Macswayround Blog - Friday, 19 December 2008

Time in Philadelphia and Washington DC....................

Hello!

As Nessie was taking about 9 days to cross the pond and reach us here in the USA – we had a bit of extra time to go and explore some more – so we rented another car and we were off! We even had a few extra days as Nessie was due to land just the day after Thanksgiving and everybody would be away from their work on their holidays for the next few days after that - so Nessie would be stranded in the docks, until we could get her released from customs!!

We drove over to New Jersey.....following Phil’s first driving experience in the US for a number of years. Somehow we found ourselves driving right through Downtown Manhattan in the middle of the Friday rush hour, for a first drive! Not quite sure how this happened but it seems to be our luck! After a very nerve-racking journey Phil now believes he can tackle whatever is thrown at him in any city! So next he decided to see what it was like to drive through Manhattan on a Saturday! Equally as nail biting for his passengers! Again everyone else seems to know where they are going and many seem to use their horns for communication (we were even told that the horn played an important part in stress therapy!!) Phil’s motto was ‘if you can’t beat ‘em – join ‘em!!’

When we arrived in New Jersey we had many forms to complete for the US Customs. We had a great company helping us and that was a God send! (thank -you to Brandi at Transglobal Auto Logistics. Inc).We also bought a US GPS System (as our US maps did not wish to work here!) and that has already been worth its weight in GOLD!!

We continued to stay in hotels along our way which was all very good but a world away from the independence that we are accustomed to living in our Nessie – and we all know which one we prefer!!

We took a trip to Philadelphia and visited the city on Thanksgiving Day. This is a celebration of the harvest and is a general display of gratitude which is celebrated Primarily in Canada and the USA. The celebration occurs on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA. From our point of view this was great timing to visit this city as it was very quiet from lunch time onwards. Many people were enjoying a thanksgiving dinner, as a gathering of family and friends at this time – very similar to that of a Christmas Day meal.

We enjoyed the walk along the Mall (once again a mass of flags for Ben to enjoy!). Phil was delighted to find the infamous Museum of Arts at the end of this Mall – and the memories of all the Rocky films he still continues to enjoy! It was even better to discover that the statue that was used in the films was actually there! The children ran a few miles up and down these famous steps – many times- and were kindly given some pom poms for a Happy Thanksgiving Day.

We had a fascinating look around some of the other city buildings – with many glass -sided skyscrapers in very unusual designs. We were put well into the Christmas Spirit (no not by whisky!) but through a visit to the Comcast centre. Thanksgiving Day saw the unveiling of their holiday spectacular which runs through to News Years Day. It is made up of a light show that is displayed on enormous screens and the dream- like magic of Christmas comes alive all around you!

In the evening it was very difficult to find any place that was open for food -however we found an Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant and tried some of their soup for the first time (which was served with a variety of meat, noodles and bean shoots). It was actually very tasty – we all tucked in and it added to our list of tried and tasted foods! The children enjoyed using the chopsticks too!

A happy ending to our Philadelphia experience!

Next we moved to the Capital City of the USA – Washington DC. We were amazed by the number of old and important buildings that this city has! We walked along the Pennsylvania Avenue to see the US Capitol Building - which was just being prepared for Christmas and the inauguration ceremony for the President Elect, which will take place early in the New Year.

We saw the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Senate Office Buildings – all very famous buildings.

It was a very long but extremely worthwhile walk along the National Mall and through the Constitution Gardens to see – firstly - The Washington Monument. This was built in honour of George Washington, who led the country to independence and then became its first President. It is shaped like an Egyptian obelisk and stands 555 ‘, 5 and 1/8” tall. It offers a view in excess of 30 miles. Work was begun in 1848 and took place in two major building phases – being 1848-56 and 1876-84. The pause in works can be seen by the difference in the colour of the stone at the 152’ mark.

Next we visited the World War Two Memorial which honours the 16 million who served in the US Armed Forces, the 400,000 who died and also all who supported the efforts from home. This memorial is relatively new as it was only opened to the public in 2004.

