Day 286 - Legit

A blustery, blowy, winter's day today - relatively mild, but not a great day to be out on the golf course (some of the holes into the wind will have been playing l o n g!). Instead, we headed for Kingston this morning. Traffic was light but there was still a (pre-Xmas?) queue for parking and it was a bit of a struggle to squeeze the Tesla into the British parking spaces...  We went into the jeweller'' to pick up my wedding ring, which I had to have repaired after it was cut off my finger when I sprained my hand earlier in the year: I am now legit again!

After lunch, I accompanied the Lady Captain to a local shop to select a gift for an exiting Committee member: now I just hope that it's ready in time...

Thence to the Golf Club: today is Head Pro Mike's last day at Burhill and I wanted to go to shake his hand to say thanks. Together with Tom, one of the other Pros there, we had fun walking around some of the Club's facilities - both remembering what had been here 10+ years when Mike first joined and also exploring the exciting new teaching and fitting studio which is under construction and should be ready early next year.

After that I sat down for coffee/tea with Adrian who has recently been nominated for the role of Vice Captain in 2016/17.  We spent an hour or so just exchanging thoughts and experiences - during the course of which I was trying to avoid the T20 cricket being played out on the TV as I was taping it at home... I failed....but I did enjoy the final Super Over which saw England just scrape home...

Day 285 - Roll Up

I woke up this morning to a grey winter's day... but when I stepped out of the front door it was actually relatively mild and the threatened winds presaging Storm Clodagh were not yet in evidence... so I decided to make my way to Burhill for the morning Roll-Up.  This is one of the great features of the Club - on any Saturday or Sunday morning you can just turn up at Burhill and get a game. 

When I got to the Honours Bar at 07:45 it was actually pretty empty but by 08:00 it was filling up. I was keen to get out early as I had to be at Heathrow in the early afternoon, so ended up going out first with former Captain Chris and two newish members, Duncan and Chris.  Balls in the air and it was Duncan and I up against the two Chrises.

Conditions were not easy and, as ever, we had a few disaster holes but the match itself was very tight: the way things ended up, everything depended on the final 3 ft putt on the ultimate hole... and he missed.... All of which meant that the match was halved and Duncan and I had won the princely sum of 25p for the bits: we're rich!

After lunch, I headed off to Terminal 5 to collect Kathryn from her Los Angeles flight.  Waiting for her to emerge onto the concourse was very much like the opening or is it closing?) scene of Love Actually (Daughter Mine: when are we watching this over Christmas?): all sorts of members of the public waiting for friends, colleagues and loved ones. A great place for people watching!

Not that I spent much time doing so as I was transfixed to my iPhone watching the final few games of Andy Murray's Davis Cup Final match against David Goffin....  Allez Grand Bretagne!

Day 284 - Captain & Pro Challenge

Captain, Head Pro and Sir Roger
on 18th of the New

One of the highlights of my year of Captaincy has been the opportunity to play together with our Head Professional, Mike, against other Burhill members.  Today was the latest in this sequence - and potentially the last that I shall be playing with Mike before he heads off to his new life in California next month (this depends whether or our next opponents can get their act together before he actually departs...).

As luck has it, we have ended up playing the vast majority of these fixtures on the New Course and that is where we ended up today.  After some bleak weather forecasts earlier in the week, we were treated to some winter sun and had good conditions throughout.  On this occasion we managed to calculate the handicap difference correctly, which meant that we would be giving our opponents, Roger and Simon, 5 shots.  It was going to be tough as they are an established foursomes pairing.

The match itself ebbed and flowed: we were up by 1 then down by 2 until a good par on 8 and a longish putt holed on 9 put us back even after the first half.  Unfortunately, we went down 2 again quickly and by the time we got to the 16th tee had only reduced the deficit to 1.  Of the tee shots on this hole, we shall not speak - "what goes on tour, stays on tour"...

A fine par on 17 (decent drive, driver off the deck to front right of green, 7 iron chip to 3 foot, holed!) meant that we had to win the last to halve the match. Things looked good when Mike stiffed his 7i to 8 ft and Roger left his teeshot well short and right... until Simon then chipped to 6" and the Captain failed to hole the birdie putt.  A shame, but great fun!

Drinks and lunch in the Clubhouse followed, giving Mike a chance to bid his farewells to members there.  Then home for some gardening clear-up duties (and the house too before Kathryn comes home tomorrow!) and the chance to see GBR take a 2-1 lead over Belgium in the Davis Cup Final.  Whoda thunk it?

Day 283 - Black Friday

Today looks to have been a very good day to go nowhere near a shopping mall nor an online website: there is lots of e-chatter out there advertising one-off best deals etc etc yadda yadda, which I have so far chosen to ignore entirely (though the BA offers sound tempting...).

Instead, it was a day for some Disorganised Golf: on this occasion it was Alan, David, Xenos and I who lined up on the first tee of the New Course. Balls were thrown in the air and it was Alan and I against the other two.  Yes, there was some wind out there, but the conditions of the course were excellent - not just the greens, which are spectacular, but the fairways too.  The temperature too played its part - at one point, it was positively mild.

