The days leading up to the 21st July blended into one as final preparations for the arrival of my parents got ever more frantic. The final touches to the bathroom redecoration actually took place on the morning of their arrival in between checking the status update of their flight, the smell of new paint easily apparent when they were welcomed into the apartment some time after 10pm. The next few days were basic orientation exercises and lazing around, walks along the beach to the pier, bike rides to local shops, and meals with family and friends.
A first real chance to get out and explore further afield came on Saturday 25th when Tina had a rare full day off. Routes were checked and attractions researched, the car readied, and a little later than planned we set off for Savannah over border in Georgia. On February 12, 1733, General James Oglethorpe and his settlers landed at Yamacraw Bluff and the city of Savannah was founded on that date, along with the colony of Georgia. 
In 1751 Savannah and the rest of Georgia became a Royal Colony and Savannah was made the colonial capital of Georgia. The city is renowned for its architecture and historic buildings and so was a place we’d been hoping to visit for some while. The intention was also to visit a Civil War battle site at Fort Pulaski a few miles west, but in the end the late start put paid to that venture.
The route along I-95 is somewhat uninspiring and the Georgia gas stations we used as rest stops had a more rural feel, especially the restrooms which while not as bad as Trainspotting’s “Worst toilet in Scotland”, would have earned honourable mentions in a similar US category. The final leg along I-16 suddenly ended and we were hurtling around a slip road into the historic district, able to just pull up in time to make the turn off for a car park at a trolley company. Our neighbour Michael had kindly given his four free passes for a trolley trip around the historic district. At $25 per person this proved to be a Godsend and given the scorching heat of the near midday sun, it was the most practical way of seeing and learning about the sights. 
Many of the buildings in the historic district are in beautiful condition, ornate, and colourful, with gardens replete with brilliant blooms. The route also wound its way past the 21 squares, more like small parks, and many with statues or monuments. Unfortunately the trolley windows and the pace of the tour didn’t make taking decent photos very easy although it was a good way of making a mental note of what there was to see in more detail on another visit. We did get off at the city markets area for a delicious ice cream and a wander down to the riverside before picking up the trolley to return to base.
There was just about time to visit the Roundhouse Railroad Museum a short walk from where we had parked. 
With half an hour to go before closing we were kindly excused the entrance fee and we wandered around the outside of the complex to take photos and watch a tank engine being put back into the shed after a day’s steaming. The complex began the 1830s as the Central of Georgia Railway headquarters and repair shops, a revolutionary design combining all the railroad’s cutting-edge facilities in one location. However the buildings fell into disuse after the Central of Georgia was merged with Southern Railway in the mid-twentieth century, and the site was abandoned by the early 1960s. The complex was saved from demolition later that decade, and the City of Savannah has since invested millions to preserve the buildings.
A trip to Georgia would not be complete without some “good ol’ Southern cooking” so we called in at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on the way home. It was my first visit to the “Barrel” since my trip to Titusville in 2008. The return was due to bemusement and wanting to show the parents the novel decor rather than any great admiration for the cuisine. Indeed I wanted to see if they still classed macaroni cheese as a vegetable side dish! The parents actually enjoyed their meal and sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch afterward too! Proper Crackers!
Today is Independence Day in the USA. Tina will be celebrating with her family but thankfully without the traditional turkey. For Orlando Cat the 4th July marks the end of her independence and the joyous return to the fold. Orlando disappeared the night I returned from Florida. She sat at the back door pleading to be let out, a request I refused as it was past 10pm. Thinking she’d retreated to the lounge I made one last paranoid check to see if the security gate across the door was locked and she shot out into the night. I expected her to return in half an hour as usual but she didn’t. She wasn’t there at the back door when I turned in for the night, and much to my surprise she wasn’t there in the morning either and the food I’d left out was untouched. On the few occasions she has stayed out all night Orlando would be waiting to berate me when I let her in at breakfast time.
But this time was different, she didn’t return. A poster and leafleting campaign ensued along with nightly tramping the streets calling her name and rattling a box of cat biscuits. Maybe she’d got into a tussle with another cat and got lost after being chased away from her territory. Whatever the reasons Orlando had been wandering freely for nine days when this afternoon I received a phone call to say a cat matching her description had been found and was happily eating tinned tuna at their house. I nipped out from work, rushed over on the Vespa, and was reunited with the escapee a few streets down from my own. The kind finder discovered Orlando under a hedge whilst searching for his daughter’s lost football. By chance one of the posters was strapped to a lamppost right opposite his back yard. Orlando is now safely back at my house, seemingly unperturbed and unharmed by her adventures, stretched out in the sunny attic purring contentedly. I’m glad, and to be honest surprised, to have her back after her few days of independence. A happy 4th July all round. 