Next there is a Reflecting Pool that is rectangular in shape and 618 metres long by 51 metres wide. It is spectacular as it reflects both the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

At the end of the National Mall stands the powerful memorial to the 16^th President of the United States- Abraham Lincoln. He was successful in leading the country through the American Civil War, saving the union and putting an end to slavery. The building is constructed in the form of a Greek Doric Temple and has, in the centre a large seated sculpture of Lincoln, made of Georgian Marble. Inside there are inscriptions of two well known speeches made by Lincoln and above his sculpture are the words “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” This president remains a symbol of freedom and the memorial promotes inspiration and hope for the USA and its people.

In this area there were also memorials for the Vietnam Veterans and the Korean War Veterans.

We joined the many hundreds of others in visiting these memorials on that day and as the sun was setting - the stunning views were revealed across the reflecting pool. We took a cab and the metro back to the hotel and then found ourselves reflecting back on the historic moments that have become ever more significant to us since our visit to Washington DC.

Next we made our way back to New Jersey and on Wednesday 3^rd December we collected Nessie as she was released from the US Customs! We had a lovely re-union and only wish we could hear the tales she has to tell about her trip over the ocean!! We stocked back up with gas cylinders, water and diesel and we felt ‘at home again!!’ We were very pleasantly surprised by the cost of fuel here! Our best price to date is £1.53 per gallon (or 2.38 US Dollars!) Nessie’s journey continues!!

FACT-OIDS-

· Upon completion in 1884, The Washington Monument became the world’s tallest structure (taking the title from the Cologne Cathedral in Germany). The monument held its title until 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was completed in France.

· The Washington Monument is made of marble, granite and sandstone and remains the world’s tallest stone structure.

· In 1963 the ‘March on Washington for jobs and freedom’ used the Constitution Gardens (Lincoln Memorial area) for its Civil Rights Rally and it was here that Martin Luther King made his famous “I have a dream” speech. The speech was delivered to a quarter of a million people standing all around (and also in) the Reflecting Pool.

· The Statue of Lincoln (inside the Memorial) is 19 feet high and weighs 175 tons.

· Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just as the Civil War was virtually over (in 1865) and his was the first presidential assassination in US history.

Friday, 19 December 2008 05:25:46 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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New York in Pictures...........

"We made it to New York!

Night Night!"

The Trumps Tower. The United Nations.

Crocodile Dundee ring a bell?! "Its a Long way up there!"

The busy streets of New York. The Rockefeller iceskating experience!

St.Patricks Cathedral. The Steaming experience!

Part of the Manhattan Skyline. The Rockefeller Centre.

This Is TIME SQUARE! The Naked Cowboy!

This is TIME SQUARE! The Sweetie Shop in Time Square!

More of the amazing views............. "Can you spot the yellow cabs!?"

Spectacular views............ "Its a very long way down there!"

We leave Manhattan to visit Liberty Not quite as tall this time!

Island.

"I'm not tall enough today either! We were there!!

The Statue of Liberty Herself! Getting into the festive spirit!

This is China Town!! The Manhattan Skyline at Dusk

Friday, 05 December 2008 20:17:43 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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THIS IS NEW YORK CITY!!

OK – time for more about our “New York Experience”–just not sure where to begin - In the words of Jemma and Ben –“WOW! “

The sights, the power and the energy that is endlessly being generated throughout this city- were like nothing we have experienced before! “The city that never sleeps.” .....has never been so true....and the speed and dynamics of this city –we can only compare to a whirlwind! Every-one seems to be going about their business at a high pace –but unlike us, they seem to know where they are going!

Time Square was an amazing experience - a host of bright lights, music, illuminated TV screens and home to countless shops, stores, Broadway Theatres, the Arts and more........the illuminated screens and signs are aptly known as ‘Spectaculars’ with the largest of these sporting the title of ‘Jumbotrons’. Time Square is home to the World’s Largest Toy-store - which advertises itself as being at the “Heart of Times Square and the Crossroads of the world”. The store has a life sized animatronics T.Rex to greet you at the entrance and houses a 60 foot tall indoor operational Ferris wheel and also a two story life- sized Barbie House!

We saw the Naked Cowboy – now famous for his presence in Times Square –who has been entertaining the crowds for approximately 10 years. He has nothing more than a cowboy hat, briefs and a guitar to strum and sing along to! A sight to be seen indeed - and apparently he can be seen out in all weather’s – summer and winter alike!

We caught a glimpse of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange and got as close as you are able to get to it –as it now has permanent road blockades for extra security.

