Dolly's Dreamings

A Lucky Escape and Epcot Part 1

Today has – thus far – turned out a lot better than expected. I broke a tooth just before we went on holidays and the dentist filed down the jagged bit but said to properly fix it was going to be a big job and so she would rather leave it until I came back as it was not hurting and messing with it could start up toothache. I was happy with that but today was the day to go back.

I was dreading it. As a dental phobic who has had her fair share – and more – of tooth problems this year I was not keen. When a dentist says it is a big job it is worrying to say the least.

As it still wasn’t hurting I said would it be better to leave it for a while and she agreed. It is going to need to be crowned and I am just not in the right place for that at the moment.

So yey – no dental work today.

The news about Fiki has been sinking in for us both today and I am hoping that the watching him like a hawk waiting to see some sign he is in distress will pass. We just have to treat him as we always have and just keep our eyes open for any significant behaviour changes. But it is awfully hard.

I have new scrapping to share today – another fishy page, but this time from Animal Kingdom.

The Nemo musical was a new show we had not seen and it was very good. The part where he was in the aquarium in … appropriately enough – the dentist’s office … was very well done with the huge seagull popping in. It was a page I had to scrap as Nigel and I both love the line ‘Fish are friends not food’. Neither of us each fish and so we have derived almost infantile pleasure from repeating he line whenever we get the chance. Hence the title.

 

 You can't really see from the scan but the background cardstock is all glittered and really 'fishy' somehow and the fish and shells are too. I bought both from Joann whilst away.

And for the first time in ages I used the Craft Robo .... and it worked. It is very tempramental.

The lettering is actually shaded from blue to green but again it doesn't really show up too well.

 

Today I am thankful for

• A lucky escape at the dentist
• A slowly returning paper mojo

And my page a day calendar today is

 It was turning out to be one of those dreaded “Can’t I do anything right?” days. An important letter was returned to me, unstamped. In the grocery store, I discovered my shoes didn’t match, even though both were brown. Outside, I tried valiantly to unlock the door of a car that looked amazingly like mine.

Later, at the red light, I drummed my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, but when at last the light turned green, I couldn’t remember where I was headed. I roared off anyway, so no one would guess my dilemma. After several blocks, I remembered where I wanted to go. Feeling almost smug, I pulled up at the dry cleaner’s. My victory was shortlived, however: I’d forgotten the clothes.

Back at home, I gathered up all my courage and phoned our insurance company to straighten out an unpaid claim. I concentrated intently as I punched the endless numbers that I hoped would connect me to a live person.

The lady who finally spoke to me was smiling; I could feel it all the way down in Georgia. Sweetly, she suggested, “Let me get you more experienced help. I’m new here.”

“Oh no, please don’t go,” I said near tears. “You are so—nice—and patient and kind. Please help me.” I didn’t tell her that sometimes fast-talking people, especially short-tempered ones, scare me.

She laughed like a next-door neighbor. “Okay, then.” She took care of my problem, and when we finished she said, “Have a blessed day. We’re always home for you.”

Lord, just a few kind words, even from a stranger, have changed my entire outlook. Help me do the same for someone.

—MARION BOND WEST

 

Now on to another holiday account. I am finding these time consuming to write but know I will be glad when I have it all recorded and can use the accounts to support the pages in my album.

 

Sunday 22^nd July

We had had a late night and so planned a very leisurely morning by the pool. The weather was gorgeous when we walked to breakfast, but clouded over a little by the time we walked back and so we decided to head off and do some final shopping for a few things we wanted. We headed off to The Florida Mall just for two specific shops and then made our way to Epcot. Epcot is a large park and split into two very distinct halves and so we had always planned to do two part days there, one in Future World and one in World Showcase. As World Showcase opened later today was to be the day to do that, but the skies were grey, although it was very hot, and would not have made for such nice photos, so instead we opted for Future World where everything is inside and there would be few photos taken.

It proved to be a great decision.

We started off with the Imagination Pavillion. There was no line for Journey Into Imagination and it is a cute little ride so we did that first. They have changed it since our last visit and both of us felt it had lost some of its kitsch magic. I think we were both influenced by the fact we don’t like Eric Idle too.

From there we went to see Captain EO which is now back where it used to be after a long long absence. When we first went to Florida in 1993, Captain EO was there, but the following year it was replaced with Honey I Shrunk The Audience. We had also seen Captain EO in California. I was never a fan of Honey I Shrunk the Audience but we were both utterly addicted to the pre-show film, sponsored by Kodak, called True Colours. It was a fabulous little film we had always loved and we missed it very much. Nigel made me my own version for my 50^th Birthday which I shared on here. This is the Disney version obviously filmed by someone illegally and it is very bumpy and jerky as it is hand held, but you get the idea.

 

Anyway, we saw Captain EO and it was OK but not earth-shatteringly good. We both came out feeling a little sad too as it was Michael Jackson at his peak. He was so talented and it was so sad what happened to him. When you think of the difference between him and Donny Osmond, the same era, the same global superstars at such a young age, similar sibling background etc the difference is staggering. Just very very sad.

From Captain EO we made our way round to Canada as we wanted to catch Off Kilter performing.

 

They are always a real highlight for us – a Canadian band of rockers in kilts who play good rock including bagpipes.

We love them. Or maybe I should say – we LOVED them. Yes, after 7 years away this was another thing that had changed and, for us, not for the better. There was only one original band member and the lead singer who played the pips had gone. They had a new fiddler instead and he was excellent. The band were good but they were not the Off Kilter we knew and loved so much. Nigel had bought their CDs so we still have the music but it was a shame to see a very different performance. I have searched You Tube and the only renditions of Amazing Grace – which they did in an utterly brilliant way – were people’s home movies as well so I did find this clip which gives a kind of idea of what they did. You have to watch quite a bit before the bagpipes come in but it will give you the general idea.

  

From there we went to see the UK, briefly as that is never a part we enjoy, and then went and saw the O Canada film, another thing we always love.

Sadly it is another thing they have changed. The film, a 360 degree wonder, is still good, but there is a new narration by Martin Short (who we adore as Frank in Father of the Bride) and it has lost some of its magic. There is even a new recording of the beautiful Canada song.

Oh well, I guess life moves on and we are just both creatures of habit who like what we know and know what we like.

This is the original soundtrack to the end song (though not the pictures from Epcot)

 

The weather was looking a little ‘angry’ as the wind had picked up and the sky was filled with black clouds so it seemed a good time to head round to The Universe of Energy and do Ellen’s Adventure.

This is a real classic attraction nd is some 42 minutes long. There is a pre-show, a moving theatre and a show. It is really good and one we always enjoy. And thankfully they hadn’t messed with it.

We expected to come out to a downpour but it hadn’t started raining but the wind was fierce. It was the strongest wind we had ever had in Florida and gave us the teeniest taster of what it must be like when a real storm hits. It really did look very angry and we didn’t want to be caught in a terrific monsoon downpour so we figured it was time to call it a day. We headed back to the resort and had dinner in Port Royal and then a really lazy evening – we figured we had earnt one as we had been pretty non stop since we’d arrived.

Not such a Universally good day

It’s not been a fab day today – to be honest – but I am trying to put a positive spin on things by imagining it could have been even worse.

When we had taken Kira and Fiki to the vets for their boosters in June Tom, the vet, had been concerned that Fiki’s kidneys seemed large. He said it could be he had always had large kidneys or it could be that he was overweight – which he is – and the fat was pushing them out. Or it could be they needed checking. He was in very good health and so Tom said he wanted to see him in a month. He advised us to make an early am appointment as he would then keep him in for a scan if he felt he wanted to know more.

We took him in at 9.00 am this morning and sure enough his kidneys were still large and so Tom kept him to scan him later. He told us that it could be that he just had large kidneys (unlikely as Tom would have noticed this before) or it could be that he had polycystic kidney disease or that it was cancer or some kind. It was all very worrying and we left him behind to be scanned. Tom said not to worry as he seemed very healthy, but he did need to check what was going on. We then had a very troubled few hours at home, with me researching PKD on the internet and Nigel doing his usual ‘there is no point worrying and he will probably be fine’ thing.

