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We made it back safe and sound at around 12:30pm on Friday. We were in plenty of time getting to Orlando then couldn't locate the Virgin Atlantic check-in desk. Having been checked in at the Upper Class desk on the strength of our Premium Economy tickets we then got the wrong shuttle and had to come back to get the right one! Luckily we still had time for a drink at the bar next to the departure gate.

The flight landed an hour early at Manchester then Carolyn was held up by a combination of understaffed immigration desks and a passport issue which we don't talk about. Anyway the luggage arrived and the car was brought to us promptly so all was well on that score. Between keeping below sixty-odd voluntarily and lots of 50mph limits we averaged 47mpg. Even so when we got to St Peters BP garage (the first after turning off the M5) there was only 5 miles worth of petrol in the tank according to the computer!

All was well at home - Sandra our cleaning lady had turned up the thermostat on the heating so Sunnymede was only a little bit chilly.

Location:Rushwick

Wednesday 26th Feb

Another quiet day. We had to walk down to view the sand-pumping operations of course. Here's the operation in full flow.



It looks more impressive in the original video but I don't know how to include a video in a blog - yet!


This is one for Susan. It was even more crowded yesterday in the sun.


After that we went to the local historical museum in Cocoa which is inland from here. The main exhibit was based on the Windover archaeological site a few miles North of where we are. During preparations for building work a 7-8,000 year old cemetery preserved in peat had been discovered at the bottom of a pond. 90-odd intact skulls were unearthed with enough preserved brain tissue to do DNA sequencing. This has upset a few theories about when American Indians arrived and where they came from.

Location:Cocoa Beach

Tuesday February 25th

The gentlemen stayed at home to-day while the ladies went shopping in Cocoa. Luckily the beach was being built up courtesy of the US taxpayer so the gentlemen had plenty of local entertainment. This dredger goes a few miles offshore and fills up with sand from the seabed. It then pumps it ashore through a 30" diameter steel pipe.




This is the scene as it comes ashore half a mile up the beach from here. The sand and seawater are spraying out behind the bulldozer on the left. The seawater runs back into the sea and the bulldozers spread the sand. (Larry and I have been watching the progress with interest and plan to write a monograph on the subject.)
In the background is one of the launch platforms at the Kennedy Space Center.




The plan is to raise the height of the beach by five feet or so over a ten-mile stretch. And that's just in this part of Florida!




By contrast this is the tranquil scene visible from the balcony on our apartment (for newcomers to the blog).

Location:Cocoa Beach

Monday 24th Feb

A trip to Florida isn't complete without the following.....




It's obvious what we're doing isn't it? We're having an airboat ride! And today's was excellent. It was very warm so the banks were swarming with 'gators most of which quickly left their sunny positions on the banks and got in the water as we passed by. I love these rides. You skim across the water really quickly, it's hard to breathe, very noisy, hence the earphones, and it destroys any hairdo-brilliant!
If you followed our blog last year you may remember this fellow from the airboat shack. Today he actually got up and moved in a circle before sitting down in the same place......which was a lot of effort (and grunting) for the poor chap.








Of course we must include a photo of the local residents.




Afterwards Dorie and I got close and personal with a 3-4 year old 'toddler'. Dorie has the scary end.

Sunday February 23

The hottest day so far I think - up towards the mid-eighties (29C). We went to a home improvement show down the road which was a bit of a disappointment. However I managed to get a try sailing a 1-metre Soling model yacht thanks to one of a group of three Floridians on the local pond. They weren't deterred by the notices warning against the presence of alligators.
Next we visited a local wetlands reserve and spotted birds. As well as the familiar coots and moorhens there were several species of egret, heron, and ducks. Here are a couple of Sand Cranes.




This is a white pelican. With their black wingtips they look more like their close relative, the gannet.




Oh - and a couple of alligators. We saw one youngster failing to grab a cormorant who had just caught a fish, then we spotted this chap swimming towards us. He just carried on when he got to the bank and hauled out for our benefit.




He must have been getting on for five feet long. It's not hard to see alligators in Florida but you seldom see them moving.
When we got back to the apartment it was still hot so Larry (our host) and I went for a dip in the sea/ocean (depending on whether you're English or American).




Getting in was a bit bracing....




But once in it was gorgeous, with the hot sun offsetting the slight chill of the water.
It's now 11:30. Earlier we were watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics but it was overshadowed somewhat by an amazing lightening display. It's out in the ocean just to the south of us and has been going on continuously for nearly two hours. I've never seen anything like it, so I thought I'd share.

Location:Cocoa Beach

Saturday Feb 22nd

After all our wanderings we are back where we started, in Cocoa Beach. Yesterday started off hot (80 plus and humid) but has turned cooler and rainy. To-day it rained in earnest after a pleasant start.
Coming back here is a bit like getting home because we know it so well. We haven't been anywhere new in the last couple of days to take pictures so here are some pictures from earlier in our travels (in case you get bored and lose interest!).




This is a rather nice yacht made into a shipwreck at Orlando Sea World. Enough to bring a tear to the eye of any sailor.




Here are a couple of photos Carolyn managed to get at the end of the dolphin show. They certainly are amazing creatures.







You have been warned!




Surprising as it might seem, this car is real.



                                                                                                    St Augustine waterfront.

Location:Cocoa Beach

Thursday Feb 20th

We said farewell to St. A and set off South to meet Carolyn's cousin Dick and his wife Andrea. We had time in hand so we went down the coast road with a view to turning inland to pick up the main East coast interstate I-95. We went a bit far and ended up in Daytona Beach, where the world and his wife were going to the racetrack.
After lunch we all went for a walk on the beach. Could be one of the Disney cruise ships in the background.




Some of us even went for a paddle, including these two distinguished gents.




This is a machine moving pipes to be used for improving the beach. Dredgers pump sand ashore from the sea bed and these pipes distribute it. The grab looked a bit like the mouth of a hippo as it opened.




To make a perfect end to a good day we witnessed the launch of a Delta-4 rocket at the Kennedy Space from outside the restaurant where we had supper. It was carrying a new generation GPS satellite. Neither David or I had ever seen a launch before so it was quite something. Luckily it was a clear night, so viewing was easy. There was a tremendous burst of light followed by the rocket taking off and then the noise. To use a youthful expression-awesome.
We stayed the night at a Radisson hotel which was very reasonable. Our room was huge, and the pool quite satisfactory apparently.

Location:St. Augustine to Port Canaveral