No excuses then for not playing well... And on this occasion, Alan and I did exactly that: we mixed and matched effectively (always a killer in the 4BBB format) and managed a win by 3&2. The match itself was played in great spirits and a good time was had by all: exactly what DOGS golf should be!

As I returned to my car, I noticed that the new sign is up in the car park: strange that nobody asked me what I thought though as I always prefer the inclusion of my second initial, to differentiate myself from brother Matthew.  And I shall not repeat the Lady Captain's views on her "Ms" designation...

Back in the Clubhouse and we switched on to the Davis Cup Final.  I don't think that we were the cause, but the young Englishmen playing his debut seemed to have everything under control until we tuned in, after which it all rather petered away... Fortunately, in the second match, the man from Dumblane put things back on track...

A long FaceTime chat with Mrs L in California - how good a technological breakthrough is that: video on the screen from across the world at zero cost!  Then it was time to watch the Sky+ of the second T20 against Pakistan. Wow... great drama... and we just snuck through....

Day 282 - Thanksgiving

We have been married for more than 30 years and yet I think that this is the first time that Kathryn has spent Thanksgiving together with her mother and all her sisters - unfortunately they are in Los Angeles, so that I am unable to join them but I was there in spirit! 

In truth, we have not been very good at celebrating this most American of holidays as a family - in part because we have been out of the US for so long, and often living abroad too, but maybe also because although I love the concept of getting the family together, I must confess not to being over-keen on the actual food that is served. Turkey is not my favourite meat, jello salad does nothing for me, pumpkin pie is also not a favo(u)rite and let's not even get started on sweet potatoes topped by marshmallows...

When I lived in the US back in the 80s - and remember this is before I was married - I would often be asked at this time of year "do you celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK?".  Initially, this left me a it nonplussed and I used to mention something about Harvest Festival until I decided instead to reply, "yes, but on the 4th of July"....

So no turkey today and no golf either as I spent the day up in London at an Ofwat board meeting. Not many reasons to give thanks either, though some good and fruitful discussions were had.  Back on the course tomorrow!

Day 281 - Walton Heath

A number of months back, I was playing with a fellow member at Burhill, Peter, and we were discussing the challenges of finding a truly waterproof golf shoe (or indeed two...). He shared with me that he had purchased a pair from Nike which were ideal for his home course in the state of Washington in the USA, itself well known for the occasional rain shower.  He did warn me that he got some stick for the color/style of the shoes, but that they were very effective.

Nike Lunar Bandons

Accordingly, when in the US last week, I looked around and managed to find a pair of said shoes at a knock-down price of the equivalent of £50 (very reasonable as I have seen the latest models on sale here at £149...).  They got their first outing today and I am very pleased with them: yes, they look a bit space age, but they kept my feet warm and bone dry...

I was playing this morning in a Surrey Captains fixture at Walton Heath, just down the road from here.   I always enjoy playing there, not only for the courses themselves but also to look around the memorabilia in the Clubhouse celebrating the holding of the 1981 Ryder Cup there.

It was a large gathering today (~130) - so many that we took over both the New and Old Courses. My tee-off time wasn't until 10:04 which gave me plenty of time to enjoy the splendid English Breakfast that was on offer.  The golf itself was played in far more benign conditions than I feared: yes, there was a chilly Northern wind but no rain and we even saw the sun briefly.  My playing partners were David and Richard, former Captains of West Hill and West Byfleet respectively, and we had a very convivial round.  I played pretty steadily and might even have won the whole thing if I could have handled the fast greens better in the first few holes.  As it was, visits to fairway bunkers on my final two holes took their toll and I ended up playing to my handicap, just 1 shot out of the prizes...

On the way home, I drove past the gates for the new top-tier golf course being built just down the road from Walton Heath: the Beaverbrook. It looked as if good progress is being made on the construction but it will be some time before the place has the same traditional atmosphere of Walton Heath...

Day 280 - Rustenberg

I had been scheduled to play some disorganised golf this morning but when I did my calculations, I realised that I wouldn't have time to do so - and boy was I right!  I don't know how I would have managed if I had spent4+ hours at Burhill.  And it rained this morning anyway!

Instead, I was fully occupied getting things ready for tonight's Men's Committee Meeting. Given that our Head Pro, Mike, is leaving the Club I wanted to take the opportunity of thanking him for all his hard work by inviting the team around for dinner.

Cooking for 9 is never simple: how to manage the quantities (making too little would be a disaster...) and at 5 pm, I rushed out to get some more wine in, just in case (I needn't have bothered, many drank beer instead..).

No harm done though as Waitrose had one of my favourite reds (a Rustenberg Cabernet) on special offer: list price £14.99 reduced to £11.99, minus a 10% special deal on wine, 5% off for buying 6 bottles plus a £6 off voucher for spending more than £60 and another special discount of £2... they were practically paying me to take it off their hands!

