3 days and counting...
Our final preparations went surprisingly well over the bank holiday. We now have a roof over our heads for the entire trip, somewhere to park the car whilst we're off swanning and even travel insurance in case Mr Fiennes get eaten by an alligator.
Hang on, scrap that last bit - let's face it, if anyone's going to get eaten by a gator, it's gonna be me. My body's affinity to water almost makes it a foregone conclusion!
I'm happy to also report that my holiday sandals have now been purchased so you can all sleep again at night.
Mr Fiennes' research, or what is now known as 'The Great Work', is also progressing nicely. The scraps of paper filling up the coffee table now concentrate on Ding Darling, Corkscrew Swamp and Curry Hammock. And before you ask, no, I haven't a clue either and have found it's usually better not to ask!
After the luxury of the villa, we're downgrading our accommodations for the last 3 nights. Straight after the villa, we'll be staying 2 nights at an illustrious Travelodge in Florida City, the gateway to the Everglades. Unlike the UK versions of the hotel chain, however, this one comes with a swimming pool and an 'extended deluxe breakfast' so it can't be all bad!

http://mobile.usablenet.com/mt/www.travelodge.com/Travelodge/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=08844

Our last night will be spent in the midst of the Florida Keys at the Bonefish Resort in Marathon. Apparently, you can birdwatch from their waterfront cabana - now that's my kind of birdwatching, particularly if there's a possibility of a cocktail involved!

http://www.bonefishresort.com/index.html

I feel I should mention at this point in proceedings, that Mr Fiennes' Edinburgh marathon campaign will be continuing whilst we're away - at least that's his plan. Considering he's due to run 26 odd miles, a mere 10 days after our return, he'd better lay off the pancakes and Amish pies!
In keeping with my aforementioned fondness for food, I also enjoy occasionally pottering around supermarkets on holiday. I'm not talking about doing the weekly shop but instead hunting for all the good/weird stuff we don't get back home. Like green melon bread in Japan for example. A friend has a great spice mix called 'butt rub' sent over from the states so I'll definitely be hunting for that one! Any request, do please let me know...
All things being equal, we should have wifi access throughout the trip so in theory, I should be able to actually post my blog whilst on holiday - a first I know! And I know I said something similar about India so I'm still not promising anything! If it all works ticketty-boo, I'll post the odd tweet here and there too so follow me on @Leeloo73 if you fancy it.
See you later alligator!Lx