Sunday Feb 13th 05
We all woke this morning when our bodies decided to let us wake up. Or in my case, when the rest of the family decided that Dad would be allowed to snore no longer! Emily and Danny were desperate to get in the pool after breakfast and I persuaded Howard to come on a Publix shopping expedition with me to get provisions for lunch. I dont know about anyone else but there is something special about spending time with just one of your children, instead of having to keep an eye on all of them, stopping them fighting / running off etc, you get the time to concentrate on just the one. We had a great time and chose some mince (or as the Americans called it, ground beef), ingredients to make a sauce and some vegetables. On the way back I let him sit in the front of the car and as we were driving he threw his arms out of the open window and screamed into the warm Floridian air, Im the king of the world. Not exactly Leo DiCapio style or presentation but it brought a proud, fatherly tear to my eye.
Back at the Villa, Emily & Danny were dunking each other and Howard shot off to join them whilst Ruth read her book basking in the pool side sunshine. We were blessed with the weather this holiday and were all grateful for this. I cracked on with making lunch and flicked through 99 channels on cable TV with nothing on. Thats the trouble going out of the US gridiron season; at least then there is something to watch!
After wed had dinner we decided to go out for a drive south to see what we could find. We headed off down highway 27 and turned off towards Winter Haven. Now Id always had the idea that this would be a nice place, white wood churches, small shops etc. I guess a modern version of a town from The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. I must have come into the wrong end of my imagination though as where we were looked decidedly unfriendly! The intention had been to stop and have a walk around but we hardly saw any people around almost like a ghost town! So we decided to head back across country using the (very useful) compass in the car, headed east back towards where Ruth thought wed run back into highway 27. Sure enough we did after passing the huge Lake Alfred.
On a whim, we stopped at a Walmart just outside Haines City on Highway 27. All our Orlando food shopping (thus far) has been spent at Publix; this was our first foray into the weird, wonderful and varied world of a Walmart store. What an eye-opener this was to be
I thought the UK had some big supermarkets, the Clifton Moor Tesco in York is a pretty impressive size, but this couldve happily dropped into Walmart twice with room to spare. We started off by looking for a few bits for tea in the food section; the donut selection was astounding on its own, before heading off around the store. We found great beach towels for the kids, Howard got a Ford one with trucks, Danny had a Homer Simpon one and Emily had purple & organe stripped concoction all for $9/$10 each. Better value than the $20+ ones in Disney!
Then we found it. The clothes section. Oh. My. Goodness. Like Asda (I know that Walmart owns the British retail company), there was a huge range of George styles and a lot more besides. The cost of some of the clothes was fantastic, as was the range of sizes they even had shirts and trousers to fit me which is more than can be said for our local Asda hat seems to think that mens chest/waist measurements dont go over 44 & 30 respectively! Ruth found loads of stuff for the kids, t-shirts, trousers, jeans, blouses you name it she found it and all at really low prices, especially when you compared them to the prices back home. She even managed to bag some stuff for presents to bring back home! I got three shirts, some denim shorts, some Wrangler cargo shorts and a pair of jeans that fits perfectly.
By now the trolley had a little bit of food in the bottom and the rest was full of clothes! Im so sorry that weve not visited a Walmart in the past. If we ever get to go back to Florida it will be our first port of call to stock up on clothes for the rest of the holiday and to take back home. By all means visit the major shopping malls and retail outlets around Orlando but you really should have at least one trip to a Walmart to see what bargains you can pick up.
Carrying on around the store we passed a sports section, gardening, DIY and then wallop. There were cases of guns, rifles and blooming great Rambo knives! Hang on. Im in a supermarket, albeit a super-size me one, that sells everything from asparagus to zebedee pyjamas and in the middle there is enough weaponry to start a small war! Then the kids start shooting (not literally) questions at Ruth and I about why guns are for sale in a shop! I had to laugh as a sign said that I had to prove I was over 21 and have a valid driving license to buy one. Is that all? Ill have the whole case! Only kidding. Its entirely up to the American people how they lead their lives but I bet they wouldnt allow the video/DVD section to stock X XX rated movies as children are in the store. Yet they allow the shops to sell items whose purpose is to kill, or at the very least, severely injure. Even two weeks later I still cant get my head around this, selling guns and hunting knives in the same place you buy nappies and baby food just doesnt feel right.
Oh well, such is life. Off to the video game section to see another example of why we in the UK are ripped off. They were selling Nintendo Gameboy SP systems for $79. In Britain youd be lucky to buy a SP for £70. The games were the same, $30 for a new game in the USA, £30 in the UK. The situation was similar with the other major formats, Gamecube, PS2 and X-Box. Walmart were selling the majority of titles for $30-$35, they go for £30-£40 in the UK. And were told this isnt Rip off Britain
Time to get off my high-horse before she gets annoyed.
Today has been so much more relaxing as we all needed the rest. Ruth cracked open the champagne Id bought for her on the plane and after one glass I went light headed and crashed out! Dont understand this, 4/5 pints of Mansfield Smooth bitter and Im just happy. One glass of bubble stuff and Im as giggly as a schoolgirl!
Its a good job we had a rest today though as on Monday we did more than we expected to Disney MGM & Magic Kingdom in one day, from the opening time at the former until the last fireworks over Cinderellas castle.
But thats another story!
