by | Aug 26, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 12 – Fixing the phones Saturday 25th August 2018 Wow! Nobody was up and about when I came downstairs this morning. Sandy, as is often the case, had actually gotten up earlier than me but she must have found somewhere else to go and lie back down again, since she...
by | Aug 26, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 11 – Blizzard Beach & Old Town Friday 24th August 2018 Well, today was going to be a nice, relaxing day at the water park with a bit of well-earned R&R. That was the plan, at least. What could possibly be simpler, right? By the end of the night, we were...
by | Aug 24, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 10 – Down time Thursday 23rd August 2018 Once again, we all enjoyed the sheer bliss of having nothing to do and nowhere to go this morning. Consequently, everyone was up and active well past rope drop for all the parks. I have to say it was a well-needed...
by | Aug 23, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 9 – Typhoon Lagoon & Old Town Wednesday 22nd August 2018 Another day, another visit to a Waffle House. In light of the variety of restaurants here, we could probably be experimenting with various other breakfast options. However, it’s already so hard to find...
by | Aug 23, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 8 – Magic Kingdom Tuesday 21st August 2018 Oh, the bliss of a lie in with nowhere to go and no reason to get out of bed. For the first time since we arrived, everyone managed to sleep as long as our bodies wanted, with no one of us intentionally waking any of the...
by | Aug 21, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 7 – Disney Springs & Hollywood Studios Monday 20th August 2018 We decided to have breakfast at home this morning. I was to take Jamie, Dan and Shanuel to the airport this afternoon. Jamie had made a lunch reservation at Planet Hollywood for noon. We wanted to...
by | Aug 20, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 6 – Kirsty & Andy at the Polynesian Sunday 19th August 2018 With no theme parks to get to today, it was a slow start to this morning. The plan was to have breakfast and then head on over to the Disney Polynesian Resort, where Kirsty and Andy and the two girls...
by | Aug 19, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 5 – EPCOT Saturday 18th August 2018 Today promised to be another full-on theme park trek. The plan was to collect Jamie and co after breakfast and drive us all to EPCOT for the day. This meant a relatively early start. I was up and active by around 6am. As I was...
by | Aug 18, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 4 – Animal Kingdom Friday 17th August 2018 Last night, just as we were snuggling up in bed, Sandy had a bit of an idea. No, it wasn’t to have sex. It isn’t my birthday until March. She figured it would be very busy at the Magic Kingdom being a Friday. There’s a...
by | Aug 17, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 3 – Kirsty and Andy Thursday 16th August 2018 I still have high hopes that we’ve kicked the jetlag but given that Sandy and I were both up and on the couch downstairs chatting this morning from around 3am, despite us going to bed before midnight, suggests our body...
by | Aug 16, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 2 – settling in Wednesday 15th August 2018 Thanks to the comfortable beds, we all slumbered serenely through the night. I woke up at around 09:00am and gently tried to get everyone else up. If we are to stand a chance at kicking the jetlag, we’ll have to adhere to...
by | Aug 15, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 1 – getting there (part 2) Tuesday 14th August The first flight, despite being the longest at fourteen and a half hours, finished and we emerged relatively unscathed. We deliberately allowed the rest of the plane’s occupants to disembark before we got out of our...
by | Aug 14, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Day 1 – getting there (part 1) Tuesday 14th August I’ve called this blog entry day 1 but in truth, the first day will end up spanning at least a day and a half. This is because of the time zone shifts we’ll undergo as a part of this journey. We’re travelling half way...
by | Aug 11, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Pre-departure 3 – one last night out with the boys Saturday 11th August So, I wasn’t planning on putting out another blog before we left but one or two interesting things happened today and I think it would be best to record them for posterity’s sake. The day started...
by | Aug 9, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Pre-departure 2 – just a few more things before we go Thursday 9th August I had originally thought that once the household contents were whisked away that we would finally have a chance to stop and breathe. Alas. Our days have actually been kept very busy this past...
