake, even in Florida.

Once we were up and about we decided to head to Downtown on the bus. Jake got a how to draw Disney characters book (which both he and I had a go at later in the day) and we bought some new drinks cups for home.

We met up with Nanny and Grandad at Ghiradelli's and had malts and cookies, before they headed off on the boat to Port Orleans. They'd kindly decided to buy us some Mickey cutlery but they were out of stock in the World of Disney store. We headed back on the bus (second one to arrive at the Downtown stops was ours!) and we chilled out at the hotel this afternoon.

Jake and I had a quick swim before dinner at the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club. Buffet was yummy - clam chowder to start, roast to follow, and as always the best bit was the scrummy desserts, especially the choc, vanilla and mint gelato.

After dinner Nanny and Grandad took the boat to Epcot whilst we went round to the Boardwalk so that Jake could have a quick play. Then it was Illuminations for one last time before coming back to start putting things in bags.

Day 8 - Christmas Eve

Catching up on posting on Christmas Day!

We started off the day in a very similar way to yesterday with a trip into Epcot and heading straight for Soarin' to use up another one of our fastpasses. Then it was over to see Nemo and to enjoy Turtle Talk with Crush.

After the Seas pavilion we went our separate ways. John and Margaret headed off back towards the hotel, whilst we stopped at a cart for an ice cream. Nicky and I shared on of the Mickey ice cream sandwiches.

Then Nicky went to do some last minute shopping for Christmas whilst I took Jake over to Japan so that he could spend the rest of his holiday money on a Bakagan set that he'd had his eye on.

We met up back at the hotel and Jake and I had a quick dip in the Stormalong Bay pool before Nicky and I went back over to the Yacht Club convention centre to see Nikki again and to sign up for some BLT points.

Back at the hotel Jake had just got back from the pool with Nanny and Grandad. Nicky and I headed out to go to Publix - mostly to stock up on Mac 'n' cheese to take home! We also popped in to Downtown for a quick browse on our way home. Nicky got a new Mickey handbag from the TrenD store.

Jake had been in the pool again by the time that we got back, as well as playing volleyball with some other English kids.

The evening's entertainment was at Port Orleans Riverside, and we bagged a table early in the River Roost bar, taking turns to go to get takeaway dinner from the Riverside Mill food court. Bob the piano man was as entertaining as ever, and I'm sure that the photos of me mucking about in the Twelve Days of Christmas singalong will embarrass me for years to come!

Day 7 - Epcot and Kitchen Sink

Slow start today, and we didn't head out until about 11 after having some pastries from the marketplace for breakfast.

Our fastpasses from Nicky had arrived so we headed into Epcot and went on Soarin' and Test Track. It was satisfying to see both the late return times for regular fastpasses and also the long standby lines that we were able to bypass.

Then we headed into the World Showcase and Nicky, Margaret and I had a chinese takeaway whilst John and Jake went to the Liberty Inn at the American pavilion.

After lunch Nicky and Jake went to the UK to do their Kim Possible mission and the rest of us stayed in America to listen to the Voices of Liberty followed by the American pipers.

Meeting up in the UK we grabbed some drinks and then settled in to watch Off Kilter. Almost makes bagpipes acceptable!!

Coming back to the hotel we plucked up courage and headed off to Beaches 'n' Cream to tackle the Kitchen Sink (with a whole can of whipped cream!) We gave a good account of ourselves and certainly were full afterwards.

John and Margaret fancied a shopping trip so I took them over to the Premium Outlets, and then came back here to find Jake settling in to watch a George Lopez double bill. Once that had finished it was about time to do the shopping pickup and while I was doing that Nicky and Jake went in the Stormalong Bay pool.

They'd got out and Jake had had a hot dog by the time we got back. My turn to have a go in the pool tomorrow.

Day 6 - Kennedy

So we decided that rather than waiting until Christmas Eve, today would be the Kennedy day. The plan was to set off from here at 8:30, but unfortunately we only woke up about then, so we were a little delayed in getting on the road.

The drive out to Kennedy was as uneventful and dull as ever, miles of dead straight road! We got there at about 11am, and we headed straight for the bus tour.

This was Jake's first visit to the Space Centre since he was six months old, so it was amusing to show him the plastic pushchairs that he enjoyed riding around in last time, and to get him to try space dots again (which he liked again!)

As before, the most impressive thing for me was the Saturn V rocket - it is truly enormous. Second up is the astronaut memorial, which is a touching reminder of the people who have given their lives to the cause of space exploration. It was just noticeable on the main memorial where two of the panels were slightly newer than the others, recording the names of the crew on board Columbia in 2003.

We finished at Kennedy at about 4 o'clock, and then headed back along towards Orlando before cutting down the John Young Parkway to the Loop and to Johnny Rockets for tea. Food was yummy, but atmosphere didn't quite match being on board Independence.

After dinner we had a little look at some of the shops - new things for Barley at Petco, and a new memory stick for my camera at Best Buy. By this time we were all fairly tired, and so it was back to the Beach Club Villas for an early night.

Our fastpasses from Nikki should have arrived today, but no sign of them yet - hopefully they will be here in the morning.

Day 5 - Anniversary

Being the romantics that we are, we decided to go shopping on our anniversary! So, mid morning we left the rest of the tour party here at the Beach Club and headed up to I-Drive. We stopped off for brunch at Denny's before going to the Prime Outlets. We had a jolly good shop, and I ended up doing very well with new trousers, shirts, jumper, fleece .... Nicky got a few things as well, but says that there is still enough time left in the holiday to catch up!

We got back here at about 4-ish, just after Jake, Nanny and Grandad had got back as well. They'd been to Downtown (Jake did rather well in the Lego store) and had taken the boat to Port Orleans Riverside for lunch.

We got changed and headed back up to Universal for dinner at Bice at the Portofino Bay Resort. The hotel looks very nice and the restaurant was great. I had butternut squash soup followed by beef ravioli followed by chocolate souffle, whilst Nicky had a prawn starter followed by risotto followed by creme brulee.

After dinner we got the boat to City Walk and had a (cold) wander around there, but we both agreed that we really didn't feel like sticking around for long as City Walk just doesn't do it for us in the same way as Downtown Disney does! So, we got the boat back to the hotel, picked up our car, and came home where we belong!

Jake, Nanny and Grandad have just got back from Epcot and Illuminations.

Day 4 - Studios and Skillets

Picking up where we left off yesterday, I wandered out to Epcot in the evening whilst Nicky and Jake stayed in the apartment, and went round to the American pavilion. Queued a long time for a burger at the Liberty Inn, and by the time I came out the final Candlelight Processional of the evening was under way. I stopped to listen at the back of the crowd for a little while and managed to get a few (probably blurry) photos of Whoopi Goldberg doing the narration.

John and Margaret had staked out a spot in the Rose and Crown garden for Illuminations, so I went round there, dropped of the tripod and grabbed us some coffees before we watched the show. The garden is a good place to watch from and I managed to get a few decent bits of video on the camera, particularly of the globe opening up.

We came back to the room afterwards and called it a night.

This morning we were up and out to Hollywood Studios just in time for opening, and we joined the march with the rest of the crowd towards Toy Story Mania. Nicky came top again - she seems to be winning the shoot 'em up rides this time around. After Toy Story we went over to the animation area and after getting a picture with Sorceror Mickey we waited for the animation session. We managed to sneak in at the end of the line, but unfortunately only Jake and I had space to draw, sat in the overflow section at the front.

We had a vote of which character to draw, and Eeyore came out on top. Jake did an excellent job, and I'm kind of proud of my picture as well!

Next up Jake decided that he fancied going to see Muppets 3D so we wandered back over to the other side of the park, and went almost straight in to a show. Afterwards Jake fancied the Great Movie Ride but we decided that we didn't really have time so we headed back out of the park. We'd brought the car (even though the park isn't far from our hotel) so that we could drive over to the Wilderness Lodge as we had a lunch reservation at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Skillets all round, and I think that John has decided that he may not need to eat again all holiday. I love their yummy ribs! Despite making a fairly good impression on a second four person skillet, we still managed desserts - J&M shared apple pie and Nicky and I shared a s'mores cheesecake.

After lunch we had a wander around the hotel -we found the arcade and Jake had a few games of hover hockey whilst I had a go on the balancing lights - getting all the way to the top and then missing out on the prize line! We walked down to the beach and Jake and I played on a football / volleyball swingball game.

Next up it was back to the Beach Club where we have been ever since, apart from Nicky and I going out for a wander to have a look at the Swan and Dolphin and to have a quick play on the Boardwalk (new cuddly toy won on the water squirt game).

Just having some macaroni and cheese for tea, and make try to persuade Nicky to come to EMH at the Magic Kingdom later on.

Day 3 - Segway fun

A quick post as Blogger seems to have kindly let me in on the laptop, so let's blog whilst the going is good!

We were up at a decent time this morning so that we could head over to Epcot for our Segway tour. Nanny and Jake stayed at the Beach Club and went to a character breakfast at Cape May, although Jake wasn't really feeling the ticket so they came straight back to the room afterwards.

