Time for a mid-week blog catch up!
Having posted on Sunday morning, and generally had a slow start to the day, we went out for a drive, ending up at our (my) favourite bookshop, Barnes & Noble. After a good browse, we both found a book, but then found it rather harder to find somewhere to go for Sunday brunch. We had a look at the development on the opposite side of Sand Lake Road to B&N, but it was too early for them to be open for brunch, and nothing looked appealing, so we headed further north to Windermere. Either we haven't found the centre of Windermere yet, or it is a bit strange and doesn't really have restaurants. In the end we came back down SR535 almost to WDW, tried to get into iHOP but it was jammed with a Sunday crowd, and so walked over to Denny's and had their regular fare.
We had afternoon fast passes at Animal Kingdom, and headed in with enough time to spare to do a wander through the animal trail in Africa before going on the Safari. We did pretty well with animal sightings (giraffe, elephants, rhino, cheetah, and even the lions), and then we were over to Pandora for our flight. It was excellent, as before, although interestingly we were right in the very bottom left corner of the screen, which didn't make for the best view (three tiers, two sets of sixteen seats, for a total of 96 riders per show).
Afterwards we tracked down another of the recommended snacks of the world - the Pongo Lumpia - a pineapple cream cheese spring roll - might sound a bit odd, but well worth tracking down.
Next stop was the Nomad Lounge, on the way out of Pandora - excellent spot and not too busy - we got comfy on a sofa outside and had drinks and snacks (satay and truffle poutine). In fact it was just so comfy that we decided that we couldn't be bothered to trek over to the other side of the park for our fast passes to the Rivers of Light show, and made do with watching a little bit of it on Youtube instead!!
Monday started with shopping trips, firstly to Mall at Millenia, where one or two gifts were purchased. This was followed by Old Navy (which is kind of in the car park of the mall) and lunch at Panera Bread, before going a couple of stops down I-4 to the outlets (Belz as we still insist on calling it) including important stops at Coach (for handbag consideration, but we were in there for so long that I ended up getting tempted by an outrageously expensive leather jacket), and the usual regulars - Hilfiger, Adidas, etc.
We had evening plans at Epcot, albeit we skipped our fast passes for Spaceship Earth in favour of a leisurely stroll around World Showcase checking out the festival stalls. We may well have to go back to sample some of the festival food. Dinner was at Via Napoli in Italy where the food was pleasant, the atmosphere was chaotic, and the service was typically rapid leaving us feeling like we'd been rushed through. Jake will at least be pleased to hear that we enjoyed the arancini balls.
We stopped in at the America Gardens theatre for the 8 o'clock show, and the singers were impressive - both from Broadway Disney productions, and then walked around to our spot for Illuminations (fast pass reserved in front of the walkway from Future World). View was good from there, but there were a decent number of open spots in other areas around the World.
Tuesday morning we headed in to the Studios, and our appointed time for the Slinky Dog coaster, which was great fun - the best thing about the new Toy Story land (given that Toy Story Mania was already there). We did join the queue for Toy Story Mania, which said 65 mins when we joined it, but gave up after about 20 mins as it was moving very slowly, and sure enough when we came out it had changed to 120 mins, and the fast pass line was very long as well. Next stop was another of the recommended snacks - the key lime pie on a stick. Nicky had that, and I had a monster choc chip cookie (and tried the key lime pie).
At this point we were pretty much content with our trip to the Studios, and headed back to Saratoga, and enjoyed some time by the pool in the splendid sunshine, taking it easy before our Membership Magic evening at the Magic Kingdom. We headed in on the bus at about 7pm, collected our wristbands and vouchers, and were there just in time to catch the Happily Ever After Fireworks. Amusingly, we watched from about half way down Main Street in a big crowd, and when they had finished, we wanted to go deeper into the park, whilst several thousand people wanted to leave, and so it was quite a challenge to move in our chosen direction, but with determination we made it through eventually.
