Liz and Ben do Hilton Head in 2022

  Where's my ball gone? We had a rest from golf on Friday. Ben did some fishing, and I went for a walk on the beach. It was a lovely sunny day, and the beach was very quiet at our end, but for the first time it was warm enough for people to be sitting out on the beach.  Ben did not seem to have much luck with his fishing as he did not bring home our tea! Hurrah - made it over the water On Saturday we were back on the golf course again and playing at Bear Creek. We didn't see any bears but there was the odd alligator sunning itself on the sides of the lakes. We were joined by a couple from New York, who are in this area for 3 months. The golf was pleasant apart from all the bunkers which I managed to play into! It was the best kept course we have played at so far, albeit the greens were slow in comparison to those we have been used to. We learned from the couple we played with of a golf group which we have joined to get cheaper golf. The costs of the better courses have risen c...

Our chariot We have played 2 more rounds of golf in the last 2 days. Wednesday was at Old South which was a well looked after course where there was plenty of green grass. The front 9 was fairly straight forward but the back 9 much more difficult with a couple of holes in the marsh where you had a long shot to a grass landing area and another to the green.  We played with a pleasant Canadian man, whose wife was in the buggy enjoying a ride around the course in the warm sunshine. Sandra was wondering if she should learn to play and found it interesting as up until now her husband had been partnered by other men and not with another couple. I played unusually well which interested her as well. The temperatures have been in the 80s which we have been told is unusual for this time of year. A shorter marsh to get across (which Liz achieved!) This is a pretty big alligator Yesterday we played at another well cared for course on our own and enjoyed the round. There was a particularly big ...

Jellyfish! It is 2 days since we updated the blog. Both days have been similar with golf in the afternoons. On Monday morning we had a walk on the beach and there were a few jellyfish 'beached' on the sand.  We played locally in the afternoon and, as it was a holiday here, we were again paired up with 2 children. It was a slow round as the children were being coached by their father. One was a 15-year-old girl who was trying to get a place in her college golf team and her 13-year-old brother. By the time we reached the 18th hole we decided to give up as it was too dark to see where the ball went; we decided to award ourselves a net par on the last hole, which was very generous as there was a large lake to cross just before the green! We ate in a nearby bar and had the usual "shrimps" (which are what we would call prawns). Interesting garden ornament Yesterday we travelled to a course in Beaufort which turned out to be 50 miles away, but quite a bit cheaper. When we ar...

Our condo is pictured.  After a stroll along the windy beach in the morning we played our first round of golf at the Shipyard course. We were buddied up with a father and son. The son was 11 years old and very friendly and very  very enthusiastic about his golf, some of which was good, but a lot was wayward. They were lucky that we were tolerant of his enthusiasm because others may have been annoyed with it. His father kept him well under control, but it was not easy for us to concentrate on our golf. There were quite a few alligators basking in the sun.  Liz was quite brave and got within 15 yards of one to take her shot!  We enjoyed the round which was played in warm sunshine but became chilly as the sun set.  Miles of sand      Our Condo Here's one Liz didn't spot just by her tee  We decided to eat out at a Mexican restaurant on the way home. The restaurant was very busy with not a sign of a facemask, but the food was good. There are very ...

The Thursday taxi to Heathrow worked well and we arrived with 3 hours to spare. The check-in was excellent, and we were settling into the business lounge within 40 minutes. The flight was comfortable, departing slightly late as it had to wait for passengers from a connecting flight. Onboard the Boeing 777 we were again well looked in our comfortable business class 'pods'.  After a G&T a 'light meal' to keep us going   We were astonished how quickly we got through Atlanta immigration.  There were no forms to fill in - a few questions about where we were going to stay and that was it. By the time we got to the luggage carrousel our luggage was appearing. Once we got outside it got a bit more difficult. We had to change terminals (shuttle bus) and then wait for the hotel shuttle bus. This turned out to be useless and we eventually got a taxi to the hotel - cost $40 for a trip round the airport perimeter! I complained to the hotel reception and in the morning the assist...

 Covid tests completed - negative so it is all systems go.  Golf Clubs are packed so off to Heathrow in the morning.

Ben & Liz are preparing for another adventure.  Gone are the days when we can breeze up to the airport and fly away.  This year 'monitored day before COVID tests' have been booked and we are on tenterhooks that the tests will be negative.  The airport taxi is booked as is flight, car and accommodation.  We have plenty of dollars to spend and the first round of golf is booked. Bring it on....