25 Years Ago - First Visit

My humans were married on 23rd May 1987 - so they celebrated their silver anniversary a couple of days ago.  They are having a party for lots of friends and family tomorrow (Saturday).  Fortunately, it looks like the weather in England will be kind for once and they will have the party on the decking by the river that flows past our house.

River? . . water?   You guessed, I'll just be staying in bed.  I may get to know what happens so I can tell you in a later post.

Meanwhile, it is a time to look back.  My humans first visit to Walt Disney World was their honeymoon so they were there 25 years ago today.  Here's my Mikki with their Mickey.

Walt Disney World has changed a lot over the years (I am told).  For one thing, there were only two theme parks (MK and Epcot Center - although the studios park was being built) and one water park (River Country).

Another difference is that my humans were staying off property at a hotel on International Drive.  They had a limited number of shuttle buses they could use and had to fit everything into a 3 day ticket.  There was none of the relaxed fun you get when you can jump on a bus when you like and say as short a time as you like using your annual pass.

And the biggest problem was that they had no toy kitten either for them to cuddle or for Mckey to cuddle.  I may have been around for some time but not that long!!.. So here's another picture from our latest visit (January this year) where Mickey Mouse is able to give me some more attention.

I have been forbidden to make any comment on any changes to Mikki or Mickey over the years.  I think they both look super in both pictures.

Oh, and I'm sure Mikki did take Andrew on her honeymoon.  I guess he isn't in the picture because he was taking it.  There was no Photopass then.

Prrrr.

Ullswater

Time to catch up on the trip I took to the English Lake District with my humans last month.

Across most of Britain, the weather was very wet and the forecast was that the Lake District would be one of the wetter places (where do you think all those lakes come from?).  In fact, we were very lucky.  We had scarcely any rain during the day while we were out, although Mikki could see it rain around us several times.  We had one day of lovely sunshine.

Early in the week, we went to Cockermouth, a town that had some terrible floods a couple of years ago.  We saw the birthplace of the poet Wordsworth there.  During the flood, the cellar of that house was full of water.  The humans were very impressed at how well the house and the whole town had recovered.  They had lunch there - and bought themselves and their family sweeties as treats.  I don't need that sort of thing:  just cuddles.

This picture was taken on the edge of Ullswater on a day that was cloudy but dry.  As you can see, I was very brave and went out onto a rock to pose for the camera.  That day we also went to a big house which holds a marmalade festival each year.  The humans bought marmalade for family members they would be visiting later.

I think I enjoyed the trip to the Lake District.  There was a lot of driving around in the car.  I always sit in the front for long car rides so that the humans can stop me getting bored.

That water looked cold and mucky.  Wasn't I brave?

What Have They Done to the Trees?

Meeeeooww!  My human Andrew has been spending a lot of time scanning old photographs from his father and mother - and now he expects me to tell you about his little attack of nostalgia.  He's found the pictures of Walt Disney World taken in 1994 when his parents visited.  This one is of the "Hub" in the Magic Kingdom.

 

See if you can spot any differences between it and the next one - taken in 2008, but I expect not from exactly the same place..

Don't you agree the recent picture is much better in so many ways.  The colours (colors) are nicer; the sky is clearer; there is a better view of Cinderella Castle and so on.  Most important, the recent picture includes a cute black and white toy kitten in the foreground.  I admit it:  I came to live with my humans in 1992 but it took me a few years to train them properly to take me with them on all their trips to Walt Disney World.

But Andrew says he misses the trees and the topiaries of Mickey and Minnie (replaced by the "Partners" statue).  He starts talking about a time when "Empress Lilly" had several lovely restaurants; when the best Disney merchandise came from "Centorium" in Epcot; and when the waste bins in the Magic Kingdom were painted differently in each "land".

But just a minute, Andrew.  You say you remember when you found Mickey Mouse just standing around in the Exposition Hall.  Well, that's where you find him now.  Like many things, Disney have had to make things more formal and organised because there are more and more humans there.  And if you want trees, you should find enough to satisfy anyone in Animal Kingdom.

I think one thing hasn't changed.  You have to be lucky (or get up very early in the morning) to get a picture of the "Hub" with as few other people as there are in either of these.

Now stop thinking about the past and give me a cuddle.

Prrrrr.