First stop dinner, and we went to Pinocchio's Village Haus. As far as we can recall, the last time we were there was on Jake's 4th birthday, when he was serenaded by the band as we were having lunch. This time we got a table by the interior windows and watched the Small World boats go by.
During the evening we did a great job of getting on rides (Small World, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Little Mermaid, Tea Cups, Dumbo), watching the fireworks, and talking to the DVC executives - it will be interesting to see if they get back to us about our comments this time.
And that brings us to today. Late start after a late night, and another trip to the pool to relax in the sunshine, and we are just planning a trip to Springs, hoping that we might go to the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant to try it out.
(Aim for a version of this with pictures later on.)
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
Sunday, 3 February 2019
Saratoga
Here we are at Saratoga Springs, with an overdue first holiday blog from Sunday morning.
Going back to Thursday, we were up and away at about 7am, with little evidence of any snow left around at home (but wow how that seems to have changed in Walderslade since we left!). Airport + parking + check-in + security was all very smooth and we were having breakfast at the Grain Store in Gatwick South before we knew it.
BA flight to Tampa was fine. We appreciated the extra legroom of the premium seats, and food was ok. No sign of any children on the flight - looked mostly like older couples (not young couples like us, obviously) going for their winter break. Tampa immigration was better, but not massively better, than MCO. There were still lots more immigration desks than immigration staff, which is always frustrating. Our overall wait time was about 45 mins, but once we were through the rest of the airport process was very efficient - picked up our bags straight away, then a couple of shuttle trains to the car centre to pick up our car (no queue for the car desk as we could use a kiosk to get the paperwork, and then straight to collect the car). Car journey from Tampa to WDW was 90 mins, but very straightforward - a little slow past downtown Tampa, but then straight up I-4.
By the time we got to the hotel it was about 8.30pm, so it was a case of check-in, collect a few provisions, unpack and bed.
Friday morning we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour, so it was straight up and away to MK on the bus, but we were there in time for a quick stop at the Main Street bakery for provisions before meeting our tour guide (Justin) at City Hall, where we made our lunch orders for later on (Pecos Bill) and collected our earphones. The tour was lots of walking and talking, with Disney history and trivia, and the route was down Main Street (windows), into Adventureland (Jungle Cruise), into Frontierland (backstage to see the production area, floats and the water tanks for Splash), lunch stop, Liberty Square (Haunted Mansion), Fantasyland, into the utilidors and under Main Street to reappear near City Hall for the end of the tour.
One thing we learnt on the tour was the 'Four Keys' to a great guest experience at WDW. They are (in this order): safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and are guiding principles for cast members when they are interacting with guests. Very interesting, and worthy of a longer discussion than a holiday blog warrants.
Once our tour was done we headed out of the park. Our plan had been to get the bus to the Springs, but for some reason buses didn't start to Springs until 4pm, so we got the bus back to the hotel, and took a break back here before walking over to Springs a little later. We ended up having an early dinner at Chef Art Smith's, sat outside watching the world go by (shared the devilled egg started, Nicky had fried chicken, and I had the pulled pork with mac 'n' cheese). Food was excellent. Servings were huge - should have shared a main course.
We had a little wander around the rest of the Springs (including a enjoyable trip to Sugarboo) before coming back to the hotel. After a break here we steeled ourselves for a final trip out of the day to the supermarket to stock up with provisions.
Saturday morning we were up in time so we decided to stick with the plan and use our fast passes, so we went back to MK and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - always fun, and then went over to Gaston's Tavern to share one of their mighty cinnamon rolls. Next up were trips on the carousel and Philharmagic before our next fast pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride! It had been some time since we'd been on that one - probably because Jake had refused to go for at least the last ten years. I think they'd even changed the 'honey pots' since last time. Then we even had time for a trip on the Carousel of Progress - always brilliant, although I find in fascinating that the first three scenes are 1900s, 1920s and 1940s, and then the last one is a big jump to an attempt to be approximately up to date. Presumably this reflects a commitment to keeping the first three scenes consistent with the original show from the 1960s Worlds Fair, whilst keeping it in some way 'relevant'. A tricky balance.
