Team Richmond

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I have now added a “Follow Me” button on the page (bournecottage only!). Use this to connect to the blog update Twitter account.

Just a short note to highlight that the Richmo’s Photo Gallery has been updated.

There is an album from the weekend trip to Scotland, mainly Luss on a wonderful sunny day. Also there are some pictures of the birds visiting the bird table at Bourne Cottage. Ultimately finishing in the lesser spotted woodpacker that lives near us. It was wonderful to see him visiting the peanut feeder!

 

Enjoy!

Martin.

Here is a cool video filmed by a friend on his helmet camera as he tears around a range of mountains and arduous mountains tracks in the pursuit of an adrenalin high. I really thought this was great and very well put together hence why I have put it up here for you all to enjoy. Feel free to post your comments. very “Gladiator!” I thought.

 

Credit goes to John Muirhead the film-maker and Claire, his wife for one of the starring roles. Lets take this Viral!

Wow. Just realised we have not updated this blog for ages. It is because we have both been so very busy. Rest assured it will get an update before long. Don’t suppose anyone is viewing it anyway…….awww well……

We just got back from the Laverstock Park Farm Field to Fork Festival. It was great, made buffalo milk ice-cream. Made and ate our own bread. They even had a social BBQ area where you could by some burgers and, with your hand-made bread, BBQ your own lunch. It was great fun but the old legs and feet are aching a bit now.

Also there was James Martin who was judging the British BBQ Championships. He was the head judge on the panel with Nigel the chef from the Radio 2 Drive time show.

Finally we kept bumping into Jody Sheckter, the world famous racing driver who owns the farm and the business. he had a display of his old racing cars that have won countless races, when drivers had to be the best to drive the cars.

All in all we had a great day out!

An awesome  video of our ride on the Universal Rockin’ Rolla Coaster. You get to pick a soundtrack as you go round, Suzie picked N.E.R.D. It is real footage cut with computer generated footage of the ride…….arrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhh

I have just added a number of new albums after I have finally empted my camera. Also are pictures from the USA holiday and the new Bolland family member! Get the the picture gallery here…….

Landed in Tampa and hired eventually a sensible Honda Genesis and not the black beast that the Avis chap had picked out for us; we would have been car jacked within 10mins of leaving the airport.

Headed to Orlando; Massive thunder and lightening storm almost the whole drive from Tampa to Orlando – amazing!

Hotel room finally found and we were so tired… quick dinner in the bar then bed…knackered….

First full day: My main request completed as we had IHOP breakfast! Fluffy buttermilk pancakes yum!!!!

0900: Islands of adventure…Harry Potter world was brilliant.  Decided to do the Harry Potter ride first as not too busy first thing. This was unbelievable and used holograms which were amazingly realistic. Spiders horribly frightening. The parks now have free lockers to put your bits in while you ride which was helpful. Funniest thing was that some of the Americans thought Hogwarts was real!!!!!!!!!!!  Like it was British History in some way!

Dueling dragons were good too and see  the pics for Hogwarts which could easily have been three times the size and was soooo busy.  Then it rained torrentially for about 3 and a half hours and they stopped all the rides. we got bored and then left.

Next day was Universal studios which was brilliant. They had a great ride called the rock and rollar – see video footage (if Martin can upload it) Fast Fast Fast…

Endeavor took off this morning up the road and Martin could see the Thruster cloud in the distance as it went vertical

Spiderman, Jaws, Twister, Disaster (brilliant) Terminator, Shrek and The Mummy (very fast and frightening in the dark coaster) Had a ball and of course Hot Wings and beer in Hard Rock Hotel.

Had dinner in nice fish restaurant Fish Bones Int Drive

Road trip to next destination ClearWater, SandPearl Resort. Champange on arrival and room upgraded to sea side view.  Beautiful hotel and rooms.  New favourite drink …..Coconut Mojito…hmmmm coconut…

Beach stunning, sand stunning, sea warm….heaven…………

Best place for seafood was Crabby Bills .. Alaskan Dungeoness Crab…steamed and texas style so good i had it twice while we were there.  Obligatory game of crazy golf (pirate style) Martin won (Just!)    We had a walk every evening on the beach and watched the sunset….magical……

Wildlife stunning also. Pelicans were amazing and quite tameCLEARWATER SUNSET2011

Went on a conservation boat trip and saw dolphins which were following the boat and playing in the water. They dreadged the bottom of the river to document the wildlife and we saw a pufferfish both in puffed and fish state!

 

National news story: Casey Anthony death penalty case jury selection taking place in Clearwater.  Big news story here.

