Madeira Sledge Ride

Last night in the on-board theatre we saw comedian Mick Miller. While some of the jokes went over his head, Wilson laughed so hard that cocktails came out of his nose. 

Today, though, we are in Madeira, it's hot and the sun is shining brightly! 

First we visited a church, which didn't much interest W, but then we went on the famous Toboggan Ride where we were pushed down a very steep hill in a basket. 

It was exhilarating and wonderful, and Wilson said it was 'the best!'

After that we had a ride high over the town on a cable-car. Once we were back on terra firma W confided that he hadn't been scared at all. 

Contrary to my impression while we were riding it!

Another Sea Day...

Another Sea Day today as we steam towards Portugal.

Wilson passed the morning climbing on the Rock wall, followed by some time in the amusement arcade.

After lunch he sunbathed on deck eating free frozen yoghourts until it was time to change for dinner. Surprisingly, the frozen yoghourts didn't seem to affect his appetite in the least! 

Tomorrow we arrive at Madeira!

Guess what W found in our cabin?

Last night we saw the ice show, which was brilliant! Although the ship was rocking quite a bit, only one skater fell over, which was quite an achievement. Wilson really enjoyed it, and told me later that he'd like to try skating himself before the holiday is over. 

When the show finished we went to a couple of bars, drinking cocktails and eating free pizza, then guess what we found when we got back to our cabin? Dennis, our cabin cleaning guy, had folded a towel into the shape of… an anteater! 

I think this has assured him of an extra-generous tip from W!

El Bañista del Arenal ('The Bather of Arenal') by Francisco Leiro

We had a look round the town of Vigo before heading back to the ship. 

On the way to the marina we came across the huge statue of El Bañista del Arenal ('The Bather of Arenal') by Francisco Leiro, and Wilson became unaccountable anxious. I thought at first that he was intimidated by its massive size, but when I enquired he said he was concerned lest anyone should think he was responsible for knocking it over.

He is really looking forward to tonight's Ice Show, Cool Art, Hot Ice, though he doesn't actually believe there can be an ice rink on the ship. But he originally refused to believe there was a swimming pool, either. 

Tomorrow will be another Sea Day as we sail on towards Madeira.

Vigo

Today we're in the Spanish town of Vigo, and the weather is lovely — warm and sunny. This is more like it!

First we went up to an old castle which overlooks the town, then we had something to eat before exploring the little town itself.

I saw on the tv that it's been a bit damp and blowy at home, but… it really is lovely here!

 

_________________

CHECK THIS OUT! 

What with Christmas and everything, December was a very busy month for Wilson Vermilingua OBE!

I've just uploaded the latest monthly volume of Ant Wars II: December 2013 so you can catch up on anything you've missed.

Please tell all your friends, as it is Wilson's stated ambition for his life story to be, as he puts it, "As Popular as a visit from Father Xmas."

You can download them or read them online at:

http://issuu.com/friendlydragon/docs/ant_wars_ii_december_2013  

http://issuu.com/friendlydragon

Cider factory visit

We drove through beautiful, though misty, countryside to Sidra Menéndez and by the time we arrived it had stopped raining. 

Following a tour of the brewery we were each given a bowl of olives, some goat's cheese, fresh-baked bread and an empty glass which was then filled with cider — in very dramatic fashion — straight from the vat. 

Wilson went round several times to have his glass filled as, because there were quite a lot of people there, he thought no-one would notice. Of course, he was the only anteater there, so he was a bit obvious, but still drank four or five glasses and had to be helped back onto the coach. 

He told me on the drive back that he'd thought it was just apple juice, and he'd been anxious to get his five-a-day.

By the time we got back on the ship he was sufficiently recovered to have an ice-cream, before dinner and another show at the theatre. Tonight's show is called 'Invitation to Dance.'

Overnight we shall sail to Vigo for another day's adventures in Spain!

The Rain, in Spain, falls mainly on New Dad's umbrella... which I've borrowed!

Our excursion is to a little town called Gijón. Cider, or sidra as they call it, appears to be very popular here, because there are a lot of Sidra Bars and they've even built a huge sculpture out of empty cider bottles! 

Wilson has promised to build a sculpture out of empty Ant Gin bottles in the garden when we get home.

We had a brief stroll around the town, which is very pretty and has a tiny Roman ruin, then on to the Universidad Laboral de Gijón, where there is a church built by the Spanish dictator Franco. He started it in 1946 and never finished it, which seems a bit… imprudent. Perhaps, as Wilson suggested, he had a short attention span.

Then back into the coach and off to Sidra Menéndez, a family-run cider factory in the countryside. Wilson is looking forward to this!

It is still raining.

We've arrived in Spain!

Wilson acquitted himself very well at the Formal Dinner last night. Considering that he had never had a silver service meal before, his manners were impeccable. 

Unfortunately we had to leave before I'd finished my dessert as W was anxious to arrive at the theatre early enough to be sure of getting the best seat in the house. 

Once he'd settled down, still in his formal attire, he made excellent (and frequent) use of the Bar Service. So much so that, when he remarked it was strange to be in a theatre that rocked up and down, I'm not entirely certain it was the theatre that was rocking…

Today, though, we have arrived in Spain and we shall soon be leaving on an excursion. 

It's not as warm or as sunny as I'd hoped, but over the next few days we shall be drawing close to the equator…

Bar Service!

Sea Days are very expensive! Wilson has an unerring sense of what is not included in the cost of our passage… and ordering it. In particular, he is unable to resist waiters seductively calling 'Bar Service!' as they pass him. His charge card still seems to be fully functional.