by | Aug 4, 2018 | OZ to FL to UK to NL
Pre-departure 1 – the calm between the storms Saturday 4th August Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. The Morgan family (well, this one at least) is leaving Australia after moving here just nine years ago. This wasn’t actually something we planned well in advance. In fact, the...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 8 – Dreamworld (4th visit)…last update from the Gold Coast! Well, just as we were all starting to slow down a bit towards the end of the holiday and expecting a bit of a rest, we’re hit with an absolutely massive last full day that will leave us...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 7 – Dreamworld (3rd visit)… I don’t know if it was whether I slept awkwardly or whether the exhaustion of hitting the theme parks every day has finally caught up with me but it was around 8:30am when I got up this morning. Ordinarily, and on a...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 6 – Seaworld & Movie World… I’m up at 5:45am this morning! Are you serious!? If this trend carries on, I’ll soon be getting up before I go to bed each bloody night. Why is it that my body clock works on a 25 hour day ordinarily but a 23 hour...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 5 – Wet ‘N’ Wild & Movie World… Clearly, the exertions of the holiday are starting to take their toll on me. I was up at the shamelessly late time of 7.30am this morning. Naturally, Sandy and the kids were well into overdrive by this time and...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 4 – Dreamworld (again)… Wouldn’t you know it, the kids were up and awake at around 5am this morning. Don’t they realise we’re on bloody holiday!? Sandy was up before me as usual but I managed to lie in all the way through to 7am, which is at...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast 2015 – Day 3 – Seaworld… I’m not sure what it is about being on holiday that always causes me, and everyone else, to be awake and up early. Aren’t we supposed to be on holiday? Aren’t you supposed to be able to lie in when on holiday? Sandy was indeed...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast Sep 2015 – Day 2 – Dreamworld With yesterday having been a busy travel day, filled with more stress than was originally anticipated, we had resigned ourselves to the idea that today would be a rest day. In the end, it turned into a full-on day...
by | Jun 10, 2018 | Gold Coast Sep 15
Gold Coast Sep 2015 – Day 1 – getting there… Ok, here we go again! Exactly 2 years ago, we were doing the very same thing – rushing around trying to get ready for a week’s worth of Queensland fun. We’re even staying in the same accommodation...
by | Aug 20, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 21 – The EndFriday 18th August Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. The trip is, finally, at an end. The fat lady has sung. The curtain has closed. Everyone has left the theatre. Being the last person out of the building, I’ve...
by | Aug 20, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 19 – Venlo & last full dayThursday 17th August This will be our last full day before beginning the long, and no doubt arduous, process of travelling back to Melbourne and our former lives. We have no further obligations to fulfil,...
by | Aug 19, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 19 – VenloWednesday 16th August With yesterday’s hotel breakfast fracas still fresh in my mind when I woke up morning, I was determined to have a hearty meal and so made sure to get to the breakfast hall with more time to spare....
by | Aug 19, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 18 – KerkradeTuesday 15th August Yesterday was a very long day. Actually, to be honest, every day for the past two weeks has been a very long day. Our stay at the Center Parcs holiday park was to be the holiday within the holiday and...
by | Aug 17, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 17 – Center Parcs to KerkradeMonday 14th August Sandy and the kids were still asleep when I got up this morning. First order of the day, after emptying my bladder, was to see what the fresh roll fairy had delivered this morning. Alas,...
by | Aug 17, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 16 – Center ParcsSunday 13th August It seems I’m getting into the habit of being the first out of bed lately. Everyone else was still slumbering soundly when I found this morning’s batch of fresh rolls in a bag by the front door....
by | Aug 15, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 15 – Family reunionSaturday 12th August Although the kids would have loved it, there was no time this morning to go back to the swimming complex for another splash. On the cards today was a pre-organised family and friends reunion,...
by | Aug 12, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 14 – Kerkrade to Center ParcsFriday 11th August Once again, a gloriously late start to the day was on the cards this morning. We couldn’t leave things too late, of course, since we’re checking out of Kasteel Erenstein. We’ll be back...
by | Aug 12, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 13 – KerkradeThursday 10th August We had a slow start this morning. Since I wasn’t sure whether breakfast was or wasn’t included in our stay, I dressed and wandered down to reception to inquire – in that order. Fortunately breakfast...