While waiting for our car outside the Hotel, we were accosted by a Southern American woman who was drunk on Margarittas at 0900 and giving the valet parkers grief…..she wanted to talk about the royal wedding and how much she missed Diana……..Hehehehe

Carded constantly when buying alcohol.  In Walmart they had to get the manager as we didnt have our passports for ID just our Driving Licence.  He said, its ok they are British and you all drink from 14!!!!!

Off to New York via plane trip; sat next to a small man with a massive cold who insisted in coughing (no hand over mouth) and snorting every 2 mins..person in front of us moved seats as he was so bad.  Then he proceeded to stalk us around the airport.

Taxi drive to the Waldorf was a bit like a ride at Universal..scary……… At the Waldorf receptionist asked if we wanted to upgrade for an extra 30 dollars a night but we decided that as we were only there for 3 nights we would take the room we paid for. She then said well if your only here for 3 nights i will upgrade you to the Towers!!!!  Presidents, Heads of state, Marilyn Monroe lived in the towers for 5 years oh and the Richmonds!!!!!!!!

We were on the 39th floor (room 3908) of 41 floors. One floor is the presidential floor permanently. We had our own Key access Lifts and reception and private entrance to the hotel. Amazing!  Walked around our room and could only say wow for about 10 mins..we had a gold sink in our room and a 260 dollar half bottle of Rothschild wine as part of the mini bar

Chandeliers everywhere were twinkly and hypnotizing to me.  Fabulous jewelery in the hotel for sale costing thousands…drooled at windows until removed by Martin.

Went out for Italian meal and headed to Time Square Mind blowingly huge and bright. Got lost and then spent 3 hours trying to find our way back to hotel so then very exhausted. Next day we decided to do the New York Bus tours …Brilliant to see the sights and the tour guides were funny and knowledgeable. Its such a huge, vast city so this was a great way to see areas we wouldn’t see. Saw Central Park, Harlem, Downtown, Uptown, Friends area etc Trump Towers .. he owns so much real estate its unbelievable!!!  Took the Staten Island Ferry (Free) to see the Statue of Liberty.. we were underwhelmed.. its so small compared to the size of everything else….

We met a hilarious drag queen working in Hard Rock Cafe who was a big Dr Who fan – he gave Martin some freebees and his Facebook address as he is friends with Boy George and Julian Clary and has a show booked in London in September.

 

Big Global story Domonique Strauss Khan : holed up in New York…hmmm…where to put him so its not in any way conspicuous?  I know how about next to Ground Zero???  That wont cause any more controversay and attention!!!!See  all the news crew outside his Hotel ……………Only in America……

Ground Zero was upsetting as you could feel the loss of the missing Towers. Odd to see the place I remember from the day of the disaster and watching the footage on the TV.  Seeing the Fire House closed off and the Memorial to them was thought upsetting.  The Memorial Pools that they are putting in where the base of the Towers were looks a good idea and they are cracking on with construction.

Final night we had dinner in the Hotels Steak House .. huge Rib Eyes … so tasty….plus i had chocolate peanut butter profiteroles….hmmmm peanut butter…..

Oh and we finally had Manhattan Cocktails and met some lovely business people who took us to a local bar and paid for our drinks………

 

Our experience of the Americans have been that they have been friendly and helpful which has enhanced our experience. They were still interested in the Royal Wedding and wanted to talk about it.

Flight home …..

 

Well, after a highly successful New Years Eve at the Earl of Normanton, you can see the pictures on the website, the richmos have to visit the A&E for something! I have accendentally injured by hand, cut into the muscle on my thumb. I have missed all the vital stuff such as nerves and tendons but it did require stitches and an operation. The folks at the hospital were brillient and got the job sorted. If only there was a medical procedure to fix my hurt pride. It was my own stupid fault and the phesent who’s feet I was trying to remove is still awaiting pate-fication!

Sorry to Suzie who is now having to help me with all manner of stuff!

Well Christmas has finally started. We did manage to struggle all the way up to Glasgow. The roads were clear due to the media scaring all the drivers off the roads! All packages were delivered to their destinations and it was good to see Gran and Dan and Mags again. Also picked up the top half of the ole’ kilt, looking forward to getting it out for New Years Eve!

Also rode into Christmas in style with a visit to Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir du Quat Saisons, see the pictures in the gallery. What an experience! they food was amazing, the room was exquisite. All was like a slice of pure paradise, a real Christmas treat for us both. It was like a slice of Hayman Island from Honeymoon, wonderful!