5th Jan - We decided to have a relaxed day before the onslaught of the Disney madness and so stayed and pottered around the villa.Unfortunately the promised better weather did not really come and although it was a lot warmer than it has been the last few days it was still cloudy and there were even some spits of rain when we got up.Kirsty updated the blog and then made use of the free international calls we have from the villa by ringing her parents and sisters i...

28th - We headed further up the West coast of Florida to St Pete's Beach.Kirsty has been here before with her parents and so remembered that it was a pretty place with lovely white beaches and perhaps even somewhere to fish!! We arrived mid afternoon and, for only the second time since our arrival in America, we had trouble finding a hotel.We have lots of coupon brochures which offer large discounts on many chain hotels which have proved invaluable in the past wh...

23rd - We went with AC and UJ to the Everglades and to a place called Shark Valley (Ralph and I have not yet worked out why its called this as there are no sharks there!).We had the option of a trolley ride to and from the observation tower which overlooks a large part of the Everglades, or hiring bicycles.We were brave and went for the bicycle option, not actually realising how far 14 miles is on a bike until we had reached the observation tower after 7 miles of...

17th Dec - This was basically a beach day. Part of Naples is a bit like Orlando with its palm tree-lined broad boulevards and small shopping malls everywhere, but the historic Naples beach area is completely different. They have clearly tried to give it a Neapolitan aura to match its name, as the architecture in Old Naples is Renaissance inspired and the shopping there is much more chic. The properties are also very large and expensive, especially on the beach wh...

12th Dec - After a really long (and greatly enjoyed) sleep we took advantage of the cheap shopping in Florida and headed to the Premium Outlet Mall. A day of shopping has never really been my ideal way of spending a day but I thought I would have mellowed in the wake of our enlightening and soul searching trip - no. I was as moody and sulky as ever as we trudged from one designer shop to the other, being asked 'what do you think of these shoes?' or 'does this top...