Tom rang, as promised, at lunchtime. The scan had been very very clear and it was indeed PKD. He had multiple cysts (he said the size of marbles which seems huge) in both kidneys. He said that at the moment he was very healthy. There was no treatment for it (I knew that from my research) and no cure. No one could tell how fast the cysts would grow. Some cats died very young – just a few years old – and other lived to be elderly and died of other things. However the more normal thing is that the cysts grow and impair kidney function and they develop renal failure which can, to an extent, be treated. We just have to watch him very carefully. We have been told all the signs to look our for. We know what the treatments for Kidney failure will be. We have to take him back in December for another scan to see how it has developed. I think the worrying thing is that they seem to have grown very quickly as Tom didn’t ever notice large kidneys before and so if they continue to grow rapidly renal failure may come sooner rather than later. Oh and the interesting little twist is that it is genetic so Kira could be sitting on a PKD time bomb too.

I actually took it in my stride as I had been dreading the cancer diagnosis (which Tom said would have been far worse). Nigel had been expecting a ‘there is nothing wrong’ diagnosis and so is actually quite upset and shocked.

Anyway we have our little boy back home, I have bathed him to get the nasty gel and surgical spirit off him that had to be used for the ultra sound, and he has had lots of fuss.

There is nothing we can do, at all, other than watch and wait and pray that they will develop and grow slowly. He is only 9 – I want way more years with him. However, one thing is for sure, we will never ever let him suffer. We will do everything in our power to make life easy for him. I am a firm believer that God sends you wehat you can bear – though sometimes it doesn’t seem that way. I also think he send you the animals you can care for. We adore our cats. They are our children, our everything and so we do have the ability to care for those with special needs. And boy have we had our special needs cats. Pebble developed thyroid problems and was on medication, Cinders had a suspected ulcer (which turned out to be a tumour) and was on medication, Simba lost her leg and tail and was on medication daily for 12 years. Boushka has allergic reactions and so has to have medication every day and Kira, well Kira is allergic to just about everything, has an eye that could be cancerous and a dicky heart. Our only ‘healthy’ cat was Fiki and so I guess now we have the full set. At least if he ends up having to have medication every day that holds no fear or challenge for us!

Please, keep everything crossed for very slow growing cysts for us and for our little Fiki Monster. Regular readers know him so well. He is such a character.

My photo of the day today is the Fiki Monster himself. Travelling home in the car

 

Today I am thankful for

• sharing our lives with fantastic cats
• Fiki not having cancer
• facing whatever happens together

and I do have new scrapping to share as I have finally started my holiday album.

and all the supplies were new too - amazingly I have used some already!

 

and this little guy with his missing flipper was just so lovely and obviously being well cared for.

Saturday 21^st July

Saturday was always going to be a busy day as we had a lot we needed to cram in. It was destined to be our Universal day.

Now I am not a hug fan of Universal Studios. To me it lacks that special magic that Disney has. Maybe it is the pixie dust that is missing. It seems far more about hype and taking your money off you as quickly as possible. I like the simple family stuff and I think my view of Universal changed when they added City Walk. It seems to be far more about clubs and drinking and designer stuff and it is simply not us. However Nigel loves the Studios and likes many of the big rides at Islands Of Adventure. So it was always going to be included in the trip. I was, however, also keen to visit Islands as they had opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and as a Potter fan it had to be seen.

We were shocked when we looked for our tickets on line as the prices were outrageous. It was £112 for the 7 day ticket and almost £100 for the one day. Outrageous prices to us for a park we wanted to spend one day in. I guess we were shocked compared to the Disney prices where we paid £236 each for a 14 day Disney Pass for unlimited use of all parks plus the Disney Dine which I have already written about which gave us approximately $60 worth of food each day which means they actually paid us to eat there and go to their parks.

Anyway – we had to go so tickets were duly bought.

We arrived in their huge expensive parking lot (OK so the same price as Disney but we got free parking there as we were staying on property) and walked through city walk to the parks. We were there just before the park opened and were, of course, going to Islands first as we wanted to do Harry Potter before it got silly.

Well we walked very very briskly over there – the other side of the park – and it was already a 45 minute wait when we got there. And we hadn’t stopped to enjoy the surroundings at all – just frog marched.

We were not worried by a 45 minute wait but I have to say I was absolutely flabbergasted and disgusted at their organisation for the ride. It is a hanging ride and so you cannot take anything on. Fair enough. They provide free lockers for everything. Fabulous. They provide them once you are IN THE QUEUE. Oh my – how utterly stupid is that.

You stand in line for a while then you have to go leave everything in the lockers. The locker area is cramped, you need to use an electronic screen, everyone is rushing around, there are too few screens, only one member of the party is meant to go in and it is abject chaos. Complete and utter chaos. Why not have the lockers away from the line? Why not have them outside? Why not even make them part of the line so it is orderly.

I hated it and it put me in a grumpy mood with a ‘Oh yes – this is Universal alright – total chaos’ attitude.

The ride takes place in Hogwarts itself which is very impressive.

Some of it was very well themed when I had calmed down, and there was clever use of projected images. The ride itself was, for me, a huge disappointment. It was smooth and fast and spinny but why Oh why do they have to bang images at you so fast you can't  process them? Why do they think a ride should be all about the bad stuff, the dementors, the spiders, the death eaters etc. Why do they have to chase only fast on broomsticks? OK use some of that. It’s fun and part of it. But heck – there was a chance to show some really clever stuff too. A chance to enjoy some of the beauty. A chance to do something memorable. I hated it. Really really hated it. Nigel loved it.

Ride accomplished we looked around and even had the obligatory drink of Butterbeer. There are only two places in the world you can drink butterbeer and this is the second. We also drank it at warner Brothers in June.

The Hogwarts castle is very impressive and the train is fab, but Hogsmead in the snow left me a little cold (pardon the pun) and didn’t have anything like the magic of Diagon Alley in London. Maybe it was that it was crowded and hot or that I was in ‘anti-Universal’ mood, but it wasn’t fabulous in my eyes.

 

We then headed off to do some daft things like Cat in the Hat and went to the first show of Poseidon, which is really very very clever. A stunning show.

We then went over to Spiderman which ad over an hour wait. I was really thrilled as there was a single rider line and I wasn’t really bothered about riding it so Nigel went on alone, waiting just 10 minutes. He loved it and said it was better than ever.

We would have done The Hulk but it was temporarily closed.

We headed to City Walk for a Starbucks and then into Universal Studios. Our first attraction of choice is always Terminator 3D. Oh my how times have changed. There was almost no wait and almost no people. It used to be bursting at the seams and the theatre was less than half full. We still thought it was as amazing as ever, but wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t the next one to close. We had a bit to eat then carried on round the park.

From there we did a bit of ambling then Nigel rode The Mummy – again using the single rider line which had almost no wait. I really wasn’t bothered about doing it.

We then did the new Disaster show – a re-vamp of the old Earthquake and a very good show. The tram car disaster was much the same but the pre-show and show were much better.

Jaws has closed so it was then off to Shrek 4D which was, again, very good and after a visit to the store for Nigel’s souveniers it was time to head back round to The Hard Rock Café.

We always try and eat there on our Universal day but this trip was special. Nigel had always wanted to see a concert in the Hard Rock arena but every time we had visited there was nothing we fancied on. This trip he looked and there was a tribute band playing. This band are no ordinary tribute. They specialise in doing whole albums and are very very good. Nigel looked at the reviews and there was not a bad review there – really unusual as there is usually someone with an axe to grind about something.

Anyway, whilst we were there they were doing a Pink Floyd tribute playing Dark Side of the Moon. As this is a much loved album by both of us it was too good to miss So we booked tickets, which were not astronomically expensive. We then contacted our friend Mike and told him what we had done and asked if he would like to go too. We were thrilled he said yes and book a ticket right next to us.

So, we were meeting him for dinner and then all going to the concert.

We had had a worry as Mike had been unwell and wasn’t sure he would be able to make it and so we were thrilled when Nigel rang him at lunchtime and he said yes he was able to come. Perfect.

I was a bit of a disgruntled bunny as by the time you have spent a whole day in theme parks where it is over 90 degrees (and this day was an exceptionally hot one) and done many rides you are a bit of a wreck. I am used to showering and dressing nicely for an evening out and so found it very hard to go straight from a theme park. On reflection we would have had time for me to go back to the car and pick up clean clothes and change but we hadn’t gone for that option so I cleaned up as best as I could in the rest rooms at the Hard Rock.

Mike arrived in good time and we had a lovely meal and another chance to just chat about all sorts of things. It was really good that we got to see him a second time as it would have been really sad to have travelled to Florida and seen him only once. We also had a chance to have a look at lots of the memorabilia on the walls, including quite a bit of Pink Floyd stuff.

The concert venue was fabulous – somehow very intimate. The band were everything they had been cracked up to be. They were note perfect and it really could have been Pink Floyd playing. The girl who sang was incredible. It was a truly amazing show and the perfect end to an evening.

