From Arkansas to Missouri and Illinois then down to Florida...

A Christmas with a difference.

First stop Chicago after a business class upgrade on BA (nice plane, poor service tbh) then on to Fayetville Airport in Arkansas. We'd shop and have fun before a road trip through Missouri and on to Illinois for Christmas day.

I loved NW Arkansas, Rogers to be precise - neat and small with everything a short hop away from you.

A few lazy days making sausage rolls for the Americans to try (they liked) and then the road trip to Illinois.

The highlights were the biggest gift shop in the word halfway in Missouri (it's so not!) and the world's biggest candy store (so not also but lots of candy!) and pizza at another roadside stop which was remarkably good.

Christmas Day was a house party so a cold buffet like so many Americans do after the turkey and excesses of Thanksgiving and I must admit a longing for a proper dinner.

Boxing Day saw us decamp to St Louis amid torrential rain. Trying to keep dry we missed many of the usual tourist sites and opted for an artisan brewery and then a St Louis Blues ice hockey game.

The journey back was horrendous - more rain than I've ever seen, flash flooding on the roads and neither Missouri nor Illinois seem to have heard of cat's eyes so my son had a nightmare job keeping on the road.

We made it after about 10 hours (it should take six) and enjoyed more than one drink to calm our nerves.

Florida was next and what a welcome blast of heat at the airport.

Fort Lauderdale must rank with California on the healthy living scale. Everyone power walks or jogs and if you've never seen a 70-year-old with a six pack then get yourself over - there are plenty of them!

It's a beach lifestyle too - and the food was the best of the trip.

Lots of fish and shellfish, an abundance of fruit (usually on every plate no matter what you were having) and great cocktails.

Highlights were the W Hotel's tuna tartare with 'cowboy' chips' and a key lime baked Alaska (pictured).