We all woke up about 630!!! There was an apartment welcome basket that had tea bags and Starbucks ground coffee, so we made a big pot of coffee and sat around and enjoyed the view out over the lake outside. The weather is really nice. About 25C and sunny, with clouds starting up in the afternoon. The sun feels very hot. Hotter than 25 would feel in the Uk. So pleased with our accommodation.

Our car was being delivered at 9am. I’ve mentioned in earlier posts that we’ve rented the car from a private supplier using the Turo.com system. Airbnb for cars. We were slightly apprehensive although the system thus far has been very straightforward and re-assuring. Anyway, the car was delivered to us by the owner, in immaculate condition. He walked us round it, took pictures, pointed out minor scratches and a chip. Very informative and helpful. The car is excellent – a Mitsubishi Outlander – 2019 – and it’s great for the four of us and all our luggage. Once our initial month in Orlando is over we are moving around quite a bit so it has to be comfortable. So far, we are delighted.

Once we had the car, well…. it was off for breakfast. There is a Dennys just up the road so we went there. We have been to Dennys many times over the last 30 odd years. In many ways it is the heir of the old, traditional diner. Not really…. but some of the spirit is still there….. I had the Traditional Slam which was scrambled eggs with cheese, hash browns which are actually rosti, bacon, sausage and toast. Bob had something similar but with a side of biscuits with sausage gravy – his favourite artery hardener. Stuart had a slam like me and Fi had a veggy omelette. All were delicious. All washed down with never ending coffee. Coffee very bland to be honest. Europeans definitely like stronger coffee than is common here.

Suitably full, we headed off to the Walmart Supercentre to stock up on supplies. We needed food, bathroom products, suncare, drinks…… seasonings…. alcohol….. What a treat a visit to a Walmart Supercentre is to the average Brit. For a start, there’s the sheer, utter humungous size of the place. Then, there’s the humungous range of everything on offer, the familiar and unfamiliar range of products, the size of the portions. Everything is bigger! Forget about meagre 100g pots of coleslaw or potato salad or dips… no … think in terms of 500g minimums even a kilo. A kilo of coleslaw or potato salad or macaroni salad!!!! Huge racks of pork ribs – half a ruddy pig – for $10. Packs of 10 huge chicken breasts for a fiver. It’s all supersized. Stuart and Fi hadn’t been before so they were stunned. Not the least, possibly, by our fellow shoppers many of whom clearly have had many supersized packs of stuff.

We were in there for over 2 hours – 2 trolleys worth of food and supplies. We got nearly everything we wanted except……

Alcohol selling is bizarre in the States and it varies by state. Supermarkets in Florida stock wine and beer but not spirits. So we bought a 3l wine box of white wine and a big case of beer and some margarita mix but we had to go to a liquor store for gin and tequila. The liquor stores are always slightly seedy places. Places where you come out with brown paper bags to conceal your purchases….. Why is it worse to buy vodka than wine? Or beer? it’s odd. In Hawaii you can buy all liquor in the supermarket. In Colorado, from memory, you can buy beer but not wine…. other states you can’t buy any alcohol in the supermarket. Having said that. the spirits are a bargain. We bought 1.7 litres of gin for $20 – a proper brand, and the same for tequila.

We also went to the T Mobile store and Bob and Stuart bought local sims to go into their i-phones so they will work here. Pretty good deal with unlimitted data.

We came back and unpacked everything, feeling pretty pleased with our stock up. Then, we went out and walked a good walk all round the grounds and to the edges of the golf course. The landscaping is really beautiful here. i wonder how many gardeners they have?

Tonight we dined at home! Stuart was chef and made us deliciously monstrous chicken breasts, wrapped in smoked bacon and baked in the oven, together with baked potatoes and salad. Nice wine. OOOh…. i forgot! I made margaritas as pre-dinner cocktails….. nice…..

We are going to take it pretty easy for a couple of days and get used to the time change… and enjoy the weather.