The Rockefeller Centre is named after the multi-millionaire – John. D. Rockefeller and includes 19 commercial building spanning some 19 acres. The enormous Christmas tree was just being decorated when we were there and was above a magical ice skating rink that Jemma found just too tempting! It reminded us all of a winter wonderland.

The Trumps Tower was exquisite and enormous too and lays claim to being the tallest residential building. Many famous names own luxury apartments here.

We took the trek up to the top of the very famous Empire State Building – and spent a while feeling on top of the world! What a feeling to be looking down over everything else! We were able to have a quick lesson on distances and perspective –as Ben had previously disbelieved us about this being taller than some of the other sky scrapers that we saw that were closer to us at the time!. When we were at the top (well as high as we were allowed at floor 86!) and out in the open –air Observatory, we could all see that this was the highest building! Today it remains one of the tallest buildings in the world with the very top of its art deco rising to 448.7 metres into the air! The 86^th floor was 320 metres high which was plenty high enough –thank-you! And Ben (again!) was even trying to climb higher still when he was on the outside deck – we are not quite sure why?!

We visited the United Nations Centre where they have a model of an enormous 6 Shooter Pistol with a knot tied in the end -as a symbol of peace. There are 192 countries who are members of the United Nations and their flags are all displayed in alphabetical order around the outside of the buildings.

We just had to take a stroll down Fifth Avenue and we took a look inside a famous sweetie shop while we were there! This street is said to be the most expensive street to shop in – in the world!!

Our ferry crossing out to Liberty Island was an adventure. We saw Ellis Island where some 12 million people came into the USA during the years between 1892 and 1954. The first views of the Statue of Liberty (for real!) in the distance- were overwhelming! The sheer size of the statue up close showed us how much power and significance she has, as the torch is held so high. The Statue is made from copper and has turned the green colour that we see today through the process of oxidisation.

We were very fortunate to meet John, the managing director of Topaz Tours (for sightseeing tours of New York City) -as his wealth of knowledge and experience within New York City seemed second to none! He was very entertaining as he shared many facts and figures and we would highly recommend enhancing your trip by joining in on one of the various tours that his company has to offer!

Although the speed of this city made us all dizzy as it was a world away from what is familiar to us- there was definitely a magical appeal and you couldn’t help but look some more and soak in every moment of the time. Each time we passed through the city, driving right through Manhattan, China Town and around the outskirts –the views seemed magnetic and time stood still as we were lost in the immensity of the Manhattan Skyline..............What an AWESOME experience!!

FACT-IODS!

*The Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre is now decorated with approximately 300,000 lights!

* New York City has an overall population of approximately 9.7 million people.

* The Brooklyn Borough of New York has a population of approximately 4 million people.

* The Queens Borough of New York has a population of approximately 2.5 million people.

* The Staten Island Borough of New York has a population of approximately 0.5 million people.

* The Manhattan Borough of New York has a population of approximately 1.6 million people.

* The Bronx Borough of New York has a population of approximately 1.1 million people.

* The oldest building in New York City was built in 1790.

*For 8 out of the last 9 years – New York has been named as the safest BIG CITY (with a population of over 1 Million!).

* During the time between 1892 and 1954 – some 12 million immigrants came into the USA through Ellis Island. Today the Island is a memorial to all who have made the nation their adopted home.

* New York City is home to the Largest Shopping Store in the world! – Macy’s has 9 floors of shopping heaven!

* New York has a larger Jewish population than Israel (We are led to believe).

*New York has more Irish residents than Dublin does (We are led to believe)

* The Empire State Building was completed in an amazing one year and 45 days!

* The Empire State Building has 102 floors (with public access up to floor 86!)

* The Empire State Building is arguably the most famous structure built by modern man and has dominated the New York City Skyline since 1931.

* The silhouette of the Empire State lit up by night can be seen from a distance of 80 miles all around it and during special celebrations it can be seen beaming coloured combinations of lights from the top 30 floors (with different colours depending on the occasion).

* The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the USA from France. It was assembled on Bedloe’s Island (one of the Island’s previous names) in 1886 and was declared a National Monument in 1924. The Island’s name changed again in 1956 from Bedloe’s to Liberty Island as we know today.