We all walked back to the car park together – and City Walk was everything I feared it would be at night) and sadly had to say goodbye to Mike. It had taken years for he and Nigel to meet up after e mailing for so long but we were so thrilled to have finally gotten to meet our Florida friend.

 

and finally my page a day calendar

It was every ring bearer’s worst nightmare.

“This is the wrong ring!” my grandfather whispered to his bride.

My fellow ring bearer and I looked at each other in shock. We had somehow switched our rings before the ceremony—thus failing at our sole duty. Nevertheless, my grandfather and his bride-to-be ignored our mistake and carried on.

The wedding itself was the culmination of a great love story. For years, my grandparents were best friends with the Rouses, another elderly couple that lived two doors away. When my grandmother and Mr. Rouse died of Alzheimer’s just one day apart, my grandfather and Mrs. Rouse supported each other.

And as the months passed, the friendship grew deeper. At age 80, they took up square dancing and memorized hundreds of calls. At a point when many would consider themselves to be just about done living, they were just getting started. It wasn’t long before they announced that they were engaged to be married!

Several years later, they’re still alive and in love. My grandfather competes on the national level in the Senior Olympics, and, at the age of 84, he lifts weights every day. He and my new grandmother teach Sunday school every week and keep the whole family in touch through e-mail.

I hope that when I get to be 84, I will be living half the life they do. And at the very least that I can be as understanding as they were of two ring bearers’ mistakes.

God, thank You that we don’t have to stop living until the day You call us home.

—JOSHUA SUNDQUIST

 

 

just a terrific day all round

Today has been a quiet day – Oh I LIKE quiet days. I have done all the holiday ironing  (and am sad enough to enjoy ironing – I think it is a very rewarding job with instant gratification. Plus you get that lovely clean laundry smell – mmmmm)

I have done a little scrapping and just chilled out really. Just one of those really nice days.

I have made a page for the holiday album but I a, not sure about the whole album concept. I can’t get 11” x 8.5” albums for love nor money so whilst I want to make the album that size I may need to make it 12” x 12” or perhaps a combination of the two. I am not sure and so don’t feel too motivated to start until I have decided what I am doing.

This is a fairly generic page so will work in a general album if nothing else.

 

My photo of the day is of the flowers from our next door neighbours that we came home to. Such a thoughtful thing for them to have done.

I would ask that you all send positive vibes for us tomorrow. Fiki has to go to the vets as when we took him for his booster at the start of the month the vet identified his kidneys felt large. Now it could be that he had had a big meal so they were pushed out, it could be he had always had big kidneys or it could be a problem.

He wanted to leave it a few weeks and then have him back to check and, if he is still worried, he will keep him in and scan his kidneys to check them. I adore my little monster so much I would hate to have bad news about him tomorrow so think of us and wish him well.

Today I am thankful for

• Lazy days at home

 And now on to the holiday diary  part two of one of our very best days.

 

Friday 20^th July Part 2

I did say it was a good day and this is the second half of it.

We had thought maybe we would be done in SeaWorld at around 4 and would then go to Epcot. However, we were done at 1.30 and figured, as it was a glorious day with no clouds and no sign of any rain looming which might stop the parade we would go to The Magic Kingdom.

I have already explained the Magic Kingdom is not the easiest of parks to get to as you have to go either on the Disney bus, the monorail or via the TTC (Ticket and Transportation centre) As we were in the car there was no option. We didn’t have time to go back to the hotel and get the bus and still be there for the parade. Well, maybe we did, but it was pushing it and we would possibly get there just as the parade was on and therefore not see it all.

So we opted for driving.

We drove to the Magic Kingdom parking lot at the TTC which is huge. It isn’t, however, as large as Epcot’s which is apparently the second largest parking lot in America, the largest single lot being at the Mall of America. (The largest single parking lot in the world is in Edmonton Mall in Canada) Just whilst citing trivial facts – which I love – The largest parking structures – multi story car parks to you and I – are both Disney with the largest in the world being at Tokyo Disneyland and the second largest at Disneyland California.

Anyway I digress. We were on the monorail by 2.10  (proof in the photo from the monorail!!)  and into the park itself by 2.30.

We knew we were in good time to see the parade but figured it would be really really busy. How wrong we were. True Main Street was bombed, but Town Square was really really quiet. It was quiet enough that we could pick exactly where we wanted to be. Now we are parade experts and – given the chance – can pick good spots. We wanted to be the right way for photos, so not into the sun directly and we wanted, if possible, a spot where no-one could lean in front of us. So we found the perfect spot and I would recommend it to anyone. I am prepared to share our tip of the day. Outside City Hall in Town Square, on the pavement, just off to the right a little, is a litter bin. Sit yourself to the right of the bin. The bin offers perfect shade, no-one can lean out in front of you, the sun is in the perfect direction for photos and you see the parade as soon as it comes out which means less of a wait. Oh yes – the perfect spot. We were in place with just half an hour to wait – and we were so pleased we had done it. The weather was perfect and the parade as wonderful as Disney parades always are.

So here come the inevitable photos.

 

 

It was perfect.

We then went on a fair few rides as the park seemed very quiet. We were worried that travelling in July rather than our usual August would mean the park was busier, but actually it seemed quieter. There were loads of huge groups (they all seemed to be from South America and often were groups of 50 or more all in the same t shirts etc) but the lines were a lot shorter than we have known them.

We went on the Jungle Cruise which is just so wonderfully kitsch. The guides have such corny patter and it is a daft ride we always enjoy.

We also did Pirates of the Caribbean again as it is just a fun ride and the line was less than 10 minutes. I love they have adapted it to use the theme music to the films and added Johnny Depp in several places. Including this one at the end.

 

From there we headed to dinner at Peco Bill’s. More free food and this restaurant is very nice as in additional to your meal they have all sorts of things like salads, cheese, onions, pickles and mushrooms you can add to your meal.

 From there we did our longest wait – Splash Mountain. It was just over an hour but we do love the ride and as we hadn’t waited for anything else it seemed a fair deal. It is cute and has that thrill as well. Plus, zipedee doo dah – what’s not to like!

We planned the Haunted Mansion next but it was closed. Whilst we waited for it to reopen we hit Liberty Square, which was bathed in glorious light,

and did The Hall of the Presidents which is another we always like. The castle if beautiful from there too. We are so pleased that it is no longer pink. It is back to normal and looks stunning.

As the Haunted Mansion still wasn’t open we headed into Fantasyland and did Mickey’s Philharmagic again as we had so enjoyed it.

The second time was just as good. As we came out the castle show was just finishing too – more Mickey.

We took a ride on the Liberty Belle paddle steamer, which is very pleasant, and then headed back to the stores of Main Street and to find a spot for the night time parade.

The night parades differ – there is the Main Street Electrical Parade (showing at the moment here) and Spectromagic (which is my favourite) We found a spot opposite where we had been for the afternoon and which would enable us to move across into Main Street for the Fireworks and to have an easy exit from the park after that. Oh yes – we plan.

The parade was as magical as ever and we stayed and saw the new memories show played out on the castle and then the wishes firework show. I mean, could you ever have a better backdrop for a firework display than a fairytale castle?

It was a bit crazy on the way out, but we boarded the monorail to the TTC, the tram back to the car and we were home in a flash. It had been a truly amazing day.

It was hard to select a photo of the day but this is what I went for.

It really was a terrific day – possibly the best of the whole holiday – which is saying something.

 

 

More to sort out and a SeaWorld visit

Today I feel I have caught up on things. Progress. I can see the floor in the scrap room and most of the desk!

I got to saturation point yesterday and, combined with forgetting to have lunch so only a bowl of porridge until 6 pm, the amount of new stuff and no-where sensible to put it really got to me.

In the end Nigel built me new shelves – really quickly bless him – for my numerous jars of flowers and low enough so that my ribbon trees can go on top as I have filled the shelves with new cropper hoppers.I will get around to photos soon.

Today we have been tried. The trouble is, returning from the East Coast you have a 5 hour time difference – which actually isn’t usually that bad. But last night we sat up watching the Olympics opening ceremony and we were up until almost 1 am as we were not tired. To our bodies it was only 8 pm anyway. But we knew we would pay the price if we didn’t try and adjust so we set the alarm for 7.30 am as we knew we would sleep till midday otherwise. Result is we are shattered today.

We were very sceptical about the Olympics opening ceremony – feeling worried we would do something rather pathetic. However, I think they acquitted themselves very well and it was a terrific opening with some real highlights.