by | Aug 11, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 12 – Paris to KerkradeWednesday 9th August As planned, we had a late start to the day. To be honest, I think we were still all pretty lethargic from the past few days. We’re really going to need a holiday after this one. Be that as it...
by | Aug 10, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 11 – Disneyland ParisTuesday 8th August Sandy didn’t sleep much last night. I woke up and found her using the toilet as a seat and the bathroom counter next to her as a desk. It’s just about the only space to sit anywhere here in this...
by | Aug 8, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 10 – Arrival at Disneyland ParisMonday 7th August Since we wanted to spend as much of the day as possible exploring the Disneyland Paris parks today, I was fortunate to have remembered to set the alarm for this morning. I got up...
by | Aug 6, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 9 – Catacombs and Eiffel TowerSunday 6th August We made a conscious decision to not try to cram as much as possible in today and not to worry about getting up and out very early. This resulted in an absolutely terrific slow start with...
by | Aug 6, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 8 – Seine river cruise & Notre DameSaturday 5th August A blissfully lazy start to the day awaited us this morning. Although we originally planned a fairly packed schedule here in Paris, Sandy and I mulled it over and we’ve decided...
by | Aug 5, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 7 – Arrival in ParisFriday 4th August The mood this morning was a tad sombre. Once again, we find ourselves saying goodbye to loved ones. It never gets easy. Fortunately, Sandy had already done most of the packing last night but there...
by | Aug 4, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 6 – Harry PotterThursday 3rd August So, today is a big day as far as planned activities is concerned. Later on this afternoon, we’re going to be spending a few hours at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour to see the making of Harry Potter....
by | Aug 3, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 5 – WestcliffWednesday 2nd August Once again I found myself waking early and without the benefit of an alarm. If only I could do this normally when not on holiday. Breakfast this morning was a muted affair. The kids were pre-occupied...
by | Aug 2, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 4 – LondonTuesday 1st August As per the usual routine, it was another early start to the day. The irony is that we’re on holiday and don’t really have a need to get up early, so you’d think we’d all enjoy a sleep in, right? Ha!...
by | Aug 1, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 3 – South OckendonMonday 31st We’re starting to settle into a routine now. Even though we don’t have any pressing reason to be getting up early, our body clocks are still kicking us all into gear from around 6 a.m. Even I’m finding...
by | Jul 31, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 2 – BasingstokeSunday 30th Recent events have led Sandy and me to take a slightly different outlook on life. The passing of a close friend – considerably younger than us I might add – has made us both stop and think. What’s really...
by | Jul 30, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017Day 1 – Family reunionsSaturday 29th Today has been full on, as we’ve moved from one activity to the next. We’ve had a blast but I’m now looking forward to tucking up in bed. The day started well with a restful night’s sleep…for the most...
by | Jul 28, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017T-0 – getting thereThursday 27th & Friday 28th July We’re about two hours into our first flight, with another six left to go. Lunch has been served, which was actually a lot better than I expected it to be. I had the chicken curry and...
by | Jul 26, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017T-1 – pre-departureWednesday 26th July ‘Twas the night before the holiday and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…well, Joey was on his iPad, Jennifer was still glued to Youtube and Sandy was busy squeezing more...
by | Jul 23, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017T-4 – pre-departureSunday 23rd July After weeks, if not months, of meticulous planning and research, we’re now into the final few days before departure. It remains a surreal, calm-before-the-storm sort of a situation. As we say here in...
by | Jul 19, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017T-9 – pre-departureWednesday 19th July Shit just got real. Yesterday, I bought some Pounds & Euros. This is a very tangible reminder that we’re now getting very close. It’s also another reminder of just how much this trip is eating...
by | Jul 15, 2017 | Europe Jul 17
Europe – July 2017T-15 – pre-departureSaturday 15th July Our departure date looms ever closer with now just two weeks to go. It’s kind of surreal. I should be getting excited and perhaps I am but the lurgy that has afflicted me along with some other...
