Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Remember don’t stop running until your human (Sarah) is ready to collapse! 😀
I havn’t got time to rest…It’s straight back to guard duty for me! 🐾
📜 Psalm 96
May 16, 2020 
1 Comment
Psalm 96Praise God and proclaim his gloryO sing to the Lord a new song; Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! |
The worst part of you!
May 16, 2020 2 Comments
The worst part of you!
(Daniel de Superville, 1657–1728)
People often say, “I have my faults, but at the bottom I have a good heart.”
A good heart! Alas! it is this that deceives you, for your heart is the worst part of you!
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked!
Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9
The politicians, the philosophers, the sages of the world, are all shams!
What have they done toward the cure of the human heart?
Blessed be God! We recover more by the second Adam, than we lost by the first!
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit in you and cause you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”
Ezekiel 36:25-27
☀️ #37 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Corinth, Greece”🇬🇷(2017)
May 15, 2020 2 Comments
Good morning friends! (Καλημέρα φίλοι)😀
I love the fact that we’ve just sailed to Corinth on the ‘Spirit’ and we’re now going on a trip along the Corinth canal, then to walk around ancient Corinth in the historic footsteps of the Apostle Paul. To say i was excited is an understatement! 😀
But first…☀️
I’m not good in the sun but Sarah comes alive in the scorching hot weather. So i sloshed on my sun cream as it was already 36 degrees outside (ouch) I’ve also bought myself a ‘Tactical Sun Hat’ to try and keep myself cooler in the sun and provide a little shade with the wide rim…It worked really well but i was still dripping like a candle in a Salvador Dali painting! 🤣
Corinth canal…
Get ready to be impressed. The Corinth Canal marries up the Gulf of Corinth in the northwest with the Saronic Gulf in the southeast. It’s 3.9 miles long and its width varies from 69 feet at the bottom to 82 feet at the water’s surface. Before it was built, ships sailing between the Aegean and the Adriatic Sea had to circumnavigate the Peloponnese, adding another 185 miles to their journey. On this fascinating tour you’ll drive to Isthmia, around 1 hr’s drive, where a boat will be waiting to whisk you off. Sit back, relax and enjoy the views as you sail through this famous canal. Along the way, your guide will tell you interesting facts about the way it was built.
We stepped of the air conditioned coach and just as i said “Argghh now that’s hot” Sarah said “Wow that’s better, it was freezing on that coach” we followed the group to the boat.
After Sarah excellently guided me onto the boat, we took our seats. The whole trip was just stunning and we were blown away by the walls of the canal and the sheer size of it. The guide was telling us all about the history etc over the loud speakers (my fave part as i can’t see the scenery until i get home and really zoom in for a blurry look). I do listen and hear Sarah’s detailed descriptions of the landscapes and any other points of interest. I also take in the other people around me and their reactions too.
The Peloponnese…
Now for a blistering Sarah panorama!
After doing a 180˚ turn we headed back down the canal, fantastic! 😀
Ancient Corinth…
You’ll now take a short drive to ancient Corinth, where you’ll have the opportunity to explore the ruins of the “Agora” marketplace as well as the Temples of Apollo and Aphrodite.
We shot off the coach and followed the guide closely from the front, the path was all uphill and did i mention it was scorching hot?! ☀️ I kept saying to Sarah “Wow the Apostle Paul actually came here!” and after about the 10th time…We’d reached the top.
After a brief history lesson all about the temples and the culture as it was back in the day, we headed along another hot dusty path and ended up at the Synagogue. “Wow” i said “Paul would’ve visited this actual Synagogue several times…It’s simply amazing that i’m standing in biblical history”.
Upon leaving the synagogue the guide stopped and pointed to an ancient hebrew marking on the wall. Sarah quickly took a photo of it to share. I continued “Wow, Paul may have walked under this very arch, wow!” 😲
The Agora…
Moving further down and heading towards the agora, the sound of the cicadas were deafening, they were almost drowning out the voice of the guide…It sounded like i was walking around with a massive bee hive stuck on my head but less sticky and much less painful! 🤣
“Wow…the beema seat” i said whilst trying to get excited but actually about to collapse due to heat exhaustion. “The agora! This is where the Apostle Paul would’ve been making tents..No way!” i kept going “Did you know Paul stayed in Corinth for about 18 months and he would’ve have frequently visited and worked around here!” Sarah replied “Yes i know Steve it’s incredible, but we’re getting left behind as you keep stopping and making wow noises, lol!” 🤣
“Sarah could you take some photos of me in the Agora and in front of the beema seat? I’d love to have a photo as a keep sake…Oh and have i mentioned that the Apostle Paul would’ve been around here?!”. Sarah puts up with a lot! 🤣
The cicadas were still singing their thunderous lament as we walked deeper into the Agora. The guide stopped to show us the ruins and described how it would have looked and what would be happening back in classical times.
And then…
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better…Sarah managed to fit the whole place in one monumental panorama!
At this point i was so exhausted, head and shoulders stooped forward and my mouth was dry and frothing. I managed a slow shuffle back to the air conditioned coach. Sarah said “Oh it’s freezing on here!
It still blows me away when i think of this excursion to ancient Corinth and how we were actually there. 😲
Back at the ship…
After freshening up back in the cabin, we still had a few hours before the ship left port. We’ve found that if the excursion leaves us with a few hours to spare we can use the ship as the starting reference and go and explore the town nearest to the dock (any further and we’ll get lost). This makes for a full day as we can go on the excursion around the island and then visit local shops and markets around the dock area…Yay! 😀
Wow…Did i mention it was hot! ☀️ 😰
“Yay…Steve a beach!” Sarah shouts as we step out of the dock, she continues “No way, holidays don’t start until i’ve put my feet on the sand…Come on!” I was just about to protest (as i’d left my beach shoes in the cabin) when Sarah dragged (i mean guided) me onto the powdery sand.
The boiling hot sun, the powdery white sand and the gentle touch of the sea rolling over Sarah’s feet educed a wonderful smile. 😀
My new Microfibre towel…
We were now wet, frazzled and covered in sand and we walked for a while before we found a bench under a large tree. “Yes…Here you go” is said as i unclipped my new microfibre hand towel from my carabiner loop on my BDU shorts. I bought this little towel just before this cruise as i wanted to be more prepared as we learn a little more what we need from each holiday…And this time it worked beautifully! 😀
After a while we were both sand free, dry and ready for a cold drink. We walked down a few streets then Sarah said “Steve, i think this looks like a cafe? I wonder if they do iced coffees?” “I hope so” i said feeling like a pulsing nuclear reactor.
They did the best iced coffee (Freddo Cappuccino) and even a sugar free one for Sarah…
As we were sitting outside drinking our amazing coffees…The man we’d met at the Captains table last night walked past and said hello. “Wow” i said to Sarah after a brief chat with the man, “We’re even making friends and it’s only the first day off the ship”.
Sadly it’s now time to return back to the ship…
As we were walking towards the ship and the dock was empty…We stopped for a few photos…
Then…
As we were taking lots of photos, another nice person from our ship walked up behind us and asked if we’d like a photo together?! “Oh yes please that would be so kind of you” i said as i passed her my phone. 😀
Back on ship…
We’d had a fantastic day and had lots to talk about with the people sat around our table at the evening meal. It’s lovely to hear other peoples stories from what they had done throughout the day, and to hear the adventures from the other excursions.
Finally…Just when you think the day is over, we have another fantastic folded creature.
Hope you’ve enjoyed travelling with us today? We’ll meet you tomorrow ready for our next excursion!
To be continued…
Our Route…..
On Saturday evening Thomson Spirit sails to Itea, Greece. To arrive on Sunday morning having travelled 59 nautical miles at an average speed of 6 knots.
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 44 – “Burst!”
May 15, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Come on…Just burst before my human comes and tries to take it from me!
No i won’t leave it, and you’ll never take this ball from me!! 🐾
⬅ Previous Day 🐾 Next Day ➡
📜 Psalm 8
May 15, 2020 0 Comments
Psalm 8: Worship of our Creator GodTo the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. You have set your glory above the heavens. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, Yet you have made them a little lower than God, O Lord, our Sovereign, |
Let this comfort you:
May 15, 2020 2 Comments
Let this comfort you:
(Letters of John Newton)
“My times are in Your hands!” Psalm 31:15
What a mercy it is that all our concerns are in sure hands! Not a hair of our heads can fall to the ground, but by the appointment of Him who orders and marshals the stars and calls them all by their names!
Diseases and sicknesses are His messengers, and, when they have answered His end–then He will recall them. But on many accounts there is a need be that we should sometimes be in heaviness for a season. O may we learn to take up the cross, and to kiss the rod of affliction. We need to look through all second causes–to Him who appoints and over-rules, and without whose permission, not a hair of our heads shall fall to the ground.
The Lord has promised to direct, moderate, sanctify, and relieve every trial of every kind. I long to have a more entire submission to His will, and a more steadfast confidence in His Word–to trust Him and wait on Him–to see His hand, and praise His name, in every circumstance of life, great and small.
Is sickness your present cross? It can come no sooner, nor fall heavier, than He bids it. And when His end is answered, and His hour comes to give relief–then sickness departs at His word. The cure becomes easy then, even where it seemed desperate before.
Our comforts are never safer than when we can fully trust the Lord to do with them, and with us–as He sees fit. He will not willingly or unnecessarily grieve His redeemed children. When His arm seems lifted up to strike them–how often does He put it into their hearts to run toward Him and humble themselves before Him, and thus prevent the blow!
We shall have cause to be thankful for all our afflictions–if the Lord is pleased to employ them as means to make us more humble and broken-hearted, and to wean our hearts from this vain world.
Sickness often gives us a sensible proof of the vanity of everything earthly. May the Lord sanctify our sicknesses and pains, to quicken our desires for that better world, when pain shall be no more!
Let this comfort you: that Jesus is the Great Physician!
“Great crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them!” Matthew 15:30
☀️ #36 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Dubrovnik, Croatia”🇭🇷(2017)
May 14, 2020 2 Comments
Wow, i still can’t believe it’s been 10 years since our amazing wedding day! ❤️❤️❤️
An unexpected blessing…..
This cruise holiday has been such an unexpected blessing, as Sarah had another “Charcot Foot (diabetic problem)” and was in an air-cast for the last 5 months. We had to cancel our Barbados cruise and stay we’d booked for our birthday celebrations in April…But Sarah had it removed a few weeks ago and she’s been strengthening her leg for this cruise. So we are amazed to be spending our 10th wedding anniversary (July) visiting some fantastic places! 😎
Breakfast…..
We slept really well and caught up on the sleepless night we had yesterday. We thought we’d go to the Compass Rose (waiter service restaurant) for our 10th anniversary breakfast. It didn’t disappoint and we had porridge, omelette, fruit, nuts, seeds, bacon and bananas (not all together,lol). 🥓
Swimming…..
After exploring (getting lost) in the many different stairways, corridors and decks around the ship, we were trying to familiarise ourselves with our fave places so we could find our way back much more easily. we nipped back to our cabin to get our things ready for a couple of hours sunbathing and swimming. Sarah loves swimming (as you can tell in the photos below) and had an excellent time enjoying her anniversary in the pool! 😎
⬆ Sarah doing handstands in the pool ⬆
The Towel Swan Heart…..
After having lots of fun, we headed back to our cabin where we were surprised to find two towel swans placed in the shape of a heart, with flowers and our cards etc in a beautiful display. We rushed out to find the cabin stewards and thanked them profusely… whilst Sarah took lots of photos!
⬆ Towel folded Swan heart ⬆
The invitation…
Earlier this morning Sarah had found an invitation pushed under the cabin door. “This looks a bit fancy, it’s only an invitation to the formal evening. We have to sign it to say that we’re going, then hand it back to reception…..Seems like a lot of paper work to me.” “Oh right, i suppose they need to know how many people will be in the restaurant for dinner this evening, it must be the policy for formal night on this ship. It was different on the Dream ship” i replied. 😕
I hadn’t brought my tuxedo this time as it filled half my suitcase the time before and i didn’t want to waste that amount of space again. I did bring my trousers though as we like the waiter service meal in the evenings. “ i hope they don’t chuck me over-board for not dressing smart enough.” Sarah told me… “You’ll be fine, lol, it’s only for one evening and your new black shirt looks smart enough anyway”.