I thought the Queen was fabulous and she must have had such fun at that section. The way they transformed the arena was impressive, moving to the industrial age, and the first bit with Rowan Atkinson was funny – but far too long.

We enjoyed watching the teams come in and played along trying to guess all of the teams with the next letter. We did very badly as there seemed to be a lot of very small countries we had never heard of! I didn’t get, however, how our GB team were dressed. I mean honestly, white and gold. What is wrong with red white and blue and flying the flag. But heck!

The highlight for us was the lighting of the cauldron – what an innovative and beautiful way to do that. It was awesome. I loved seeing David Beckham bring the boat in as we are both huge Beckham fans – I think he is a terrific role model for youngsters today. It was very moving how the great Olympians nominated young sportsmen and women to carry the torch in their honour and was so fitting. All in all a very moving opening. I am not sure we will watch any more of the Olympics as it really doesn’t float our boat, but we enjoyed the opening ceremony.

I took a photo for my picture of the day – a shot of the TV!

 

And my photo of the day today is of the two bowls we bought back from Florida. We don't have a home filled with Mickey Mouse and Disney memorabilia, just in case you were worried, but we did kind of like these two bowls for our morning porrige.

I have new scrapping to share which was made before I went away and it uses a fabulous collection by FayETTE designs at Pickleberrypop called Dreams and Blue Jeans.

It was great fun to work with and the photos of Emily were just made for it.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Getting things a little more sorted out
• A wonderful husband who makes stuff to store my stash!

 And now on to more of our Florida holiday. This day was a long one so will be in two parts - Oh yes I can spin this out for ages LOL

Friday 20^th July

Well if I say so myself Nigel and I know how to tackle Florida and its theme parks! Well we know how to do it our way.

I guess one of the advantages of having been so many times is that we know the parks well and we know what we do and don’t like. It means our visits can be shorter but more purposeful as we know the things we want to see.

That was certainly true of today.

We decided we would go to SeaWorld as, in effect, we had free tickets. We wouldn’t have bought SeaWorld tickets this trip as there was not much we wanted to see there this trip, but we got them as part of the package in booking Discovery Cove. We figured we would probably be there for part of the day and that we might perhaps pop into Epcot afterwards. Mmmm – great plans are made for changing me thinks.

The day began early with a walk to breakfast at Old Port Royal. One of the things we have both cherished this trip is that early morning walk. It is stunningly beautiful and whilst we have stayed at the Caribbean Beach so many times I don’t think we have ever appreciated it as much as we have this trip.

OK so it is a cheaper resort – in their moderate category, so not the cheapest type but certainly not the deluxe. The room is reasonably basic, but to be honest we have hardly been in it and it is more than big enough, impeccably clean and has the comfiest beds we have ever slept in. It isn’t The Venetian by any means, but it suits us fine. However, I think you would be hard pushed to find a more beautiful hotel complex anywhere in the world. The huge lagoon, dotted with sandy beaches, beautiful pastel coloured buildings and lush tropical greenery is a joy to experience and one of those places you just keep snapping. We took so many photos, and in all honestly a lot are very similar, but it is so photogenic. One of the nicest times of day for us is that breakfast walk as the sun is in the perfect direction to light up all we see.

Plus we have accompaniment every day with the ducks. There is something about the grassy verges right by our building that they obviously love as they are there at 7 am every morning and still there when we walk back replete. They are very tame and you can hand feed them. How do I know this? Well on day on the way back there was a poor little chap a little away from his friends and he seemed to be limping. We stopped and chatted to him and he hobbled over to us. I fed him a little bit of my pastry (OK so I know it is not duck food but I did feel awfully sorry for him) and he took it so gently from my hand. Mind you, once he had eaten it he jogged off pretty quick to join his pals with no limp in evidence. And to think we never knew ducks were con artists.

Anyway, breakfast done we headed off to SeaWorld via Starbucks of course.

Sadly Nigel hadn’t quite finished his frap when we arrived and so he had to ditch the lid and straw. seaWorld has always been a mo straw park as a courtesy for the animals.

One of the things we definitely wanted to see was Blue Horizons. It is a dolphin and whale show with a difference. Oh my what a difference. They have dolphins and birds and divers and acrobats and it is simply stunning. The musical score is amazing too. Have a look at these two videos. The first has the old score and the second the new but had some better shots of the whole show. I couldn't decide which video I preferred so have them both here. I love the score of the first though.

 

It is a real spectacle and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Mind you – we did get a little more sun than we bargained for as it was a perfect day with no cloud.

My photos don't do it justice - I was just enjoying it too much. We did giggle, though, as flamingos showed people to their seats! Actually they were just walking round the arena but it looked like they were guiding the guests to sit down.

I love that the birds fly right through the stadium and they were really close to us too.

From there we headed over to Shamu stadium. We were kind of dreading it really and so diverted our angst with a quick visit to Wild Arctic. It was gloriously cool inside and we were enranced watching the polar bear from underwater. He was huge and we watched him relax against a rock, play with one of his toys and then swim off. Massive bear but so graceful in the water where his bulk was supported.

We had been dreading Shamu because it was a show we always loved and we knew it would, sadly, be very different. The  children at school always laugh if they ever ask what I wanted to be if I wasn’t a teacher and I always say – as it was so true – a Shamu trainer. I have always been fascinated by both dolphins and whales and the giant killer whales are stunning. I remember seeing my first ever Shamu night show and watching the soft and gentle section that was like ballet with the trainer and whale in total harmony. It made me cry – it was beautiful.

The tragic news about Dawn Brancheau, aged just 40, being killed by the 5 ton killer whale Tilikum in February 2010,  changed everything.

Nigel and I are very anti animals being exploited and I know there is a whole debate on the rights and wrongs of keeping any animals in captivity, let alone huge killer whales, but with dolphins at least they exhibit a lot of behaviour they exhibit naturally and our impression of SeaWorld Parks has always been that they care deeply for their animals. We also both feel quite strongly that people who work with animals, be they killer whales or big cats, horses or a pet dog, generally know the risks involved and that, at the end of the day, they are animals and can be unpredictable. People like the trainers at SeaWorld do the job because they love it and they do all the daily nitty gritty jobs because the pay off is the relationship they build with their charges. We knew the show would be very different with no trainers in the water interacting with the whales. And how different it was.

It was lovely to see these magnificent creatures but it was so sad to see what the show had become without that human/whale interaction. The trainers didn’t sign up to stand and dance and clap their hands. They signed up to create that special bond. And that bond was not there. We were left feeling that both the trainers and the whales must be sad missing the relationships that they used to have.

However, SeaWorld ended on a high as we went to see the new Turtle Trek show which was awesome. It was one of the longest lines we did all trip – being almost an hour, but so worth it.

It showed the life cycle of a turtle in 3D and was utterly amazing. You were right there swimming with it in 360 degrees of 3D wonder. The clarity, the detail, the wonder … amazing. I would whole-heartedly recommend it. Before you go in there is a talk by a huge aquarium with sea turtles in. The little chap here was a rescue as he was injured and lost a flipper. Incidentally we saw wild turtles in the lagoon at the Caribbean Beach resort!

By 1.15 we were done! There was nothing else we had a pressing need to see and so we decided, as it was a beautiful day with no clouds and seemingly no impending threat of afternoon rain, that we would head to another park.

And more of that tomorrow!

Finally my page a day calendar for today

We met when I was a single mother with one child, my daughter, Nancy, and he was a single father with a daughter, Michelle. He was quiet and soft-spoken and I’m the chatty type. We liked each other instantly.

For 23 years we had a good marriage, going to church together, raising our two daughters. He worked in intelligence and had a very demanding career. We looked forward to the day when he’d retire and we’d have more time together.

Unfortunately, his retirement didn’t last long. He was diagnosed with advanced gall bladder cancer. The doctors gave him only six months to live. Thanks to the prayers of our church, family, and friends, he lasted two years. In the end, though, he was in such pain his death was a release.

But, oh, how I missed him! And though I’d decided to give away his clothes to people at church who could use them, just the sight of one of his sweaters on a friend would bring tears to my eyes. If only I could find some comfort in my grief.

One afternoon, I had to call a friend. I’d jotted her number down on a scrap of paper. Evidently, I’d gotten the number wrong because a stranger answered. I was about to hang up when she said, “Is this Linda? The Linda who was married to Ralph Paules?”

“Yes,” I said. “But how do you know us?”

