Florida

I'm just back from a much-needed break with the folks down in Florida...I love Florida as it is a complete dichotomy - on the one hand, you have gorgeous, tan, taut bodies all basking in the sun, and on the other, you have tottery old people racing along on their Zimmer frames to make it for the Earlybird dinner specials at 4.30pm! Old and young, all loving the sunshine and warm ocean.

As we did -- we had a wonderful time, getting into a routine of lying by the pool, reading, and practicing the art of 'sitting' - one does not need to do a darn thing in Florida - you can just 'sit'; they don't read, they don't speak, they just are happy to plunk themselves down on a bench and watch the world go by. It is nice, having time to ponder, reflect, and generally 'sit' - I do not think people do it enough. There is always a tv or radio, phone or laptop which distracts - I highly recommend it!

We caught the King Tut exhibit while it made it's debut in Ft Lauderdale -- over 650,000 attended; it was smaller than the tour that came to the US in the 70's, but it was equally impressive. Stunning how some of the pieces are 'one of a kind' - the exhibit is only going to 4 cities in the US before going to the UK, so we were very lucky to have been able to attend.

We also made sure to catch some of the works at the Boca Raton Museum of Art - where better to see some amazing pieces of art than at a Museum which boasts a huge collection from local private donors?! Boca is one of the wealthiest communities in the US, and some of the people there have donated some stunning pieces of art to the Museum - Klee, Picasso, Warhol, Kandinsky, Hockney, Matisse - you name it, they were there. It's mind-boggling to think that these pieces were just one someone's wall in their house! Truly a wonderful musuem to visit, if you ever visit Boca and have a few hours to spare.

I ended my visit with an evening in Hollywood Florida, at the Westin Diplomat - views from the 30th floor were stunning!