After the show we headed out of the park and took the boat to the Grand Floridian and had lunch at the Gasparilla Grill, before getting the bus to the Springs, where we did some shopping (Sephora) before coming back to our room for a relax. Dinner was at Perkins at the Crossroads, and that brings us about up to date.
Going back to Thursday, we were up and away at about 7am, with little evidence of any snow left around at home (but wow how that seems to have changed in Walderslade since we left!). Airport + parking + check-in + security was all very smooth and we were having breakfast at the Grain Store in Gatwick South before we knew it.
BA flight to Tampa was fine. We appreciated the extra legroom of the premium seats, and food was ok. No sign of any children on the flight - looked mostly like older couples (not young couples like us, obviously) going for their winter break. Tampa immigration was better, but not massively better, than MCO. There were still lots more immigration desks than immigration staff, which is always frustrating. Our overall wait time was about 45 mins, but once we were through the rest of the airport process was very efficient - picked up our bags straight away, then a couple of shuttle trains to the car centre to pick up our car (no queue for the car desk as we could use a kiosk to get the paperwork, and then straight to collect the car). Car journey from Tampa to WDW was 90 mins, but very straightforward - a little slow past downtown Tampa, but then straight up I-4.
By the time we got to the hotel it was about 8.30pm, so it was a case of check-in, collect a few provisions, unpack and bed.
Friday morning we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour, so it was straight up and away to MK on the bus, but we were there in time for a quick stop at the Main Street bakery for provisions before meeting our tour guide (Justin) at City Hall, where we made our lunch orders for later on (Pecos Bill) and collected our earphones. The tour was lots of walking and talking, with Disney history and trivia, and the route was down Main Street (windows), into Adventureland (Jungle Cruise), into Frontierland (backstage to see the production area, floats and the water tanks for Splash), lunch stop, Liberty Square (Haunted Mansion), Fantasyland, into the utilidors and under Main Street to reappear near City Hall for the end of the tour.
One thing we learnt on the tour was the 'Four Keys' to a great guest experience at WDW. They are (in this order): safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and are guiding principles for cast members when they are interacting with guests. Very interesting, and worthy of a longer discussion than a holiday blog warrants.
Once our tour was done we headed out of the park. Our plan had been to get the bus to the Springs, but for some reason buses didn't start to Springs until 4pm, so we got the bus back to the hotel, and took a break back here before walking over to Springs a little later. We ended up having an early dinner at Chef Art Smith's, sat outside watching the world go by (shared the devilled egg started, Nicky had fried chicken, and I had the pulled pork with mac 'n' cheese). Food was excellent. Servings were huge - should have shared a main course.
We had a little wander around the rest of the Springs (including a enjoyable trip to Sugarboo) before coming back to the hotel. After a break here we steeled ourselves for a final trip out of the day to the supermarket to stock up with provisions.
Saturday morning we were up in time so we decided to stick with the plan and use our fast passes, so we went back to MK and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - always fun, and then went over to Gaston's Tavern to share one of their mighty cinnamon rolls. Next up were trips on the carousel and Philharmagic before our next fast pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride! It had been some time since we'd been on that one - probably because Jake had refused to go for at least the last ten years. I think they'd even changed the 'honey pots' since last time. Then we even had time for a trip on the Carousel of Progress - always brilliant, although I find in fascinating that the first three scenes are 1900s, 1920s and 1940s, and then the last one is a big jump to an attempt to be approximately up to date. Presumably this reflects a commitment to keeping the first three scenes consistent with the original show from the 1960s Worlds Fair, whilst keeping it in some way 'relevant'. A tricky balance.
After the show we headed out of the park and took the boat to the Grand Floridian and had lunch at the Gasparilla Grill, before getting the bus to the Springs, where we did some shopping (Sephora) before coming back to our room for a relax. Dinner was at Perkins at the Crossroads, and that brings us about up to date.
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Singapore
Hello from the Fullerton.