For the Segway tour we had to report to Guest Relations, and sign our lives away, and then one of our tour guides, Mary, came to collect us on her Segway. We started off in Innoventions, first watching a quick video and listening to a few initial instructions, before getting on and trying them out. For the first minute or two they are quite a challenge, just because it is a new experience, but it is very much like riding a bike, and pretty soon becomes fairly intuitive.

We started off by doing a few practice sessions in Innoventions, learning how to go back and forward, how to turn, how to go up and down inclines, and so on, before heading out into Epcot. We went clockwise around the World Showcase, and it was great to have that part of the park to ourselves before it opened up to everyone else.

We stopped off in some of the countries for a brief talk, as well as a few challenges (going around some of the narrower paths, doing slalom around the pillars in Italy!). We also had a chance to stop off in a coned off area in Italy next to the lagoon for a few minutes of free time riding and the opportunity to take some photos. If I manage to get onto Flickr then I will post some here.

Our tour lasted just over two hours, and we all agreed that it was excellent. There were a few aching legs by the end, but it was well worth it.

We headed back to our apartment to find Nanny and Jake, and then John and I popped down to the Beach Club Marketplace to get some toasted sandwiches for lunch, which we brought back to our room.

Then Jake decided that he fancied taking his new ball out to play, so we went down to the volleyball court, but unfortunately Jake only lasted for a few minutes before being a bit poorly, so we brought him back to the room and he went back to sleep. Seems like he is still getting over his jetlag - seems to hit him on day 2 or 3 of our holidays - one to remember when we are in California at Easter - we must see if we can find a way to get him to have a good sleep on the plane on the way over to see if that helps him.

Whilst everyone else relaxed at the hotel, I went for a wander around to the Boardwalk and back, taking a few pictures in the sunshine and also testing out the range of our walkie talkies. Turns out that the older ones are better than the ones we bought just before we came on holiday, so they may well be going back when we get home.

John and Margaret have just headed off to Epcot to get some tea, and maybe watch the Candlelight Processional and see Illuminations. Nicky has just baked a batch of cookies and we're watching Cars on TV. Jake is much brighter now and we may well head on out in a little while.

Day 2 - Shopping and EMH Epcot

Having a few IT problems with the laptop this evening, so a quick update by Palm before heading off to bed. The computer isn't letting me on to flickr, so I deleted all of the history, temporary internet files and so on, and now it won't let me sign in to blogger!

Anyway a fairly slow start today and we didn't make it out until about half past ten. First stop was the Hess gas station at the end of the road so that we could pump up a slightly flat tyre that had caused a warning light on the dashboard to come on, before going to Walgreens and then to LBVFS. Jake did particularly well, getting lots of clothes at Old Navy as well as a couple of t-shirts at Nike.

Next stop Downtown and Earl of Sandwich for lunch before a wander around the shops. Most exciting purchase was some chocolate squares from Ghiradelli's.

Back at the hotel we relaxed for a while and just before our appointed dinner time at Cape May Jake and Nicky went off to the arcade for a quick play. When we went down to find them Jake wasn't feeling to good so Nicky brought him back upstairs whilst the rest of us had dinner.

Jake has been asleep pretty much ever since (sleeping off the jetlag we think). Later this evening Nicky and I went to Epcot to enjoy a bit of EMH. We went on Spaceship Earth (which stopped for about ten minutes whilst we were on it) before catching Illuminations. We then did the Living with the Land ride and watched the Circle of Life film before deciding that it was too late and we were too tired to wait 35 minutes for Soarin' so we decided to call it a day.

Day 1 - MK and Epcot

As predicted we were all up pretty early this morning, and after some breakfast in our villa we set off for the Magic Kingdom for the morning Extra Magic Hour. We arrived in the car park at about ten to eight and parked in the second row, so no point in getting on the tram.

At the TTC the express monorail wasn't running so we had to go on the resort monorail, which was very busy, and which stopped at the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian before getting to the park.

Going in to the MK we could see a few flags flying at half mast, in memory of Roy Disney who passed away yesterday. Walking down Main Street we decided that we'd start off in Tomorrowland with Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. John was the runaway winner, whilst some of us complained of defective equipment!

Next up was the Indy Speedway, with us going round in a convoy of four cars (John sitting this one out and acting as official photographer, and then we were able to walk straight on to the Tea Cups (my turn to be photographer) as well as straight in to both Philharmagic and It's a Small World. A quick trip to see the Grim Grinning Ghosts and we were ready for a snack, so we stopped off at Sleepy Hollow at the Castle end of Liberty Square for muffins/cookies and drinks.

By now it was about half past ten, and as we walked past the castle stage we stopped off to have a quick look at the Dream Along with Mickey show before heading back down Main Street through the shops, emerging at the other end in time to see the 11 o'clock Move It Shake It Celebrate It parade go past.

Heading out of the park we took the ferryboat back to the TTC and came back to our hotel to drop off the car and wander into Epcot just nicely in time for our 12:30 reservation at Teppan Edo. Lunch was a great success and enjoyed by all. Nicky didn't have to share her sushi this time as we all got some!

Obviously we couldn't go to Japan without visiting the Mitsukoshi department store, and Jake has made a dent in his holiday spending money buying some Bagukan toys.

We were all flagging a bit by this stage, feeling the effects of the jet lag, so came back to the hotel for a rest. At five, Nicky and I went to the DVC Holiday Member Get Together, which was in the Yacht Club Convention Centre. The event was essentially a promotion to encourage people to buy more points. Nikki, our DVC guide, was one of the presenters, and we were able to catch up with her afterwards. She is going to arrange for some fastpasses to be dropped off at our hotel early next week.

As we were coming back to the hotel we bumped into Jake, Nanny and Grandad heading out, so we caught up with them at the Beach Club food court for chowder and sandwiches for tea, before heading over to the games room for a few goes on the arcade machines. Then we picked up hot chocolate on our way back to the room, and now it's time for bed.

Apparently the weather may be a bit wet and stormy tomorrow, so we will have to see how it looks when we get up before deciding on our plans for the day. Still, at least it isn't snowing!

Arrived at Beach Club

Well we've arrived safely at the Beach Club Villas after a long day of travelling. Just as we were settling into our apartment the Illuminations fireworks were going off at Epcot. There are a few trees between us and the park, but we could hear the music pretty clearly and still see some of the fireworks through the trees.

Our journey went pretty smoothly. By the time we took off we were about an hour and a half late, but we seemed to make up about half of that during the flight. (By the way, the exciting news from the Gatwick end of the journey was that Ollie Murs - X Factor runner up was performing, and Jake managed to get his autograph and have a quick chat with him!).

Got through MCO pretty easily and picked up our car. First stop was Publix to stock up on provisions and then to the hotel to settle in and unpack. It's quarter to eleven here which makes it quarter to four at home, so definitely time to call it a night.

Hopefully a longer post tomorrow with pictures to go with it of trips to the Magic Kingdom and to Epcot!

Gate 19

Just a quick report from Gate 19 before we climb aboard. Looks like we are going to be taking off about half an hour late.

All has gone smoothly so far with not much traffic on the road and a nice short (premium economy!) check in queue.

Tradition dictated that breakfast was at Frankie and Benny's before heading through security to the departure area.

Nicky bought her holiday perfume and Jake has been playing on his DS game.

Boarding now - more later!

Then we came to the end

So, weekend is here, and Cardioversion is done. Nicky and I went up to London on Tuesday afternoon, and had a wander round - mostly seeking to kill time so that we weren't sat in our hotel thinking about the day ahead. We walked all the way along the South Bank to Blackfriars Bridge, across there and down Fleet Street / The Strand, and up past Covent Garden and through to Leicester Square. Along the way we stopped off in a few shops, had a coffee and a muffin at EAT, and went to our favourite travel bookshop, Stanfords (where we bought a Lonely Planet guide to Coastal California and a pop up map of London - not of the bus routes this time!).

When we got to Leicester Square, there were crowd barriers up, and it was about to be the premiere of The Lovely Bones. We waited around for about an hour, hoping to see a few celebs, but it turned out that we were at the wrong end of the red carpet, and the stars weren't doing a very good job of being punctual. Given that the rain had started to come down pretty hard, we decided to abandon our posts, and went to Chinatown for a meal.

After dinner we walked up Charing Cross Road and went to Blackwells and Borders - I was determined to buy a new book so that I would have something to read in hospital if I finished the book I'd brought. Finally, I settled on a book of short stories by A.M. Homes (who'd written "This book will save your life" which I'd read and enjoyed whilst we were sunning ourselves in Nice a couple of years ago). Then it was cab back to the hotel and off to bed.

Early start on Wednesday as I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after 6am, so I had a Nutrigrain and a cup of coffee. Nicky opened her birthday cards and her pressie from me which was a Tiffany necklace in the shape of a heart with a small cut out heart for the chain to go through (big heart = Nicky, little heart = me!).

We arrived at Evan Jones ward promptly at 8am, and once I was settled in with books, newspaper and ipod, Nicky went off to the shops. I think that she probably spent more time texting than shopping during the morning - probably sending and receiving about a hundred. At hospital I read the paper, did the crossword and the kenken, and sure enough did finish my book (Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris).