Formal Evening…..
As Sarah & i were queuing up to enter the show lounge, the photographers were taking our photos.
⬆ Me & my lovely Wife Sarah ⬆
⬆ My lovely Wife Sarah ⬆
After listening to the Captain introduce himself and some of his crew, we headed to the Compass Rose restaurant where we planned to have a lovely four course meal.
We said we didn’t mind sharing, and the waiter sat us right next to a window (yay) on a four seater table. We introduced ourselves to Brian & Anne (more about our new friends in later posts) and they kindly read out the menu for us. After ordering from each section of the menu, we got to chatting.
AND THEN…..
An enormous shadow, from an even bigger man darkened our whole table….. “Steve…..FOLLOW ME” said the man with a really deep transylvanian voice. I looked at Sarah, and then back at the man “FOLLOW ME” he said again. Sarah said “Can i come with him” “yES” he said as we started to stand. We said to Brian and Anne “I think we’ll see you later, we’ve only just ordered our food, and if we’re not back…..you’ll get double, lol”.
As sarah guided me behind this Behemoth of a man (not joking, he was about 7ft tall and 5ft wide) up a few flights of stairs, Sarah said “Where is he taking us?” “I think we’re going to the plank, or at least being court marshalled” was my apprehensive reply.
We finally entered a small bar area where Claudia (the social director) greeted us with a glass of Champagne and a smelly fish bite (i don’t like fish, if you’d not guessed, lol) and showed us to our seats. Claudia said “I thought you weren’t going to make it?” “To make what?” Sarah replied still looking bemused. “You got the invitation?”.Sarah said “Yes…..the one to the formal evening”. Claudia then said “No, that was an invitation to the Captains table and an evening with the Captain.” “Oooopps” i misread it as a general evening invitation (easily done as the iPhone magnifier isn’t as good as the large CCTV we have at home)”. Sarah whispered to me “The Captain and his other guests were waiting for us up here, as we were seeming to ignore them and eating our meal already with someone else.
The Captains Table…..
Since Sarah & i already knew the menu (thanks Brian & Anne) this was our easiest food ordering to date. We had a lovely meal and a fantastic time chatting with everyone around the table. It was really interesting hearing everyones stories and experiences…..Sarah already has her next cruise planned in her mind after asking the Captain what place he liked best after 30 yrs of cruising the seas, lol.
Now it was time to leave again for the Show Lounge to watch possibly the worst show we have ever seen (heard for me, lol.). 😎
⬆ Photo of Sarah & i(on right) at the Captains Table ⬆
Wow, What a memorable 10th Wedding Anniversary….
Retiring back to our cabin (making sure we didn’t upset the swans), we talked about our memorable day and how we’d never forget our 10th Wedding Anniversary! Now it was time to sleep, as it’s an early start once we arrive in Corinth. It was also the start of 5 full days of excursions we’d booked and we were really excited, even though we knew the temperatures were going to reach up to 41℃ because of a heat wave across south east Europe (ouch). ☀️
Thank You…..
Sarah & i would like to thank you once again for celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary and for all of the lovely messages you sent us.
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 43 – “FREEZE!!”
May 14, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Sarah shouts “FREEZE!!” ❄️❄️❄️
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📜 Psalm 61
May 14, 2020 6 Comments
Psalm 61 (ESV)
Lead Me to the Rock
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.
Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.
The throne of grace
May 14, 2020 3 Comments
The throne of grace
(Henry Law, “Family Prayers”)
Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Blessing and honor and glory and power be to You, O Father of mercies, O God of all grace and love.
We thank You, that, as vile and sin-soiled as we are–we may come into Your immediate presence, and hold this converse with You, and commune with You concerning all our concerns, all our sins, and fears, and hopes and desires.
We are astonished that we, poor sinners on earth, may speak directly to You–our great and glorious God, on Your throne in the Heaven of heavens! How wondrous the thought that our poor breathings may fly on the wings of faith, and have instant access to the ears of Your grace!
We thank You that, in the multitude of Your tender mercies and the riches of Your pitiful compassion, You have been pleased to erect this throne of grace before which we now most humbly bow. We bless You that here, free grace reigns. We bless You that, at all times and in all places, we have open access to You through the blood of Your dear Son.
We bless You that the veil is open, and that in His great name we may ever approach and find You . . .
ready to hear,
waiting to be gracious,
arrayed in smiles of love,
bidding us to touch the scepter of Your sovereign mercy,
inviting us to pour out every need and desire of our hearts,
and promising to give more than we can ask or think.
Grant, oh grant, that we may be wholly consecrated to You. May we, in spirit, soar far above earth. May our hearts be fast barred against admission of worldly thoughts or cares. Send Your peace, passing all understanding, as a flood into our anxious minds. May our meditations of You be sweet. May we drink deeply of the refreshing streams proceeding out of Your throne. May we feast on the heaven-sent manna of Your precious Word, and thus gather strength for the upward race.
Hear us, answer us, bless us we pray. All we ask is in Jesus’ name, and for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
“Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
☀️ #35 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Dubrovnik, Croatia”🇭🇷(2017)
May 13, 2020 2 Comments
Wow, Wow, Wow…..Sarah & i have had a fantastic time away celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Let’s go and see where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to! 😀
Taxi, Train & The Thomson Plane…..
As the taxi was booked for 3:30am, we thought it would be a good idea not to go to sleep as it makes us more tired if we only sleep for an hour or 2 (we were wrong, we’re super tired now).
There was a little scare as Sarah felt funny, so she did a blood test in the taxi and found it was going low. “Oh no, not already” i thought as Sarah was already sorting it out with a few dextrose. Sarah felt better as we arrived at the airport and with a small struggle to find the suitcase check-in desk, we were finally sorted and heading for the airport assistance.
The assistance took us through security which all went well, until Sarah showed them her insulin pump…..Then (as they think it’s a detonator) they told Sarah to take of her shoes etc. and carefully and slowly scanned her whole body for explosives.
Following the guide to our seats in the departure lounge, Sarah & i were looking forwards to a nice bacon roll and coffee. Her work colleague had told her to try this as we’d not had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon… we were ready for it! BUT the airport assistance were too efficient this time and before we had time to figure out the direction of the bacon, the guide took us on the “Fun Train” and straight onto the plane! 😎
The Airplane…..
As i sat down after being expertly guided to my seat, i said “Wait a minute”….. I was feeling underneath the window at the up & down dimmer switches whilst stretching my legs out testing the large leg room. “This isn’t an Airbus A320! It’s the 787 Dreamliner. Wow i didn’t think it was going to be this monster for a two and a half hour flight” Sarah said “Wow, you’re still getting excited about flying…. you must really love it” I said “Oh Yeah!”.
Time for a snack…..
Since we couldn’t have our fantastic bacon roll at the airport, we decided to share some chunky potato wedges on the plane. Sarah simply couldn’t eat them (and i even struggled)…. they tasted (and were as dry as) a sun dried bath sponge! 😦
Welcome to Dubrovnik airport…..
The airport assistance at Dubrovnik were fantastic and before we knew it, we were on a coach arriving at the dock ready to board the Thomson Spirit. We’d only been on the Thomson Dream which is bigger, so we were excited to explore this different ship.
We were fast-tracked again through all of the check-in procedures and were soon dropping our bags off in our cabin ready to go and explore! 😎
⬆ View of Dubrovnik bay from the Thomson Spirit ⬆
We managed to weave our way through the many stairways and decks and eventually made it up to the top which was lovely and quiet to take a look around, take some photos and soak in the view and the hot sun. ☀️
We were surrounded by a sea of blue, sky of blue, deck of blue and Sarah’s new “Hokusai” dress …of blue. 😎
⬆ Sarah wearing her new “Hokusai” dress! ⬆
⬆ My lovely Wife Sarah ⬆
⬆ Yay, we’ve made it, now let’s chill and enjoy the view ⬆
⬆ Our beautiful view of Dubrovnik from the top deck ⬆
Swapping sides for a moment, Sarah took a photo of a unusual bridge she liked.
⬆ Me looking at the surrrounding town ⬆
One more pic of my lovely Wife Sarah!
⬆ My lovely Wife Sarah and her beautiful dress ⬆
Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…..
If you’ve travelled with us on our other tours you’ll remember Sarah’s sublime Panoramas……Well she’s back with one (of many) to share with you. 😎
⬆ Sarah’s breathtaking Panorama of Dubrovnik bay ⬆
Coffee, Life Jackets & Dinner…..
After enjoying ourselves on the top deck, we looked around for a place to have a nice coffee. We knew this ship had no “Coffee Port” like on the Thomson Dream, so when we found “Raffles Bar” and ordered a Cappuccino (for me) and an Americano, we were even more excited as the coffee was well-nice and strong…”I think we can get used to this!” I said sitting back into my large comfy armchair. ☕
The assistance was fantastic again and the life jacket drill went really smoothly, i think we’re finally getting the hang of this. lol
We found the “Compass Rose” waiter service restaurant which was very similar to the “Orion” restaurant on the Thomson Dream, we said we didn’t mind sharing a table with others as we always need an unsuspecting guest to read the menu for us, which is always a laugh for all involved and it’s a great conversation starter! 😀
After a fantastic four course meal, it was time to take one last tour around the ship to see if we’d remembered where anything was before retiring to our cabin after a very long day!
Thank you…..
I would just like to say a huge thank you(to you the reader and fellow traveller) for staying with us on another long and tiring day! 😰
Oh did i mention it’s our 10th Wedding Anniversary” tomorrow!!
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☀️ Start From #1 🏝 Or join the adventure at:
🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 42 – “Sarah Blew Up The Dog!”
May 13, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
OH NO….Honey i blew up the dog!! 😨😰
⬅ Previous Day 🐾 Next Day ➡
The supplies of His grace and mercy are unexhausted and exhaustless!
May 13, 2020 1 Comment
The supplies of His grace and mercy are unexhausted and exhaustless!
(Thomas Guthrie, 1803-1873)
“Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” Psalm 34:9
Myriads of leaves clothe the forest,
myriads of flowers bespangle the meadow,
myriads of insects dance in the sunbeams,
myriads of birds sing in the woodlands,
myriads of fish swim in stream and ocean,
myriads of stars glitter in the nightly sky–
and every leaf is as perfect in form,
every flower is as beautiful in colors,
every living creature is fashioned with such skill, and
every burning star is guided through space with as much care–
as if it engrossed the entire attention of God, and there was not another but itself within the bounds of His universe!
The number of objects our hearts can hold, or our arms embrace, or our eyes watch–is limited; confined within a narrow range–they are small at the largest, and few at the most.
It is not so with Him who is mighty to save, abundant in goodness and truth. The supplies of His grace and mercy are unexhausted and exhaustless! Their type shines in that SUN which for six thousand years has shed its light . . .
on seas and continents,
on crowded cities and lonely solitudes,
on burning deserts and fields of ice,
on palaces and cottages,
on ragged beggars and sceptered kings,
on all countries and classes of men.
And with fires fed we know not how, the sun shines today as bright as ever–his eye not dim, nor his natural strength abated!
And as this is but an image, and a faint image, of God–then well may his servant assure us, that there shall be no lack to those who fear Him. None–neither for the body nor the soul; neither for time nor eternity!
“My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!” Philippians 4:19
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8
“In the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus!” Ephesians 2:7
☀️ #34 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Jamaica”🇯🇲
May 12, 2020 0 Comments
Good morning friends…
Oh no…We don’t want to go home! 😢 After waking up later (no really early excursions today) we had breakfast at a more reasonable time, and we didn’t have to eat it at breakneck speeds…So we relaxed (which doesn’t happen on our holidays, lol) and enjoyed our breakfast. 🥓
Out on deck…☀️
We had a few hours before we had to leave the ship, so we walked around all the decks in the hot sun and took some final shots of beautiful Jamaica.