I am typing this on the laptop in the lobby, having had a Fullerton breakfast on the terrace, and just spent a little while catching up on some emails. We will be heading out for a lunch meeting soon, followed by a couple more meetings this afternoon, and then tomorrow we are off to Kalimantan.
First night was a typical jet-lag broken sleep effort - read, sleep for a while, read some more, and so on. I finished my first book - Anthony Horowitz's 'The Word is Murder', which was quite an amusing read. In a break with tradition, I've brought an actual, physical, book with me on this trip, and have made a start on it this morning. I've finally bought a copy of Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep', which already looks very interesting - even if it was a little close to home dealing with the problems of jet-lag already!
Well it is just about time to head off for lunch. Lunch looks like being a short walk from the hotel, but then our next meeting is a little further away so we will probably take the MRT. Jake would be impressed to know that I have even brought my MRT card from our previous visit with me - although I have no idea how much credit I have left on it ...
I am typing this on the laptop in the lobby, having had a Fullerton breakfast on the terrace, and just spent a little while catching up on some emails. We will be heading out for a lunch meeting soon, followed by a couple more meetings this afternoon, and then tomorrow we are off to Kalimantan.
First night was a typical jet-lag broken sleep effort - read, sleep for a while, read some more, and so on. I finished my first book - Anthony Horowitz's 'The Word is Murder', which was quite an amusing read. In a break with tradition, I've brought an actual, physical, book with me on this trip, and have made a start on it this morning. I've finally bought a copy of Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep', which already looks very interesting - even if it was a little close to home dealing with the problems of jet-lag already!
Well it is just about time to head off for lunch. Lunch looks like being a short walk from the hotel, but then our next meeting is a little further away so we will probably take the MRT. Jake would be impressed to know that I have even brought my MRT card from our previous visit with me - although I have no idea how much credit I have left on it ...
Tuesday, 8 January 2019
Fifth Risk
I don't know much about the workings of government: not our own, and certainly not that of the United States. For any democratically elected government, one of the biggest problems seems to be that it requires long-term thinking. It is asked to take on some very long-term projects to develop the country, and to take some long-term decisions about how best to look after its population. However, politics keeps getting in the way. No sooner have the elected officials managed to get their head round the challenge that they face, the electorate have booted them out and given the job to someone else.
This is where, putting politics aside for a minute, a good handover becomes absolutely critical. As I say, my knowledge in these matters is seriously lacking, but I presume that the British civil service gets to provide the continuity and a large amount of the knowledge transfer here. I get the impression that the number of new political appointments made when an administration changes in the UK may be fewer than are made when things change in the US, and if this is the case, having an orderly and structured handover in the US becomes even more important.
This is where Michael Lewis' fascinating book 'The Fifth Risk' comes in. As he explains, during the Obama administration, new legislation had been passed specifically requiring the outgoing teams in all government departments to prepare for the arrival of their successors. So, in their final year, each Obama department invested heavily in this task, drafting thousands of pages of useful documentation, and preparing presentations to give to the new teams.
Then Trump won the election.
And the outgoing teams waited for the Trump transition teams to come in.
And no-one showed up.
The Fifth Risk explains just some of the important, and largely unnoticed, work that a big government does on behalf of its citizens. It focuses on three departments: Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture. These departments (amongst many other things) help to make sure that the population are safe from nuclear weapons, that people get fed, and that people get as much warning as possible from natural disasters.
Unfortunately it was left up to the new president to decide who the right people would be to hold some of the most responsible and important jobs in the country. And it took him a long time to decide, and a transition didn't really happen. In the end, it seemed like the US ended up with the Department of Energy being run by someone who had previously forgotten about it and suggested it should be abolished, the Department of Commerce being run by someone who thought is was all about business (which it isn't) and then not being very interested in what it does do, and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) being run by someone who owns a private weather company - spot the massive conflict of interest.
Overall a fascinating read, and should be considered necessary reading to avoid voting for a president (certainly for a second time) without appreciating the consequences.