I went off for my Cardioversion at about half past two, and all went fine. I was enjoying taking deep breaths on the oxygen mask as they injected the anaesthetic, and I could feel the cold fluid coming up my arm from my hand where it went in, but I don't remember the feeling getting much past my elbow! Next think I knew I was waking up again and all was done. I think that we had to wait longer for a porter to take me upstairs than the procedure actually took.

Once back on the ward, one of the nurses retrieved my watch and phone from the ward safe, and I texted Nicky to say that I'd been done, and got one back seconds later to say that she was on her way. The kind nurses on the ward brought me a sandwich and yogurt to eat, and just after I'd had those the menu came round for dinner. Thinking that I might be there for a few hours I make my choices, but never got to have them as I was discharged before dinner came round!

It turned out that they had needed to shock me three times (which is the maximum they are allowed to do) before my heart decided to behave, but ever since then it has been beating strong and regular. Apparently when the did an ECG to check, there seems to still be some minor abnormality - something to do with a delay in the electrical signal travelling from the top to the bottom of the heart. Don't know whether there's some other issue or whether it was due to the Cardioversion that had just happened, but they are going to get me back for a follow up in January and will check then.

Once we were away from the hospital we went back along to the hotel to drop off my bag and so that I could admire Nicky's shopping haul, before heading out for dinner. We went to the Riverfront restaurant on the South Bank, and then in to Foyles bookshop for a "mooch" (careful with the spelling!) and assuming that there's no way that Jake would read any of this waffle, I can mention that we found another Christmas present for him - a signed hardback copy of the latest Young Bond story by Charlie Higson.

I didn't get a very good night's sleep on Wednesday, because my chest was stinging from where the paddles had been, but we got some E45 from the chemist on Thursday and it is much better now.

I'm still on all of the tablets for the time being, and will still be having my weekly blood tests, but in a way that's a good thing as if I have any problems whilst we are on holiday, my heart rate will still be kept in check by the medication. Talking of holidays, the only downside is that our travel insurance cost has just gone up by about a factor of four. Oh well - nevermind!

Fine Burger

I'm on the Ebbsfleet express again, although at the moment it's not going anywhere as it isn't due to depart until 7.26. Annoyingly I missed the 6.37 by about a minute and this was the next one. The one thing they could do with improving on is the timetable. Trains are every half an hour, apart from this large gap after the half past six one. Then, the 7.26 is the last train of the day. Carrying on the half hourly service through a bit more of the evening would be a very good idea - especially if we wanted to use this service for days out in London.

Talking to Nicky, we agreed that I should get something to eat at the station, so I went to the "Fine Burger Company" which is at the bottom of the escalator from the Ebbsfleet platform. They were doing a two pounds off a meal deal promotion so my BBQ burger, chips and coke were 5.45 rather than 7.45 (no pound sign on Treo keyboard).

The Fine Burger Company (www.fineburger.co.uk) isn't trying quite as hard as the Gourmet Burger Company, but clearly wants to market itself as a step up from McDs and BK. Burger was ok if nothing special. Chips were midway between fries and chip shop chips. Probably worth the 5.45 (especially given the location) but not sure if the same would be true of the full price. Will it survive? They seemed to be doing decent trade, but no doubt the key question is how many burgers do they need to sell to pay what is no doubt a huge rent to their St Pancras landlords.

(By the way, in a day of eating on trains, lunch was a little bit healthier - prawn sarnie, grapes and fruit juice.)

Been in Reading today. First time in nearly 4 months. Definitely lots for me to be doing.

(And we're off!)

Nicky told me that we've had another offer on the house today. Reassuring from an interest perspective, but hopefully irrelevant given that we've already accepted a previous (higher) offer.

Rightmove

... and now we're on Rightmove as well. Check out the listing here.

On the market

Haig Avenue is now officially on the market (and if you don't believe me, check out the details on the Your Move website here - it should hopefully be appearing on Rightmove as well tomorrow). The HIP came through today, and so the marketing can begin in earnest now. Apparently we already have three viewings for tomorrow. Come on those offers!

The other cause of the "delay week" posting a little while ago seems to be moving along as well, as I had a call from the hospital a couple of days ago and I'm booked in for my Cardioversion on 25 November.

Early morning

Honestly, who was the bright spark who agreed to a 9am meeting in Central London (nr Marylebone). I wouldn't mind so much now that I've discovered the joys of Ebbsfleet, but idiot that I am I also ended up with an afternoon meeting in the office that I really need to get to.

So, up at six (first time of getting up in the dark for a while) and on the road to Gatwick where I just made the 7.50 Gatwick Express. Am now sat (at least sat!) in a packed first class carriage with lots of other grumpy commuters. Should get in to Victoria at 8.20 giving me enough time to get my two tube trains.

Looking forward to some working from home days later this week!

House for sale

I must try to blog occasionally other than on a Sunday morning sat by the side of the pool! This is our second visit of the week to the Math, as we came to the open evening on Wednesday. The school certainly has grown since my day, with lots more rooms to accommodate the two extra forms in each year. Jake came here and to the Chatham open evening, and I think that the jury is out as to which one he prefers. Still, no rush as decision-making is a year away, all being well with the 11+!

The other piece of news from this week is that we've signed up with an agent - Your Move, and Haig should be appearing on the market just as soon as the HIP has been completed. Asking price is 219,995 so if you know anyone who wants a lovely new house, do let them know!

Big football day today as it's Chelsea against Man U this afternoon, so Jake will be shouting at the telly! Spurs won yesterday and are back up to 4th. There may be some more football news tomorrow. We'll see ...

Samsung Sunday

Well I've finally broken the Sony monopoly and bought a Samsung TV, and no it wasn't (entirely) done to please Chelsea Jake. By the way, we're not talking about football - not this weekend anyway. The telly does lots of cool stuff including having lots of built in features (games etc.). Particular favourites so far are that it will play slideshows and videos straight from a USB stick and that it connects to the internet and has widgets (!) to use which inclide Flickr and Twitter. The key thing we need now is an actual HD input to plug in! May have to go online and order Sky HD later on.

Timing of the purchase wasn't exactly perfect - two days before the house sale fell through. I blame Samsung for having a cash back promotion which ran out at the end of October.

Hopefully we'll be back on track with the sale soon. We have another viewer this evening, and will go ahead with an agent at the start of next week as well. Interestingly the agents recommend putting it up with a price range rather than a specific sum. I think the theory is that it gets more people through the door, encourages competition and could almost turn things into a mini auction if there is enough interest. We'll see. I would be disappointed to have to accept an offer at the bottom of the range.

November is upon us (happy birthday Mum) and the weather is doing its best to remind us that it really is Autumn - it's chucking it down and blowing a gale. As Jake pointed out on the way down to swimming, probably not a day for playing footie outside Nanny and Grandad's before lunch! Still it was dry for trick or treating yesterday, which is embraced as a good opportunity for gathering sweets by the bucketload. Obvously Jake wouldn't miss out on that so he got dressed up and went out (with Mum and Barley in tow). I didn't get a picture of him in his costume so I might have to ask him to put it back on later so that I can post it here, along with a picture of Nicky's intricately carved pumpkin.

Delay week

This week has now officially been labelled as "delay week". I was supposed to have my Cardioversion on Tuesday, but as previously mentioned that got postponed. Still, I'm hopeful for a good INR score from today's test - I bled for a bit longer than usual after by blood test today (the nurse kept lifting up the cotton wool, only to put it down again and wait a bit longer as I continued bleed from where the needle had been) so I'm guessing that my blood is nice and thin.

I got back home from the test (today having been designated as a day away from work) and my first job was to phone our solicitor to get an update on the house sale, as we were hoping to exchange in the next day or so. He called back a few minutes after I spoke to him to say that he'd just spoken to the purchaser's solicitor and they'd pulled out! We spoke to the purchaser today, and he confirmed that they had indeed pulled out, due to having a larger than expected financial commitment elsewhere.

As I type this, we've reached the philosophical stage, although I did allow myself a few minutes of feeling thoroughly pissed off, and a few choice words as well. Nicky, being the little dynamo that she is, was straight back in touch with all of the other people who had shown an interest. We've already had one couple come around to look at the house. They love it and have indicated that they would most likely make an offer but first they need to sell their house, which has only just gone on the market. There is another potentially interested party who may get back to us tomorrow, and Nicky has already lined up two agents to come round to look at the property and have a chat with us on Saturday.

Obviously this means that we're knocked back somewhat in terms of timetable. A bit of a blow given that we have plans for some of the money that we are really keen to be getting on with, but we think that the property is of such a high standard and will be appealing to lots of people, meaning that we should get another offer in the not too distant future.

Nicky and Jake have been to a science event at MGGS today which sounds like it was lots of fun. Jake has been enjoying getting stuck in to some hands on experiments!

I went out for a walk in the Autumnal woods with Barley, and here's a photo to prove it.

Holiday countdowns

It's not that I'm obsessed with counting down to holidays, honest, but today is 50 days until we go to Florida to spend Christmas at the Beach Club Villas. (See similar previous posts when it was 100 days to go, 200 days to go, and so on!!)