“I recognized your name on my caller ID. I worked with Ralph for a while, as did my dad. Ralph was a wonderful man. I know you must miss him so much.” We spent a few more minutes—precious minutes—talking about my husband. “If you ever need anything,” she added, “you have my number.”

Yes, I thought as I hung up, and I know Who else has your number, the wrong number that turned out just right.

Thank You for using my mistakes for good.

—LINDA PAULES

 

Home!!!! and A theme park with a difference

 So we are back home and just trying to sort ourselves out. We had an amazing holiday and loved every minute, but it is good to be back home and to have our fur family back safely. We hate leaving them as it always seems such a betrayal.

Today has been a laundry day and a trying to find space to put the not inconsiderable purchases I made! The scrap room is in process of being re-orgainsed but more of that later.

I managed to catch up on a bit of scrapping that I needed to do - I even scrapped on the plane ... which kept me quiet. Mind you it was a good flight home from a sleep point of view as I slept 4 hours, which is unheard of. It was, however, the most turbulent flight we have ever taken - even the cabin crew said it was bumpy.

But on to new scrapping. This was made with a new kit called Crazy 4 cats by Fayette Designs at Pickleberrypop and it is an amazing collection stuffed full of big fames, embellishments, papers, word art and cats! I love it.

 

The photo is of Nij with the CFH when they were just 15 weeks old.

 

 

Thursday 19^th  July

I plan to continue my holiday journal now I am home so if you want to hear more about Florida then keep right on going - there are more entries to come  - but if you just want the usual daily stuff with scrapping feel free to close right now!

Born to shop

There are all sorts of theme parks in Florida. Disney alone has 4 Parks and 2 water parks, then there is Busch, Seaworld, Discovery Cove, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. And then there are the other theme parks – just as much fun but very different. Some people call these malls and stores. Stores like Walmart, Joann and Target. WE call them theme parks. So I guess this day was still a theme park day.

It started in the same gentle – but early – way that we have gotten used to. A leisurely walk to Old Port Royal and a hearty breakfast followed by a sit by the pool and a little swim. We then headed off to find a scrapbook store I had identified called Piktails. We found it fine – I had the correct address and looked up the route on the internet before we left the hotel. I didn’t buy much as it was very expensive. My experience of shopping in America is that the designated scrapbook stores are expensive. This one sure was and what I hated was hardly anything was priced. That always makes me nervous. I picked up a couple of Disney papers and a few Harry Potter and that was it. From there the plan was to go to Waterford Lakes where we had been on a previous trip. It is a beautiful new shopping mall and when we had met Dawn, Paul and Carly on our last trip we had all had a blast there. Well OK, Dawn and I had a blast and the others watched LOL. Anyway, it proved to be an interesting afternoon. Nigel was convinced he knew the way – but he didn’t. Tomtom was NO help as it wouldn’t recognise the road name without the area and it wouldn’t recognise what we thought was the area name. So in the end we navigated to somewhere close and found it from there. But it did lead to some fairly interesting conversations in the car which were a little louder than we were comfortable with at times.

Anyway – find it we did and we headed to Joann. Now Joann I love. To me it is the ultimate store for bargain scrapping. It also seems that whenever I go, wherever the store is, they have a 40% sale on scrapping products. And sure enough they did this time too.

They also had a whole mess of stuff for $1 and some of it was really nice. I mean that is about 70p – WOW

This is my $1 collection.

They were so nice as well as I had a 50% off one item voucher on my I phone and I couldn’t find it and so they gave me a coupon for it anyway.

The only sad thing is that they have such beautiful home ware stuff too but there is no way we could get it home, which is such a shame.

We called in to Petsmart to search for the special mice Kira loves (we bought some on our last trip and she loved them so much and then Fiki destroyed them) but they didn’t have them in stock so we bought them each a small toy to take home and say we were sorry for abandoning them.

Our last stop at Waterford Lakes was TGI Friday. We used to eat at TGI often on our US trips and it is still one of our favourite restaurants but these days, now we have one so close to home where the staff know us and just bring our order without us even having to order it, TGI in the US holds less urgent appeal.

Anyway, we had a lovely meal but whilst we were there the heavens opened and it was another of those monsoon type storms. The rain came down like nothing on earth. I even tried to snap it. It doesn't give the idea of how violent it was and how quickly everywhere flooded.

As it looked like it was going to stay wet for a while we opted for an early night as we planned an early start in the morning so we enjoyed a drink and a chill out in the resort.

 Today I am thankful for

• a safe journey home
• Having our fur family back
• A wonderful holiday to remember forever.

and my page a day calendar

“Oh, look,” my mother said, “I think I see a deer up in the woods.”

My stepfather, Herb, and I looked in the direction she was pointing. The three of us were on a driving tour of Arizona after a memorable visit to the Grand Canyon. On this day, we were braving the steep roads and hairpin turns of the White Mountains.

“Oh, Herb, over there, isn’t that some kind of hawk?” my mother said. “Beyond those trees, could that be a coyote?”

“Gosh, Bebe,” I finally said to my mother, who usually spent extended driving time listening to tapes or reading out loud from the newspaper, “where did this new interest in the great outdoors come from?”

“Well, surely you saw that sign when we started up the mountain,” she answered, still peering out the window. “You know: watch for wild animals.”

I caught Herb’s eye in the rearview mirror from my place in the backseat and giggled.

“I’m sure that was a coyote,” my mother was saying.

Of course, the sign was meant as a warning for drivers, but my mother had turned it into an opportunity. I thought about some of the ways I could do the same.

I might respond to yield by resisting the urge to score a point in every conversation and listening more thoughtfully to the views of others. I could turn drive carefully into a challenge to care for each fellow traveler I came across. SLOW could remind me to take time to enjoy the scenery as I pass through the seasons, and stop might prompt me to put a halt to negative thoughts and useless worries.

Maybe Mother was the only one among us who saw where the sign was really pointing. I didn’t know if I would ever pass through the White Mountains again, so I set my gaze on the deep woods that rimmed the road, watching for wild animals, too.

Father, as I pass through this world of wonder, let me watch for the signs that point me to You.

—PAM KIDD

MGM Studio-tastic

Wednesday 18^th July

It was a Studio-rific Day

Our days have fallen into a lovely pattern of getting up, walking along the lakeside to breakfast and walking back. It I a beautiful early morning stroll. There are hardly any other people about and the views are just terrific. Utterly terrific.

Here are a couple of views from our morning walk.

We then went to the pool for an hour or so which is always relaxing, before heading off to MGM – via Starbucks of course.

MGM is a really nice park to visit as it is quite small and has lots of inside stuff. It is one we always enjoy. We figured that getting there at lunchtime was fine as we knew what we wanted to do and what we didn’t need to do.

First stop was a photo from one of the park photographers who was so kind and offered to take one with our camera as well as taking her own.

We then headed straight to The Great Movie Ride which is always so cute to do and we really love the film at the end. They had updated it a little but had retained all of our old favourite shots.

We then went to see The Little Mermaid which is a show we always enjoy and then headed off to see the animation tour, which they have changed. You get to find out a little about animation but nothing like you used to do. The old tour included and awesome film which we loved. It was narrated by Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite and was really good and the Bambi section always made me cry. It is a real shame it has gone.

We then went and waited for the new Pixar pals parade which was very good, although we were the wrong side of the road to get good photos as we were shooting into the sun. It was one of those times when we say we photographed it with our hearts not our cameras.

 

After the parade we went and watched the Beauty and the Beast show which was brilliant. They stage some amazing live shows and this one is great. We were right on the front row and I managed to get some great photos of it. After the show it was time  for the big one – The Hollywood Tower of Terror. We love this ride to bits and know if we go later in the afternoon it will be quitter and indeed it was. We both think they have added new drops in – but we may be wrong. Whatever, it was still a fab ride.

It was then time for dinner – more free food! It had started to rain and so we ate at Rosie’s All American Café. The food was good and adding in an ice-cream made the chocolate deserts a little less chocolatey! We sat with a family from South Carolina and, as always, we enjoyed chatting to new people we meet in the parks. Those little interludes are something we cherish and always have done when we are on vacation.

It had stopped raining by the time we had finished – it was a very short shower – and so we went to catch Muppet 3D which is just great fun and also spent time in One Man’s Dream. We would have liked to have spent a lot longer there but we knew it was crucial to get the right seats for Fantasmic and knew we had to be there about 8.00.

We had prime seats and sat and waited. It was not so hot as the shower had cooled things down and the weather looked good. Last trip Fantasmic had been rained off both times we tried to see it.

