30. Apr, 2016

SATURDAY 08-11-08 

We slept well last night until woken again by the 06:30 bin man pulling up just across the roadway from our pitch to empty the dumpster. That’s one of the big differences between here and home – trash here gets collected far more often. After that we turned over again for a couple of hours. 

I was first to get up making a start on washing the rest of the RV exterior. Rosina joined me later and between us we managed to polish the remainder of the right side and spot-clean the cab area ready for polishing tomorrow. We were hoping to do the cab as well today to allow tomorrow, Sunday, to be a day of rest, but the sun was high in the sky by then, and it was up in the 80F’s, just too hot to continue. We did manage to create some interest from the neighbours many of whom just call one of the local RV cleaning companies who come and do the job for them onsite using high pressure washers and polishing machinery. 

Towards the end of our cleaning chores the mobile phone rang and it was Denny Smith, a former colleague and friend of ours from the old Cambridgeshire Ambulance Service days. She was in Florida visiting her brother and his family. It was agreed that we’d meet up in the next day or two for a meal. They will come to us here in Naples as it will be easier as we won't have to uporoot the RV and move it 40 miles north. 

The Chef was good enough to have another crack at my hair as the barber in Atlanta really did make a mess of it. She thinned it out quite a lot and shortened the front, it must by now be the equivalent of two haircuts I’ve had since I’ve been out here. 

After lunch and a spell of soaking up some sunshine we set off on our bikes to the local liquor store for a bottle of Bacardi (it seemed a shame to have sunshine but no Bacardi & Coke) followed by a quick visit to the Wal-Mart on the way back. This store is our local corner shop; it’s about 400 yards from the campground, much closer than we remembered it from 2 years ago. In every Wal-Mart we’ve visited since 1st November, customers and the poor staff have had to endure piped Christmas carols over speakers whilst they filled the shelves with Christmas gifts and decorations. Fortunately this store has a separate room for Christmas items and the confounded carols, which seems a better way to do it. With clear blue skies and hot sunshine it’s impossible to feel the slightest bit Christmassy. 

A number of the pitches this weekend are taken up by a large group of senior couples who have met up here for a get together. The campground has become something like ‘Dynasty’ meets ‘Waiting for God’ with elderly ladies walking around wearing expensive clothes and perms, carrying stupid little fluffy dogs. It’s amazing that so many of them, having spent so much being nipped, tucked & lifted still had money left over to buy an expensive class ‘A’ motorcoach. 

We had a nice pork casserole cooked in the slow cooker washed down with a few glasses of wine whilst watching the sunset over the RV’s across from us. Fortunately it wasn’t too spectacular otherwise we’d have wished we’d been down on the beach to watch it. 

This evening has been spent watching some TV. This campground has an excellent selection of Cable TV channels, unlike a number of campgrounds recently who have provided hardly any channels, most of which have been almost unwatchable due to interference. Sadly the content was the usual rubbish consisting of predominantly mindless game shows and third rate sitcoms with canned laughter. 

LOCATION TONIGHT: Neapolitan Cove RV Park, 3790 Tamiami Trail, E, Naples, FL 34112.

30. Apr, 2016

30. Apr, 2016

FRIDAY 07-11-08 

We awoke to another lovely bright sunny day. Although the campground and our pitch are near a busy road it was quiet during the night and this morning the noise level was acceptable. Before showering I got dressed, went out and washed down the back and half of the right side of the vehicle. Once it was dry both The Chef and I polished that area of the bodywork. It was so nice to see it clean and shiny, I don’t think the poor thing has been polished since it came off the production line. Tomorrow I plan to get up and wash the remainder of the vehicle so that it is ready to be polished in sections as the mood takes us. 

I had to focus on finding a way of fixing the battery lights we’d bought in Wal-Mart weeks ago to the folding bikes as we will need them later. I cracked it eventually but it had to be with the aid of gaffa tape, as to provide a permanent securing of the light brackets would have resulted in their fouling the framework as the bikes were folded back up again. 

For lunch we had a good old English fry up with everything but the sausages, this was cooked and served in temperatures in the low 80’s Fahrenheit – mad dogs and Englishmen and all that. After lunch we had a lie around in the sunshine, before moving to the shade as we just weren’t used to so much sun and heat. After a rest and snooze The Chef made up a picnic which we took down to the beach cycling the 4 miles on our bikes. It was warm work but fortunately the temperature had started to drop by then. 

We sat on the beach near the pier and watched the sunset before having our picnic and a nice bottle of red wine, eventually making our way back home by peddle-power, this time with our lights on. 

It’s been a long day with plenty of exercise what with polishing the RV and an 8 mile bike ride, but it’s all been enjoyable. 

LOCATION TONIGHT: Neapolitan Cove RV Park, 3790 Tamiami Trail, E, Naples, FL 34112.

30. Apr, 2016

30. Apr, 2016