Can't wait.

Today was my original date for having the Cardioversion, but my 1.7 the week before last has put that back a bit. I called the hospital today hoping that they were going to give me a new date by now, but have been told that they want to see some more good scores before I get booked in.

Weekend update

Well it's Sunday morning so I'm sat by the side of the pool. Bex is trying to explain the finer points of butterfly to Jake!
We're off to Nanny and Grandad's for lunch later, and then over to Haig to collect the few remaining things we have there. We've invited Rew and Frances to come over so that they can have a final look at the finished article. Fingers crossed we will finally be exchanging this week and then either completing this week or next.
Had a trip to Bluey yesterday. I think it may well be our last weekend trip this side of Christmas - it certainly was busy. We went in to JL and we've discovered the joys of buying stuff and then collecting it at the end of the day. Saved us trogging around with a kitchen bin and new coffee-maker!
We met up with the Fairs family at the Apple store so that we could check out the new iMacs. The key decision for me is whether to have the 21.5" or 27" screen. I am favouring the smaller one at the moment, partly on price grounds but also that the 27" does seem alarmingly large for a computer monitor, and just too big for where we are thinking of keeping it in the kitchen. Besides, maybe I can put the price difference towards some other Apple store goodies!
Then it was off to the cinema to see Fantastic Mr Fox (sweet story and fun animation but not a patch on Disney at their best), tea at TGIs and then back to Carolyn & Chris's to watch X Factor.
At home the garage sort out is coming on well - another tip trip yesterday, and Nicky's been doing a great job this week of finding new homes for things via Freecycle. Hopefully the old patio doors may go next week. Really looking forward to seeing the transformation of garage into games room. (Jake's room is also coming on well - more Billy installed this week.)

Delicious

Sat by the side of the pool again on a Sunday morning. I seem to have had a few weeks off but back to Sunday swim blogging again.

As is well known, I'm really looking forward to getting my Mac, and fingers crossed it won't be more than a couple of weeks now until I can do so. No doubt it will take a while to get used to it, but I'm sure that I will enjoy iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band and so on that will come preinstalled.

I've also been looking at some other bits of software that tempt me. One in particular is called Delicious Library, and it is a catalogue system for books, CDs, DVDs and so on. Its particular USP is that there should be no need to type in lots of information as it enables the iSight camera to read product barcodes. It then searches through product databases, most notably on Amazon, and then populates all of the information in the database for you.

Sounds pretty cool to me. I'm hoping that it will be possible add some more information to the database to show when I've read a particular book. The problem I have at the moment is that there are some authors where I have so many of their books that I can't remember which ones I've read and which ones I haven't. For the record I finished The Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver this week. Fairly standard Lincoln Rhyme stuff, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Nicky remains to be convinced about the catalogue software. I think she has vi sons of me being sat at the Mac surrounded by boxes that I've dragged out of the loft. Truth be told, she's probably right, but then again I'm hoping that when we've completed some of our planned changes at home (especially converting the garage) there will be enough space to get lots of the books back on shelves rather than hidden away in boxes.

Up

We went to the Odeon cinema at Dickens World this afternoon to see the latest offering from Pixar - "Up".

Taking it from the beginning, we had three trailers to enjoy - all of which looked promising - Planet 51, a new Nanny McPhee film, and Nativity. (By the way I really love the opening sequence to Disney films that we've had for the last couple of years - starting with the the steam train, and then panning back to come over the castle with the flag flying at the top, and the river running underneath it - always means that we are in for a Disney treat!)

I had forgotten that the first few minutes would be the latest short, which as always was lovely. It was called "Partly Cloudy" and was the story of the stork that drew the short straw. Apparently, it turns out that when storks bring babies (animal and human) they collect them from clouds, and our hero was the stork who had the pleasure of bringing baby animals that aren't quite so cuddly, so we saw it getting more and more frazzled as it had to do deliveries of a baby crocodile, a ram and a hedgehog, and at the end an electric eel! Not quite up there with "For the Birds" but then again that is one of those pieces of film that will make me laugh 'til I cry no matter how many times I watch it!

Then on to the main attraction. I didn't know very much about the story before going in, other than that there was an old man's house that floated away tethered to thousands of helium balloons. The wonderful people at Pixar haven't lost their ability to tell a truly magical story and this film was just great.

The story started with Carl (the old guy) as a young boy dreaming of great adventures, and meeting a girl called Ellie who had similar dreams. Then we had a brief musical montage of their life together - falling in love, getting married, dreaming of having children but not being able to, always thinking about going off for their great adventure, growing old together, and then Ellie falling ill and passing away, leaving Carl alone and lonely. This little segment was done with such tenderness that seeing Carl old and alone, missing his wife really brought a tear to the eye.

To avoid being packed off to an old people's home, Carl decided that the time for the great adventure had arrived, and that the way to achieve it was to tie thousands of helium balloons to his house and to float away to Paradise Falls, the place that he and his wife had spent a lifetime dreaming about. Inadvertently he ended up taking Russell, an eight year old cub scout with him, and the rest of the film shows us their adventure together and the relationship that the develop (along with a talking dog called Dug and a rare flightless bird that Russell decides to call Kevin!).

More Pixar magic - we love it!

Cardioversion

Got the results through from this week's blood test yesterday. Disappointingly I scored a 1.7 (needs to be above 2.0), so I phoned St Thomas' to let them know. They explained that this means that I won't be able to go ahead with my Cardioversion on the 27th, because the clot risk would be too high. I need to be in the "therapeutic range" for a period of 4 consecutive weeks before I have the treatment. Otherwise, there is a possibility that any clots that form whilst my score is too low won't have had time to be sufficiently dissolved (not sure if this is the technical term!) before I get zapped.

Obviously I was disappointed with the test result and asked the hospital whether there was any way in which we could carry on with 27th, but they explained very clearly why this wouldn't be a good idea. On reflection, it hasn't taken long to get over the initial disappointment. Whilst I want to get the treatment done as soon as possible, get into a regular rhythm and hopefully feel the benefit of it, for the sake of a few weeks it's really not worth worrying about.

The anticoagulation clinic has upped my dose a little - l now have a couple of days this week when I get to have a pink 5mg tablet - so it's fingers crossed for a better blood test result next week.

Ebbsfleet

I was in the London office today and decided that I would try out a different way of getting there. Rather than getting a taxi down to Chatham station, I got in the car and drove to Ebbsfleet International, and got the fast train (17 mins!) to St Pancras. From there it was only one stop on the Circle Line plus a few minutes walk to the office.

The fast trains are new and clean, and there was no problem in getting a seat in both directions (even though I got the 5:37 train home which I would have thought is one of the busiest rush hour trains of the day). The Ebbsfleet station is also brand new with a coffee bar, newsagents etc.

I was about 1 hour and 20 minutes door to door - I may never go to Chatham station again !!

(In other news, we've just booked some flights - more about that later!)

Michael McIntyre

Look where we went yesterday:



We had lots of fun, and left with aching sides from laughing so much. Here we are at the show.



Thanks very much Carolyn and Chris - we had a great time!

The Lost Symbol

OK, here are some ideas for a book:

• the need to solve some centuries-old puzzles written in strange symbols
• a short time period with all of the action taking place in a matter of hours
• a obsessed lunatic baddie with great power and wealth
• a chase involving the hero, the baddie and the law authorities
• action taking place at famous historical landmarks which reveal their hidden secrets
• mysterious and shadowy secret societies
• the extrapolation of some cutting edge scientific ideas.

Sound like Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code? Well guess what, Dan Brown has given us more of the same in his latest page-turner - The Lost Symbol, the main difference being that the action has been moved to Washington DC.

Do I mind? No, not at all. If Dan Brown had given us something completely different, I would probably have been disappointed. Looking forward to the next Robert Langdon adventure already - hopefully the wait won't be as long this time!

Wembley

Yesterday was Samuel and Joshua's birthday outing to Wembley, and Nicky and I managed to blag an invite as well to be adult helpers!

We set off from theirs at about quarter past nine - Jake obviously having decided that we cramp his style and choosing to go in the other car - and through a combination of following Chris, using a borrowed sat nav, and ignoring signs on the motorway that wanted us to go round to junction 16, had a smooth journey and got to Wembley a little after half past ten.

Having checked in there was time for coffee and a muffin before our tour, and we still managed to sneak onto one tour earlier than we were booked in for, once the boys had been removed from the football games on the XBoxes.

Our tour group comprised just us (party of 12) plus seven or eight Bulgarians who were obviously on holiday in London - and were Man Utd supporters. We started off up near the top outside the executive boxes (not sure if my firm has one, but one can only hope). Apparently we were just along from the one leased by Roman from Chelsea, which is in line with the centre of the pitch and just above the royal box. Box leases run for ten years and apparently when they were leased for the first time in 2007 they were going for about 2.5 million. Gives us another eight years to be saving up for next time!