It went ahead fine this time and what an amazing show. We both agree it is now the best night show in Florida. It is a real spectacle across a vast lake stage and there are so many amazing effects. The ending is our absolute favourite. It was a reasonably early night after what had been a great day,

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a fabulous day out
• Great entertainment
• People like Walt Disney who have vision and imagination

and my page a day calendar today

“Mary, are you dressed?” I hardly know why I bother to ask. If I hear the toilet flush, I know I have to go hunt down my two-year-old and put her clothes back on. If she spills a bit of water on her dress, next thing I know she’s taken it off. If she were given a choice (which she isn’t), she’d scamper about nude all day long.

Mary delights in being in her birthday suit, and at her age, my talks about modesty don’t mean a thing. I was halfway through my morning prayers today when Mary streaked by on her way to the kids’ room. I sighed and debated whether to finish my devotions or get up and pursue her. Glancing at my book, I chuckled to see that the reading for the morning began with nothing other than Colossians 3:12–13 (RSV). “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Put on. How many times a day do I tell my daughter to put on something? And how many times do I groan at how much I have to put up with? With a wry grin, I put down my book and walked after my impish daughter. There was no point in being irritated with her: If I’m to put on love, then I must begin with Paul’s long list of smaller things. I can put on Mary’s shirt with a prayer that I may be kinder. I can put on her pants while praying for patience. Every day, I can put on her clothes (and mine) with prayers for compassion and lowliness and meekness. Think how naked my life would be without these virtues. It would be downright indecent!

 Lord Jesus, You clothed me with the robe of salvation; clothe my soul in holiness today.
—JULIA ATTAWAY

Meeting new old friends

Tuesday 17^th July

It seems to have taken a long time to get to Tuesday – but then we have been packing in a serious lot of stuff every day. Before we set off we both committed to making the most of every day. Last time we visited Florida we were tired and so there were many days when we did very little as we just couldn’t be bothered. We promised we wouldn’t do that again – and we certainly stuck to that promise.

Tuesday was always a day we were especially looking forward to and one of our ‘fixed’ days that was already planned. It was the day we were finally going to get to meet Mike, Nigel’s friend – well I can actually say OUR friend – who we had never met other than in cyber world. Nigel and Mike originally met some 5 or 6 years ago through a shared passion for Trainz – computer simulated railways. Nigel has always loved creating and has made some awesome stuff over the years. When I first met him he had a massive and I mean MASSIVE Scalextric set which was about 10 feet by 4 or 5 feet on a huge fixed board which was ALL landscaped with people and buildings and advertising and everything. All of us – the crowd we hung around with – would base at Nigel’s and play championships. We were not teenagers who were in to going out drinking and clubbing – Scalextric tournaments were much more fun.

He also had a terribly intricate stage set for a Status Quo concert he had made. He would make models too – all spray painted and decaled properly and I remember a stunning F1 car (I broke that – a long story and amazingly he forgave me) a steam engine and a Saturn 5 rocket. He also helped extensively with the doll house. Anyway he got into this train simulation program where you create worlds and he is incredibly good at it. He has mapped the route from Poole to Brokenhurst on the computer and it is real – it looks like photos. All the landscaping, buildings, roads etc are perfect. I will post some screen shots one day. Anyway – through the forums for that, he met Mike and they have become firm friends over the years and we were all so excited that we were going to get to meet up.

We had decided that the day would be a shopping day – Oh yes I love to shop and my favourite shopping is here in the USA.

We headed off first to one of our favourite malls at Altimonte Springs. It is a lovely mall and not so touristy as the Florida Mall and not so expensive as the Mall of Millenia.

We spent some time – and money – in Sears and Penny’s and then the went into Barnes and Noble for a frap (oh we plan our days carefully)

As we went to leave there was a terrific storm – and I mean terrific. We couldn’t possible have made it to the car. Even our umbrella, safely nestled in the security of the car, wouldn’t have helped us and the thunder and lightning was incredible. It seemed as if it was directly overhead and I have never heard such loud cracks. It was at once fascinating and compelling but also terrifying for we Brits who, most of the time, do drizzle! The monsoon style rain was unbelievable.

So we headed back to Barnes and Noble so I could sit and surf and Nigel could browse. He bought a map there and then we came to leave and he realised he no longer had his credit card wallet. I don’t know if you have ever experienced that but there is this real sick feeling. Awful. We each have and Amex and a Mastercard but both on the same accounts so if Nij had lost his and we had to cancel them it meant cancelling mine too and no credit card. Nij also has a Visa and that was in the wallet too. Although I have my own Visa on a different account I had not brought it with me.
We felt sick and worried and knew it would be a nightmare. He knew he had it when he paid for the map so we retraced our steps and whe asked a manager if anyone had handed in a wallet. She asked what his name was and when he told her she handed him the wallet. She had picked it up and was about to lock it in the safe. Oh my were we lucky. It could have been anyone picked it up but it was someone nice and we were so grateful.

We dashed to the car as the rain had slowed and headed for our next stop. Someone on an American forum had recommended Hobby Lobby. I had never visited one of these and so was keen to see what it was like.

Mmmm – maybe I should never go back to one again as it was really rather good. They had a range that I was not familiar with, as well as lots of well recognised brands – and it was called Paper Studio. And it was all on 40% and was so cheap anyway. I had a ball.

New scrap stuff and cheap too. Yey

This is the Paper Studio stuff I bought

From there we went to Walmart which Nigel and I view as kind of a theme park. We just love looking round and look round we did. It was great fun.

It was then time to head off to meet Mike at his home. Nigel found his home easily and it was in such a beautiful place. It was really special to go visit a genuine Floridian home in such a beautiful neighbourhood. It was a side of Florida we hadn’t really seen. It was wonderful to meet up with someone we had ‘known’ for a long time and the hours just flew by as we chatted. He showed us his home which was gorgeous (and was so neat too – I feel a dramatic de-clutter coming on at home) and then he took us out in his new car (which was lovely – and why on earth do they not bottle that new car smell as there is nothing else in the world quite like it) to the mall of Millenia as we were dining there at The Cheescake factory. The meal was as fabulous as ever, the cheesecake as delicious as ever and the company wonderful. We asked our waiter to take a photo of the three of us – and amazingly you can still see us over the enormous slices of cheesecake.

When we left we were a little far from the car and the most surreal thing happened. The security guys drive round the malls at night and we asked the way and he told us to hop right on in and he drove us to where Mike’s car was. Can you imagine that every happening in the UK? I think not.

The evening had gone incredibly quickly and before we knew it we were back at Mike’s and it was time for us to go ‘home’ to Trinidad.

Today I am thankful for

• meeting up with friends
• sharing interests with others
• scrapbook shopping

 

and my page a day calendar is

For 12 years, my father had been disabled by a series of strokes and heart attacks, but no matter how bad things got, he always had a positive attitude—even though he couldn’t talk. On my visits to Mom and Dad’s house, he would always grin and wink and give me a cheerful “thumbs-up.”

Dad’s cheerful personality came to mind when I spied a scruffy flat of pansies on sale at a greenhouse. Even though most were wilted, each flower looked like a winking, grinning face. I’d never bought pansies before, but they were a real bargain. I took them home and planted them in my garden, watered them, weeded them, mulched them. Throughout the spring, they thrived.

In July, Dad died. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without him. The family gathered to plan a memorial service at our Quaker Meeting House. Before the service, someone asked my mom what his favorite flower was so it could be a part of the service. “Pansies,” Mom replied.

I didn’t know that! I told my sisters how I’d planted pansies for the first time that spring and how they’d flourished. My sister Wyn laughed.

“I just planted pansies for the first time, too!” she said.

My sister Valerie had tears in her eyes. “Me too,” she said.

We all turned to our youngest sister, Gloria, who shook her head with disbelief. “For the first time, this spring,” she said slowly, “I planted pansies.”

I like to think God was preparing us for the loss of our father with a reminder that our happy memories of him would always be there to comfort us, just like those cheery flowers every spring.

 God, looking back, it’s easy to see how often You prepare us for what’s ahead.
—BRENDA BEADENKOPF

It's NATAZU

Monday 16^th July

We believe in making the most of our time on holiday so no namby pampy lie-ins for us. We were up at 6.00, showered and having breakfast at 7.00. But Oh my what a way to go to breakfast. I guess in most hotels you exit your room onto a plush carpeted corridor and amble down a selection of corridors (in our case always a LOT of corridors as wherever we stay we always seem to be in the room furthest away from wherever we start) and perhaps take the list down to the main lobby floor before a little more meandering brings you to the restaurant.