Of course the scenery was stunning…But not as beautiful and stunning as my lovely wife Sarah! 😍 ❤️
We had a lovely time reflecting, taking photos and talking about our amazing adventures on our 2nd cruise. We though that our last cruise would be the ‘Once in a lifetime’ cruise (an dit was) but when we realised just how many places we could explore on the shore excursions, and how many islands and countries we could visit…Going on cruises is perfect for us who have sight problems. 👀
Leaving the ship…
Leaving the ship in Jamaica is great for us, as our cases get taken away just before 2am and we don’t see them again until Gatwick airport. There is no struggling to find our cases amongst thousands on the dock, then fully loaded try and board the coach and finally dragging them through the airport etc.😀
The 787 Dreamliner…
Yes you’ve guessed it…It’s the 787 Dreamliner again! Wow i love this plane…Have i mentioned the push button dimmer switches? Or the nice leg room (even in our cattle class?) Or the lovely air conditioning? Or…Sorry i’m going on and on again! 🤣
It’s not easy to try and write a post about travelling home and making it sound interesting, dramatic and a thrilling pursuit of suspense and adventure…It’s much easier to do this when writing about our excursions…As it does actually happen that way! 🤣
Wow…Would you look at that!
Thank you for being with us on this remarkable journey, you help light the sunshine in our minds as we look back over our memories. 😀
Wow…We’ve been on this rollercoaster for 34 days so far (i hope it’s flown by for you as it has for us) and the ‘Blind Sightseers’ are not finished yet…Where to next?? 💪🏼
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 41 – “Periscope”
May 12, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Wow…Is there no limit to the amount of photos you can get of me at every angle?
Don’t you think a periscope stealth camera rising from your hidden bunker underground is a step too far?
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Look up today, O parched plant!
May 12, 2020 3 Comments
Look up today, O parched plant!
(Charles Spurgeon)
“I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26
Here is sovereign grace, “I will send down showers.” Is this not sovereign, divine mercy–for who can say, “I will send down showers,” except God? There is only one voice which can speak to the clouds, and bid them beget the rain. “Who sends down the rain upon the earth? Who scatters the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord?”
Grace is the gift of God–and is not to be created by man.
It is also needed grace. What would the ground do without showers? You may break the clods, you may sow your seeds–but what can you do without the rain? As absolutely needful is the divine blessing. In vain you labor, until God bestows the plenteous shower, and sends salvation down.
Then, it is plenteous grace. “I will send down showers.” It does not say, “I will send them drops,” but “showers.” So it is with grace. If God gives a blessing, He usually gives it in such a measure that there is not room enough to receive it. Plenteous grace! Ah! we need plenteous grace . . .
to keep us humble,
to make us prayerful,
to make us holy,
to make us zealous,
to preserve us through this life,
and at last to land us in Heaven!
We cannot do without saturating showers of grace.
Again, it is seasonable grace. “I will send down showers in season.”
What is your season this morning?
Is it the season of drought? Then that is the season for showers.
Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers.
“As your days–so shall your strength be.”
And here is a varied grace. “I will give you showers of blessing.” The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God’s blessings go together, like links in a golden chain. If He gives converting grace–He will also give comforting grace. He will send “showers of blessing.”
Look up today, O parched plant, and open your leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering!
☀️ #33 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Xel-Ha, Cozumel, Mexico”🇲🇽(2016)
May 11, 2020 0 Comments
Yay…It’s Sarah’s Birthday!!! I wonder if it’ll be memorable?! 🤣
Good morning WordPress family! Are you up for some ‘River Tubing’ today? We‘ve never tried this before and after our kayaking yesterday we thought it would be a relaxing way to gently float downstream ensconced in the lush landscapes and soothing sun ☀️ Well here goes…
Our initial thoughts were this excursion really wasn’t for us as it sounds like a big park where you have to find all of the events yourselves (that’s not our strong point as we both have sight problems). We are much better with a tour guide who we can follow than to be left alone and get lost…But we really wanted to try ‘River Tubing’ so let’s do this! 😀
It was an 8 hour excursion and when it took 2 hours to get to Xel-Ha (a seriously bumpy boat and a mostly smooth coach) we thought “If it’s 2 hours here and 2 hours back, surely not even we can get too far lost in 4 hours?! Lol famous last words” 🤣
Welcome to Xel-Ha…
An exciting adventure awaits you at the sacred Mayan paradise, Xel-Ha. In this natural lagoon, which was sacred to the Mayans, you can experience some fabulous snorkeling in a natural tropical aquarium, viewing an amazing variety of multi-colored fish and tropical marine life in beautiful clear waters. Upon arrival, your guide will escort you through the park for an orientation, then you are on your own to enjoy time to swim, walk the jungle paths, stroll the beach, relax in a lounge chair,or snorkel at this beautiful lagoon.
Xel-Ha offers a collection of coves, caves, inlets and lagoons. Both the Caribbean Sea and the network of underground rivers and springs feed this area, filling the lagoon with both salt water and fresh water. This sometimes gives an almost 3-D viewing of the alluring coral formation and the myriad of tropical colored fish.
Leaving the coach and making our way to the lockers and changing rooms Sarah managed to take this stupendous panorama. It’s a beautiful place
Sarah said “There is no way i’m swimming in there!! I don’t mind the crystal clear sea but no way will you get me in there” “That’s ok my love you don’t have to swim when your river tubing anyway, so we can just relax and enjoy. We just need to remember where the changing rooms are when the guide leads us so we have a reference point”.
Shortly after, the guide stopped and said to meet him in 4 hours back at the main entrance so we can get the coach back. I said “Oh, the entrance is miles away as we’ve been walking for a while and i have no idea where it is, lol But here are the changing rooms so i’ll wait right here for you”. I like to be the pack donkey on all of our tours and i carry the towels, sun cream and other stuff and if Sarah goes swimming, i carry her insulin pump etc. This works really well for me as i don’t really like swimming…I don’t think i’ve been swimming at all since going blind 16 years ago!
Yay, Sarah’s here so let’s try and figure out where things are…😕
Oooo another panorama from Sarah! Well at least we’d found the river again, so if we follow it up hill we should find where the river tubing starts?! This sounded like a good plan until the multi direction trails didn’t follow the river. After walking for quite a while in the scorching sun, we somehow managed to find the bag check-in for the river tubing, yay thanks Sarah! 😀
Sarah had to now unplug her insulin pump and put it in my backpack, and after a quick blood test (ouch, her blood sugar was good) i hesitantly handed in my backpack. As we havn’t got a GoPro or anything (really wish we had one after all of these trips) we had to hand in our iPhones too, so i knew we wouldn’t get many photos of the day, sorry! 😢
Right, let’s go ‘River Tubing’…
We entered another locker room and most of the people in front of us were putting on flippers and snorkelling gear, i said “Oh, i’m not dressed for any of this, i didn’t think you had to put all of the gear on. I thought it was just the river tubing up here?” “Don’t panic we are only here for the river tubing but you can also (if you want) do snorkelling etc” “Excellent, thanks”. Sarah is fantastic at sorting things out . “I’ll sit in the rear hole and you sit in the front hole as i will weigh the back down and it will look like a speedboat”. 🤣
After we laughed loads as we had many attempts of climbing aboard, we were ready!
The Mangroves…
“Wow those branches are low” i said while ducking even more although i was practically lying down. It was my first experience of mangroves and as we had no outboard engine we were using the branches and the sides to propel ourselves forward. As it looked exactly like the old Tarzan films i’d watched as a kid, i was picturing (in my mind) a crocodile (or 10) sliding in from the side and tactically stalking us ready for the barrel roll! Nevermind the flesh eating lizards sat on the branches waiting for dinner to float by, lol.
As my mind was racing but our river tube wasn’t going anywhere fast, i focused on all of the laughter going on around us. There were lots of us slowly getting to grips with how to manage this new speedboat. Sarah said “Wow there is a tiny baby strapped to the front of that woman in one of the other boats so it can’t be that hard, lol!”. After about 10 minutes we cleared the mangroves and the beautiful landscape unfolded before our eyes! 😀
There wasn’t much current and the river didn’t slope much, so our progress was slow…But wow, the feeling of floating downstream through this film set landscape with my arms around my lovely wife Sarah was beautiful ❤️
After a while the river tubers were thinning out and there were only a few of us left, this made it even more blissful and quiet.
Then…
Time was passing by easily, and we quickly realised there wasn’t anyone around and the river had got quite wide (with our eyesight anyway) and we were alone! The river tube wasn’t moving, even our hand paddling had little effect. I suddenly felt a burst of speed as Sarah had sat up and put her legs in the water and was kicking her feet (like the flintstones). Suddenly she whipped her feet back up and said “i think a fish (or octopus) has just tried to grab my leg?!” “Oh no that’s not good” i said as the ‘Master of obvious”. Then she said “No wait there, my trainer laces had come undone whilst under the water and started stroking my leg, lol!” “Ok” i said “We need a action plan”
Our predicament…
We were floating alone, the river banks were getting wider and wider and we knew it joined up with the Caribbean sea at some point. We couldn’t hear anyone and we were thinking we’d maybe already passed the exit of the river tubing and we were floating out into the sea. The midday sun was scorching and we knew it was time to act.
We’d passed a huge board (see below) whilst walking up to get the river tubes that displayed all of the fish/sharks that live in the water, and as it’s fresh water going to sea water the fish grow much bigger. I’m glad i couldn’t see what was on the board!
Knowing all of this, and knowing i havn’t swam since going blind…I knew now was the time to “Man Up” and lay down my life for my wife and save her! 💪🏼
The plan…
I said to Sarah “I’m going to jump in the river and grab hold of the back of the river tube and then stretch out and kick my legs like a snorkeler and pretend to be an outboard motor, and you can sit up front and be the navigator and try and get us back (or anywhere we can get off)”. “Right sounds like a plan…Let’s do this”.
I jumped in and instantly regretted it. I thought i could still swim in my head but my body didn’t have the same idea. After coughing up loads of water and nearly drowning through lack of swimming ability…I slowly adapted and grabbed hold of the river tube.
At least we were now gaining speed and heading in what we thought was the right direction. After what seemed like 10 weeks (it was more like 10 minutes) Sarah said (I still can’t see anywhere to get off the bank and it all still looks the same…But there are a few rocks sticking out of the water where we can hopefully stop and rest whilst regrouping and updating our plan.
The rocks…
Yay, we made it to the rocks…Oh wait a minute, wow these rocks are super slippy (i was like Scooby Doo slipping on a banana skin) ! Sarah was already on top of one of the rocks and looking to see where we could go next and if there was a way out of this crocodile and Piranha infested water. Just as i’d steadied myself and caught my breath (i was exhausted) Sarah slipped backwards…😨
All i heard was a loud thud and a “Aagghhh” noise from Sarah “Sarah, are you alright?” I knew we were surrounded by so many pointy rocks and if she’d slipped and hit her head on one of those rocks…It was curtains. We had no phones or anything out here and no way of calling out as we can’t hear anyone or see anyone. So when i heard “It’s ok i just slipped” from my warrior wife…I felt so relieved. I said “What was the loud thud sound? Are you ok?” “Yeah i missed the more pointed rocks and just hit my back on the other rock. I’m ok though”. I let out a huge sigh (just like our Boxer dog Bruce used to make).
Just then i spotted a slight movement out of the corner of my blurry eyes “What’s that Sarah?” i said while pointing downwards near her feet. “Wow, it’s a snorkeler” “That means we can’t be too far away now…Or it means there are some massive fish, sharks, octopus or crocodiles around here”. Just after saying this the snorkeler had gone and it was time for us to carry on and hopefully find base camp.
Sarah was sat firmly on the front of the river tube and i was hanging on for dear life while trying to get a nice solid and consistent thrust from the back. Sarah was expertly navigating from the front and when she said “right a little” i twisted and kicked until the river tube turned to the right,, we are getting the hang of this, lol.