Wembley facts - it is the second largest stadium in Europe, narrowly beaten by the Nou Camp in Barcelona. The arch isn't just for decoration - it supports all of the roof on one side and 60 percent of the roof on the other side. Three of the roof sections move so the for matches all of the seating is under cover. The top section of seating is hgher up than the top of the old twin towers. Finally, and one that our guide seemed particularly proud of, it apparently has (at over 2,600) more toilets than any other building in the world!

Entertainingly, it was about midday now and we probably had nearly an hour left of our tour, and the Bulgarians in our party announced that they were supposed to be at Westminster at one o'clock. Our guide radioed for someone to come and collect them and escort them out - meant that we had the rest of the tour to ourselves.

Carrying on our tour, past the entertaining area for the royal box and down the royal staircase, we went to the press room where we watched a film showing a few famous Wembley moments, including the '66 World Cup final, and a couple of favourite Spurs moments - Ricky Villa on his magical run in '81 and Gazza scoring that free kick in the semi final against Arsenal ('91?).

Next up were the changing rooms and opportunities to have a photo next to the England shirt of your choice before lining up in the tunnel ready to go out onto the pitch. As seems to be normal with these tours there's no going on the grass, but then yesterday we couldn't have done anyway as it was all being dug up. Our tour guide had told us at the start that the new turf was being laid (next game is England qualifier - not that we need it - on 14 October) and that it should just about have been finished, and then was really surprised to see it all being dug up again. Looks like someone made a rather expensive mistake.

Once we were out in the dug-out area we were allowed to climb the steps up to the royal box. We were told that it was 107 steps up (I made it 109 up and then 2 back down at the end!), many more than the 39 steps in the old stadium. Then there was a photo opportunity with the FA Cup - albeit a replica. A certain someone was quick to point out where the real one currently resides (Stamford Bridge).

Our final stop was to admire the Bobby Moore statue (and yes, Chelsea really was one of his middle names) before, like all good tours, we finished off at the gift shop. Mind you, I think that I probably did best in there as I found a replica Spurs top from the 1981 FA Cup final - the first game in which I ever supported Spurs - which just had to come home with me.

After Wembley the next stop was the nearest McDonald's for burgers and ice cream before the journey home. A jolly nice day was had by all and thanks very much to Carolyn and Chris for the invite.

To finish things off it was a nearly perfect day on the pitch as well. Spurs scored 5, Liverpool scored 6, Everton (supported by the birthday boys) won, but sadly please could nobody mention Chelsea!

Carpets

The carpets have been fitted at Haig, and it is really looking fantastic now!

Florida 2003

I've just found the notebook that I used for trip reporting from our holidays to Florida in December 2003 and June 2004, so below, for posterity, is the December 2003 one (with a selection of photos added from Flickr). 2004 report to follow later.

Florida - 2 - 16 December 2003
Staying at - Sheraton Vistana Resort
Cast of characters - me, Nicky, Jake, Nanny & Grandad

Tuesday 2 December
A very long day today - we've all settled in to our apartment now though, and we're well and truly ready for bed.

Early impressions of Vistana are not the best, but I think that's caused by a number of factors - arriving in the dark after a long day, and having high expectations based on the brochure blurb. However, I think back to our very first night in Orlando at the Holiday Inn - we really wondered what we'd let ourselves in for, but we ended up loving it and having a fantastic time - so let's reserve judgement for now.

One thing that I think is great is having the kitchen. I doubt if we'll actually cook much, but I really enjoyed being able to simply have a piece of toast when peckish! Also, the apartment is very spacious - lots of room for Jake to play (although I have to confess to being a little bit jealous of John and Margaret's enormous en suite room with the huge bed - but we had to have the smaller second bedroom as its the only one with two beds).

Time for bed now - we're all knackered. It's off to the welcome meeting in the morning.

Wednesday 3 December
Another full up day - it's half past ten and we're all about to turn in becuase we have the Sheraton timeshare presentation to attend in the morning at half past seven (for going we get 5 4-day Disney hoppers for $700 - a really good deal).

We were all up very early this morning - still adjusting to the time difference. Went for a walk around the lake outside our apartment, and then off to find our welcome meeting in reception. But, the Virgin rep didn't show. When I called it turned out that they'd made a mistake between Vistana and Villages and so no Virgin meeting! So, we talked to the Sheraton people and, typical of us, moaned about our first room and got moved to a nicer one (more modern, better location, but a bit less spacious).

Went to Downtown Disney for a look around and a bit of shopping before coming back here to move our stuff. Then, off to the Pointe and FAO Schwartz. Grandad wanted to buy Jake something but, bless him, he couldn't decide. Met Heather and Andy at FAO, then went to IHOP for dinner.

After coming back here (Jake asleep within one minute of getting in the car!) Nicky and I had our first trip of the holiday to Walgreens!

Thursday 4 December
Well today was really the day the whole holiday was about - Jake and the Magic Kingdom - fantastic!

Early start this morning, and timeshare presentation with a British lady called Maureen - all very nice, but £12k, and they did overstep their 90 mins a bit, but it was worth it to get the 5 4-day Disney passes for $700.

Then off to the Magic Kingdom, and despite not getting there until 10:30 to 11ish, we packed a lot into our day:

- Buzz Lightyear ride
- TTA
- Space Mountain (me only!)
- lunch
- Winnie the Pooh ride
- Carousel
- It's a Small World
- Philharmagic
- Parade (Jake joined in)
- Paddle Steamer (Jake fell asleep)
- Haunted Mansion (me and Nicky only)
- Thunder Mountain (me and Nicky only)
- Peter Pan (Jake woke up).

Also, Jake managed to meet and get autographs from his favourite characters - Buzz and Captain Hook.

May need a second day at MK? Still lots we didn't do - Toontown Fair, Adventureland, Spectromagic (had to leave by 6pm due to separate evening event in MK). We'll have to see if time permits.

Despite being worn out already, Nicky and I went to the Premium Outlets this evening. I got 2 new tops, a CD and some wooden jewellery (!) Nicky got a T-shirt for Jake, and Nicky didn't get anything. I'm sure she'll get her revenge at Belz!

Friday 5 December
A fairly quiet day today after our busy time at the Magic Kingdom. We were up quite late (Jake slept solidly until 9:30) and we didn't leave our apartment until about 11am.

Went to Perkins on the corner of I-Drive and Sand Lake Road for brunch and then on to Belz. Nicky did better in the shopping stakes today, and got a new bag and a new jacket and top. We went over to the new Festival Bay shopping centre, which is a much nicer shopping environment than the main part of Belz, but is still fairly empty - lots of units still to let.

Popped in to Quality Inn to go to the Virgin office and book our Virgin Valet for going home (Downtown Disney check-in) and we were reminded of how much nicer our resort is compared to Quality Inn! Stopped in at Goodings (supermarket on I-Drive near Mercado) and got a few things, and I found my Unique Homes magazine.

John isn't very well, so has retired to bed early with some medicine - hopefully building up his strenght for a visit to Epcot tomorrow.

Saturday 6 December
Change of plan this morning and it was off to Disney Studios rather than Epcot - partly at Jake's request and partly because Grandad wasn't feeling too good and I think he wants to save Epcot until he's on top form. It was a long trousers and fleece day today, and dead cold at times, but the forecast says that it should be getting warmer over the next few days.

Again we managed to fit a lot into the day, and in amongst the rides, Jake managed to meet a load more characters: Tigger, Hercules and Phil, Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, Meiko (from Pocahontas), and Mickey Mouse!

Today we did:

- The Little Mermaid
- Playhouse Disney (including Bear!)
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (M&N)
- Muppet Vison
- Great Movie Ride (M&N)
- Beauty and the Beast

We left the Studios at about 5:30 and did think about going over to Epcot for Illuminations, but decided that it was just too cold. So we came back here and Grandad went to bed. The rest of us went to Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores, had tea at the food court and had a look at the stores (our favourite - Old Navy!).

Sunday 7 December
Late start today, and we went off to Downtown Disney at about 11am. Had a good look around the Virgin Megastore (a couple of Disney books in there that I might get towards the end of the holiday). Then, having met up with Heather and Andy, we met with Judy and Jo (John and Margaret's friends from their cruise) and their granddaughter Amy. Had lunch with them at the House of Blues, and then had another look around Downtown. Went for drinks again at Ghiradelli's - and got it right this time - had a chocolate malt!

Nicky got Jake another box full of Mr Potato Head bits to go with the other box that Grandad got at MGM yesterday.

Came back to the apartment at about 5ish, and then headed out to dinner at about 6:30. Went along the road to Ponderosa - our first time! Very filling!

Meeting up with H&A again in the morning, and then it's off to Islands of Adventure.

Monday 8 December
Today was Islands of Adventure. We started by meeting Heather and Andy at their hotel (a bit like Quality Inn) and having breakfast at the Village Inn next to it. Then it was off to the park.

We started off with Nicky, Margaret and Jake heading for Seuss Landing whilst the rest of us went to get Universal Express (Fastpass) tickets for the Hulk. There was no queue at all, so John and I had a quick ride before we went back to join the others in Seuss Landing. Jake had discovered the playground - a place we returned to many times! Then it was goes on the Caro-Seuss-el and Cat in the Hat (surprisingly sick-making) before going back to the Hulk to use our Express tickets.