I did manage all the prep work well enough though, so that by the time everyone arrived, I had everything ready. I had pre-prepared Coq au Vin. with mustard mashed potatoes and parcels of carrots and green beans wrapped in bacon...yum!  A blackberry and apple crumble, with ginger and cloves, and ice cream combined with a successful Committee Meeting sent everyone happily on their way...

Day 279 - Huh?

Up early again this morning: I was on fatherly duty. I had agreed to go up to Clapham to sit in my daughter's flat waiting for someone to call "between 9 and 2”... Fortunately, they turned up at 10:30 so I cannot complain really.

The task of the day was to do a valuation of the apartment for remortgaging...and I was impressed with all the technology he brought along: laser tape measures and some kind of preprogrammed tablet computer. All he had to do was tick lots of boxes, take a couple of pictures and draw a sketch of the floor plan with an electronic pen.. so it was no surprise when he told me he'd have the report ready tonight.

Once home, and after lunch, I headed off to Burhill to pick up a few things (including my golf clubs which I shall need on Wednesday).  I drove into the drive as per normal, in autopilot mode (but not using my Auto Pilot!), and almost had to come to a screeching halt as there were workmen in "my" parking place.

By the looks of things, they are installing some kind of new signage: I look forward to finding out on my next visit!

Back home for the evening: a mixture of email admin, preparation for tomorrow's dinner and catching up on some of the series that are clogging up our Sky+ drive...

Day 278 - Mixed Foursomes

Another early start and another cold day: the thermometer registered -1°C on the car dashboard, as I left the house. And when I arrived at Burhill, the hard frost meant that we were not permitted to use our own trolleys - giving me a choice of carrying my clubs or renting a MotorCaddy with hedgehog wheels (I chose the latter!).

Driving up Seven Hills Road a few minutes earlier, I had received a phone call from Lisa my Foursomes partner. The gates outside their block were not working and she needed a lift to get to Burhill - apparently, not even their fellow resident Mike Yarwood was able to help...

We were playing our first round match in the Autumn Foursomes Knockout today against opponents, Nigel and Suzy.  Things did not start off well: in 3 of the first 4 holes, I messed up relatively simple 90 yard pitches, on each occasion putting Lisa in a greenside bunker: not good!  After Nigel then holed a long putt on the 9th, we were three holes down and looking a swift exit from the competition in the face.

Gradually though, we got our act together and clawed our way back into contention, finally closing the match out on the 17th green for a 3&1 win.  By then, the frost had melted, the sun was shining and, with the lack of any sort of wind, it was actually quite a nice, if cold, day.

After post match drinks, I ran Lisa back home, before returning to Burhill for a chat with Matthew the General manager.  What started up as a catch-up ended up as quite a long conversation as we covered a wide range of issues: amazing how much can happen in two brief weeks!

Day 277 - Yellow Ball

I had to be at the Club for 0745 this morning to get our new Yellow Ball Competition up and running: this meant an alarm call at 0700...which is 0200 Florida time... yuk!

And to add to my general feeling of joy, as I was driving up to the Clubhouse, it was through a flurry of snow and sleet....  All very different from the fine weather I had been enjoying in Sarasota: no shorts and polo shirts here, instead I was wrapped up against the elements, wearing multiple layers to keep the very cold wind at bay.  It was brutal...

We were playing in a team game for 4 players (myself plus Kevin, John and Colin) in which one of us took responsibility for the yellow ball on each hole in turn: then, we were to take the score with that ball plus one other to get to the team's score.  We started off disastrously: after 4 holes, we had lost the yellow ball twice (at a cost of £5/time for the Captains' Charity) and managed to score precisely 0 points with it too.  Things improved somewhat later on but our score was never going to be enough...

And neither was it. When it came time to hand out the prizes, the Vice Captain's foursome was streets ahead of everyone else...and we were only just ahead of those winning the booby prize!  I hung around for lunch and drinks at the Club afterwards, enjoying to opportunity to reconnect with friends that I had not seen for a few weeks.

Back home where I ended up getting stuck into the film American Sniper - a great one to watch with Kathryn out of town!

Day 276 - Man of the Match

British Airways performed well on the Tampa-Gatwick route overnight, even though the flight was a bumpy one.  Tesla too provided a great service: I was collected in my own car outside Arrivals and was delighted to find the car cleaned inside and out, fully charged and with a new set of wiper blades - and all of this for nothing!  Very impressive.

Back home for a quick shower and change and then off to the golf club to spend some time with Michael in the Pro Shop to make sure that everything is set for tomorrow's Yellow Ball competition, including making sure we had enough of said coloured balls for the morning.  Thence to Waitrose to restock the fridge as well as to purchase the prizes for tomorrow.

I got home in time to see the end of the England/Pakistan ODI and Jos Buttler's stupendous innings: great to see someone who was off his game just a short time ago return to form in such an imperious manner.

In the evening, I spent an hour or so working on the cards and rules for tomorrow: in previous incarnations, I have seen players struggle with the format - and so am doing everything I can to eliminate this possibility.

Before going to bed, I did manage to watch Andy Murray bow out of the London Tour Finals: maybe he was saving his energy for next week's game in the Davis Cup? I doubt it somehow....