My thoughts quickly returned to “Any minute now i could get savaged by any of the mutated creatures in here, and they would start on Sarah next! But then Sarah said “I think i can see a way out of here?! It looks like there are long steps on the right bank and we could climb out onto land. “Wow, let’s go” I said whilst trying not to drown as i was getting really tired now. 😰
“Yes, just a little further. It looks like we can pull up here alongside these steps”. We finally hit the steps and Sarah climbed out. The steps were really long but only went a couple of steps into the water, so when i grabbed hold of the first step my legs flew underneath and tried to drag me under. Thankfully i had jus enough energy to hang on and throw my leg over and onto the steps (i’m sure Sarah didn’t have this struggle, lol). Pulling the river tube up onto land, we sat back on the steps and thought for a moment about what just happened?! We also knew that Sarah hadn’t done a blood test for quite a while and hasn’t got her insulin pump attached, so her blood sugar could be anything.
As we sat on the steps totally thankful we’d made it out of the water, i looked down directly into the water right next to the steps…”What are they?” I was pointing at what looked to me like a fleet of black stealth submarines taking cover next to the steps. I know my eyes are really poor but if i can make something out…It must be massive, lol! Sarah said “They are fish (i think) and they are massive! “I was just right there a minute ago” i said not quite believing how close they were…But we’ve made it out of the infested waters. Now we might have the same challenge (but on land) as we try and figure out where we are??
The next stage…
We were just pulling the river tube further inland, when…”Is that music i can hear?” i said as i was trying to clear my ears of water “Yes it is” Sarah said “It’s coming from over there”. Sarah took my arm and we started walking towards the sound. Almost instantly the trail opened out and we were standing at the bag check-in desk! “No way” we both said at the same time, i said “It’s not possible that we’re here, we’d gone miles into nowhere! Is the Bermuda Triangle near here?” 😁
After i got my backpack and Sarah had her insulin pump connected, she quickly did a test and her blood sugar was perfect! 😀 We found the changing rooms and when we were all changed we headed for the inclusive lunch.
As we only had to follow our noses (it wasn’t far at all) Sarah found a table in the sun and we sat down. “Woah” i said “How did that quickly turn into a ‘Blind Sightseers’ dramatic adventure?” “I know, but how amazing how we ended up right back here! Anyway, let’s get you a burger…You’ve earned it” 🍔
After a lovely burger and an ice cold bottle of water, we started walking around to see if we could find anything else. Don’t worry, we stayed on the larger trails and we kept other people in earshot.
Sarah’s Sunglasses…
As Sarah also has sight problems…She has a pair of Oakley sunglasses with a particular polarised lens (normal lenses don’t help her eyesight) but like the photo above shows…They are gone!! 😢 We have no idea when (or where) they had gone missing, we only know they are gone. I handed Sarah my own but they only had normal lenses and were not any good for navigation etc…But they did help stop the glare from the hot sun. ☀️
You’ll never guess what we found next??? Yay, a zip line…
Sarah said “Wow a zip line, i’ve never had a go on one of these. It looks amazing and i can’t believe we’ve found it”. What…Can i really say no?! 🤣
Wow, the action never stops, lol! Sarah must have had spinach for lunch as she seems to have more energy than Popeye and the Duracell bunny combined…I just wanted to sleep, lol! But how can you stop when that smile burns hotter than the sun! 😀 ☀️
And finally…Yay , she’s not a machine!
It’s time to start heading back…
After one more ice cold drink we asked the server which way the main entrance was, she pointed in the general direction and we thanked her. We started walking and talking about the day we’d had and how amazing the place was even though it’s not quite over yet. “We’ll defo remember this place” i said (we talk about this day all of the time). Arriving at the main entrance area Sarah said “There is a photo kiosk over there, let’s ask and see if they have any photos of us?” I said a little confused “I didn’t know they were taking photos but it would be great if they have any of us river tubing etc”.
The photos…
Sarah was not happy after speaking to the man as he had just dismissed her saying “If you didn’t scan your armband before each event then we can’t find you on the system” Sarah had told him that we were both registered blind and we weren’t told about scanning for photos and we certainly can’t see it. Sarah continued “We will buy any of the photos you have of us as we really want to remember the day”. The man was having none of it and walked away. Sarah started walking back to me when she saw another man stand behind the kiosk. She returned and said the same to him…He was really helpful and understood our problem, he continued to search the whole day, looking through thousands of images to see if he could find any shots of us…
Then he saw Sarah on the zip line. “Yes we’ll have it” Sarah said, she waited a while longer for him to search some more. The coach was arriving any minute too and we were running out of time fast. He frantically started searching but he couldn’t find anymore photos. “Ok” Sarah said “Can i buy it here?” He said no and that she had to go over the courtyard to have it put in a sleeve and then she can buy it. Sarah came and grabbed me as she knew i’d be worried as it’s been taking longer than expected. “Where are your sunglasses (my sunglasses)” i said “Oh man, don’t say i’ve put them down somewhere and i’ve lost them too?”
After buying the photo (see the fantastic zip line shot of Sarah above) Sarah was adamant (she wasn’t losing 2 pairs of sunglasses today) and blitz between all of the counters she’d been at…Nothing. Then she asked the man and he started searching all around…Nothing. Then just as everyone had given up, the man had found them in lost property where one of the staff had put them. Phew! 😀
We also managed to get back to the coach in the nick of time and now we can relax for a couple of hours as we return to the ship.
In the coffee port…
As it was Sarah’s birthday she ordered an amazing chocolate, waffle, ice cream coffee dream cake…Sarah had a tiny taste with a tea spoon (as she’s diabetic) so it was left for me to step up to the plate, man up (again) and try to enjoy this delicious coffee cake thingy! It’s tough sometimes being the husband of a T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) I’ll give it my best shot! 🤣
We had a lovely evening meal and as always Sarah had the lovely cheese board to finish. I think that’s what the photo below is showing?!
Finally we finished off this amazing, challenging, exhausting, conquering and blessed day with (yes you’ve guessed it) Sarah’s special sugar free Mojito and i had a BBC.
Thank you so much for celebrating Sarah’s birthday with us, it’s a day we’ll never forget (and haven’t). 😀
The ‘Blind Sightseers’ are not finished yet…💪🏼
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 40 – “Sneeze”
May 11, 2020 1 Comment
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Wow it’s Day 40 already. 🐾
Hey…Are you in there? Don’t think you can hide behind your fisheye lens. You’re just 1 sneeze away from getting your lens covered!
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Don’t Be Confused
May 11, 2020 3 Comments
Amen! Thanks Debbie. 😀
He is a God of peace and harmony, order and clarity, not strife and confusion (Romans 15:33; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; Hebrews 13:20).
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for 1 Corinthians 14:33.
☀️ #32 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Costa Maya, Mexico”🇲🇽(2016)
May 10, 2020 0 Comments
Sarah welcomes you to Costa Maya…
Our Kayak excursion didn’t start for a couple of hours, so we had time for a look around yet another nice dock. As you’ll remember from a couple of days ago Sarah said:
“Why don’t you get them to braid your hair as the wind’s been annoying you all day, and you won’t have to touch it for the rest of the holiday?!
Sarah’s hair has been blowing around all over the place since we arrived in Jamaica…And now it was her turn for the braides, no more worrying about windy hair syndrome.
Right, now is the time for the kayaking excursion. Wow what a bumpy coach ride…”Oohhh a lighthouse, quick Steve pass me your phone”. We were being thrown around all over the place but Sarah just managed (no idea how) to get a glimpse of the lighthouse!
The Kayaking beach…
This is what greeted us as we got off the coach…😀
After putting all of our things in our backpacks and securing them in the lockers back in the bar type place just out of shot (above) we made our way back onto the beach to get our life jackets and meet our kayak.
We all gathered around the instructor as he demonstrated how to enter properly, how to paddle and of course the safety drills. I said to Sarah “I think this is a step too far, i can’t see him or anything he’s pointing at or showing us, but i am listening to what he’s saying” she said “Once we get you in the kayak you’ll be fine as i know you have done canoeing as a kid and it’ll all come back to you as it’s similar”.
Now it was our turn to enter the two seater glass bottomed kayak (well i almost fell in as it was a lot lower than i thought) and as i fell i head butted Sarah on the way down. Sarah said she was fine but after i regained consciousness she passed me the paddle. “Oh yes, it’s just like the ones i used as a kid when canoeing with my dad. It’s going to be ok…Oh wait, i can’t see where i’m going, lol!) 😀
Sarah took her position in the back seat as the navigator. We thought she could hit my left shoulder to go left and right shoulder for right, that makes sense, i just hope i don’t get her paddle around my head, lol! 🤣
As the instructor pushed us away we heard lots and lots of wow, cheering and nervous laughter. It was an amazing feeling to be floating out on the still waters and with a glass bottomed kayak Sarah could see the ocean floor. After while everyone got into the swing of things and we managed to form an orderly queue behind the instructor.
We followed him out to sea until we stopped over the barrier reef. Everyone was Ooohh and woowwwoooing so it must have been beautiful. It felt amazing being in crystal clear waters with no land in sight, we just sat there stunned.
We paddled a little further and we seemed to overtake most of our group as they had sunk and were trying to get back into the kayak (wow they are sighted too so we must be doing something right, lol. Steve don’t get too cocky too soon).
The instructor stopped a lttle further on and we all bunched together. He was trying to pass something round for people to hold but the people were not impressed. Then he came to me…Before Sarah had time to say “He’s blind and can’t see it and he doesn’t like creepy crawlies” he had put it on the top of my hand…😨
It felt soft and obviously wet and if i could see i probably wouldn’t have let him put this black death starfish onto my hand. It looked like a massive tarantula to me as i could just make out the black against my skin. I was just waiting for the huge teeth to sink into my flesh and tear it from my bones…When he took it back and placed it into the sea. Phew!
Wow i wish i had a GoPro video camera, it’s simply stunning…
“Hey Sarah watch this!” i said as we were gathering speed. “Wow a handbrake turn”. I remember as a kid and learning canoeing, that if you jam the end of the paddle straight down and grip firmly…Then the canoe spins round about 180 degrees (similar to a handbrake turn in a car) and i thought i’d see if it happened the same way in a kayak…It did and as i was really impressed with myself for pulling it off Sarah was quietly impressed (i think, lol).
More Barrier Reef…
We stayed out over the barrier reef for another hour or so just paddling slowly, then stopping and taking in the vast ocean and the feeling of fresh air with the gentle rocking of the kayak, it was so peaceful…A little too peaceful!
“Where is everyone?” i said as i could see no other kayaks or the shoreline. “I don’t know i think they have headed back to get the sun loungers for the next hour of the excursion” We were quite far out and couldn’t figure out which way to head back to shore. I started thinking of the Jaws film and the zoomed in shots of the faces crumpled in fear as the shark fin circles in closer and closer.
“I think it’s that way” Sarah said as she hit my right shoulder. “Ok, let’s go”. We started heading slightly towards the shore when…
A really loud whistle and a shout came from our 2 o’ clock. It was the instructor from what seemed like miles away but we could hearr him as though he was sanding right next to us. That was the sound i needed and swiftly pointed the kayak in his direction and floored it! 😀
Back on shore…
I love palm trees, especially this shape (above) and this one is just fantastic!
Yay we made it!! Our first kayaking adventure and it was simply breathtaking. The Blind Sightseers have managed another challenge…Now lets go and relax for a while.