* We saw Ground Zero and all of the tributes to the fallen. Works have begun at the site for a new tower - called The Freedom Tower. This will stand some 426 feet taller than the Empire State building does today and it is thought will become the tallest building in the world (at a significant total for US independence being 1776 feet high).

*The USA declared its freedom and independence from England on July 4^th 1776.

* There are approximately 13,000 yellow cabs in New York City!!

*Thats all for now folks - as this list could easily go on forever!! Once again thankyou for your time. Pics to follow soon!

Wednesday, 03 December 2008 04:09:05 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Heathrow to New York City!

MACSWAYROUND - DID continue and after a very comfortable and enjoyable stay in Lee- on- the –Solent, and after visiting The Spinnaker Tower for a view over Portsmouth (with a glass floor to walk across if you are brave enough!) –we packed up our bags and were taken to Heathrow airport. Thank-you once more, to Don, for his time and to both Don and Sandy for their kindliness and patience!

At Heathrow airport we were shown how to operate the E-Ticket machine as it has been a while since we have flown anywhere! This was excellent to save on the long “check in” queue. We had been given good advice to book a hotel to make sure we had a US address, as we would need to fill in the visa waiver forms on the plane-however we had no proof about the exact date we would be exiting the USA. It is no longer acceptable to just say that we will be leaving within the 3 month allowable time –we must be able to prove this and luckily a helpful assistant made us aware of this before we came to check in. It was lucky that we arrived at the airport in such good time, as it meant that to be allowed to catch our flight –we had 1 hour to book our tickets for when we move on from the USA!! Another lesson learnt along our way! We had to pay over the top for our tickets but our choices were limited if we were to catch our flight (and we now know that we will be flying from Los Angeles to Brisbane on February 3^rd 2009!!)

The flight to JFK in New York took approximately 8 hours with Virgin Atlantic and the time flew by surprisingly quickly! We were very well looked after with drinks, a main meal and snacks and the children were quite happy with their own personal TV screen built -in and free choice of viewing! (another new feature since we last flew!). It was a long flight for a first flying experience but they both loved the take off and view from high above the clouds!

We were able to see the Manhatten Skyline from our hotel-and have been continually amazed as we discover more of New York City! We have enjoyed listening to the ever famous and traditional words of the locals – “THIS IS NEW YORK CITY!”

More Photos and blog will follow shortly - thanks for your interest..............

Saturday, 29 November 2008 01:28:39 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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A Lisbon catch up and a couple of extra pics along the way........

We were in Lisbon!! Over the Roof Tops of Lisbon!

A sneeky look down a side street! The Electronic Buggy we used to

Sight See around Lisbon.

A Traditional View......... More Great Architecture. Sight Seeing in Lisbon-Praca do Comercio.

Phil's Close Shave experience...... Bye Bye Nessie - see you in USA !! Autumn colours in Spain.

Uncle Don & Aunty Sandy's house will

never be the same again!!

Sunday, 16 November 2008 13:13:07 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Portugal times come to an end for now and Macswayround moves on................

We had an enjoyable (if only a little wet!) day in Lisbon – and had great fun exploring the sights in an automatic buggy! Phil’s new toy had a top speed of 25 miles per hour which was ample around the streets and we think that they are still a relatively new addition to the city-as we got a lot of strange and bemused looks along the way!

The buggy came kitted out with a satellite navigation system and a verbal guided tour system for the specific route that we chose and we could access ‘pedestrian only’ areas if we waited for the post in the centre of the road to lower itself out of our way!

We took the very narrow, cobbled and windy backstreets of the ‘old Lisbon’ and found some beautiful little places that we would never have found either on foot or with Nessie!

As a special treat on the day before his birthday both Phil and Ben took the Portuguese barber shop experience! Phil went for the full package – hair cut, bead trim and shave with the good ‘ole cut throat razor! Phil says this is definitely the closest shave he has ever had! Ben had the shortest hair he has ever had too – and looks like a different boy now – even with a number 4 all over!

Phil celebrated his 40^th birthday on November 5^th and our family tradition of a firework party was put on hold for this year. In previous years our celebrations have grown and grown, and last year we had approximately 175 people in our garden! There is always a donation bucket raising money for (of course) the Devon Air Ambulance. So if any of you out there have been meaning to donate for us and have not quite got around to it yet – what a good time this would be! EVERY PENNY COUNTS!!