Day 275 - Tampa Bay

Today is Moving Day: Caroline and Paul need to get up to Tampa for a 2 pm flight to Grand Cayman for a week's diving, I have a Britsh Airways plane at 7:40 pm back to Blighty and Kathryn has a few more days R&R before going to see her mother and sisters for the Thanksgiving celebrations in Los Angeles.

Before we can leave though, I need to circulate a draft of tomorrow's Friday email for comment then we go to First Watch for brunch (an excellent chain: can recommend it!).  The drive up to Tampa was very easy and the first passengers made their flight with plenty of time to spare.

Kathryn and I decided to do some exploring in Tampa.  We visited the Tampa Bay Hotel and learned something of the city's past. In the 1880s, before the railroad reached this part of the South Eastern United States, the population of the city was 720...!  Then a Mr Henry B. Plant became very wealthy opening up Tampa to first the railways and then dredged a channel to allow large verssesl to use the port for fishing, and subsequently to allow US troops to invade Cuba in the brief war against the Spanish.

With all his fortune, he spent millions building the Tampa Bay Hotel which, for a decade or so, was THE place to be: 500 rooms, with a race course, golf course, casino and lots of other attractions.  The Depression ultimately put paid to all of that and the (still very impressive!) site is now owned by the City and is largely occupied by the University of Tampa.

A tasty late lunch by the city's waterfront saw off the rest of the afternoon by which time it was time for me to get to the airport.  All I need to do now is get some sleep on board...

Day 274 - Almost....

The morning was spent working on the Captains' Report - a summary of Diana's and my year to date for inclusion in the Burhill renewal letters for 2016: almost there...

Our last full day together here: tomorrow Paul and Caroline head off to the Cayman Islands for a week's diving, I return to the UK and Kathryn spends a bit more time here before continuing across the States to spend Thanksgiving with her mother and sisters in Los Angeles.

So we decide to spend some time together... wrong!  The youngsters head off for a brunch à deux, Kathryn has a Board Meeting and lunch here (she runs the University Park Women's Club Newsletter) and I am playing golf.

The signature par 3 Hole 5 at UP
(I was 10" away...)

The format of the game was a bit more testing today: teams of four with, on each hole, the best gross score to be added to the two other best nett scores... a bit of a challenge when a number of you mess up a hole!  In addition, there were the usual Skins and Nearest the Pin Flags as well.  One of my team played a blinder, shooting 7 over par, whilst I was at best mediocre and the other two were struggling a bit... so we did not do well!

In fact our team was in last place and scored The Clap (a very brief round of applause..) - something I have not achieved very often in my time at UPCC!  Fortunately (for me) my shots on the 5th and 7th were good enough to win the Flag, thus netting me $10, which nicely counter-balanced my stake of the same amount.

Day 273 - Crystal Classic

Our third and final trip for Caroline and Paul was to Siesta Key: the beach there was recently voted #1 in the US!  We were going to see the Sand Sculptures featured in this year's Crystal Classic.  It was the final day of the show so we were a bit worried that some of the sculptures (using only sand and water!) might have ben imacted by the weather.

One of the many
impressive sculptures

We needn't have worried though: all we saw was one castle tower that appeared to have fallen down.  The same as the previous day, many of the artists featured had come from all over the world - according to one of their bios, she specialised in "ephemeral arts" by which she meant sculpturing in snow, ice, sand and foam... not sure about the last one....

We enjoyed looking around at the magnificent sand creations but the sun was so bright, reflecting off the perfectly white sand, that we found we needed to rest our eyes - maybe we need some more expensive sunglasses...

Back home for a swim in the pool before getting ourselves organised to host two other couples for dinner: our Canadian neighbours, John and Betty, and long-term locals, David and Maria. It was a very pleasant evening with lots of wine consumed -

Day 272 - Chalk of the Town

The plan had been for Kathryn to attend a Ladies Who Lunch thing and I was due to play some friendly golf this morning but, when we saw how fine the weather was and realised that there was a great day ahead with daughter and fiancé, both these got shelved.  Instead we packed up a picnic and headed south to Venice.

Side-on view

No not that Venice, silly: I mean the one just north of Naples.... in Florida...  Today was the last day of the 2015 Chalk Festival.  This is held on an airstrip (thus providing acres of tarmac upon which to draw/paint) of the local municipal airport and sees artists from all over the world come to compete.

3D effect

We were not quite sure what to expect, but were blown away by what we found. The drawings at first looked a bit abstract and it was only once we realised that they were best viewed through an iPhone lens that we properly got the picture: what looks from the side to be a bit of a jumble of colours is transformed when viewed from the right place using a camera.

Teetering on the edge

All very clever and made for a fun morning.

We then found our way to Caspersen Beach - according to TripAdvisor the number one destination in Venice - first for lunch and then to hunt for prehistoric sharks' teeth...

Allegedly, the beach is covered in them - well, that may be the case, but we found only one - and were very pleased to have done so!