Yesterday was a bit of an odd day with tension in the air from the outset. I think I suffered from not getting up and having a bike ride. 
There’s not much else to report. even Hadley Cat seemed in a funny mood and was relentlessly after my feet trying to bite them. So I spent part of the morning looking up kitten behaviour on the Internet. However normal service has resumed today. I had a ride out early on and took a few photos. Here’s one of Jacksonville Beach pier. There’s a couple more in the gallery.
Today has been washing day. Hanging up the clothes in the spare bedroom made me think how ludicrous some things are over in the US. Here’s a brief list:
1. Sunny hot weather yet you are not allowed to hang up washing outside, expected to tumble dry instead.
2. Moaning about gas reaching $4 a gallon yet driving huge 8 mpg SUVs.
3. Too lazy to park and get out of cars there are drive-in banks, chemists, and other stores as well as the fast food outlets.
4. The Presidential Election system.
5. The high cost of medical insurance and the large quantities of sugar rich foods.
6. Arriving at the cashier and paying more than the shelf price because tax is then added.
Rant over. I feel better for that. I also feel better now I’ve booked the hotels and car for our road trip next week Oh yes and it’s an “economy” small car not a SUV!
After much faffing about, gnashing of teeth, expletives, and going around in circles through stylesheets and MySQL databases, I’ve got this thing looking pretty much how I want it. It’s now as good as ready for the grand fanfare and launch to the unsuspecting world. I wanted it ready before my trip to the USA this coming weekend and it should be. I just need a few more photos in the general gallery. (Incidentally the concept of offering some of my best photos for sale is still a little way off).
But life has not been revolving completely around this site. I spent the Bank Holiday weekend trying to walk in Exmoor and Dartmoor with my friend Jen, but while the company was good the weather was far from it. Mist ruined the views from Dunnery Beacon although the walk through pastures and woodland was pleasant all the same. The next day the expedition over Dartmoor lasted about 30 minutes after a drenching, being blown about Hayter Rocks, and not being able to see beyond 50 feet in front of us. Thankfully dropping down to lower ground we salvaged something of the day with a walk at Budleigh Salterton on the coast, circling the River Otter estuary and briefly visiting the cliffs.
On Saturday I joined a group of 15 walkers and tackled Robinson, Hindscarth, Dale Head and Fleetwith Pike in the Lake District. There were incredible views of Buttermere and Crummock Water, being blessed with a warm sunny clear day. 
After the 11 miles walk and over 4,000 feet of total ascent I was glad I was staying overnight at Coniston again and not facing the drive back to Leeds. I’ll leave you with a photo of Buttermere taken from the summit of Fleetwith Pike (648 metres or 2126 feet if you prefer!) Shame darker clouds were beginning to loom just at one of the most impressive spots. 
Finally tonight I’m getting this site moving towards how I want it to look. I have to offer thanks to Scott at work who has been kind and patient enough to give me tips and shared his expertise. I’ve also started to make sense of the CSS style sheets that help make up the format of these pages. I’m slowly learning how to read the code and making changes. I’ve got the sidebar headers green and bold, but can’t work out how to sort the text colour below them yet! The blue must go! It looks like the Conservative Party logo colours! I had intended on an early night, but my determination not to leave this dangling for another night, and get some major changes done before bedtime, now sees me entering the early hours of the next morning again! The washing up remains in the sink, the work shirt remains unironed. That can all wait for later this morning when I’ve had my 7 hours zzzzzzzz!
But now I can put Tina out of her misery and reveal my “secret project” she’s been dying to know about haha! Does that fulfill my side of the bargain? 
It’s only just gone 7pm over in Florida so she should see it before her bedtime! Orlando Cat is curled up on her plastic bag again and I’ll be off to bed shortly.
