Devall Travels

The bane of the blogger's life?  Looking at old posts to get some information and you click on the link and get the dreaded 404 message appears!  Aaarrgghh! It happens to me when I went to  http://invictamoto.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/easter-saturday-family-war-grave-trail.html to pick up the URL's on two of our relatives that are buried in France in WW1. I ended up having to go to the CWGC website and re-entering all the details to get the new and correct links. Grrrr. I updated the original posting with an "Update" at the so as not to spoil the original alliteration. Job done.

This trip has been on the back burner for a while and I waited until I had something concrete to write about. November 11th 2018 is the centenary of the formal ending of the First World War and there has been very little written about what commemorations there will be. I saw a note on one of the battlefield travel tour operators for a trip to the Somme that included either a visit to Thiepval or to the Australian monument at Villers Brettoneux. I checked with the British Legion and they didn't seem to know anything about organised event at Thiepval at this time. I took a punt and checked out the Aussie sites and found that they were taking applications for ticket and so I filled in the forms for Claire and myself.  At the moment it looks like we have been successful and accepted.. So need to wait a while before booking anything... Oh. I forgot. I have booked the hotel we always stay in at Amiens....

Currently a little quiet on this trip. We have to pay the balance on the trip in March but apart from that we have not much to add. There was a newspaper article about cruise companies becoming a little stricter on what people are wearing on the ships during the day. With mass cruising there seems to have been a downturn in the standard of dress with people wearing football shirts and gaudy leisurewear. Maybe they shouldn't be letting stag and hen parties on in the first place, as one of the stricter rules is no messages and group wear..... On the only previous full cruise we have been on with Saga, there was a dress code and it is not hard to adhere too. But there have been loads of over reaction from people vowing never to go with NNNN Cruise again. P&O are one of the NNNN companies and have said that they will enforce a certain level of dressing on the ship.  I am all for that. Cue comments? And that's about it. https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news....

We already have a few trips planned for this year.  I am still looking for something to do for Claire's birthday, that this year falls on a Saturday. Maybe a weekend away or simply a night away somewhere, with or without the dog.  We'll have to see. The big news is that Claire has been to see the specialist and a new hip is on the cards for the first half of this year. We don't exactly know when but on January 25th she has the pre-op meeting at the hospital.  This is to acquaint her with the procedure etc. it should also take place between one and three months before the operation. At the full three months that would drop it firmly into the week that we have booked to go to Spain.  The Extremadura trip might have to be cancelled. With budget airlines booked it certainly can't be delayed without losing the airfares and one of the hotels I had to book direct. The rest of the week is booked with booking.com and have free cancellation. She needs to h...

Whatever your faith this is a time for rejoicing and friendship. Best wishes from Paul and Claire Devall. P.S. Instead of posted cards I have donated to an animal rescue centre.  http://www.hillside.org.uk

The niggling problem is that I have 14 exchange points left to use with RCI after we were downsized for the second week in Florida earlier this autumn. I hate to see them expire on 31st December 2018. Just vanish unused. So where to go? Europe is artificially priced and only the crappiest or those with the worst reviews seem to be in that points range. Amazingly,  many of the "why is this dump on here" places are much higher. But turning to the US looks the best value for resort, and choice, but obviously the airfare is much higher. Now I know the term dates for the school year starting September 2018 I have something to play with. Update 2/11/2017 In the bit the bullet and joined the 14 left over points with the next year's allowance to create a 36 point year ending Dec 2019.

Up reasonably early. Quick breakfast and finish packing. The TomTom has chosen a run up I95 and then left on the 528 to the airport. Claire prefers the alternative route using the Florida Turnpike toll road. So TomTom fixed to take this route.  The odd thing is that the freeway is 4 lanes and the toll road is two. Still arrived in good time. Take car back. Cost $441 for 14 days rental. Gulp. Not bad to be fair. Works out at about £24 a day. Had lunch at a Perkins.  Just had to have pumpkin pie.  But restraint needed and had one piece between two of us. We had checked in, bags checked and through security in less than an hour.  I beeped on the scanner and they said I had something metallic around my belly.  God knows what. Sat about until the earlier flight left and then went to the gate to read and wait. Popped into the Disney Store and took a pic of Claire and Snow White. Careful positioning to miss out little girl that wouldn't bugger ...