We carried on clockwise around the park - Jake found an arcade which we played in for a while, and then Nicky and I, and Heather and Andy went on the Spiderman ride - great fun! Next everyone else went to the Sinbad show whilst Nicky and I took Jake back to Seuss Landing - lots of fun in the playground plus very wet shoes and trousers for me! I spent most of the afternoon walking around barefoot having changed into my shorts.

At about 4 o'clock I finally plucked up the courage to go on Duelling Dragons - did the red coaster first, and then to my own surprise went straight back and did the blue one! It was so quiet today that there wasn't even a queue for this one (I think that the longest queue of the entire day was Jake and Heather waiting 5 mins for One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish).

I walked back round to the Port of Entry area where everyone else was, and Nicky had decided that she wanted to go on the Hulk again, so we went on one more time (5 coaster rides in one day for me!).

We left the park and did a bit of shopping in the City Walk area (keyring watch for me and opal bangle for Nicky). Jake dozed off and has been asleep ever since! Nicky, Margaret and I went to Zimmie's in our resort for dinner whilst the other boys slept.

Tuesday 9 December
Had a late start today, and went for a look around Celebration. Had lunch at the Boston Town Tavern, and had clam chowder for the second time ever. Maybe not quite as good as Legal Sea Foods in Boston, but still pretty cool! Made the same mistake again of ordering a main course after clam chowder, and could hardly eat any of it.

After lunch and a quick look around the Celebration shops, we went to Mall at Millenia, which is a very nice shopping centre. Had a good look around - Macy's, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Gucci ... , and bought Nicky a bracelet from Tiffany's.

Slobbed out here at the apartment this evening. Nicky and I popped out to Wendy's for a takeaway. I think it's off to Seaworld tomorrow - I wonder if anyone will come on Kraken with me!

Wednesday 10 December
Seaworld today, and again it was pretty quiet. Started off going to the Key West Dolphin Show, then over to Shamu Stadium. Fantastic shows as ever, and took loads of photos. Then we went to the circus show, which was a bit different to last time, and a whole lot cheaper than going to La Nouba!

We were hoping to go up the Sky Tower, and we'd paid our money and got to the front of the line, only to be turned back because it was too windy. We also had some rain today, but it didn't matter as we were under cover at shows for a lot of the time.

After lunch we went to the Pets Ahoy show and then the Clyde and Seymour show, both of which Jake loved. Then we went over towards Kraken. On the way we found the sealion and seal feeding pool, and had great fun throwing fish to them. I plucked up the courage and went on the coaster, and it was fantastic - first bit is very high and very steep. Nicky decided to save it for next time!

We got free second day tickets on our way out, so may go back to go up the tower if we get a chance (and Nicky could go on Kraken!).

Went to Denny's for dinner (first time this holiday) and I couldn't resist having Moons over My Hammy (!) and then Heather and Andy came over this evening to admire our lovely apartment.

Thursday 11 December
Once we were all up today we went up to Winter Park for a look around. We wanted to get some lunch there, but everything was either very expensive or didn't look too nice, so we got back in the car and went to the Mercado on I-Drive. We went in to the magic shop as requested by Mark and got him his tricks.

We then went along Sand Lake Road to the Walmart Supercentre - now that's one big shop! Nicky decided to get two 9-foot long Christmas garlands!

Ths evening we left Jake, Nanny and Grandad at the hotel and went out for dinner. We went to the Boardwalk, and after a stroll went to the Big River Grille. Food was lovely - I had meat loaf and Nicky had chicken with a nutty coating, and we shared cheesecake for pudding. For our after dinner stroll, we went to have a look at the Swan and Dolphin hotels - odd places, clearly geared up to big conventions. When we got back Jake was still awake, and has spent the last hour jumping up and down to a parade music CD that we bought this evening!

Friday 12 December
Well if days are to be judged by the number of photos taken then today was fantastic! After a late breakfast at Perkins we went back for our second day at Seaworld. The first thing we did was go up the observation tower - we could definitely see Spaceship Earth and the Tower of Terror. I took loads of photos to study when I can look at them on a bigger screen!

We had a great time with the dolphins, and Nicky fed them - again, lots of photos. I went on Journey to Atlantis and then twice on Kraken whilst everyone else went to see Clyde and Seymour again. Then it was back to feeding the seals and sealions again.

We left Seaworld at about half past three, having only been there for about three hours, but we'd packed a lot in.

Because the weather was so nice, we came back to the hotel (got petrol on the way back - $10 for half a tank - scandalous!) and went for a swim. Jake wasn't too sure at first, but Nicky bought him an inflatable frog / turtle, and very soon he was paddling all around the pool and loving every minute of it.

After we'd had pizza, Judy and Jo came over and we spent the evening with them, as they've got their 9 hour drive home tomorrow.

Saturday 13 December
Today was the Epcot day - well and truly! We had a fairly early start after we'd dragged Jake out of bed following his late night yesterday. We were in the park at about quarter to ten, and first on the list was first on the list was finding Jake's picture in Leave a Legacy. Then we went to the new ride - Mission Space - absolutely amazing simulator ride, and surprisingly not sick-making after all the hype.

Breakfast coffees and pastries were had at our favourite spot - the Fountain View Bakery. Then Nicky, Jake and I went to the Imagination Pavilion, and Jake didn't like the ride (dark bits), but liked the interactive area. We e-mailed ourselves a picture that we took at one of the stands.

Next was meeting lots of characters at the entrance to the World Showcase before heading off to Mexico and Norway. Jake discovered the Viking Ship playground which was a big hit. Going around the World Showcase we took Jake to the Kidcot station in each country, and he now has a mask on a stick with a stamp and a cut-out from each country, and he has his Epcot passport all stamped up.

Did a bit of shopping (new top each for me and Nicky) and then staked out our spot for Illuminations in the Rose & Crown garden and had fish 'n' chips. Jake fell asleep and stayed asleep through all of the Illuminations (wonderful) fireworks. A long day - didn't get back home until 10:30, and unfortunately Jake has woken up!

Sunday 14 December
Very late start today, partly as a result of the late finish yesterday, and partly because it rained all morning anyway. (One piece of non holiday news - today was the day that they announced catching Saddam, so we got to watch President Bush addressing the nation!)

We went over to Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores at about lunchtime, and had lots of fun in the Old Navy store! We bought three tops for me, two tops and a pair of PJ trousers for Nicky, and a top and three pairs of socks for Jake - total cost $76. Then we moved on to the Premium Outlets - bought a couple of T-shirts for Jake (same shirt - different sizes - Nicky liked it!) but otherwise I think the most significant purchase was lunch.

Finally on our shopping day we headed for Downtown and had a fairly major splurge! Jake did very well - Grandad bought the monorail (although Jake doesn't know it yet) and we bought him Buzz, Woody and Zurg, and they had been played with constantly ever since.

Once we were all shopped out we came back here for a while before heading up to I-Drive for a trip to Wild Jack's - and I am excited to report that I finished my full rack of ribs - first time in three attempts!

Tomorrow is our last full day, so guess what, it's off to the Magic Kingdom!

Monday 15 December
We were up and out at half past eight this morning, in order to make sure that we made the most of our last day at the Magic Kingdom. We got the monorail through the Contemporary Resort to the park, and then went straight on the WDW railroad. We planned to get off at Toontown, but that didn't open until 10am, so ended up doing the full circuit. We wandered down Main Street, and had coffee and a pastry from the bakery, before going back to Adventureland. Jake did the magic carpet ride twice, once with me and Nicky and once with Nanny and Grandad. We did Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise (both without Jake). When me, Nanny and Grandad. When me, Nanny and Grandad got off the Jungle Cruise we found Jake and Mum at the front of the queue to meet Genie!

Nicky and I took Jake over to Toontown whilst Nanny and Grandad did some shopping, then Nicky took Jake on the Dumbo ride before we went for lunch at Crystal Palace with Winnie, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet.



After lunch, Nicky took Jake on the Asto Orbiter whilst me, Nanny and Grandad went to see Philharmagic again. Then we watched the Cinderella show in front of the castle (Jake went to sleep!). Then some shopping on Main Street and staking out a spot to watch Spectromagic, which Jake woke up just in time for.

Then, sadly it was home to case-packing, for tomorrow we have to go home!

Starting Over

I finished off "Starting Over" on Thursday night, the latest book from Tony Parsons. I was looking at it the day before I had my funny turn (!) and thought that it sounded like an amusing but slightly silly idea about a man who has a heart transplant, and whose personality and outlook on life seems to change completely as a result.

Sensing a small amount of current relevance, Nicky bought it for me on the way down to Southampton to get on our mini cruise, but I didn't get round to starting it until after we'd got home.

The book was a light and entertaining read, all about families and how they change over time as one generation grows up, another finds its way into and through middle age, and how the grandparents start to get properly old! I'm not sure that I can necessarily tell you that the book reached any epic and surprising conclusions, but I think that the overall conclusions were a mixture of carpe-ing the diem and realising and valuing what you've already got.