Well, the Caribbean Beach is slightly different. You exit your room in your village building onto an open walkway and then down one flight of stairs onto the boardwalk. Our walk to breakfast is around the lake and it is just so incredibly photogenic and a beautiful way to start the day. I do have photos of Nij on the walk but they are on my camera and so not accessible from here. I did e mail one to use though - so you get the idea.

Anyway, breakfast done and we headed off to the Animal Kingdom for the day. It is an amazing park. I remember when we first came to Disney World in 1993Nigel said wouldn’t it be amazing if Disney opened a zoo. They must have heard him! It isn’t really a zoo (in fact their early publicity used the slogan NATAZU (not a zoo) ) but a genuine animal park.

The photopass photographer even took a picture with our camera

 

On arrival we headed to Harambe and Kilimanjaro Safaris as the best tip for seeing the animals is to go very early. That way it is cool, new browse for the grazers is out and you have the best shot of seeing more animals. The safari is beautifully done. My only criticism is that they take you in jeeps and warn you it is bumpy. OK I am prepared to concede that it makes it feel more authentic but actually I would like a tad less authenticity and bumping for a smoother ride so I could actually take photos. The cynic in Nigel recons it is a deliberate ploy to stop you.

Anyway, the early start worked as it was a great safari and we did see loads of animals, even if we didn’t capture them all, including the lions which you rarely see.

and this giraffe popped her head right into our safari car

We then did the Pangani Trail  and loved seeing the gorillas

and then off to see the new attraction Everest. We by passed the Kali River rapid rides as we got absolutely soaked on them in a previous visit and didn’t want to repeat it. Everest was amazing. I haven’t done a thrill ride in some time and it was a thrill indeed. It is always more thrilling to do a ride for the furst time as you have no idea what to expect and so it all catches you by surprise. It went forwards, backwards and quite fast in places. A real thrill.

From there we went to the new (well new to us) Finding Nemo live musical show. It was – as all Disney shows are – very very good. The singing was superb and the staging excellent. It was a 40 minute show and very good. The part where they staged the aquarium was especially good. This shot doesn't really do it justice, There were people working all the fish on stage and so it gives you an idea of the scale of it. Very effective

 We then went to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the tigers and Nigel had a little chat with one of them as is his way. It is amazing when you see hime do that. He stares at the cat -w hatever size cat - and tey see him and then they make eye contact for ages. The cat looks right into him and it is like they are looking into each other's souls. I can't really describe it but I have seen him do it so many times and it never fails to amaze me. I am probably not describing it well. You have to see it and feel it really.

 

From there we did the Flights of Wonder show – another super show with some gorgeous birds. The guy playing the stooge tour guide guy was absolutely superb. Some of these Disney performers are incredible.

We then headed off to the Festival of the Lion King which is exactly that – a real festival of music, dance, acrobatics and visually superb. The monkey acrobats were simply stunning and the staging is magnificent. It is a wonderful theatre and air conditioned too which is great on a hot day.

 From there it was a quick trip to It’s a Bug’s Life and then back onto the sidewalk.

Our final stop was the Mickey Jammin’ Jungle Parade which looked like it might not happen as the thick black clouds heralding an afternoon storm had rolled in.

 

We did get to see the parade, which was great, and then made it back to the car just as the first big fat drops were falling. And Oh My Goodness. It was the worst storm we have ever been in. It was real monsoon rain and we were, by then, on the road and poor Nigel has no option but to crawl along, pretty terrified, at 20 mph. I would have had to have stopped as I would have been terrified. We were headed to Starbucks – of course – and I was so desperate for it that I ran the storm into the store and back and yes, I was drenched, but I NEEDED that frap,

After dinner back at the resort – more free food – we headed off to EPCOT to see Reflections of Earth. We started with Spaceship Earth as there is never a line late in the evening and I was horrified. They have changed it after years. They have messed with one of my all time favourite rides. As we came off Nij said, ‘Wow that was great to see it updated like that’ and then he looked at my face and realised I was NOT Impressed! Yes it was good and yes the old ride was dated – but it was a classic!

As we left my ankle gave out again. I have been having trouble all week and no idea why. It made walking almost impossible so we hobbled over to The Land and sat and watched The Circle of Life film. It is one of our all time favourite attractions anywhere and I think a law should be passed making every child watch it once a year in school. Maybe if everyone world wide did we would get out of the hideous environmental mess we are in. Or at least make it no worse.

We then went and watched Reflections of earth, always an amazing show, before returning, limping and exhausted, home to bed.

 

Today I am thankful for

• the fabulous diverse natural world we all share
• the ethical side of Disney
• Nigel helping poor limping old me

and my photo of the day

 

And I guess there ought to be a scrap page somewhere here

This isn't new but seemed appropriate LOL

and finally my page a day calendar page

The letter came on the stationery of a pottery barn in Vermont. “You probably won’t remember me,” the woman wrote, “but I want to thank you for your part in launching this business.”

I read on in bewilderment. A pottery business in Vermont? We’d met, the letter continued, at the Mohonk Mountain House some years ago. I remembered the occasion very well—a Wildflower Weekend at a nature preserve in upstate New York. But there had been 80 or more flower enthusiasts taking part, and I didn’t, in fact, recall this particular lady.

She, however, remembered a remark of mine on one of the guided walks. The leader had pointed out a cluster of bluets at the edge of the woods that, unlike their vigorous cousins carpeting the meadow, were stunted and colorless. “They just got started in the wrong place,” he said. And I, apparently, had commented, “It’s a good thing people can pick up and move.”

“Your words were like a shaft of light in a dark place,” the woman wrote. Miserable in a desk job in the city, she’d eventually sold her condo, moved to Vermont, and turned her ceramics hobby into a full-time business.

All this, I wondered, from a throwaway remark I can’t remember making? But, of course, mine was just a tiny piece in a design only God saw whole. The plan for her life was His, that shaft of light on her path, His words to her alone. The significance of my comment was beyond my knowing. What I do know, what this letter tells me, is that the role each of us is given to play in the lives around us is greater than we dream.

 Remind me during the year ahead, Father, that You can reach out to Your children through anyone at all … even me.
—ELIZABETH SHERRILL

 

The Magic Kingdom

Sunday 15^th July – Magic Kingdom

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful and we were up early. We walked down to Old Port Royal – the centre of the Caribbean Beach Resort – for breakfast. Now at this point I must digress and explain our food situation here in Florida. We booked our accommodation and park tickets direct with Disney and I really would recommend it. It was a really good deal but we had no idea how good a deal until we arrived.

We bought the length of stay ultimate pass which allows us access for all days we are here to all of the parks and water parks. We can park hop and – if we wanted to – we could go to all 4 parks on the same day. We paid £236 each for these tickets which represented good value just for the tickets. (Universal tickets – for example – are terrible value)

To buy the tickets at the parks would cost a lot more (when I visit later I will look on the boards) but they came with so much more. It had with it the Disney Quick Service dining package which sounded OK and as it was free we figured even if we didn’t use it it wouldn’t matter.

How wrong were we! Let me explain a typical day’s dining options for two philistines like us. We have breakfast in Disney- each of us having a full breakfast and tea and juice – total price (they ring it through as normal at the till) is approximately $27. We then use our snack allocation during the day. We each have 2 snacks per day so for example you can have an ice cream, a bowl of fruit, a bottle of water, a chocolate milk, a pastry, a cookie etc etc average cost $2.50 each snack. You then also have another meal each which is something like a Caesar salad, a burger and fries, a turkey club etc plus a drink plus a dessert and the average spend for two is approx. $30. So in a typical day we would have $65 in food and snack. Based even on 10 days, and we have longer than that, it is $650 in food – based on current conversion rates that is £420. Now we only paid £472 for our park passes etc.

How the heck can they make any money on that at all.

We could (we aren’t as we are not using our allocation every day) eat £420 worth of food and so only have paid £52 for the park passes for 2. Unbelievable! And it is not like it is a freebie that is no use. You have to eat. We’d have to buy food anyway. So WOW!

Anyway I have digressed enough.

After a breakfast at Port Royal we headed to the pool for a couple of hours and we were the only people there for the first hour and a half, apart from the pool guy who we spent a very pleasant half an hour talking to.  After a shower we were off to the Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom is the park that is the hardest to get to in that there is not a direct route unless you use Disney Transport. Walt Disney knew that Disneyland was not much of a hidden surprise. It was in a built up area and there was no ‘mystery’ or ‘magic’ in getting there. So when Disney World was conceived he wanted the journey there to be magical. So you arrive in a car park – a huge carpark – at the TTC (The Ticket and Transportation Centre) You can see no hint of the Magic Kingdom. You then either board the boat (a huge paddle steamer type boat) or the monorail and continue your journey. It really does heighten the anticipation the first time you go. However, after that, it is tedious and you just want to get there simply. So from the resort you hop on the free bus and go directly there. Voila!