Day 271 - Art Attack

Unsurprisingly, it was a slow start this morning...  Nevertheless, we were out relatively early to drive down to St Armand's Circle to visit the biennial Art Fair that is held there. This was something we came across on our very first visit to Sarasota back in 2005 and we have been going regularly since.

We had great fun wandering around: there is an eclectic mix of sculptures, artwork and photography. perhaps inevitably, a lot is Florida-themed - and if our house were to be looking for blue-toned, seaside-inspired art, we should have had lots to choose from!

As it was, we did pretty well: Paul picked up a gift for his sister, Caroline selected a piece of "digital art" for their flat in Clapham, I found a Sarasota map+pelican print and Kathryn gave herself a present from her mother. This was a piece of abstract work that will fit in well with the house here, blending in nicely with composition of Marielle Schram's that we brought out here a couple of years ago.

We had an excellent deluxe taco lunch on the Circle and then headed home, we thought for  relaxing afternoon by the pool. Instead, Caroline and Paul had other ideas and, still with no sign of their luggage from BA, headed off to the Outlets for some serious retail therapy.  They got home late and laden but at least they'll have something different to wear tomorrow!

Day 270 - Chaos

Today was travely day: Aggie is returning to Lille via Atlanta, Heathrow and then the Eurostar; Andrew has a flight from Tampa to Gatwick; daughter, Caroline, and fiancé Paul are heading this way from Gatwick on the plane that is due to fly her brother back across the Atlantic.

We woke up this morning to the news that there was a security alert in the North Terminal at Gatwick and that it was closed. Caroline and Paul had arrived at the airport on time but were now camped out at Costa Cafe in the South Terminal, patiently waiting for news.  And boy did they have to be patient: the delay amounted to some 7 hrs, whilst the security services dealt with the threat posed by some kind of suspect pacakge/airgun/grenade depending which of the increasingly hysterical news sources you believed.

Whilst we were waiting for news, the departure time of Andrew's flight of course kept being put back so that in the end he drove Aggie back up to Tampa for her (on-time) departure and it wasn't until 10 pm that we eventually drove back ourselves with him to drop him off for his flight and then greet Caroline and Paul.

When they eventually made it through Immigration, the drama wasn't yet over as they had made it to the US but their luggage had not.

British Airways at Tampa were not at their organisational best and, by the time that we had reported the missing bags, it was gone 01:00 when we got back here (that was 06:00 for the visitors!).  Straight to bed...

Day 269 - Maxi and Mini Golf

Taking advantage of the fact that the weather was gorgeous, Kathryn and I decided to creep off early for a round of golf at a local club called Rosedale. We had been before and had fond memories, but the round was not so memorable this time: we were a two ball stuck behind a four of, as the starter referred to them, "holiday golfers"... Hmm....  After 8 holes I had a brainwave, we could miss out the next 2 holes and move on straight to the 11th, where we could see that there was an open tee. This proved a great idea and we completed our 16 holes in much better spirits.

In the afternoon, we had golf of a different kind. one of the standard things we do with visitors in Sarasota is to go to Smugglers' Cove. This comprises a pirate-themed 18 holes of mini golf together with an alligator feeding pen (baby alligators that is...).

As ever, the Lawrence family had a competitive game with Father just prevailing when Junior three putted the last...

AJ And Aggie heading towards the Gulf

In the evening, we headed off to Lido Key to see the last of the day's sun disappear over the horizon before going to have cocktails and then dinner in St.Armand's Circle: a great evening!

Day 268 - Hotspot Shield

A quiet day today: Kathryn was off playing golf with a group of Ladies from the Park whikst AJ and Aggie were out exploring the area.

I spent the morning finishing off the Burhill diary for next year: on this occasion it was the turn of the Mixed and Scratch team matches that needed finalising as well as transferring the new Club Rules from a Word Document to the internet: a fiddly job as there was the need to add lots of anchors and hyperlinks.

In the afternoon, I spent time using our new ladder to get up on the roof to remove some of the pine straw that has accumulated there: unfortunately, the ladder itself was too short really for the job at hand - we shall have to return it...  The roof does look a lot cleaner though.

In the evening, A&A went up to Tampa to see the local Ice Hockey team, the Tampa Lightning play against the Calgary Flames, but we opted instead for an evening's UK television catch up.

We watched the final episodes of the ITV series Unforgotten, making use of the VPN service Hotspot Shield to emulate a UK IP address (this application is a must for anyone travelling abroad who wants to stay in touch with UK TV!).

Day 267 - Bridge of Spies

Another Wednesday, another Bondur Golf Day: this time Andrew also came along and we had a much bigger group playing. There must have been 7 groups of 4 so that was a big field: a lot of familiar faces and a few new ones to the group too.

The game was a complicated one today: the stake was $11/man and there would be four competitions running at the same time. First there was a team game, where each group was to record their best three nett scores on each hole.  Then here was also to be a putting competition, with every individual player being asked to count up all their putts but only on the par 4 holes.  Third, on each of the par 3s and par 5s there was to be a nearest the pin competition (the first group out would distribute the markers and the final four's job was to collect them. And finally there would be a skins competition: to win this you had to have the best score, gross or nett, on any hole - beating the rest of the field which, with 28 playing was never going to be easy.  And then, super finally, a big skin ball would be taken out of the hat and if that matched a hole where somebody had scored a skin, they would take the pot, currently running at around $50.  Wow....