This has been a relaxed yet productive weekend. Much of it has been spent catching up on the chores neglected during the previous whirlwind weeks of gallivanting around the world. My house is now tidy again, my hedge is trim, the car is clean and the large mountain of clothes are put away. While I sat in the sun today with Orlando the cat uncharacteristically curled up nearby, I finally produced an updated CV on the laptop. I’ve been meaning to do this for weeks as it’s all part of a cunning plan, but I’ve lacked the time and inclination to do it thanks to more entertaining diversions. This was the first weekend at home for ages and I think justifies my staying in and doing nothing special. After all recent past weekends have seen me:
* walking in Scotland and discovering my football club was now Premier League!
* drinking, watching football, and meeting a former Dutch Stoke City manager in Brussels
* having a stay in Coniston in the Lake District
* in Florida for 17 days with the beloved
* having my parents to visit and making trips to York and Richmond
This weekend is a calm before the storm. I’m away again in Coniston next weekend, spending the Bank Holiday weekend staying in Exeter with my friend Jen walking somewhere in Devon, then after that I’m away across the Pond enjoying the company of “mar lady” as they say in Stoke. Hopefully this blog will help chronicle the adventures and save me the trouble of writing it up in the old fashioned way, something I attempted in Florida previously but ground to a sorry halt after starting gamely.
Thankfully I also got my hair chopped off this weekend, the mini-heatwave we’ve been enjoying recently has had me sweating bricks and the removal of the thick mop has helped considerably. I look respectable again and hopefully will not incur suspicious glances from the US Immigration Control when I return in June. I’ve spend a fair amount of the weekend faffing around with this website and blog settings, struggling to install the Gallery2 program which has seen me up into the early hours cursing and scratching my head. Simple installation my arse. It’s riddled with errors and meaningless messages. It better be worth it when I finally get the swine working. I found a nice simple gallery program that works beautifully but will not allow the functionality I need if I’m to advertise my wares as is the plan. Well one of the plans, but not the cunning plan. More of that another time.
Finally this weekend saw the arrival in the post of “It cracks like breaking skin”, a collection of short stories set in Stoke-on-Trent written and sent to me by fellow Stoke City fan and member of the Brussels Nine, Stephen Foster. Another book to add to the growing backlog of reading but a welcome addition, I’d been after it for some time. Nice then to get a signed copy. Worthy of online thanks and a link to Stephen’s blog
The days leading up to the 21st July blended into one as final preparations for the arrival of my parents got ever more frantic. The final touches to the bathroom redecoration actually took place on the morning of their arrival in between checking the status update of their flight, the smell of new paint easily apparent when they were welcomed into the apartment some time after 10pm. The next few days were basic orientation exercises and lazing around, walks along the beach to the pier, bike rides to local shops, and meals with family and friends. 
In 1751 Savannah and the rest of Georgia became a Royal Colony and Savannah was made the colonial capital of Georgia. The city is renowned for its architecture and historic buildings and so was a place we’d been hoping to visit for some while. The intention was also to visit a Civil War battle site at Fort Pulaski a few miles west, but in the end the late start put paid to that venture.
Many of the buildings in the historic district are in beautiful condition, ornate, and colourful, with gardens replete with brilliant blooms. The route also wound its way past the 21 squares, more like small parks, and many with statues or monuments. Unfortunately the trolley windows and the pace of the tour didn’t make taking decent photos very easy although it was a good way of making a mental note of what there was to see in more detail on another visit. We did get off at the city markets area for a delicious ice cream and a wander down to the riverside before picking up the trolley to return to base. 
With half an hour to go before closing we were kindly excused the entrance fee and we wandered around the outside of the complex to take photos and watch a tank engine being put back into the shed after a day’s steaming. The complex began the 1830s as the Central of Georgia Railway headquarters and repair shops, a revolutionary design combining all the railroad’s cutting-edge facilities in one location. However the buildings fell into disuse after the Central of Georgia was merged with Southern Railway in the mid-twentieth century, and the site was abandoned by the early 1960s. The complex was saved from demolition later that decade, and the City of Savannah has since invested millions to preserve the buildings. 
A trip to Georgia would not be complete without some “good ol’ Southern cooking” so we called in at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on the way home. It was my first visit to the “Barrel” since my trip to Titusville in 2008. The return was due to bemusement and wanting to show the parents the novel decor rather than any great admiration for the cuisine. Indeed I wanted to see if they still classed macaroni cheese as a vegetable side dish! The parents actually enjoyed their meal and sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch afterward too! Proper Crackers!