Still, use of the Table Tennis facilities is free, and it will help him work off some calories. I just hope we don't get charged for all the ping-pong balls we've lost over the side, as it's quite windy on deck!

Tonight is Formal Night in the dining room, then we're off to see a show in the on-board theatre!

All at sea!

As we boarded the ship we were each handed a Sea Pass card — a combined cabin door key and chargecard for everything we bought on board.

The first thing we did was to locate our cabin, then Wilson headed directly to the Souvenir Shop to try out his card. He did this by buying an expensive model of the ship, and he assured me that the card had worked perfectly. 'However,' he said, 'I'd better keep on testing it, just to make sure it doesn't develop a fault!'

We shall be at sea for the rest of today and tomorrow, then we shall arrive in Gijón in Spain!

We are ready to depart

At midnight last night Wilson was woken by New Year's celebration fireworks; this morning he was disappointed to learn that Holiday Inn does not operate the same 'A Great Night's Sleep — Guaranteed' policy as Premier Inn so he was unable to claim his (or strictly speaking, my) money back.

Despite his broken night, he ate an extremely hearty breakfast, saying, 'I advise you to do the same, New Dad — a full stomach will protect you against seasickness!' and then we set off to the docks.

When he first saw our ship, its hugeness came as a revelation to Wilson. He said he'd been expecting something about the size of the Jersey Ferry, whereas this was, as he put it, bigger than a very, very big block of flats!

We're on our way!

Wilson is so excited about his cruise that he hasn't even noticed that HM the Queen has once again failed to ratify his OBE in the New Year's Honours List. 

Halfway to Southampton he clapped a paw to his head and told me that he'd forgotten something important. I was afraid that he'd left the gas on, or not locked the front door, but in fact it was his Grand Charity Garden Open Day — he had forgotten to hold it again last summer! 

Anyway, here we are checking in to The Holiday Inn, Southampton, and enjoying the view over the docks from our room. 

Tomorrow, on New Year's Day, we shall board the liner and begin Wilson's Big Adventure!

Happy New Year, everyone!

And the lucky winner is...

Wilson has decided who he would like as his travelling companion, and the name of the lucky winner is: Polly-B.

I pointed out that since Polly-B is, when it comes right down to it, a stuffed toy, she wouldn't need a ticket; she could travel as luggage. 

W said that if that's the case, it might as well be me who goes with him. 

Hmmm. That makes me feel so esteemed, so… valued: I am his first choice after a plush toy bee.

Anyway, we'll be setting off for Southampton tomorrow, if W can get all his cases into the car! I shall probably be taking just the clothes I'm wearing, as there won't be room for anything else…

Wilson prepares to go cruising

When I bought the two tickets for Wilson's Cruise to the Canaries I had sort of assumed that it would be me who accompanied him. It seems this may not now be the case. A number of his friends have offered to chaperone him, and he has drawn up a shortlist. 

He says he will announce the lucky person tomorrow.

In the meantime, he is packing everything he might conceivably need on an extended sea cruise, overlooking the fact that whatever he takes will have to fit in the trunk of the car to be taken to Southampton.

He's making a list and checking it twice...

Wilson is very busy making lists of everything he might conceivably need on his holiday to The Canary Islands. 

He is a bit concerned that he doesn't have enough formal wear for Dinner at the Captain's Table, but I've tried to reassure him that a black bow-tie will see him through the most decorous and mannered of dining situations. 

Wilson opens his presents...

Here you see Wilson halfway through opening his Christmas presents. He's wearing his new vegetarian-certified faux-fur jacket while eating a box of imported chocolate-fed ants. 

Just after this photo was taken, he opened his main gift — which was a ticket for a sunshine cruise to the Canary Islands for him and a friend! 

I'm really hoping he'll choose me as his travelling companion, since I'm quite as fed up with this weather as he is…

Boxing Day!

We all had a lovely time on Christmas Day! The Stone Brothers were allowed indoors on condition that they didn't frighten Antony or Tiny Toy (who were both very brave about this) and everyone ate and drank too much. 

One of Wilson's highlights of the day was pulling his giant cracker, with him at one end and everyone else at the other!

W gave me a pair of ODDSIES! and a new set of Journals. I can't wait to start using them, but you won't get to see them until the first one is filled at the end of January. That's the journals, not the ODDSIES! obviously!

Wilson had a Dr Who Sonic Screwdriver and some other toys, but was most excited by his main present from me. 

I'll tell you what that is tomorrow…

Happy Christmas from us all!

Wilson has hung up his stocking and placed a glass of milk and some reindeer treats by fireplace. Now he's gone to bed in hopes that the night will pass more quickly… though I won't be surprised to see him up again in a few minutes complaining that he's too excited to sleep.

There won't be any update tomorrow, but I hope you'll hear from us again on Boxing Day.

   

In the meantime, we all wish you a Very Happy Christmas!

We wish you a Happy Christmas!

Wilson and I would like to wish all our friends a Very Happy Christmas and, as Wilson puts it, A Merry New Year!

A Christmas Tradition

Wilson and I have been to our local for our traditional last-Sunday-before-Christmas drink. Well, it's not actually a tradition yet, but if we do it again next year it will be.
 

W settled down with an Irish Coffee and I with a Barley Wine, and he related a story his friend Bob had told him. It seems that an acquaintance of Bob's had bought an apple pie, and when he bit into it, he found it was full of live ants!
 

'What are the chances of that happening, eh?' he asked. Then he smiled and shook his head ruefully, saying, 'Some people really do have all the luck!'