Actually, it does sound complex, but once you get going, it's fine: just play your own ball and let the scores be what they are!  I was playing with Jay, Joe and Mike and we got off to a steady start with Mike and I having particularly good first nines (40 and 38 respectively).  I was playing well, parring everything except for some daft reason the par 5s, on which I recorded bogey every time. By the time I had birdied the par 3 16th (would that win a skin?), I was on for a great score but then messed up the last two, including 3-putting the last (why?).  All of this meant that my 17 putts missed out on a prize on countbakc, my skis did not hold and I had not won any of the closest to the pin flags...  Fortunatley our team score of nett 17 under par was good enough for second place, winning us $8/man so just about break-even.  Great fun though!

We had to rush home afterwards as we were all heading off tot he flics again: tonight we saw Bridge of Spies, a new Cold War thriller based on a true story (when do you see a film nowadays that isn't?). This will hit the UK shortly but was most enjoyable with Tom Hanks playing Tom Hanks but as entertainingly as ever!

Day 265 - Small World

Today found me shackled to the laptop: it was time to finish off all the work I have been doing on the diary for the Club in 2016. Actually, I say "all the work" which is grossly unfair to the people who have actually put in the hard graft, the Vice Captains.  My job was to take the spreadsheet and load it up onto the Club website and golf system: not really very onerous, but it was time consuming!  Fortunately, it is all done now and we are ready for the year ahead!

My other job for the day was to do some sorting out of golf clothes here: I am staggered in how much one accumulates over the years (and this is only our second home...). Nobody should ever let me buy another golf shirt, ever...

My son's girlfriend is staying with us this week: she currently lives and works in Lille in France so it's great that they get to spend some time together. When she accepted our invitation to come, she made reference that some of her parents' best friends lived here in Sarasota.  As it turned out, not only do they live in the same city but their house is also on University Park, less than a mile away from ours.

And they very kindly invited us around to dinner this evening.  It was fun to meet up with another British pair who have settled here, though they have gone the whole hog and made this their main dwelling and have also taken on American citizenship.  That's one step too far...

Day 264 - Shaken not Stirred

Monday was apparently Shopping Day: AJ and Aggie headed off to the Outlets stores near Tampa.  Not a place to go anywhere near in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this was not a bit time to visit. With the pound at $1.55ish, prices are very competitive, as long as want some form of casual clothing - just don't look for anything too formal.. or too warm (this is Florida, after all!).

Kathryn and I left the youngsters to it and decided instead to look for some patio furniture: not an easy task as every previous attempt had had to be aborted as we failed to agree...  On this occaison though we were successful and both of us were delighted to find something that we both liked and which should look fine beside our new barbecue.

For lunch we went to Siesta Key (voted the US's #1 Beach, according to all the signs!).  We had been hoping to return to a restaurant we had visited a few year's earlier, called the Broken Egg.  We failed to find it but instead, we found a restaurant called Another Broken Egg.  It was only once we were sitting down chatting to the waiter did we discover that the former had closed down and the latter had absolutely nothing to do with its predecessor, apart from having stolen its name...  Lunch was fine though, so all was good.

Back home to make dinner before heading out again. The Rib-eye steaks are great in this part of the world and not too pricey either: these two beauties were plenty for the 4 of us - enough even to fuel a steak sandwich the following day.

After a quick meal, we left the house for the Lakewood Ranch cinemas to get our latest James Bond fix: we went to see Spectre.  Whilst not the best of its genre, an enjoyable evening was had - all the more so as the tickets were only $8/head.

Day 263 - NFL

When we first moved to this area, some 10 years ago, there wasn't much in the way of shopping close by.  Then a Target opened in a new development near the i75/University Parkway intersection, and then lots more shops, including a Best Buy and a Golfsmith (two of our go-to stores!).  And then, about a year ago, construction was completed on a brand new indoor mall.  This opened last year and represented the first such mall built in the US for five years (cf recession etc.).

We had a stroll around there this morning with Andrew and Aggie, giving them a chance to make a few essential purchases and also to see what the fuss is all about. And, yes, we did visist the Tesla store too!

We had to get home in time for we had planned a trip up to Tampa in the evening for our first ever NFL game. The local team are the Tampa Buccaneers  and they play around 8 home games a year in their stadium , the Raymond James Stadium (Who he? Ed.).  Tickets are not cheap, but this is something that we have been meaning to do for many years and it all worked out serendipitously.

The only worry was the weather after a week's hot sunshine, the forecast was for a cold front to come in and rain was forecast for between 6 and 8 pm.  As we drove up there, things did not loom good as around St Petersburg we hit a torrential downpour: we could not possibly stay in our uncovered seats if this was what was going to be in store!