We found an enormous shopping centre just outside Lisbon, to spend the birthday day (after breakfast in bed!)

The children were then amazed to be able to have only cake, ice-cream and jelly for tea – as a very special treat!

Later in the evening we used the remainder of the sparklers as these were the only fireworks in sight around here! Phil was then able to enjoy a sample of his all time favourite whisky – Glenmorangie. He had bought this bottle in Inverness back in June this year – especially for this special occasion and managed to save it for the day too!!

As ever- on the journey of Macswayround – so far – we have enjoyed the luxury of no deadlines, no pressure, no bookings.....we have an idea of our route but this has already varied along the way many times!

As the shipping company still continue to have no idea of a sail date-even having quoted for the route and taken our payment details......we were in a dilemma. How long do we ‘wait’ in the sand and mainly sunshine of Portugal for our boat to come in?!

Phil ‘s birthday provided the mile stone that we were after and following uncountable ,unproductive emails and telephone calls we decided to take other action to get us back on the move.

Flexibility is the name of the game and so we found ourselves saying an emotional farewell to Sesimbra and motoring out of Portugal. We had befriended many many cats during our time here and three young kittens who had arrived on our doorstep a few days before. Everyone was devastated when one got squashed under the wheels of Nessie as we left .........the jokes that were created the day before such as ‘what goes meow crunch?’ – were not funny anymore.

We drove back through Portugal and into Spain. We camped at Salamanca-and found a camp that we have previously enjoyed - Camping Regio, and then came into France. We stayed near Leon at the Le Galan Castets des Landes and then near Poitiers at Le Futuriste Camp. This whole area has been developed with a futuristic theme and has a theme park (Futuroscope) with many space age activities and prehistoric attractions......the information leaflet was jam packed. We will keep this idea up our sleeve for another visit!

Lastly we reached Argentan and stayed at Camping Du Val De Braize, just south of Le Havre.

We took the ferry from Le Harve to Portsmouth!! YES-you read correctly.....not an anticipated route -but it does mean that we have completed a loop of Europe during the first ‘leg’ of Macswayround!! We found an English Shipping company (contacted by mobile as we drove through Portugal!)who gave us a sailing date immediately (Southampton to New York) and a quote that was unbelievably and substantially lower than our previous route! It is obviously not always the case that the shortest distance covered is going to be the best option!

After landing in Portsmouth we have been very fortunate to be able to stay with Phil’s cousin, Don and his wife, Sandy. They have been extremely hospitable and provided us with an amenable base to organise ourselves once more and to arrange the next stage of our travels. We are so grateful to them as we have turned their home and life completely upside down!

It has been very strange as this has been our first stay out of Nessie since we left home in July! We delivered Nessie to Southampton docks where she will need to be for a few days before she is taken away! See you next in USA -Nessie!! She will sail on the ship named Don Juan and leaves on Wednesday (19^th Nov).

We have booked a flight to New York (from Heathrow) and will give the children their first flying experience! Everyone is very excited – after a re-charge –the next part of our adventures will continue........Nessie is organised, our flight is arranged and a Hotel is booked for our first few days in New York!!

MACSWAYROUND CONTINUES!!...............................

Wild life Hit:

* A Green Woodpecker in France!

Sunday, 16 November 2008 12:46:58 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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A poet and didn't know it ....................

WAITING FOR OUR BOAT TO COME IN

Oh- for a boat,

To be a float,

And sail away to USA,

We’ve had a great stay,

At Sesimbra Bay!!

We now need to make our way,

And sail Nessie across the pond,

Oh – how we wish for a magic wand!!

Portugal has – as ever – been ace,

But now our world trip must touch base,

And continue on its way,

To let us fight another day – Please!!

Wednesday, 29 October 2008 15:13:48 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Portugal - Part 2..............

The Lagoon.......................

Get Ready-Jump!

Caught in the Waves.............

"I've got the whole moon in my hands!"

JAWS!

"Keep back from the Edge Ben!"

Red Snappers!

Inside the Glass Bottom Boat............

More Rocks!

A Colourful Fishing Boat!

Sesimbra Friends- Salvadore and Angelina.

Canadian friends - Monir, Lisa and the gang!

Geoff & Kath-Fellow GB travellers!

Box Weighing Ceremony!

