Chicago - Chicago!

I love Chicago! Although it's actually snowing outside (i'm waiting for it to get visable on the camera so i can put a photo up!) and i haven't had feeling in my toes for about 2 days now - IT'S AWSOME! We've been out to eat, we've been shopping, we've been to the CINEMA!! (Harry Potter btw - excellent).

Anyway - see photo below, it's really cold. :)

Robbie gets here this evening, and then we are off to see the sights... Sears Tower, Shedd Aquarium, blah blah etc.



Oh - by the way, this is WARM for Chicago right now. er, yeah.

End of a chapter...

So it's been a while since I did a text only entry in this blog! Today is my last day in work (hence I’m updating my blog, rather than working!) - Effectively my last working day of 2006! We are spending the next couple of days hanging out and enjoying Little Cayman, Rob is hoping the wind stays so he can get some last windsurfing sessions in, I’m hoping the sun will stay out so I can top up my tan before heading out to a month of cold weather.
There's a bit of girls evening tonight - where if I don't drink to much this afternoon I’m hoping to get some photos, then we have a big night of delivery pizza (strange the things you miss on a small island, suddenly half cold, soggy pizza that you pay a fortune for becomes luxury!) and beer on Grand Friday, and hopefully some sunny beach time in the morning. I'm then leaving Rob in Grand and heading to Chicago to party like a rock star for a couple of nights with the Wolff, then Rob will join me and we will be slumming it in the 4* Hyatt Regency in down town Chicago (sadly, not a taste of what's to come!), then on the 3rd back off to good old Blighty. I'm looking forward to curries, Thai food, restaurants, strangers, fresh fruit and veggies, strangers, shops, restaurants, family and friends. Not in that order. Honest.
Then we leave on the 16th Feb - it's so close now! Only about 3 weeks! I can't wait to get going and see some new places! Hopefully with the laptop coming with us I will get a chance to update regularly with photos and everything.
So, Japan, Singapore, Phuket, Bangkok, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch, Fiji, Raratonga and Tahiti HERE WE COME! :)

What to do?!

Point of sand for yet another ISLAND TOUR. ending on a high note - this one was THE best! Awsome weather - good stops, fabulous sunset and great tasting beer. :) Good times in Little Cayman!!

Brits on tour!!

Rob and I at the lighthouse...

- can't remember what rob was pointing at...

Panoramic view from the lighthouse...

Chicks in the van..

Old barge wreck 1...

Old barge wreck 2...

Sun setting on route to salt rock from the wreck...

Beautiful sunset at salt rock dock

A spot of diving and few photos below..

...Queen angel fish...

Hawksbill turtle..

Banded clinging crab & pederson cleaner shrimp

White spotted seahare...

Red reef hermit crab...

Solitary gorgonian hydroid

...yes that was looked up in a book!...

A hogfish

Spotted trunk fish..

Point of Sand...

...for the afternoon, beers, rounders (or almost baseball for the americans out there), swimming puppy dogs and general fun. :)

Gathered out the sun...

Ending up at the Iggy for PIZZA!

Sharpnosed Puffer.

Still my favourite fish here in Little Cayman... The sharpnosed puffer..

Hamlet..

A nice little Hamlet..

Nassau Grouper

Grouper - one of the many hanging around as it looks like they will be getting ready to mate at the end of this month...

No fish..

This was supposed to be a juvenile slender filefish - but he turned as i took the photo - i like the photo of the soft coral though.

Spinyhead Blenny..

Blenny who made his dodgy little house on some hard coral... (Rod, correct me if i've identified him incorrectly).


...after consultation with the reef books/dvd & various people we have decided this is a spinyhead blenny. Mainly due to the blue spot/white streak behind his eye and the lack of branches on his head (which would make him a secretaty blenny)...

Spinyhead Blennie.. again..

Blennie from the top...

Down to Dave & Elisa...

Early partier's got to watch the sunset! :)

Tia!

How cute is Tia?!

Escape from LC and...

...over to Grand Cayman to meet the parents off the plane and hang out for a day... the famous seven mile beach....

Grand Cayman..

Then we treated ourselves to a trip on the submarine... for people who don't/won't dive - it's a must!

Underwater...

A mermaid!

Back to LC...

Sunset from the plane - on the way back...

New Years Eve - Day...

New Years Eve day, a trip down to point of sand - then an island tour...

And...

Point of Sand itself...

From point of Sand to the Lighthouse

. A scary pole with a ladder tied to it. :)

A lovely view.

End of the island from the lighthouse (bottom, not top- you have to be a nutter to climb up those wobbly ladders).

From the Lighthouse to the shipwreck....

From the shipwreck to Candle Rd...

....to see the residents... needless to say we didn't get out of the van! :)

Especially when they tried to talk to us...

New Years Eve, Eve

And off to Pirates Point Resort for dinner at Gladys' house. Hats were required, and you don't argue with Gladys..

Dinner time smiles..

Back at the Beach Resort.

I think this photo shows adequately how sober Vici and I were. ;)

Midnight...

And the New Year fireworks from the dock!