After a nice slice of pizza (with salad as i’m being good) we took our towels and inclusive bottle of local lager and found two sun loungers between two palm trees. The white sand and the crystal clear sea framed our afternoon perfectly! ☀️ 🌴
I’m not sure if this was a private resort but the beach was empty…Yay! 😀
Sarah then says “Oh, we forgot to take any photos of the kayaks…Steve stand here and i’ll take some photos” “But i think there is another group starting their kayaking?!” “just stand still and smile, lol” 🤣
“Now go and stand in the sea so our WordPress family actually know that you’re on this trip, and don’t forget to smile” 🤣
My lovely wife Sarah absolutely love swimming, splashing sitting in the sea, love the hot sun and the powdery white sand and she has got all 3 today. I love taking her photos when she’s so happy and has that lovely beaming smile that lights (and warms) her whole being. 😀
It was now time to leave this beautiful place, jump on the coach and return back to the ship. We were tired but couldn’t stop ourselves having a beeming grin all the way back as we had just conquered kayaking and had a lovely time in paradise! 😀
But Sarah didn’t stop there… She just had enough time to capture this stunning view.
Back on the dock…
As we had a little time on the dock, we thought we’d take some more photos of this lovely place.
Yay…We came, we saw and we conquered! 😀
Back in the coffee port…
After such an exciting day filled with an omnifarious amount of emotions, there is no better way to chill than the coffee port. Wow what a view! ☕
Thanks for joining us on this wonderful excursion, we couldn’t have done it without you! ☀️
Wait until you hear about tomorrows adventure…It’s a long post but you’ll understand why very soon! 😨
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 39 – “And Rest…”
May 10, 2020 1 Comment
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
My human Steve says:
“I Just wanted to let you look into the big brown eyes of the furry angel that brought me so much love, comfort and peace when I needed it most through my darkest times”.
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☀️ #31 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Roatan, Honduras”🇭🇳(2016)
May 9, 2020 2 Comments
Good morning friends! Yay we made it off the ship, and after a lovely breakfast we managed to find the coach. 😀
First on the agenda is the Roatan Butterfly Farm, home to a technicolor mix of native butterflies and tropical birds. Once you’ve gotten to grips with Roatan’s feathered friends, it’s time to delve into the deep blue and see what’s going on under the water. And that’s where the next part of the tour comes in. You’ll head back to the coast, climb aboard the Roatan Reef Explorer – a miniature submarine – and travel six feet below the water to explore a coral reef. Back on dry land, you’ll call in at the quaint village of West End. Once you’ve had a good look round, it’s on to the highest point of the island for some of the best views around. Rounding things off, you’ll get a chance to buy some handicrafts on the way back to port.
Hey Steve, stand there and smile! 😀
We stopped off at the butterfly farm and Sarah instantly made some new friends…
Roatán is such a special and lovely place, the time seemed to just slip away whilst watching Sarah with her new friends. This trip really showed the beautiful nature preserve in all its wild beauty.
The semi submarine…
Wow it was hot, dark and narrow down there. Once i’d smacked my shin on the solid wood seats that folded down from the wall to let us through (i hit the one that wasn’t folded back up) i realised where the seats were! 😀
As usual i couldn’t see much at all (can you see anything?)…We couldn’t do any of this without these excursions as the tour guides are very informative and passionate about sharing their knowledge on the history of the countries/islands and teach us lots about local people, culture and food! We’ve learned so much about all these places we’ve visited and it’s all thanks to these guys! 😀
I have a couple of videos which i’ll post later and see if you can tell me what you see?!
Gifty shop…
We then stopped off at a little gift shop which was a lovely little hut type place. After buying some bits and bobs Sarah found her fave plant/trees/bush type things on the island. They didn’t sell these, and i don’t think they’ll fit in our cases anyway! 🤣
Back in the dock…
Sarah and the Dream! 😍
As we had a few hours left before we had to get back on board, Sarah and i thought we’d have a look around the dock. The dock looked fantastic and was much better than most of the docks we’ve visited.
First we found a clothes shop, yay!. Every place we visit we like to get a shirt, vest or top of some kind to keep and wear as a souvenir. We managed to get a top for Sarah and a vest for me, both saying Roatan Honduras on them! 😀
But then…
Sarah’s speech started to slur quite badly…I thought “Oh no, not here (i always talk to the diabetic hypo) it’s a big dock and i can’t see anywhere and there is no one around”. We then saw a hut type thingy and walked straight towards it. Yay it was a smoothie juice bar. Their english wasn’t brilliant (although a million times better than my mexican/spanish) and we walked away with their local “insert funny name that i’ve forgotten” and quickly tried drinking it without getting brain freeze to go with the hypo. 😀
Now i had a reference point, we headed over to a bench which was against a wall (and in the sun for Sarah) but i knew how to get to the juice bar if things got worse…It did!
Sarah managed to do a blood test and it was very low. We had no idea how much sugar was in the smoothie so i quickly got up and grabbed another smoothie!
Now we just had to wait for the sugar to kick in before the ship left without us! It was a tense hour or so but Sarah managed to fight and beat the hypo into submission. To our surprise…We still had another hour before we had to get back to the ship.
Sarah was feeling sick but still wanted to squeeze the day for all it’s worth, she said “Hey, look over there, i think those people are coming from a beach or something?” i said “a beach? i didn’t think docks had beaches etc”, i was glad to be so wrong! 🤣
The beach…
We were just walking across a little bridge and i thought “this would make a lovely photo, Sarah stand there and i’ll try and get a photo”. When taking a shot like this, i stand with Sarah then keep Sarah’s direction in mind as i concentrate on how many paces i need to take so that i get everything in the shot. When i’m ready i ask Sarah to shout so i can get her true reference point and we know it’s time for a few pictures. I first put my thumb in the air to say i’m ready and Sarah can start smiling, then i take multiple images as i have no idea if Sarah is blinking, smiling or even looking at me, lol. Then i either put my thumb up again or put my camera down and start walking back towards Sarah.
But just as i was lining up the shot…A kind man from behind me asked if we’d like a picture together? “Wow, yes please” i said as i put my arm around my lovely wife Sarah. I don’t get many of these shots so i really love it when some kind person asks us if we’d like them to take a photo of us. I really cherish these moments. ❤️
A few short steps after and we were walking on sand and Sarah was walking into the sea! Wow it’s really quiet here too, yay! 😀
If you havn’t noticed already on our travels…We “The Blind Sightseers” have quite a few dramas, lol. So when we get moments like this we feel really blessed, it’s like time stands still for us and we can just pause and think about how on earth we managed to get here. 😀
Hey hang on a minute. I didn’t mean pause for quite so long, lol! Sarah could have stayed there all day if time permitted and i don’t blame her after the hypo she’s just had.
But now it’s really time to get back to the ship. “Which way is it again?”
After a couple more photos of the lovely dock it was back to the ship for our return coffee at (yes you’ve guessed it) the coffee port.
You may not know but this was the easy days excursion as tomorrow we push the limits of what blindies can do…We go glass bottomed kayaking (first time for both of us) across the barrier reef in Costa Maya Mexico. 😨
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 38 – “Yay…Sausages Again”
May 9, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Wow i love this ‘Tug o’ War’ game! But most of all, i love winning! Oh wait…Is that the sound of my paws on another ‘Lap of Honour?’ 🐾 🤣
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What trash does it appear!
May 9, 2020 1 Comment
What trash does it appear!
(Mary Winslow)
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever!” 1 John 2:17
What a brittle thing is all the glory, wealth, and honor of this vain world! How empty, and what trash does it appear! And yet men sell their souls to grasp it, and at last pass away from it and find it all a phantom. How unceasing is Satan in forever bringing it before our eyes, in some form or other! What is all the pomp and wealth and rank of this poor fleeting world, in contrast with the glory that shall soon be revealed in all those who love His appearing?
“The spirit of the world is eating out the very heart and life of true godliness!” George Everard
“Refined worldliness is the present snare of the Church of God!” Horatius Bonar
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?
Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God!” James 4:4
☀️ #30 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Trujillo, Honduras”🇭🇳(2016)
May 8, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome to Trujillo:
Christopher Columbus landed in Trujillo on the 14th August 1502. During his fourth and final journeys to the Amercas. Since then they have been under the control of the Spanish, the Dutch, the English and even Pirates.
But now…
Sarah & i arrived on the shore, and after a coach trip with a friendly local tour guide telling us about this fantastic place(and the constant invasions by the pirates), we arrived at the beach resort! 😀
“Wow” i said as we stepped onto the sand and selected a couple of sun loungers with a table shelter thingy with a free cold bottle of lager welcoming us!
“We’re going to enjoy this”. This was the most relaxing excursion out of the 4 we’d booked,
and then….
Sarah said “Yay, there is a trampoline in the sea”. I would have been more excited but my mind went straight to Sarah’s Charcot feet (diabetic problem again), and how she was going to manage?! But i should have known Sarah would win me over by taking every precaution, and before i could stand up, Sarah was in the sea! 😀
I stood waiting and trying to calculate how long it would take Sarah to swim over and climb on before i’d start taking photos…then i heard “STEVE” i knew that was my cue to start taking photos and videos, thank you my lovely wife..
Sarah really enjoyed trampolining in the sea as she’d never done anything like this before. But in the photo below…Sarah looks very innocent , but i’m sure she has just shoved the man off the left hand side!! lol. 🤣
It was quite cloudy, and even spotted with rain for a minute or two, but it’s ok…it was only the fine stuff that soaks you through, so I took a couple of photos of the landscape…
Then Sarah gifted us with a Panorama!
After a fantastic (inclusive) meal where Sarah & i had the nicest Plantain ever, we found a swimming pool with no-one in, and we relaxed for half an hour! 🙂
We couldn’t believe how fast the time went and we reluctently headed back to the coach(well at least where we thought it was), but not before we stopped for one last photo at a beautiful fountain.
As Sarah & i were walking along the path, a Spanish speaking man with broken English held my arm and kept trying to tell us something. At first i thought he’d spotted the Grim Reaper tattoo on my leg (had it done 20 years ago when i thought i was tough in my pre Christian days) and thought i was a pirate, so i was in trouble! 🙂 But when my mind slowed down, we realised he was trying to say he was the driver and we were walking away from the coach. lol We thanked him profusely and followed him back to the coach.
Back on the ship…
After a lovely day on the beach, we headed to our usual viewing spot on deck 10.
Yay another Sarah Panorama…
As we will be on holiday for Sarah’s birthday, i treated her to a hand manicure. Well…the whole holiday is a celebration of birthday’s(we’ll be back home for mine), and seeing more of God’s creation,
Afterwards Sarah said “Why don’t you get them to braid your hair as the wind’s been annoying you all day, and you won’t have to touch it for the rest of the holiday?! I was a little unsure about it, but after Sarah and the lady had decided to put 2 braids in, i went along with it.
Wow, Sarah’s right again, i didn’t have to touch it for the rest of the holiday, fantastic! 😀
Well…the “2 Blindies” have managed to have an amazing day in Trujillo, and we can’t thank you enough for joining us as we discover new ground. 🤣
Our Route:
This evening Thomson Dream sails to Roatan, Honduras. We’ll arrive tomorrow morning having travelled 37 nautical miles at an average of 5 knots.
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 37 – “The Canine kiss”
May 8, 2020 5 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Are you sure? Really sure? You can’t be serious?! You don’t want me to plant one of my legendary canine kisses on your cheek? (whole face)… I promise it won’t be slobbery, lol! 😜
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Discontent!
May 8, 2020 3 Comments
Discontent!
(Arthur Pink, “Comfort for Christians”)
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11
Contentment is the being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God’s providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion–the clay saying to the Potter, “Why have You made me thus?” Instead of complaining at his lot–a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much discontent and restlessness in the world, as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure–discontent is everywhere! No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God’s own people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth, or is it restricted to the inhabitants of Heaven? If feasible here and now–may it be retained, or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life?
The force of Paul’s statement will be better appreciated, if his condition and circumstances at the time he made it, are kept in mind. When the apostle wrote the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor’s palace–but was in prison “in chains”. The contentment which Paul enjoyed, was not the result of congenial and comfortable surroundings. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible, unless one can have the desires of the carnal heart gratified. A prison is the last place to which they would go, if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear–contentment comes from within and not without; it must be sought from God, not in creature comforts.
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the realization. But in the case of Paul, contentment was an actual experience! It was something he had learned in the school of Christian experience.
