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Published: July 13th 2015
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Escaping the hustle and bustle of Orlando, we drove a couple of hours north to spend a relaxing weekend with some old friends from Tranby. Joe Keith Richard (he answers to any of the above) and Karen relocated here four years ago and live in a beautiful part of Florida they affectionately call Planet Nice.
Lily and Ashley spent the obligatory first half an hour being shy with each other before the reminiscing and giggling began. It's been over four years since they went to school together but they have identical personalities to the point that Karen and I sometimes weren't sure which one of them was speaking. They even have the same weird dreams about murderers and psychopaths!
Lunch at the country club followed by several margaritas overlooking the beach while the girls swam in the ocean was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Chatting to one of the locals who was quite taken by my accent and kept asking me to say 'Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday' was a tad strange. Things got even weirder when he invited me to go dancing with him and offered Bruce a job in Boston! The icing on the cake was
when he thought Bruce was Joe's son - apparently Bruce is just like his new dad!
Back to Dad and Karen's for a beautiful dinner - the last time they cooked for us we had the best pork crackling which Izzy hasn't stopped talking about for the last four years. I have a feeling her new favourite subject will be the delicious slow cooked lamb that just melted in the mouth. The first thing she said when we got in the car to leave was, 'OMG Karen's such a good cook!' It's all about the food for Izzy. (She's learnt from the master!)
We spent a great evening with our lovely hosts over a few bottles of wine, covering a wide range of conversations from profuse sweating to Cyndi Lauper's sanitary wear to Beardy Branson's buoy to comparing poo stories. Bruce's ice cream story got a mention but the winner had to be the tale of Ashley and the Pelican. Laying on the beach on Penguin Island, minding her own business, she felt a wet blob on her face. When the rest of the family looked up and saw her face half covered in white (Phantom of the
Opera style) they questioned why she had poured sunscreen in her eye! Only when Joe tried to rub it in to her face did they realise it was the work of a low flying pelican!
Ashley's older brother Jack joined us for a few drinks and gave Izzy some free swim coaching with the use of Ikkos goggles - pretty cool technology which Izzy was pretty impressed with. Jack coaches little kids at the swim club where Ashley swims and everyone wants to be in his classes (that's the mums not the kids!!) #cougarbait
After four shots of coffee and a gourmet breakfast (I highly recommend this hotel!) we headed out to St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European established settlement in the U.S. It was founded in 1565 by a Spanish admiral and served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years. It's a very pretty, historical town which hosts the oldest wooden school house in America. We spent an enjoyable few hours meandering through the little streets, nipping into the cute little shops to cool down whenever the humidity got too much. One of these shops provided my husband the opportunity to purchase a
man bag with which to get in touch with his metrosexual side. He carries it well and I'm sure it will prove to be the must have accessory once we reach San Francisco.
A sesame encrusted tuna steak sandwich was a great choice for lunch before a walk along the stunning Intracoastal Waterway. This is a beautiful part of the world and Bruce and I would both move here tomorrow - just short of a Green Card. Need to get that multi-million dollar book deal and buy a holiday home!
We have enjoyed a fantastic weekend with our fabulous hosts - so great to see them all again and hear Ashley speaking with an American accent!
We arrived back in Orlando this evening ready for another week of mayhem in the theme parks. It's time to leave our Muggle selves behind tomorrow as we head for Platform 9 3/4 to ride the Hogwarts Express. Looking forward to some Butterbeer in The Leaky Cauldron and lunch at The Three Broomsticks ?
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