View from our seats

We arrived on time, found a parking place relatively close tot he stadium and made our way to our seats: right at the top!  The game was against the New York Giants and there were times that there seemed to be more away than home fans in the crowd.  As things worked out, we escaped with only a brief shower during the third quarter and very much enjoyed the whole experience, despite our home team narrowly losing the game itself.

British fans in the audience

AJ is an expert on NFL and its sometimes arcane rules, so it was great to have him there with us.  He helped explain that you do not have to touch down a touchdown (really!) as well as clarify some of the referees' rulings.  About 5 mins before the end, everyone started to leave to avoid the traffic - something I can even remember happening in a piano recital in LA when a student!

Day 262 - Esplanade

When we had first been looking for a place to buy here in Florida, we had tried the are around Miami, had looked at Naples and sample what Orlando had to offer. We had also explored Black Diamond Ranch north of Tampa, but were taken with a development called Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota.  We made a trip over here to explore but soon realsed that, nice as it was, Lakewood Ranch was just too big - it even has its own hospital and then had 4 golf courses, as well as a polo ranch and a cricket field!

It was then that the realtor who was showing us around signposted us to University Park and the rest is history...

All of which means that we have never been able to play the Lakewood Ranch golf courses at all... until today.  Bucking the national trend, they have just opened their latest golf course, called Esplanade. This forms part of the latest community and, once the majority of the houses have been sold, will also turn private. For now though, it's open to the general public and we were therefore delighted to give it a try today.

The three of headed over there and had a really fun game. It was very hot (approaching 90deg, unseasonably warm for November in Florida) but we very much enjoyed playing what was still a relatively immature course, but with plenty of open fairways. It was challenging, without being too tough, and is definitely somewhere to which we shall return. 

On this occasion, it was the son who took the money: we are now quits for the holiday!  Back home in time for Andrew to drive up to Tampa airport to collect girlfriend Aggie, who is going to be spending the next week with us.

Day 261 - Bondur Golf II

Now that his clock is vaguely adjusted to the US time zone, son Andrew was keen to get a game of golf under his belt. This worked out perfectly as there was a Bondur Golf game available to which he is also welcome.  The group was somewhat smaller than usual, so as it turned out there were just 8 of us playing today.  Accordingly the game was much simplified: we would only play for skins (both gross and nett).

Feeling optimistic and keep for a bit more of a game, AJ and I challenged our playing partners Doug and Henry to a game of Better Ball on the side. This they accepted with alacrity and we all agreed to put $5 into the pot.  Big mistake....  My son and I played OK, but Doug and, in particular, Henry were on fire!  Henry stood on the final tee needing only a par to record a round of 72, level par, which would be the best round of his life ever!  IN the end, he managed a 73 (also a personal record) which, given that Doug shot a 79, meant that my son and I were left for dead on the 14th hole, losing by 5&4.

The only consolation was that I managed to score better than my offspring so managed to pick up the money from him...

One of the upsides of having visitors in the house is that we tend to do more in the evenings, rather than just huddle around the small screen. Tonight, Andrew had identified a Mexican restaurant down-town in Sarasota that had taken his fancy.

It was great to be out in the warm early evening, strolling around Main Street with a seven a 10 man live band on one of the street corners to entertain us. We had an excellent meal as well and returned home, well sated, after a fun day.

Day 260 - Duplicate

Even when here in Florida, it is very easy to stay in touch with everything via internet etc. I am going to take advantage of a bit of peace and quiet over here to get some of the Burhill admin tasks that I have set myself.  Later on this trip, I want to enter all the 2016 completions and matches into the IG diary as wll as to write my Captain's Annual summary. Today though was a bit more straightforward: writing the weekly Friday email and sending it around for comments.  This all worked fine and i shall send the email out later tonight (by which time it will be Friday in the UK!).

One of the things that we enjoy very much over here is the bi-weekly opportunity to play some competitive, but friendly, duplicate bridge.  This was on the calendar for today (the games are every other Thursday in the afternoon).  When a student at UCLA, I used to play a lot of bridge: and I mean a lot!  I'd be at clubs most evenings and occasionally during the afternoons as well: I was truly addicted.

It was though fantastic as that is where I first met Kathry, at the weekly UCLA students' game.  She has more sense than I did though and very soon established after we were married that we should give up the competitve game as it can become all-encompassing.  Accordingly, we have played very little Duplicate Bridge over the past 30 years but have taken it up here again. I am seriously out of practice however and find myself making the types of elementary mistakes that i would have been very critical of when younger.

Today was no exception... We started off very brightly but on two hands my brain went completely AWOL: on one occasion I left Mrs L in 6H when 7NT was a lay down and on another, I completely forgot what suit she had bid... senior moments?  Nevertheless, we performed very creditably and managed to come second E/W so won the princely sum of $5. We're rich!

Day 259 - Bondur Golf I

Our house in Florida is located at University Park, in Sarasota.  We originally moved here in 2006 (at the height of US house prices...) after looking all over the state for possible locations. As soon as we drove through the entrance at UP, we were hooked: they developers have done a fantastic job of creating a community around 27 great holes of golf, which has a super mature feel to it.

And to make it even better, all the neighborhoods have been given English names!  We now live in Richmond Park, having moved here from our first house in Hampton Green...