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said–Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
☀️ #29 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Yay…Caribbean Again!”🇯🇲
May 7, 2020 1 Comment
Yay!!!! Were off to the Caribbean again!! (2016) 😀
I can’t believe we’re getting another chance to see some of God’s glorious creation! We were so blessed with our last cruise “Transatlantic Sunset Tour” even though we had a roller coaster of a ride! 🙂
We were up around 4:30am, packing the final items into our cases. I found out the hard way last year on how impossible it was to find my black suitcase on the carousel among hundreds of other black suitcases!! 😦 So this year i’ve treated myself to a dark purple one. Let’s see if this one is better to find?!
Kate, from the local taxis that Sarah uses for work, arrived and we set off for Gatwick. “Now we can relax” i said “As it’s too late to go back if we’ve forgotten anything”.
The Airport…
Kate was fantastic, and drove us right to the entrance and pointed us in the right direction “Just keep walking that way and you’ll be fine”. We checked in our cases and were given the fantastic airport assistance who guided us through customs and sat us in departures ready to catch the fun train.
The people at the desk said there was a 1 hour delay…”Oh yes!!” Sarah & i said at the same time “We have time to go shopping and have a coffee”. I think this was a new response for them as they looked a little bemused! 🙂
After finding the same italian coffee place from last year(it’s becoming another local), we found our way around a few shops and headed back to the pick up point. It wasn’t long before the handheld thing they give me started flashing and vibrating which meant it is our turn to get on-board the train!
After our fun ride on the train, we boarded the plane and i even got a window seat. The 787 Dreamliner didn’t disapoint as it gave it the beans down the runway!
During the 10½ hour flight, Sarah watched about 5 films(well 10 minutes of each, as she said they were horiffic, and saw firsthand why we didn’t have a TV lisence anymore). We enjoyed the in-flight meals though, and it made up for the poor entertainment.
As i can’t even see who is sat next to me(although i know it’s Sarah), i spent the time listening to the people around me. It helps me understand who is around, where they are, and i get to learn a little about the person by their words and character…as “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart”. 🙂
Yay,we’re back in Jamaica! 😀
The airport assistance escorted us through customs and to the queue for the coach transfer to the ship. As soon as they realised we couldn’t see, they took us and skipped straight passed the queue and onto the coach where we were shown to the 2 front seats! One advantage of being blind, lol.
Arriving at the ship, the coach driver said there were further delays and the queue for the ship check-in was long and it’s seriously hot out there! But when we left the coach, we met the assistance and again, they led us passed the large queue straight to the check-in and onto the ship! I always feel a little guilty when this happens, but it’s a fantastic service for us. 🙂
Boarding the Thomson Dream again this year felt like we were coming home. It took us about a week to figure out where everything is, but this time we remembered and it made life a lot easier! 🙂
The Emergency Drill…
We were now almost experts at the life jackets(well Sarah was) and we needed no help this time putting them on. It was really hot and humid out on deck for the drill, but i handled the heat much better this time. 🙂
Finding our way back to the cabin with our life jackets on, we wanted to try and take a selfie to keep as a memory, as we probably wouldn’t have chance if we ever needed to use them again. It’s really hard to take a selfie when you can’t see the phone screen, but we took loads and managed to find one.
The Coffee Port…
After a full on day, Sarah & i were in need of a proper coffee…and guess what greeting we heard as we walked in??!! Yes it was Cecily! “No way” we both said “It’s so good to see you again”. Cecily then sat us down and said “2 espresso macchiatos?”….No way, she remembered! 🙂 This was really starting to feel like home.
We finished our coffees and headed back to our cabin. Our cases had arrived and we started unpacking as the ship set sail for Trujillo, Honduras…Wow what a day! 😀
Day 2…..
We spent day 2 exploring and seeing if anything had changed since we’d been gone. There were a few changes but nothing that tripped us up. Now it was time to check out the shore excursions for the next 4 islands!
Last year we didnt realise how quickly they sold out, so we got in early and booked an excursion for each of the 4 days, we were excited to have booked a few varied tours, but i was a little worried as we’d booked Kayaking on one tour and River tubing on another. Can blind people really do this without crippling themselves?? 😨
Either way…back to the Coffee Port to celebrate with a latte! 🙂
Thanks for joining us, it’s great to see you on-board again! 😀
Our Route:
this evening Thomson Dream sails to Trujillo, Honduras. We’ll arrive on Thursday morning after the leisurely day at sea having travelled 515 nautical miles at an average speed of 15 knots.
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 36 – “Sneaking”
May 7, 2020 0 Comments
⇧ Bruce catching me thinking i’m sneaking up the stairs while he’s asleep! ⇧
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Don’t think you can attempt to sneak around, or even worse try to get out of your drills! No matter how quiet you think you’re being…I’ll be watching you! 😀
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God is too kind to punish the ungodly!
May 7, 2020 0 Comments
God is too kind to punish the ungodly!
(A.W. Tozer)
God’s justice stands forever against the unrepentant sinner in utter severity!
The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions! It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all kinds of iniquity–while damnation draws every day nearer, and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings, we dare not so trifle with our eternal future!
“On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot!” Psalm 11:6
“Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them!” Isaiah 3:11
“They always heap up their sins to the limit. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost!” 1 Thessalonians 2:16
“They called to the mountains and the rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:16-17
“He, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb!” Revelation 14:10
☀️ #28 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Matlock Bath”🏴
May 6, 2020 7 Comments
Wow what a cruise! I hope you’re enjoying this trip down memory lane?
🚠 Before we head off back to the sunshine…Here is a trip in the UK, lol! 🇬🇧 ☔️ 😀
After travelling up to Derby and spending the day with “Our Friends The Wigley Family” Sunday came and we woke up to a lovely view over Derby.
⇧ View from our hotel room ⇧
We then headed to the train station to travel to Doncaster to see Sarah’s family.
⇧ Sarah sat in the train station café ⇧
Little did we know that the Tour de France was in Yorkshire on this day, but to our surprise the reservations were overloaded and the train was full so we got upgraded to first class (for free) which was empty! 🙂
⇧ SARAH’S FIRST CLASS!! ⇧
We arrived in Doncaster for Marshall’s birthday dinner at Cosmo’s where we met all of the family. We had a lovely meal and it was great to catch up with them all! 🙂
⇧ Marshall (left), Sarah & Alfie ⇧
After arriving back in Derby that evening, Sarah & i went to our fave italian Zizzi’s for a lovely meal. I also got to have the lovely chocolate, banana & ice cream calzone, which Sarah stole most of! 🙂
Then it was Monday 7th July our 7th wedding anniversary where we would enjoy “The Heights Of Abraham” at Matlock Bath.
We we arrived at the top we found a tower (which was too dark for us to climb) but it looked nice! 🙂
And i met a new friend…….
⇧ My new friend (i love donkeys in case you didn’t know!) 😀 ⇧
And after my amazing driving in the bumper cars (see here) i found another vehicle i had to drive……..
⇧ Getting the chance to drive yet again! ⇧
⇧ Descending back down to ground level ⇧
⇧ Views overlooking the villages from the cable cars ⇧
After a fantastic (and exhausting) weekend we finally checked out and headed home!
⇧ Sarah outside Jury’s Inn, Derby ⇧
All photos taken using my iPhone (i left my heavy DSLR’s in the hotel)
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 35 – “More Frisbees”
May 6, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Yay…It’s frisbee time again! Oh and what a catch! 😀
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A subtle leaven which the heart is always ready to receive!
May 6, 2020 1 Comment
A subtle leaven which the heart is always ready to receive!
(J.C. Ryle, “The Gospel of Luke” 1858)
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees–which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be made known.” Luke 12:1-2
The first thing that demands our attention in these verses, is Christ’s warning against hypocrisy.
This is a warning of which the importance can never be overrated. It was delivered by our Lord more than once, during His earthly ministry. It was intended to be a standing caution to His whole church in every age, and in every part of the world.
It was meant to remind us that the principles of the Pharisees are deeply ingrained in human nature–and that Christians should be always on their guard against them. Hypocrisy is a subtle leaven which the heart is always ready to receive! It is a leaven which once received into the heart, infects the whole character of a man’s Christianity. Of this leaven, says our Lord, in words that should often ring in our ears–of this leaven, beware!
Let us ever nail this caution in our memories, and bind it on our hearts. The plague is around us on every side! The danger is at all times. What is the essence of Romanism, and formalism, and ceremonialism? What is it all, but the leaven of the Pharisees under one shape or another? The Pharisees are not extinct! Pharisaism lives still.
If we would not become Pharisees–then let us cultivate a ‘heart religion’. Let us realize daily that the God with whom we have to do, looks far below the outward surface of our profession, and that He measures us by the state of our hearts. Let us be real and true in our Christianity. Let us abhor all part-acting, and affectation, and semblance of devotion–put on for public occasions, but not really felt within.
Our hypocrisy may deceive man, and get us the reputation of being very religious–but it cannot deceive God. “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be made known.”
Whatever we are in religion–let us never wear a cloak or a mask of religion.
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account!” Hebrews 4:13
☀️ #27 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Palma”🇪🇸(2015)
May 5, 2020 0 Comments
Leaving our room for the last time and hoping we’d not forgotten anything, we had a couple of hours on the ship before our coach arrived. We first went out on deck to say hello to Palma! ☀️
Wow, we’re really going to miss the sun when we arrive home! ☀️
We stayed out on deck for about half an hour reflecting on our crazy cruise and how we actually survived some of the situations that tried to knock us down. Then it was time to say goodbye to my favourite place “The Coffee Port”.
Cecily and the Coffee Port…
I would like to say a huge thanks to Cecily and the Coffee Port. Every time without fail, as soon as Sarah and i would walk in, and before we’d seen Cecily, We’d here one of our names(depending who entered first) melodically sung which put a huge smile on our faces, what a welcome! 🙂
She was so supportive of us and made fantastic coffee! ☕ 😀
Getting the coach…
After leaving the gangway for the last time, we boarded our coach and headed to the airport. It was a nice drive through Palma, but the mood on the coach was somber, as no-one wanted to go home. Although Sarah’s cough was almost constant and she was so tired from just coughing, she really wanted to be home so she can order a replacement insulin pump and get her blood under control.
Palma airport…
We arrived at Palma airport and found the assisstance that helped us with our luggage, then escorted us to the gate where we sat waiting for the announcements. Sarah said “Let’s go and find you a coffee, then i can go and look around some shops as we will be here for about an hour” “Cool, sounds good to me, as long as we don’t venture off too far”.
Just then we heard our names called…
We were surprised to see one of the couples who befriended us at the Orion Restaurant in the evenings. They gave Sarah a card and said “Hope your new job goes well, and you find your feet quickly. We wish you all the best”. Sarah was in pleasant shock with this unexpected kindness, especially as we thought we’d never meet them again.
Yay, the plane…
I was excited to be travelling on an airplane again, and was totally surprised i managed to capture a piece of Palma upon take off! 🙂
Back in the UK…
We arrived in Gatwick airport on the Sunday before Bank Holiday Monday. The plan was to have the Bank Holiday as a rest day to try and recover from this rollercoaster of a cruise. But the drama hadn’t quite finished yet…A rest day, what is one of those? 😀
A&E…
Sarah was suffering beyond even what she can take(that doesn’t happen often) and on Monday morning we had to go to A&E as her chest was now closing up really bad and she could hardly breathe. As it was a Bank Holiday it was quite busy, but we finally got in to see the doctor. He said she had a Respiratory Tract Infection which has now given her a secondary lung thingy(i can’t remember the exact diagnosis,lol). After picking up the antibiotics we made our way home.
Sarah’s new job…
I’m not sure if i’ve mentioned it yet, but just before we started this cruise, Sarah left her job at RNIB(Royal National Institute Of Blind People), where she’d worked for over 10 years, and was going to start her new job at WCRF(World Cancer Research Fund) tomorrow!! Yeah i know it seems mad, but don’t forget we’er dealing with my “Warrior Wife”!! 💪🏼
Finally…
I can’t explain the emotions i’ve been through typing up this day to day account of our cruise. I’ve been smiling, laughing, crying and shocked to find some great photos that will serve as loving memories for us.
