Happy Christmas one and all, and Greetings from North Miami. I hope you are having a great day. It's cloudy and windy here in Miami but I'm outside taking advantage of actually being able to sit out, although it's cardigan weather. I had breakfast in the club lounge - cranberry juice, bagel and cream cheese, melon and a cup of coffee. I'm all packed up. I came with a carry-on size wheelie ruck sack and two pieces of hand-luggage, plus my warm layers (of jacket...

Today is Christmas Eve. Yey! Rudie's happy we've moved hotel. So am I. It's nice to have a change of scene. I'm close to the airport but what a hotel. It's right by a creek, blue lagoon and golf course. Yesterday I saw a huge iguana and a couple of smaller ones. I've already seen one today and I could see alligators swimming in the creek. Apparently they occasionally see manatee (which I'd love to see) and very occasionally dolphin have visited. That would be a g...

Trying not to get bashful whilst posing in the bar. Rudie that is, not me! As has become my tradition I'm trialling the mojito... it's the Miami cocktail of choice after all. The bartender here at the Sheraton MIA has passed the test. Just the right amount of sugar, mint and lime. I've spent the day worshipping the sun. Up from 3 hours to 5 hours today. It was absolutely beautiful. So beautiful I took a dip to cool off. I pretty much had the pool area to myself...

While waiting for the sunshine to break through I had a morning of travel admin. I then walked down Lincoln Road to the ocean and along the boardwalk, stopping for a glass of water and a pralines & cream at Haagen Daas on Ocean Drive. I'm now headed towards a classic American Diner called 11th Street Diner. It's the real deal, a metal trailer/carriage. A while later... I'm sat at the bar area as per the movies, listening to rock n roll, while supping a root ...

The weather's been up and down here in Miami, but either way it's a lot warmer than elsewhere. I've been on a few adventures in the last few days. I can't sit still for too long, so I have taken myself off on various bus rides to different beaches, malls and areas. After having fun creating my Christmas card photo http://goo.gl/2liJ8E, I caught the 120 bus North to Haulover Beach Park & Marina. I spent two hours on the ocean-side of the causeway sitting on...