I have also been very fortunate in being accepted into a great bunch of guys who play golf every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The golf is organised by our great leader, John Bondur, who does a fantastic job of keeping everyone in order (just about...).  Wednesday is the most popular day of the week and I was very much looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.

Scoring after the game is complicated...

Social golf is very different here in Florida compared to back home: no bits, no roll-ups, no better-ball. Because the US handicapping system requires every round, even the friendly ones, to be recorded, play is by definition medal, but with lots of variants. John will organise team games, skins, nearest the pins etc all of which require a detailed reckoning-up after play (see photo).  Today I started off brilliantly, managing the first 9 holes in 2 over but things disintegrated slowly and the 83 I booked will do nothing to help my handicap!

It was great though to meet up with old friends, all as welcoming as ever,with the constant references to The Captain amusing but I am not sure that they really understand what is involved...

I had to leave the golf promptly at the end as we drove up to Tampa Airport in the evening to collect my son, Andrew, who will be joining us here for the next week and a half: great to see him too!

Day 258 - Groves

The usual fitful night's sleep: however tired you are, we always find the first night (and indeed the second!) difficult...

View of 2nd fairway through pool area

Then it was time to explore the house: since I had last been here in January, we had had a number of pieces of work carried out here, including the relaying of the poolside tiles with travertine stone and also the construction of a built in barbecue area with associated grantite tops.

The latter looked splendid, just as I had imagined it and should be great for outside entertainment.  The new tiles were more problematic though as the many months of exposure to Florida sun and humidity had taken their toll: nothing however that a few hours of hard labo(u)r with a light bleach solution couldn't fix... they look great as well too now!  And with the sun shining too, no complaints here...

Feeling like some outside activity, Mrs Lawrence and I decided to make our way to the nearby Highlands Club. This used to be private but, as is the case in many places, has opened up to public play. In their case, they have 3 course and have kept one for members' use only and allowed third party access to the other two.  We had played the Highlands course before but never the shorter Groves one: today was an ideal opportunity, all the more so as they only wanted a fee of $15/person including buggies.

We had a very pleasant game: as ever, you think that short par 4s will be easy...but pride cometh before the fall. They had plenty of deferences and it was a great introduction to Florida golf - so very different from back in the UK, with its palmettos, the different grasses on both fairways and greens and of course water everywhere!

Day 257 - All points West

Having had no vacation this year, I am heading to our house in Florida with my long-suffering wife, taking advantage of the fact that the bulk of the golfing season at Burhill is behind us and we are now entering a fallow time.

We fly from London Gatwick to Tampa and normally take advantage of one of the many Par & Ride alternatives on offer. This year however, we are profitting from one of the great side benefits of owning a Tesla: they will allow you to park your car at their facilities for free (at both Heathrow and Gatwick) and not only provide transport to and from the terminal but will also do a courtesy check of the vehicle, keep in charged and, I am hoping, will also give it a clean... We shall see!

All worked well with the flight, despite a late get away as the south of the UK was blanketted in fog. It is a long flight to Tampa (over 9 hrs) and we were both glad when we eventually landed. I managed to while the hours away, both dozing and watching movies (Inside Out and Ant-Man being my fare of choice).

We sailed through the airport (Tampa is a great place to enter the US, with few international flights and very efficient immigration!) and picked up a hire car to make the 1 hr drive down to Sarasota.  Great to arrive and immediately feel at home here!

Day 256 - Foggy Bottom

One of the many great holes at Buenos Aires Golf club

Between 2003 and 2005, when I was in charge of Shell's Downstream business in Central and Latin America, we lived in Argentina.  For three years, we were members of a great club: the Buenos Aires Golf Club.  This was a cracking course, consisting of 3 nines, which opened in 1994 in time to host the 2000 World Golf Cup.  We used to spend most weekends there but there were certain times of year that we would turn up to play and would instead have to spend a couple of hours in the bar, waiting for the heavy fog to clear.

All of this came springing back to mind when I turned up at Burhill this morning: we had our last friendly match of the season against the Old Bradfieldians (former pupils of Bradfield College) .  We were due to play the New Course but once the teams headed down to the tee, they were greeted by dense fog... what to do?  In the end, we decided to play anyway...carefully... in the hope that the mist would burn off as the sun came out later.  It didn't.

We played all 18 holes unable to see much beyond 150-200 yards.  Nevertheless, nobody in our group lost a ball and the quality of the play was pretty good: my partner Andrew S and I went down 2 holes quickly at the beginning, which a birdie to within a foot on the 4th (mine!) helped mitigate. After that things went up and down until, by the time we got to the last, we were one down with one to play.  Opponents Hugh and Andrew W looked very likely to get down for par, as did I, but Andrew S stepped up to the plate and put his tee shot to within 6 foot, and then sunk the putt for his own birdie and a halved match was the result!  Great stuff.

Unfortunately, for Burhill, many of the other matches did not go our way and we ended up losing by 1 1/2 to 5 1/2.  But at least we got to play, which had looked far from certain at the start of the day!