Today has been a lazy day (for me anyway) and I had a long lie in, got up late, and pretty much all I've done is take the dog on a nice long walk. The house is full of flowers - a sign that 11+ tests are about to happen, and Nicky has just headed off to the shops, taking the IQ out for a spin for the first time. Jake is shouting at the TV because Chelsea are only drawing against Stoke with only a few minutes to go.

I've been thinking about things that I failed to mention in my previous post about things to do when we go to Florida in December, and here's a couple more:

• have a go on the Segways at Ecpot


• go for a skillet lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

By the way Chelsea have just scored deep into injury time and so smiles have reappeared on the other sofa!

100 days

Today it is eaxctly 100 days until our next Disney trip. Not that we're counting down or anything, but it is entertaining to note that I also did a post just over 3 months ago called 200 days!

Plans for what we are going to do on this trip seem to be developing, as well as increasing in scope. Looks like we may need to do some fairly careful planning to make sure that we can fit everything in. Mind you, there's a fair likelihood that we will know where to find Grandad at 9pm most evenings, due to our proximity to Epcot!

Unfortunately, All Ears only shows the Extra Magic Hours schedule up to the end of November so far. We need to keep an eye on this page, and hopefully the December hours will appear soon.

Plans for this trip include:

• taking Nanny and Grandad to Teppan Edo (besides which, we really want to go back);




• going on a trip to Kennedy Space Center, as it's been a while since we visited;




• enjoying a nice meal out for our wedding anniversary - Emeril's at City Walk looks rather nice, or possibly Bice at Portofino Bay, which has a yummy looking menu, and the pictures don't look too bad either;


• going to Beaches and Cream and doing justice to a Kitchen Sink!;


• Cape May cafe for a buffet, to include a bowl or two of their clam chowder;


• having discovered how much we like it on our cruise, going for a burger and a malt at Johnny Rocket's (and we have three to choose from in Orlando).

I know that all apart from one of the above list are food-related. It's not that we're obsessed, just that all of the park stuff is assumed to be on the list anyway!

Swim time

It's Sunday morning, it's September, and so that can mean only one thing - Jake is back in the pool for swimming lessons with Bex. As per usual a fair amount of time seems to be spent on chatting rather than swimming, but already he's practicing front crawl with head in the water, breathing every third stroke.

My time signed off work comes to an end tomorrow and I have an appointment with Dr Nathan in the afternoon to see how I am getting on. Hopefully it will be OK to start getting back to work gradually, and I can go in to the office on Tuesday to catch up with people and then work from home for a day or two. My next blood test is on Thursday morning. Last Thursday's showed that my INR had gone down to 2.0 so I am staying on 3mg for most of this week, with just a couple of days on 4mg, presumably to move it up by a few decimal points. Annoyingly I have a bit of a cold at the moment and I'm not supposed to have Lemsip at the moment, so Nicky is making me honey and lemon drinks. Need to make sure that they don't think I've got swine flu at the doctors or they won't let me in!

Jake and Bex are sat on the side at the moment and Bex is trying to to persuade Jake to try a little dive. No luck so far!

Chelsea tour

Yesterday we took Jake up to London for a rather delayed summer holiday treat - a trip to Stamford Bridge. We got the train from Chatham and hopped in a cab at Victoria, arriving in time to get on the one o'clock tour.

Jake absolutely loved it - highlights being:

- going to the press room and getting a picture at the desk where all of the interviews are done and where all of the players sign their contracts;




- seeing the changing rooms, and in particular getting a picture with Frank Lampard's shirt;




- looking round the museum and getting a picture taken with the FA Cup and the Community Shield;




- and of course a trip to the Chelsea Megastore.

We didn't leave until about half past three, and in all of the excitement lunch had rather passed us by, so we wandered up Fulham Road to Pizza Express for a late lunch /early tea.

The next challenge is going to be getting some tickets for a match some time soon. Apparently, one of the families that Nicky goes to for tutoring are season ticket holders, so this might help!

A Marvellous idea?

So Disney are buying Marvel for around $4 billion - an interesting and surprising deal. Apparently this will give them access to a catalogue of about 5,000 characters. Not being a big comic book fan, I'm not sure how many of them I could name! (As an aside I wonder how many recognisable characters there are in the Disney stable. I doubt it is as much as 5,000 but I expect that it is more than one would imagine.)

Probably the main reason for the deal relates to cinematic opportunities - look at the success of Spiderman, Iron Man, Hulk and so on movies over the last ten years or so. However for a park junkie and DVC member, the obvious question arising from this deal is what will the impact be on the theme parks? As many have pointed out already Mickey Mouse and Spiderman aren't exactly obvious buddies, and introducing Marvel characters to Disney parks would need to be done with extreme care to avoid muddling and diluting both brands. However, there really must be an opportunity here to do something positive.

Murmurings are increasing about a fifth park at Disney World in Florida, and a park themed around the Marvel characters could be just what is required. Since WDW opened in 1971 there has been a new park opened approximately every ten years, and yet the Animal Kingdom opened more than ten years ago now and there are no obvious plans in the pipeline for gate number five. Also some say that Disney has been focusing on the girls recently at the cost of the boys - think Princesses, High School Musical and Hannah Montana. The Marvel acquisition gives the Mouse an opportunity to redress the balance (look out for Marvel cartoons on the new Disney XD TV channel?) and a Marvel-based theme park in Orlando would no doubt be a big hit with the boys - young and old!

But we come up against a rather large problem here called Universal. They already have the Islands of Adventure park in Orlando and one of their most popular areas is called Marvel Superhero Island which includes some of the park's headline attractions, including the Hulk Coaster, Dr Doom's Fear Fall and Spiderman. Some of the reporting on the deal has stated that Universal have an agreement with Marvel that they have exclusive rights to use the Marvel characters in any theme parks in the US east of the Mississippi. If this is true then this could well scupper any plans that Disney might have to introduce Marvel to the parks. No doubt this agreement would have been reviewed in some depth as part of the due diligence process and Bob Iger will have gone ahead with the deal fully aware of any restrictions in place.

The fact that the agreement apparently only refers to parks in the Eastern USA seems scant consolation. If Disney were to introduce Marvel-based attraction in California, Paris or other locations, wouldn't this only serve to encourage people to visit IOA on their Orlando trips, and Disney could really do without that additional pressure. Seems to me that they have enough of a scrap on with Universal already, especially with the arrival of Harry Potter at Universal in the near future.

So, where does all of this leave us as far as theme parks are concerned? Assuming the reporting of the Universal deal is right, my best guess is that we will see very little, if any, impact on the theme parks in the next few years, but frankly, your guess is as good as mine!

On board

Well we've arrived on board Independence of the Seas and early indications are that this ship is truly amazing. Already we are saying that it is going to be difficult to get off after only four days, but we can console ourselves with the fact that we will be back for a fortnight going around the Med next August.

Nicky is booked in for a manicure and pedicure at the spa tomorrow morning, we've got our practice drill in about 20 mins, then it's up on deck as we sail away, off to the kids' club to register Jake, dinner at 6, Jake's first club session at 8, showtime at 9, and maybe squeezing in a bit of shopping or a trip to the casino somewhere along the way! Marvellous!

Jake's happy - Chelsea won today!

Testing with Palm

Just checking to see if I can blog pictures direct from my new mobile. Hopefully this should be a picture of Jake on holiday at Shorefields. If this works then you can expect some cruise pictures coming up soon - network coverage permitting.

Arriving at MK

By way of a distraction, I have been recalling the joys of arriving at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. "Arriving" sounds simple but it's actually an adventure all in itself!

Coming in by car, we start off by coming up World Drive - the anticipation increasing as we look out for a monorail on the tracks off to our right. Then the road widens out to all of the car park ticket booths. As DVC members one of our perks these days is free parking so we have the pleasure of being waved straight through. Then it's still another half mile or so to the car park off to the left rather than straight on to the MK resort area. We have been known to occasionally blag our way in to one of the resort car parks when we're going to the park, but it is rather frowned upon. One time when talking our way past the security gate at the Contemporary Resort (and we did at least have a fairly valid reason for being there - a dinner reservation at the California Grill restaurant) the guard asked to see my driving licence and I didn't have it with me. He then proceded to give me a lecture on how it was a legal requirement to carry it and how I had been breaking the law. Very annoying but I always carry it now when driving in the US!

Anyway, parking in the main car park is far more straightforward. The attendants direct us to our row and this provides the first real indication of how busy the park is going to be. We always hope to be at the tram end of the row to avoid too long a walk (sounds feeble but the rows can be about 200m long and there will be plenty of walking for the rest of the day). Walking along to the tram the key thing is to remember the row number as finding the car without it at the end of the day would be nigh on impossible. I will probably always be a bit paranoid about remembering where I leave the car after an unpleasant moment at Downtown Disney!

Having remembered row number (and character) it's onto the tram for the ride to the Ticket and Transportation Center ("TTC") which takes a few mins. During the ride the conductor riding at the back will talk to the passengers but the tannoy system on the trams is rubbish and we usually share blank looks with other guests as we try to make out a few words. It's also at this point, especially during our visits in the winter months, that we have a quick shiver and wonder whether wearing shorts was the right thing to do! It usually warms up later and it's just the effect of sitting on an open-sided tram going at about 30mph fairly early in the morning. It is possible to walk to the TTC especially if we're lucky enough to be near the front of the car park, but it's usually quicker and easier to hop on the tram.