Sesimbra beach in flight.

Wednesday, 29 October 2008 15:09:18 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Portugal - part 2..............

We have continued to have an enjoyable stay in Sesimbra and have almost become ‘locals around the town and campsite!’ It is amusing to see the confused expressions of the regular campers (who arrive late on a Friday night to their permanent pitches-for every weekend) and do not understand why we are still here?! Word has spread about what we are doing and where we are going next......Everything is so very laid back here in Portugal – which is one of the things we love about the country but there is no rushing anybody –and when you have something a bit urgent to arrange it makes things quite difficult...................

We are still making final arrangements for the shipping of Nessie and our belongings (separately) to the USA and we have boxed everything apart from the bare minimum into 33 boxes of varying shapes and sizes! We have had to give the weight and dimensions of every box, including a detailed itemised list and wait on the booking clearance – something we were aware of before we left- but were unable to arrange in detail as we did not know how many boxes we would have at this stage. Phil still maintains that the girls have 10 boxes of clothes against the boys 2 boxes......but we beg to differ! Phil even had to set up a weighing station at the branch of a big tree, using a small set of scales and a chain to hang individual boxes from!

As the weather is still being very kind to us we have had many a day at the local beach and we had a great time at the Albufeira Lagoon-perfectly safe for the children to swim and just around the corner the mighty waves roared.........we watched experienced surfers who were actually running into the water from the shore and surfing out to sea as well as back in again!

The panoramic views from the lighthouse at the most easterly side of Portugal were simply breathtaking and the lighthouse is now centre to a small community of people who live in the cottages surrounding it, with a wall to enclose it. The children were interested in the Homing Pigeons that were living at the lighthouse and a nearby shepherd as he tended to his flock of sheep.

Phil and the children have enjoyed some fishing with homemade bamboo rods and we also took a trip on the Aquarama Glass bottom boat out of the harbour. This was very entertaining and the glass gave the impression that we were only centimetres from the sea bed – although we were reassured that we were at least three and a half metres from the base at all times! We saw many fish of all shapes and sizes.

We have met many more friendly people around the camp and have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Our neighbours who arrive back each weekend – Salvador and Angelina have been very helpful to us and have even offered to come to the port and help with the arrangements and the speaking Portuguese part – which could be extremely useful!

We have also met a Canadian couple who are travelling Europe–Munir and Lisa and we will hopefully meet again when we reach Canada next year!

We were also grateful to fellow GB travellers – Geoff and Kath who also have a Mercedes Geist motor home and have showed us a trick or two to do with our satellite dish which helps us to receive even more English channels !

On Tuesday 21^st October- we hit the first 100 days of our trip and we had a family party to celebrate! We had BBQ sardines, party games, music, dancing and a triple jump competition! When it was dark we lit the night sky with colourful sparklers too!

Phil managed to have an incident in the local public library – yes we did say library! As you may or may not know this is not the place you will often find Phil! We took a trip there as the internet connection back at camp was having a blip and we needed to check our emails. Phil was carrying the laptop bag (again not a Phil thing!) Shortly after entering the library reception Phil swung around and the computer bag knocked an exhibition piece of pottery clean off its low stand and everyone stood in silence, hands over mouths, as it smashed into lots of tiny pieces. Woops- wrong time, wrong place – an unfortunate accident and it was nothing to do with the children on this occasion! Phil asked if anyone spoke English and left his details while they contacted the artist. A few days later we have had a meeting with the artist and our travel insurance will hopefully come to our rescue as the value of the piece has been set at an amazing 1,500 – BIG WOOPS. This amount was dropped in the space of 10 minutes by 500 if paid today – NO – probably not ! You obviously have to have an appreciation of this sort of art and it is very difficult to put a value on such pieces. We did not see the creation prior to the ‘accident’ but Ben has since described it as a model of a dinosaur’s foot? We have put the matter into the hands of our insurance and are waiting to hear the outcome.

WILDLIFE HIT:

· Tawny Owl very close by each night.

· White Lizard – about 8 inches long crawling across the toilet ceiling!

FACTOID:

· The male shower block has just been kitted out with shower heads ( not just a pipe out of the wall) and the shower head has been fitted with Hemp....a method not often used in UK (Phil thinks).

Monday, 27 October 2008 19:49:56 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Portugal times...........