We all woke this morning when our bodies decided to let us wake up. Or in my case, when the rest of the family decided that Dad would be allowed to snore no longer! Emily and Danny were desperate to get in the pool after breakfast and I persuaded Howard to come on a Publix shopping expedition with me to get provisions for lunch. I dont know about anyone else but there is something special about spending time with just one of your children, instead of having to keep an eye on all of them, stopping them fighting / running off etc, you get the time to concentrate on just the one. We had a great time and chose some mince (or as the Americans called it, ground beef), ingredients to make a sauce and some vegetables. On the way back I let him sit in the front of the car and as we were driving he threw his arms out of the open window and screamed into the warm Floridian air, Im the king of the world. Not exactly Leo DiCapio style or presentation but it brought a proud, fatherly tear to my eye.
Back at the Villa, Emily & Danny were dunking each other and Howard shot off to join them whilst Ruth read her book basking in the pool side sunshine. We were blessed with the weather this holiday and were all grateful for this. I cracked on with making lunch and flicked through 99 channels on cable TV with nothing on. Thats the trouble going out of the US gridiron season; at least then there is something to watch!
After wed had dinner we decided to go out for a drive south to see what we could find. We headed off down highway 27 and turned off towards Winter Haven. Now Id always had the idea that this would be a nice place, white wood churches, small shops etc. I guess a modern version of a town from The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. I must have come into the wrong end of my imagination though as where we were looked decidedly unfriendly! The intention had been to stop and have a walk around but we hardly saw any people around almost like a ghost town! So we decided to head back across country using the (very useful) compass in the car, headed east back towards where Ruth thought wed run back into highway 27. Sure enough we did after passing the huge Lake Alfred.
On a whim, we stopped at a Walmart just outside Haines City on Highway 27. All our Orlando food shopping (thus far) has been spent at Publix; this was our first foray into the weird, wonderful and varied world of a Walmart store. What an eye-opener this was to be
I thought the UK had some big supermarkets, the Clifton Moor Tesco in York is a pretty impressive size, but this couldve happily dropped into Walmart twice with room to spare. We started off by looking for a few bits for tea in the food section; the donut selection was astounding on its own, before heading off around the store. We found great beach towels for the kids, Howard got a Ford one with trucks, Danny had a Homer Simpon one and Emily had purple & organe stripped concoction all for $9/$10 each. Better value than the $20+ ones in Disney!
Then we found it. The clothes section. Oh. My. Goodness. Like Asda (I know that Walmart owns the British retail company), there was a huge range of George styles and a lot more besides. The cost of some of the clothes was fantastic, as was the range of sizes they even had shirts and trousers to fit me which is more than can be said for our local Asda hat seems to think that mens chest/waist measurements dont go over 44 & 30 respectively! Ruth found loads of stuff for the kids, t-shirts, trousers, jeans, blouses you name it she found it and all at really low prices, especially when you compared them to the prices back home. She even managed to bag some stuff for presents to bring back home! I got three shirts, some denim shorts, some Wrangler cargo shorts and a pair of jeans that fits perfectly.
By now the trolley had a little bit of food in the bottom and the rest was full of clothes! Im so sorry that weve not visited a Walmart in the past. If we ever get to go back to Florida it will be our first port of call to stock up on clothes for the rest of the holiday and to take back home. By all means visit the major shopping malls and retail outlets around Orlando but you really should have at least one trip to a Walmart to see what bargains you can pick up.
Carrying on around the store we passed a sports section, gardening, DIY and then wallop. There were cases of guns, rifles and blooming great Rambo knives! Hang on. Im in a supermarket, albeit a super-size me one, that sells everything from asparagus to zebedee pyjamas and in the middle there is enough weaponry to start a small war! Then the kids start shooting (not literally) questions at Ruth and I about why guns are for sale in a shop! I had to laugh as a sign said that I had to prove I was over 21 and have a valid driving license to buy one. Is that all? Ill have the whole case! Only kidding. Its entirely up to the American people how they lead their lives but I bet they wouldnt allow the video/DVD section to stock X XX rated movies as children are in the store. Yet they allow the shops to sell items whose purpose is to kill, or at the very least, severely injure. Even two weeks later I still cant get my head around this, selling guns and hunting knives in the same place you buy nappies and baby food just doesnt feel right.
Oh well, such is life. Off to the video game section to see another example of why we in the UK are ripped off. They were selling Nintendo Gameboy SP systems for $79. In Britain youd be lucky to buy a SP for £70. The games were the same, $30 for a new game in the USA, £30 in the UK. The situation was similar with the other major formats, Gamecube, PS2 and X-Box. Walmart were selling the majority of titles for $30-$35, they go for £30-£40 in the UK. And were told this isnt Rip off Britain
Time to get off my high-horse before she gets annoyed.- Note Although the software prices are much lower in the USA than the UK, most will not work in the UK without your console being modified and invalidating your warranty. Please do not buy unless you've checked beforehand what will/will not work. You have been warned!
Today has been so much more relaxing as we all needed the rest. Ruth cracked open the champagne Id bought for her on the plane and after one glass I went light headed and crashed out! Dont understand this, 4/5 pints of Mansfield Smooth bitter and Im just happy. One glass of bubble stuff and Im as giggly as a schoolgirl!
Its a good job we had a rest today though as on Monday we did more than we expected to Disney MGM & Magic Kingdom in one day, from the opening time at the former until the last fireworks over Cinderellas castle.
But thats another story!
Although I'm happy if I can help someone make a good choice on their break.
Welcome to the UK fan club 
Our first day ritual is breakfast at Denny's then on to 