Arriving at the TTC we wander past the ticket booths as we've usually sorted out our park passes in advance - we tend to pick them up at our hotel these days now that we enjoy the benefits of staying at "on site" hotels. Then comes the big decision - monorail or ferry boat. Recently we've favoured getting on the monorail on the basis that it's quicker, although I'm not sure we've ever proved this theory. If the decision is for the monorail then off we go up the slope to the station. If we decide that we're not in too much of a hurry we may wait for one or two more trains to go through to get the opportunity of riding up front with the driver, which we did for the first time on Jake's 4th birthday. The monorail is fast to the MK, passing through the Contemporary Resort on its way.

On our first ever visit to the Magic Kingdom, back in December 1996 on our honeymoon we took the ferry boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon. Sailing across we gazed out to the Grand Floridian, the pink palace of a hotel on the western shores of the lake, and I ended up telling something of a fib, as I promised Nicky that we would stay at that hotel on our next visit. The promise was broken a couple of years later when we returned to Florida, staying in a cheap and cheerful hotel on International Drive! Still, I think that I've probably been forgiven over the years. We've been in to visit the Grand Floridian and we don't actually like it all that much. We've enjoyed staying at Port Orleans, the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs since then, and can't wait for our trip to the Beach Club in December.

Both the monorail and the ferry drop you off at about the same spot and next up is the bag check. Unfortunately it's rather obvious that this security precaution was not anticipated when the park was planned and developed (and indeed I don't think it was necessary when we started going). As a result guests are rather coralled towards the bag check area - and we pretty much always need a bag search rather than strolling through the no bag zone. The security guards are a mixed bunch - some being friendly and jovial whilst others are a bit more jobsworth. There also seems to be a noticeable difference in the levels of bag search, with some making you unpack everything and others taking a cursory glance and giving things a quick poke with their stick.

Once bag search is complete we're nearly there. If we've got our timings right it's still a few minutes to opening time and the throng is jostling towards the turnstiles. Park opening is celebrated with a little ceremony hosted by Mickey on the balcony of Main Street Station where a lucky family gets to join all of the characters and lead the countdown to opening time.

Then the Disney shuffle begins as we edge towards the turnstiles, depending on the size of the crowds. As always sod's law kicks in and we find ourselves behind a huge family with tickets that don't seem to be working and we have the no-win debate of do we stay here or should we start shuffling towards another turnstile. When we make it to the front we take our turn in hoping that we're not going to be that family, holding up the people behind us. The entry system is a little complicated - tickets to post in and collect a la London Underground, but also a fingerprint scanner. Opportunities for mucking it up are fairly numerous, and I suspect that the use of cardboard rather than plastic cards, even for Annual Passes, makes the tickets less durable than they should be. Still, the Mouse seems to be aware of this and the entrance is always well manned with cast members.

Then, deep breath, grab guide map and show times, and it's a few steps under the Main Street station, and out to Town Square at the end of Main Street and the first glimpse of Cinderella Castle. Despite the crowd pulsing by to get to the first ride of the day and pick up the first fasspass, there really is only one thing to do at this point. That's to stop for a moment and enjoy the wonderful feeling of "home". Then you can wrap yourself up in the magic and be whisked off for another day that will last for a lifetime.



(Written from Stephen Ward at St Thomas' hospital. Helps to pass the time and keep my heart rate down!)

Shorefields

We decided to start our holiday one day early and so drove down to the New Forest late last night, arriving here at about half past eleven. Definitely the right thing to do, even if I didn't get away from work (in Reading) as early as I'd hoped and didn't get home until just after eight. Still, we managed the journey in good time and we've been able to enjoy a leisurely morning here rather than having to queue round the motorway and through Lyndhurst.

Fingers crossed that the rain might ease in a little while and we can head out to explore.

In other news, my IQ was delivered to the office yesterday morning so I had the chance to drive it to Reading and back. Not had a chance to play with all of its toys yet - something to look forward to after holiday - perhaps I should have brought the manual away with me for a little light holiday reading!

Google mail

Just set up a google mail account which I can access from my treo. No great plans to use this account other than hopefully being able to e-mail blog posts without getting all of the work disclaimers at the end of the post!

Myhotel Brighton

Funky pod-like room!

Treo, treo ...

.... Cadbury's make them and they cover 'em in chocolate!

No, not that sort, but my new phone/pda has arrived. It is a considerable improvement from the old k-jam, and I think that I will put my phone sim card in it and start using it as my phone as well. Who knows I might even manage to get some music on it and then I won't have to bring my ipod on the train as well.

Been in London all day today. Had a fairly manic start to the day dashing to be ready for my 6.45 taxi, but still managed to make the earlier train from Chatham and found myself at St Pancras at 8.30 with time to spare before my 9.00 meeting just along from the station.

Got out of my first meeting at ten and poked my head around the door of the British Library on my way back to the tube. Looks fascinating, and the kind of place that deserves a good few days / weeks to look around properly.

Then off to our offices for meetings for the rest of the day. It was the first time that I had been in one of the 10th floor meeting rooms, and the views down to the river were very impressive - especially when it stopped raining.

This evening we've been to an Italian restaurant close to Victoria called Santini. We'd moved the booking forward by an hour as Jeff's jet lag was kicking in, so I'm on my way home on the train now and it's not too late.

Grass

The garden at Haig is coming on rather well! Having cleared debris out (30 tonnes of it apparently!) and spreading 20 tonnes of new topsoil, the turf has been laid.






Now we're all doing our rain dances for next week so that we don't have to spend ages watering the new grass!

Trees

What a difference a day makes! The gardener made a start at Haig Avenue yesterday, and wow does it look different now. When I first saw it this morning, I had a bit of a queasy moment rather like the one I had when they had just started knocking down the wall between the dining room and the kitchen.

There's no denying I feel a real sense of sadness that all bar one of the fruit trees are gone now. Whilst they were old, gnarled, growing at stupid angles, and in some cases dead or rotten, it's another little piece of Haig history to say goodbye to. Given that my family had lived in the house for more than the last 70 years, no doubt they had been planted by my grandparents many years ago, and we all know how Nan loved them.

Still, there's no point clinging on to the past, and I'm really pleased that one pear tree has been kept. The garden couldn't go on how it was, and hopefully we're in the process of turning it into a delightful open space that will be great for a family to enjoy in the future.

Just as a reminder, here's the "before" photo.





And here's how it is looking today, taken from the same upstairs window.





Next week clearance will be finished, the crooked concrete path will be removed, the coal bunker will be knocked down, and then new topsoil will be put down and then turfed as well as a deck outside the back doors and shingle to the side.

We need to get on with fixing and painting the fence, as well as giving some TLC to the garage in the form of painting, new windows, new guttering and stripping and repainting doors.

One small step ...

This week has been the 40th anniversary of the moon landings, and Nicky decided to mark the occasion in her own unique way. On Thursday night, she decided to step into space at the top of the stairs, and unfortunately came down to earth with something of a bump (or several bumps in fact) about half way down!

The bruises are really quite spectacular to behold, and so Nicky has been taking it easy for the last couple of days. It only hurts when she sits, stands or lays down!

This afternoon, for a little trip out we popped over to Bluewater. Whilst Nicky went for a consultation at Boots, Jake and I went to Game so that he could choose his good school report treat (GT3 for PS2 plus a new version of Guitar Hero for the DS). Then, as seems to be becoming the tradition at Bluey it was Eds for tea followed by a trip to Krispy Kreme to pick up a dozen to bring home.

We Had Him

"Now we know that we know nothing ... In the instant that we learn that Michael is gone, we know nothing ... With the abrupt absence of our treasure, though we are many, each of us is achingly alone ... But we do know that we had him, and we are the world." Maya Angelou

Catching up

Lots to report since the last blog. As can be seen from that one, we had a lovely time on our trip to Brighton last week. We discovered lots of new games at the end of the pier which give out loads of tickets that can be swapped for prizes. Jake came home with a remote controlled car, three model Porsches, some aeroplane kits and a Chelsea keyring - we should rename him the Ticketmaster.





Last weekend we painted at Haig, and Jake went Banger racing with Cameron on Sunday, and then on Monday it was Bec's graduation. It was fantastic to be part of her big day and we were all delighted for her (as hopefully the volume of cheering made clear!)






On Thursday I was at the Kent Awards at Leeds Castle - and even managed to avoid mucking up my speech.





Yesterday was Independence Day and we were invited to a BBQ with Chris and Carolyn. Good food and good company, and we rounded off the evening by releasing some Chinese lanterns in the back garden.






Today it's been back to Haig for more painting. Progress is impressive, all of the plastering is finished now, the new boiler is in and the radiators have been fitted, and the footings for the new garden wall have been done. Next week will be finishing off electrics, lots more painting, garden wall building, and bathroom being fitted next weekend.