Thank You, Thank You & Thank You…
It’s been such a blessing to know you’ve joined us on our trip, but beyond that, encouraging us with your kind and loving comments along the way. So we both thank God for you, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Hopefully we’ll see you on our other tours too??!!
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 34 – “Eager”
May 5, 2020 1 Comment
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
Me eagerly ‘waiting’ for Sarah (my human) to take off my lead so I can get my drills done!
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Wake Up Children
May 5, 2020 1 Comment
He has written this letter to His church to clean us up. We need to be doing the right things for the right reasons. He is a God of Judgement. We …
Wake Up Children
I desire that this may be the text at my funeral
May 5, 2020 2 Comments
“The Aged Christian’s Final Farewell to the World and its Vanities” John Whitson, 1558-1629)
I desire that this may be the text at my funeral: Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
Oh! when shall I ascend to the eternal throne of blessedness, where no comforts are lacking?
When shall I be covered with the glorious robe of immortality, and shine in the brightness of my Redeemer’s innocence?
When shall I behold the lovely face of my Lord and dwell in the courts of His holy temple, where . . .
all tears shall be wiped away from my eyes,
all sorrows removed from my heart,
and all sins and spots are done away?
Where I shall exchange the dross of this world, for true and durable riches!
Where, instead of these earthly riches which moth and rust corrupt–I shall enjoy the heavenly riches of perfect peace and good conscience, never to be lost!
Instead of these false and flattering honors, I shall enjoy everlasting glory, and be admitted into the fellowship of my Redeemer to reign with Him in His glorious kingdom!
Instead of vain and momentary pleasures, I shall be filled with fullness of joy and be ravished with those delights which neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive!
Instead of this dark and cloudy knowledge, I shall have my heart enlightened with the beams of the true light!
Instead of this feeble strength, I shall be endowed with the might of angels!
Instead of this transitory health, I shall enjoy a powerful and immortal vigor!
Instead of this fading beauty, I shall be adorned with the loveliness of Christ’s spouse!
Instead of long life, I shall be crowned with life eternal!
We shall sing, Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God almighty! Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Glory be to You, O Lord, most High.
And now, as the deer pants for the water-brooks, so longs my soul after You, O God!
O that I had wings like a dove, that I might fly away and be at rest!
For whom have I in Heaven but You–and who is there upon earth that I desire but You?
My heart and my strength fail me, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever!
☀️ #26 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Alicante”🇪🇸
May 4, 2020 0 Comments
After about a week of sleepless nights, to say Sarah & i were tired is an understatement. Also Sarahs cough is a lot worse and her lungs feel like a boa constrictor has coiled around them. Her erratic blood sugars are making her sick too…but apart from that, we are excited to find out what our last shore excursion has in stall for us! 😀
The coach was waiting for us from the bottom of the gangway(phew…at least we won’t get lost around the dock, lol) and we set off towards the castle. As we drove down narrow windy streets lined with vivid green palm trees, with cafes splashed with orange i said to Sarah “Wow, it’s like were driving through one of your fave tracks from Gran Turismo 4 on the Playstation 2!!” “Ok” she said ”Not sure i’d have thought of that, but now you’ve mentioned it, that is exactly what it looks like”. 🙂
Santa Barbara Castle…
As we stepped off the air conditioned coach onto the sandy/dusty car park, the first thing to hit me was the intense heat. The Caribbean was very hot but there was always a lovely cool breeze, but this heat seemed focused on burning me to a crisp! 🙂
I’m sure it was just a short walk to the castle and to my surprise i was already halfway down my bottle of water, so when we arrived to find a big climb to the top of the castle which included slanty slopes and invisible rough steps etc, it was time to start the thought process “I think we’ve done something stupid again, and taken on an excursion we should’ve never taken on”. But as usual my thoughts were quickly defeated as my Warrior Wife took my hand and relentlesly attacked the slopes! Sarah always leaves me speechless, as i know she is feeling much worse than me, yet she battles on and fights when most others would give up. This is one reason why i’m so proud of her and love her more than anything! ♥️
The view…
Once we reached to top and found the nearest wall, the view was fantastic and well worth risking our lives, lol 🙂
While stood admiring the view, i could hear a noisy flag flapping above my head. I thought “I havn’t tried taking a proper flag photo in motion before”. It took about 5 minutes to try and get my camera to focus, but i finally got my first! 🙂
The tour guide was great, telling us all about the gruesome, bloody history of the castle(history never changes) told us we had an hour of free time to have a look around the castle and we’d all meet up at the bottom.
Yay, we had more time to look around! 🙂
It really was stunning up here, and i was excited to find Sarah getting her phone ready for one of her breathtaking Panoramas! 🙂
Wow Sarah has treated us with 2 breathtaking Panoramas again!!! 😉
After Sarah “Top Trumped” me again with her amazing photos, we decided to begin our adventure down to the meeting place. We knew it was going to be much harder on the way down but we were going to enjoy it anyway!
As we still had about 30 minutes, we tried to look at everything we hadn’t seen on the way up.
When turning around, i thought Sarah had found a gift shop and was carrying a huge present for someone, lol. But thankfully it’s one of the statue things we found on the way.
We then found a cool little alley way.
This has to be one of my favorite photos!! I’m glad to see Sarah(The Greatest Warrior” parting some of her knowledge and instruction to an inferior ranked warrior on how to correctly throw a spear! 🙂
After many more laughs, we did eventually make it back to the meeting place, and then on to the coach, Ooooohh, air conditioning! 🙂
The Town Hall Square & Cathedral of Alicante…
Walking through the town was hard work as it was very busy, but Sarah did find a local craft store that were selling handmade daisy broaches out of wicker etc. So while she was looking, i thought i’d quickly snap a couple of photos.
The Cathedral of Alicante…
On leaving the Cathedral, the tour guide said we have 30 minutes free time, then could you please find your way back to the coach, i’ll be in the bar down this side alley getting a cold drink if anyone wants to join me? Sarah said “Come on quickly, we need to get to him before he gets swallowed by the crowds, as we don’t know our way back to the coach” “Okay, let’s go” i said as we zigzagged our way towards him. We caught up with him and he told us the easiest way back to the coach.
But before we headed back, Sarah had a chance to try the only Spanish phrase she could remember from her childhood holidays with her Dad.
“It worked!!! I must have said it right” Sarah said as she brought 2 bottles of Lager to the small corner table in the little bar we’d stumbled upon. 🙂
The Explanada, one of the most beautiful waterfront promenades in Spain…
On leaving the bar, Sarah saw this stunning pavement lined with palm trees. It reminded us of the incredible pavement in Horta, Azores.
Shortly before leaving the coach back at the dock, we had one final laugh when the tour guide told us he was from California, works in Alicante and is married to his Wife from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. “Wow” I said “That amazing, the guide yesterday was from Derby(my hometown) and Today the guide stays in Doncaster(Sarah’s hometown) a few months of the year, and when he finally said”I’ll be outside the French Gate in Doncaster in November, we all burst out laughing. 🙂
Back on the ship…
We had just enough time to capture the coastline of Alicante from the ship before Thomson Dream sailed away to Palma, Mallorca for us to get the plane home.
After getting changed for the evening meal, we knew it would be the last time we’d see our Orion Restaurant friends. We met them at our usual time and table and had a lovely evening talking about all the adventures of the day.
Who knows? We may bump into them again on a future cruise, which would be great! 🙂
Leaving the Orion Restaurant, we headed to the delo bar to enjoy our last cocktail with great music.
After a really long day, we arrived back at our cabin to find a new fantastic towel creature on our table. Sarah quickly moved it into an arty position ready for a humorous photo! 🙂
Just one more day to go before we head home, and Sarah and i spent the sleepless night talking about the highs and lows of our 1st cruise, and only my second time abroad!
Thanks once again for joining us, it’s a blessing to share with you. 😀
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 33 – “Dog Model”
May 4, 2020 0 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
It’s just too easy for the dog photographer (my human) to get a portrait shot! 🐾😀
The sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be . . .
May 4, 2020 0 Comments
The sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be . . .
“O that we would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to men.” Psalm 107:8
If we complained less and praised more–we would be happier, and God would be more glorified.
Let us daily praise God for common mercies. They are common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them–we imagine that we are ready to perish! Let us bless God . . .
for the eyes with which we behold the sun;
for the health and strength to walk abroad;
for the bread we eat;
for the clothing we wear;
for public and religious liberty;
for friends and family associations; and
for countless other comforts and blessings.
Let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which we receive from His bounteous hand; for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed.
But beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love! God’s redeeming acts towards His chosen people, are forever the favorite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving.
We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, and uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged.
We have been led to the cross of Christ, and our shackles of guilt have been broken off.
We are no longer slaves of sin–but children of the living God.
We shall shortly be presented before the eternal throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer?
Child of God, can you be silent?
Awake, awake, O inheritors of eternal glory, and cry out with David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me–bless His holy name!”
☀️ #25 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Gibraltar”🇬🇮
May 3, 2020 2 Comments
⇧ Sarah welcomes you to Gibraltar! ⇧
After 2 days at sea, and finding out(by our new friends who met us for evening meals at Orion Restaurant) that on the excursion to the “Rock of Gibraltar” requires that we get a cable car to the top on the cliff! Wow…i love cable cars! It reminded me of the cable cars Sarah & i travelled on at “The Heights of Abraham” day trip.a couple of years ago! 🙂
So leaving the ship i was extra excited to travel on cable cars in Gibraltar! We found the coach that would take us to the beginning of the rock and got on-board.
The excursion guides so far have been amazing, and really proud of their country! So happy to share everything and anything about the local history and culture, always creating laughter and a friendly relaxed atmosphere. So when this guide stepped on-board complaining and quite angry we were quite taken aback! After complaint about everything she showed us, we pulled up at the bottom of the rock and waited for the cable cars.
Just a quick side note…As i’m registered blind(i know most of you will know this already) and don’t see people, just hear them. Whenever i’m out sat in a cafe, restaurant, at church or just around town, i often like to play one of my fave games using my ATS(accent targeting system). I love accents, and i like to try and locate their original area?! 🙂 Also its my only way of knowing who’s around me, and i’ve now trained myself so i can listen to 3 conversations at once! lol This can be good and bad depending. 🙂 Anyway enough rambling!
When i got near the guide i asked her where she was from originally? “Derby” she said! “No way, a Derby bird, i’m from Derby too. It’s crazy that we’d meet here in Gibraltar”. It makes sense now. lol. It’s sometimes hard to pin down a accent that’s the same as your own, but i’m getting better.
After fantastic views from the cable cars, we finally reached the top of The Rock of Gibraltar! 🙂
After taking shots of my beautiful wife Sarah(which i could do all day) the guide warned us about the monkeys that would steal anything and everything that wasn’t in your bag or not in the right place. By this i mean sunglasses on your head instead of over your eyes. The guide told us of one woman who had put her brand new £200 Rayban sunglasses on her head to take a photo, had them quickly snatched by a monkey and were never seen again! 😦
A kind person asked if Sarah & i would like a photo together? I said that would be lovely, thank you. But i think my face is wondering if the man was going to run off with my Big Nikon! lol. 🙂
The guide said we had about an hour free time before we all have to meet back together, so Sarah got her iPhone out ready to take one of her amazing Panoramas!
Not 1…but 2 of Sarah’s Breathtaking Panoramas!!! 🙂
It had been a fantastic day already and the views were simply stunning from up here. We now had to find one of those monkeys to try and get a photo before we go.
⇧ Sarah videoing one of the monkeys ⇧
After nipping into the gift shop to get a couple of presents we started heading back towards the cable cars.