This is where, putting politics aside for a minute, a good handover becomes absolutely critical. As I say, my knowledge in these matters is seriously lacking, but I presume that the British civil service gets to provide the continuity and a large amount of the knowledge transfer here. I get the impression that the number of new political appointments made when an administration changes in the UK may be fewer than are made when things change in the US, and if this is the case, having an orderly and structured handover in the US becomes even more important.
This is where Michael Lewis' fascinating book 'The Fifth Risk' comes in. As he explains, during the Obama administration, new legislation had been passed specifically requiring the outgoing teams in all government departments to prepare for the arrival of their successors. So, in their final year, each Obama department invested heavily in this task, drafting thousands of pages of useful documentation, and preparing presentations to give to the new teams.
Then Trump won the election.
And the outgoing teams waited for the Trump transition teams to come in.
And no-one showed up.
The Fifth Risk explains just some of the important, and largely unnoticed, work that a big government does on behalf of its citizens. It focuses on three departments: Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture. These departments (amongst many other things) help to make sure that the population are safe from nuclear weapons, that people get fed, and that people get as much warning as possible from natural disasters.
Unfortunately it was left up to the new president to decide who the right people would be to hold some of the most responsible and important jobs in the country. And it took him a long time to decide, and a transition didn't really happen. In the end, it seemed like the US ended up with the Department of Energy being run by someone who had previously forgotten about it and suggested it should be abolished, the Department of Commerce being run by someone who thought is was all about business (which it isn't) and then not being very interested in what it does do, and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) being run by someone who owns a private weather company - spot the massive conflict of interest.
Overall a fascinating read, and should be considered necessary reading to avoid voting for a president (certainly for a second time) without appreciating the consequences.
Sunday, 6 January 2019
New beginning
Epiphany today, and I got to do the 'Visitors from the east' reading at church from Matthew 2 - all the way up to the wise men being warned in a dream, and going back to their own country by another route.
Jake has returned to London today to start term 2 - he has exams tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (yes, the same young man as the one featured in the picture in this post is at university now - still getting used to that!). However, he'll be back after his exam on Thursday to collect some more of his stuff.
Rummaging around online this evening, I came across a preview on the Guardian website of books due to be published this year. A very interesting and exciting selection, with quite a few things I didn't know about. Of particular note there is going to be a new Jackson Brodie novel by Kate Atkinson coming out in June. Having failed to go to a signing of Transcription, I may have to try harder to track down an opportunity in June.
And the other news of today, I have sold the Cayman. Still here right now, but due to be collected in the next day or two.
Jake has returned to London today to start term 2 - he has exams tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (yes, the same young man as the one featured in the picture in this post is at university now - still getting used to that!). However, he'll be back after his exam on Thursday to collect some more of his stuff.
Rummaging around online this evening, I came across a preview on the Guardian website of books due to be published this year. A very interesting and exciting selection, with quite a few things I didn't know about. Of particular note there is going to be a new Jackson Brodie novel by Kate Atkinson coming out in June. Having failed to go to a signing of Transcription, I may have to try harder to track down an opportunity in June.
And the other news of today, I have sold the Cayman. Still here right now, but due to be collected in the next day or two.
Saturday, 5 January 2019
Magic
Ah the magic of the FA Cup. Last night went with form, and Spurs gave a footballing lesson to Tranmere, beating them 7-0. Today, however, when the majority of games have been played, the first to be shown on MOTD came from Priestfield Stadium, where Cardiff were visiting Gillingham. Sure enough the Cup magic appeared in full force, and the Gills won 1-0. Love it - will be interesting to see who they get in the 4th round draw on Monday.
Thursday, 3 January 2019
Kitchen prep
Maybe the end of the road is now in sight. The cheque from the insurance company arrived today, and that in itself is a major milestone. Nicky has been starting to buy a few nice things for our new kitchen. The electrician was round today, and met with Nicky's approval. The kitchen fitter is coming tomorrow to make sure that a plan is in place for the work coming up. We should be able to order our floor tiles once Nicky has confirmed with the fitter. All heading in the right direction.
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