In some ways the Magic Kingdom is the hardest park as it is very geared up for children as well as having thrill rides. The lines are often huge and it is a big park with lots to do. However, having been so many times we are now very selective. We know what we like, we know what to do and we do it quite quickly.

We were staggered by how quiet the park was along main street – we had expected it to be bombed. It is the first time we have been to Florida in July rather than August and we were worried for a couple of reasons. Firstly we feared the weather would be less good in July and secondly we thought it would be really busy as the American schools were out where as in August they had returned to school. So far neither worry has been founded.

 

There was even time to join a barber shop quartet

 

We enjoyed an amble up Main Street

 and then there was a surprise parade we had not been expecting. Bonus. Especially as the main parade at 3 was rained off – but more on that later. We watched the parade (and there was no wait and plenty of gaps on the sidewalk) and then took lots of photos as the castle looked lovely.

 

 

The two of us together are poor as they are just previews of some of the photo pass pictures we have had taken.

This one is the photo of the day

So we did many of our favourite things such as Carousel of Progress and It's a small world and a few new things like Monster's Inc Laugh in floor and Mickey's Philharmonic -w hich was an awesome 3D film which was so clear.

We also did Prates of the Caribbean which has been updated and was really good. The models of Johnny Depp were awesome.

However there was a very heavy rain storm just after 2.00 and it lasted a LONG time and so as lines were long we decided to bail and went back to Port Royal, had dinner and an early relaxed evening int he room - possibly the only one we will have all holiday. We will return for Magic Kingdom Part Tweo another day.

Arrival in the world

 So on with the account of our vacation – which we are loving. And this post is still about the first day. Well - it was a busy old day.

After visiting Panther Ridge we headed down the Florida Turnpike all the way to Disney. It was a longish drive and not the most scenic either, but then Florida is very flat and so there is a limit in what you can see from an expressway. And the road was a means to an end and very empty. Unlike travelling on an English motorway there were no endless traffic jams thwarting our journey.

We arrived at Walt Disney World around 4 pm.

They say it is the place where magic happens and, big kids we are, it does for us. There is something instantly magical about driving through one of the entrances into ‘The World’ and feeling you are somewhere special. I think it is also about seeing the most famous corporate image of them all – the mouse. I am strangely drawn to Mickey and I think a lot is to do with the red and black colour scheme to be honest.

It is also so special to see the road signs in Disney (or Cadbury in Nigel’s view) purple.

If you haven’t ever visited you might be surprised at the sheer size of it. When Disney built the original park in California – Disneyland – it was in amongst the orange groves and space was very limited. Today the park sits in a very built up area and you see the high elements from a fair distance away. Disney learnt from that and the Florida site is huge.  The resort covers an area of 30,080 acres and includes four theme parks 2 water parks, a designated shopping and entertainment area,  23 on-site themed resort hotels (excluding eight more that are on-site, but not owned by the Walt Disney Company), a campground, two spas and physical fitness centers, five golf courses, and other recreational venues and entertainment. It is vast – the size a big city – and so much of it is not even built on yet. There are wide open spaces, lakes and greenery everywhere. 

I found these fun facts which are kind of cool.

 

 It's Not a Small World, After All . . . Covering 40 square miles, Walt Disney World Resort is about the size of San Francisco or two Manhattan islands. Of the more than 25,000 acres, less than 35 percent has been developed with a quarter designated as a wilderness preserve.

A Cast of Thousands . . . around 62,000 to be more precise. That’s how many people it takes to create the magic at the Vacation Kingdom. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World Resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States.

What the Well-Dressed Mouse Will Be Wearing . . . depends entirely on the occasion. Mickey Mouse himself has more than 290 different sets of duds, ranging from a scuba suit to a tuxedo. Minnie Mouse’s wardrobe contains more than 200 outfits, including everything from a cheerleader ensemble to evening gowns.

Suds ‘R Us . . . If you were to wash and dry one load of laundry every day for 52 years, you’d clean as much as the folks at Walt Disney World Laundry do in a single day. The cast members there launder an average of 285,000 pounds each day. In addition, between 30,000 and 32,000 garments are dry-cleaned daily. On one of our tours we did the backstage tour (and I would recommend it to anyone – it was 7 hours of utter joy) we went to the casting centre at Epcot where the cast members (anyone who works in Disney) get their costumes every day. It was massive and such a feat or organisation.

Smile! . . . With millions of visitors annually, it’s no wonder the Disney parks are among the most photographed places in the United States. On any given day, Disney’s PhotoPass photographers take between 100,000 and 200,000 photos of guests at Walt Disney World Resort. The PhotoPass service allows guests to view, share and order their Disney photos online and create Disney products such as PhotoBooks and mugs. And yes – we have a photopass card and already have about 20 photos on there.

Gone But Not Forgotten . . . Walt Disney World Lost and Found is one busy place. Every day an average of 210 pairs of sunglasses are turned in and, since 1971, an estimated 1.65 million pairs of glasses have found their way into the “lost” bin. On an annual basis, Lost and Found cast members collect more than 6,000 cell phones, 3,500 digital cameras, 18,000 hats and 7,500 autograph books. Nigel lost his glasses on a trip years ago and we went to Lost and Found and sure enough – there they were.

Busman’s Holiday . . . More than 270 Walt Disney World buses transport guests around the Vacation Kingdom, making the Walt Disney World fleet the third largest in Florida behind Miami and Jacksonville.

Here’s Looking (Down) At You . . . From the air, Walt Disney World Resort boasts a number of “heady” sights. For instance, the unique “Mouse Trap” on the 6th hole at the Magnolia golf course that looks like a famous corporate symbol. Over at Disney’s Osprey Ridge Golf Club, Mickey’s profile greets golfers on the large practice green. The famous mouse is the model for the courtyard and area in front of the Chinese Theatre at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Anyway – we arrived.

We went to the Custom House to check in and as you arrive you are greeted by lots of staff all saying ‘welcome to the Islands’. I will post another day about the Caribbean Beach Resort, but surfice to say – we LOVE it. This is our 7^th visit here.

This picture may well show you why. It's the view from the bottom of the staircase from our room. Beautiful isn't it.

Our often used room was not available as they have a big sports festival on at the moment in Disney and Aruba was being used by sports teams so we were allocated Trinidad North. There was a slight hiccup when the room had the wrong bed allocation, but we were quickly switched and have a lovely room which already feels home from home.

Once we had unpacked we headed out to pick up supplies from Goodings the grocery store and then had dinner at The Olive Garden which we had really been looking forward to. I guess when you really look forward to something it can disappoint and sadly this did. We won’t be going again I guess.

So ends our first jam packed day in America.

In true ‘us’ style it involved lots of different things, a fair amount of travel and a lot of photos. From the art deco district in Miami to the wonder of Disney with the big cats thrown in for good measure. A great start to the holiday.  

Today I am thankful for

• the wonder that is Disney and the good fortune we have to be able to visit. We are truly thankful
• Having my own home from home. I am a cancerian and need to have my 'shell' all set up.

 And because there ought to be some scrapping here - right - this is a page I made a while ago about the magic

And my page a day calendar page

I have a keen interest in unusual street names. In fact, I’m on the lookout for street signs whenever my husband, Wayne, and I get in the car.

One of my favorites is Baby Doll Road, which isn’t far from where we live. There’s a road called Noisy Hole in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and another named Succabone in Bedford Hills, New York. One that made me sit up and take notice was Hell for Certain Road in Hyden, Kentucky. I can’t say what kind of people live there, but the name obviously got my attention.

Just recently in our own hometown of Port Orchard, Washington, Wayne and I drove past a street sign that I’d never noticed before. It was on a road I normally travel two or three times a week, yet not once had this sign caught my attention: EASY STREET.

“Quick,” I told Wayne, pointing to the sign, “take a right.”

He cast me a befuddled look. “Whatever for?”

“I want to see the houses of the people who live on Easy Street.” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. I wasn’t really surprised to find that the homes looked very much like those in other neighborhoods close by. But as we wound our way down Easy Street, Wayne and I made a startling discovery: It was a dead end.

 Lord, sometimes I’m guilty of wanting to live on Easy Street. Thank You for leading me down the path that leads to You.
—DEBBIE MACOMBER