We were just near the steps(walking 2 by 2 when we heard a loud “Oi!!” by the woman behind us, followed by a quiet couple of seconds, then lots of laughter??! We stopped and turned round to find out one of the monkeys had touched/stroked the ladies leg near her bum, and she thought it was the man behind her. But after the mix up they all started laughing! 🙂
Travelling back to the ship after more complaining by the excursion guide (mainly about her many ex husbands) we had time to take a few photos from the deck before Thomson Dream sailed overnight to Alicante…our last port before we head to Palma, Majorca for our flight home 😦
Sarah & i had a fantastic time in Gibraltar and it was great to have a guide from my home town to share her great accent with us.
Creating these blog posts documenting each day of our trip has been such a blessing for Sarah & i, especially knowing that you’ve been right here with us along the way! 🙂 They leave us with such lovely memories every time we read back through them. 😀
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 32 – “Give Thanks”
May 3, 2020 1 Comment
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
lifting my face and gazing intently into the heavens…And giving thanks! 🐾🐕😀
You are absolutely beautiful, My beloved!
May 3, 2020 1 Comment
You are absolutely beautiful, My beloved!
(Charles Spurgeon)
“You are absolutely beautiful, My beloved! There is no spot in you!” Song of Solomon 4:7
The Lord’s admiration of His Church is very astonishing, and His description of her beauty is very glowing. She is not merely beautiful–but “absolutely beautiful.” He views her in Himself, washed in His sin-atoning blood, and clothed in His meritorious righteousness–thus He considers her to be full of loveliness and beauty. No wonder that such is the case–since it is but His own perfect excellency that He admires; for the holiness, glory, and perfection of His Church–are His own glorious garments on the back of His own well-beloved spouse!
Nor is the Church barely lovely, she is superlatively so. Her Lord styles her the “most beautiful of women.” Song of Solomon 1:8
She has a real worth and excellence which cannot be rivaled by all the nobility and royalty of the world. If Jesus could exchange His elect bride for all the angels in Heaven–He would not, for He puts her first and foremost, “most beautiful of women.” She far outshines the stars!
Nor is this an opinion which He is ashamed of, for He invites all men to hear it. He sets a “behold” before it, a special note of exclamation, inviting and arresting attention. “Behold! How beautiful you are, My beloved, how beautiful!” (Song of Solomon 4:1). His opinion He publishes abroad even now, and one day from the throne of His glory He will avow the truth of it before the assembled universe. “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with Me!” will be His solemn affirmation of the loveliness of His elect!
“Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless!”Ephesians 5:25-27
“The king is enthralled by your beauty!” Psalm 45:11
☀️ #24 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “The Model Ship”🌊
May 2, 2020 6 Comments
After a fantastic 2 days in the Azores we found this new folded towel creature on our table. “How do they do that” i said just staring and touching it?
“Yeah i know” said Sarah “it’s amazing how they get the towels to do that and stay in position”.
Just then i had a brain wave…to show our appreciation for the great work our cabin steward has shown us, i will show our gratitude with a model of my own!!! 😀
I thought rather than using a towel i will go larger and use the whole bed, quilt, pillows and towels! As the towels are blue…they can be the sea. The quilt can be the Thomson Dream and the pillows can be the big pointy thingy on top!
Having never attempted anything like this before, i knew it would be the thought that counts. I said to Sarah “You’re going to have to wait outside until i’ve finished, then you can open the door and see it as the cabin steward will see it”.
Here Goes…..are you ready???
After Sarah stopped laughing 🤣 , she said “It’s massive! I didn’t know you were going to use the whole king size bed?!” I said “Well ships are big, and i didn’t want him to miss it”. She was actually impressed with my first ever attempt. lol. 💪🏼
Now everything is set, it’s time to head out and relax with a nice latte at the Coffee Port. We also ventured out on deck being ensconced by blue sea.
We did meet up with the cabin steward that night and Sarah asked him “Did you like the big ship Steve had made for you?” He said he didn’t see anything and just thought the bed was left in a mess!! 😔
Well at least WE all know what happened, and i hope my model ship will put a smile on your face instead!! 😀
Just 2 days at sea now until we reach Gibraltar!!
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🐾 Pawing Away The COVID-19 Lockdown Blues With “Bruce THE Boxer” Day 31 – “What is that??”
May 2, 2020 4 Comments
Welcome back to your daily lockdown drill brought to you by Bruce…Your fave Boxercise instructor!
What is that??
Please comment below with your thoughts of what you think i’m looking at?! 🐾
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Extremely derogatory to human pride!
May 2, 2020 0 Comments
Extremely derogatory to human pride!
(Stephen Tyng, “Christ is All”)
“In his pride, the wicked does not seek God; in all his thoughts, there is no room for God!” Psalm 10:4
Sin has entirely perverted the nature of man.
The carnal mind is opposed to God in its . . .
judgments,
tastes,
desires,
pursuits.
God demands that guilty man . . .
sacrifice his own imaginary independence,
renounce his own fancied excellence, and
acknowledge his personal unworthiness,
before he can be received into the family of God.
Such demands seem extremely derogatory to human pride. For this reason, multitudes reject all the offers of the Gospel, and treat with contempt those who yield to the invitations which they themselves despise, and submit to the motives which they renounce, as deluded and degraded people.
“The day is coming when your pride will be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted.” Isaiah 2:11
“The Lord Almighty has done it to destroy your pride and show His contempt for all human greatness.” Isaiah 23:9
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5
☀️ #23 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Sao Miguel, Azores”🐬
May 1, 2020 0 Comments
After more wild blood sugar readings, no sleep and seriously nasty coughs, i was really looking forward to our excursion today. If you remember on Day 7 Antigua we had 1 horse power each, but now i was hoping for lots more horse power in our 4×4! 🙂
4×4 Tour of the Western Edge, Azores(Excursion details)
If you want to get up close to São Miguel’s dramatic landscapes, a 4×4 is the way to go. Once we’re all strapped in, we’ll head off to the west side of the island. Our first stop is Vista do Rei. Translated, it means ‘King’s View’ – it was named after King D Carlos, who visited back in 1901 – and the vista from here is definitely fit for a monarch. It pans across Sete Cidades, a massive volcanic crater that’s glazed in greenery and, at the right time of year, baby-blue hydrangeas. Covering its base is a huge lake, split in two by the small bridge that crosses it, plus a picturesque waterside village. We’ll drive along the Pequena ridge to Sete Cidades village, stopping at Lomba do Vasco viewpoint along the way for a few snaps. We’ll have some free time to explore the village, before continuing our drive past Blue and Empadadas lakes. We’ll have one last photo op – at Pico do Ferro viewpoint – before making our way back to the ship.
With the excursion details in mind(see above), we navigated down the gangway and onto the dock. We quickly realised that the day wasn’t going to be as hot as every other day on the cruise…as we were getting wet, and colder by the second! lol 🙂
Our 4×4 driver and tour guide met us off the boat(which was fantastic) and helped us into our Land Rover. Back when i was a panel beater my friend used to race custom Land Rovers with monster V8’s, and as usual i was letting my imagination get ahead of me, especially when the driver cranked up the engine and it was the disappointing sound of a diesel tractor! 😦 Since i’ve been blind and i use my ears to see cars, the engine noises are all i focus on! Sarah is quick to remind me as we walk into town back in Epsom that she really doesn’t want me to comment on every engine that drives by! lol, but she did acknowledge my disappointment with a gentle stroke on my arm. 🙂
⇧ Sarah and the 4×4 ⇧
Our first stop was King’s View which was really high upon the island, as we stopped and the driver asked us to wait in the car as it was chucking it down with rain, and the fog/mist was like a blankett covering all of the beautiful landscapes he had brought us to see, he left to talk the the other driver in the Toyota Land cruiser behind. He came back, apologised and said “We will try and head as low as we can to see if we can go under the fog/mist and see if it’s any clearer down there. But we have a few minutes here so if you want to get out in the rain, you can”.
⇧ King’s View ⇧
On a clear day there is a stunning volcanic crater with 2 lakes, 1 is blue and 1 is green! There were alot of disappointed sighs etc and some people were complaining…i just thought welcome to my world, and you can still see more than me even with the fog. lol 🙂 I almost felt equal for the first time on an excursion. 🙂
We then headed off on a drive to the lowest point of the island which was beautiful and when we got to walk around by the river and volcanic hills it was like stepping onto the film set of Jurassic park.
The fog did lift a little and the rain slowed down enough for us to enjoy 15 minutes in this fantastic place.
When i found this photo which Sarah had taken, we both started laughing and thought this was probably the best photo of me ever! 🙂 Don’t ask me what i was up to, i can only imagine that i heard a T-Rex or a volcano erupt!! 🙂
Please let me know in the comments below if you have any great captions to add to this photo??!! I look forward to hearing what you come up with! 🙂
⇧ This place really does remind me of Jurassic Park ⇧
We all climbed aboard our 4×4 and headed of to a small village to stop and have another rest and look around. On the way Sarah saw a huge black Bull chasing a local who was running for his life right close to the Land Rover…Crazy! Lol. We stopped at a small cafe where the driver(to Sarah’s delight) started talking about the locally made Portuguese custard tarts. I said “No way, they’re Sarah’s favourites, and we have never had a locally made one before! It will be like when i had a slice of Pizza in Pisa!” 🙂 As usual… no body laughed so i asked “Do they sell them in this Cafe?”If they do could you get 3 and have one yourself!” He said “yeah sure” and we sat and enjoyed this special food moment! 🙂
Most of the people stayed in the cafe as it was raining outside, but Sarah & i were already soaked so didn’t mind a little more rain to try and see as many things as possible in this tiny village.
We were now coming to the end of our fantastic 4×4 drive, but not before he drove us off road and up some really steep rocky terrain, Yay!! 🙂 We were rocking side to side and bouncing up and down, i said “Yeah this is more like it!”. We then stopped and the driver who had his window down as all the windows were steaming up from our drenched clothes…picked up a small piece of Sphagnum moss from the towering hillside. As usual i was the only one who didn’t know what it is(i blame going to the worst school in Derbyshire) He then squose it and we were all amazed by how much water was running out of something so small, fantastic! 🙂
Just one more stop and it was to see a tunnel drilled through the mountain that goes out to the sea so that the rain water does not flood the volcanic crater when there is, from time to time heavy rainfall on the island.
The tunnel is around 80 years old and almost 2 kilometers long and it´s actually large enough to walk through and that is also safe enough as long as you don´t go during heavy rainfall. As you know it was raining but that’s not enough to stop Super Sarah having a look! 🙂
Back on the ship…
Having got changed out of our wet clothes, we decided to try and get a bite to eat at the buffet restaurant on deck 9. We sat down with an assortment of food and enjoyed talking about what we’d just experienced. We were about half way through when Alan Davidson(the piano entertainer) came and sat down with us. He had seen us the day before in Horta taking photos and had admired my big Nikon DSLR. Sarah said “Yeah it’s a nice camera and Steve gets some lovely photos even though he’s blind”. “Wow” said Alan “I didn’t realise”. I never know if that’s a compliment or not? 🙂 He continued “Back home in Scotland i visit a blind friend and help him with life skills etc, and telling him(using a clock face) where his food is on his plate”. I said “Fantastic, Sarah has just done that with me which is why i’m eating more confidently(and a lot less messy) as normal”.
Sarah mentioned that she hadn’t got chance to see much of the town nearest to the dock and we still have a couple of hours left before we sail away. Alan kindly replied “I’ll take you guys, there is a bus on the dock that goes into town, and i can guide you and make sure you get back safely too”. “Fantastic, let’s go” Sarah and i replied. 🙂
We found the market place overlooked by this Cathedral where Me, Sarah & Alan stopped to find a table out of the rain to have coffee’s and a chat. Alan was also a keen photographer and he found a local who took a few photos of the 3 of us, but sadly i havn’t managed to get the photos of Alan yet, maybe one day i’ll get to see them and share them with you. 🙂
Back on board again Thomson Dream sailed away as Sarah and i listened to Alan with our favourite cocktails. Sarahs is a special sugar free Mojito and mine is a Bailey’s Banana Colada! 😀
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