Mareblu

That's really interesting, Les. We might just drive down soon. Thinking of you... Linda

How is your puppy today Marion?

I've missed the pie think-tank. It's also been a while since we sampled Garran Bakery's delicious pies. We'll do that next week and if I can wait before I attack mine, I'll post a photo. Happy pie munching, everyone, in the meantime.

That’s just terrible, Leigh. The shock of the collision is compounded by this heartless negligence, not forgetting leaving the scene of an accident is a criminal offence. Best wishes to you both💜

That’s from me, but no signature. Best, Linda

We can empathise and sympathise with your son’s disastrous experience. We have endured similar. Be prepared for a bit of a journey before insurer and its nominated contractors finally deliver his home repaired and renewed. Our very best wishes, and hoping all is resolved really quickly.

Self correction: Cunard is Carnival, not Celebrity as I erroneously stated above.

It was quite violent here, but again, not quite as dramatic as further north, including inland NSW (Bathurst, etc.). One of our suburbs had 97mm in half an hour.

Thanks, Julie it makes me want to investigate 🙏🏻 I neglected to mention “the dress thing”. On our first evening, Mario wore a collar, tie and sports jacket. Very few others were similarly dressed. On all other evenings (except the 5 Gala Evenings when he wore a dinner jacket and bow tie), he felt comfortable in an open-necked collared shirt, sometimes with a sports jacket, and sometimes with a cashmere jumper. Many simply wore open collared shirts, no jackets.

Personal experiences will always differ, and contradictory opinions would abound for any cruise line. We have cruised several times on Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania, Viking, NCL, and once on Uniworld for a river cruise. We enjoyed them all, but could certainly list several drawbacks as well as the pluses. Oceania is still our go-to for cuisine, and Seabourn is probably our favourite overall. Having said all that, we cruised on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth for the first time recently (3 weeks in January). We chose Queens Grill, for several reason, the main being that we usually enjoy one cruise per year, and we would rather make that one occasion a special one. I'm aware that many CCers do several cruises per year, and if we did that, we probably wouldn't be in QG. You don't have to be wealthy, just a little patient in waiting for cruise time. We had wonderful company among fellow dinner guests on separate tables nearby, and they were all great fun, with terrific senses of humour. I noticed some guests at other tables further afield had changed to another, perhaps because they didn't enjoy their surrounding company, but that's only surmising. I do know that a request for change of table will be accommodated if possible, and you're advised of that choice beforehand by other seasoned Cunarders on CC, although we certainly didn't need to test that advice. The cuisine was exceptionally good (with the exception of perhaps 2 mains), the restaurant had a great atmosphere, and the various staff were efficient, friendly and attentive without hovering. We actually really enjoyed the Grills Lounge, situated between QG and PG restaurants, where barista coffee and selective teas are provided free, one of the only freebies, I think, for Grills guests. Great for reading, crosswords time, and just chatting to fellow guests. Also great for a friendly cocktail or quiet nightcap. I was horrified at the prices charged in other cafes/lounges for beverages. I also didn't even consider wifi, because it's ridiculously expensive, and from reports, woefully inadequate. Cunard (Celebrity) needs to shake itself here...all the other lines I've mentioned provide these items in your fare. Would we travel with Cunard again? Yes, we've booked another cruise, because we were granted 50% of the cost of the January cruise towards the next, because of the NZ fiasco. We agreed we would probably choose Cunard again regardless of that incentive. Princess has never really tempted us, but if we look to cruise more in local waters, we would certainly investigate its offerings. The only way to compare, for better or worse, is to try each and then compare.

Merimbula is truly beautiful, Marion

You are so gracious, Bubbeh. Thank you from my heart, which sank when I read your reply. I simply didn’t think too deeply when I responded. We never know the story, and now I feel such profound compassion for your family. When I mentioned my parents, who obviously met after the war, I meant to add that not even their trauma could ever compare to The Holocaust. They both signed up to serve (my mother joined the WRAAF after her first husband’s courageous death in combat): conscious decisions to defend their country and family. To comprehend your family’s trauma, is to imagine my parents’ defenceless families (including children) herded, transported to a foreign site, and their lives extinguished in the presence of their loved ones. I had many friends at school in Sydney whose parents were survivors. They all carried the suffering deep within, one friend told me, so I understand your sense of sadness. My warmest wishes to you. Confession: I love arranging freshly cut flowers from my garden, but agree they look so sad ad they wilt.

Please, not for a moment was I intending to pass judgement. It was actually meant in jest. I often find myself repeating parental behaviour patterns; it’s a fairly normal and natural reaction, according to my daughter (Psychology degree) who often tells me I sound “like Grandma”, especially when I’m obsessing about something. I cannot ever begin to imagine the horrors your parents endured, and which doubtless never left them. My fear about this inhuman, dark time in our history is that humanity, if we don’t keep acknowledging it ourselves and informing future generations, will forget. My father survived the horrors of jungle warfare, and my mother lost her husband of only six months on Kokoda. They remained affected all their lives.

Loved as our mothers may be, some have a lot to answer for...

Beautiful as our city is, it's recognised as the Hay Fever Capitol of the world; not so much for flowers, but for the grass seeds and the pollen that drifts in clouds of yellow dust every shedding season. Mario suffers dreadfully from hay fever, but I'm very lucky to have dodged that gene.

I told him years ago to please ignore it. Just don't forget The Birthday😆

Perfect setting, and exquisitely prepared cuisine. What a magnificent, romantic gesture. Bravissimo, Lyle👏.

Which preventative action? Also, I agree with your point about old and frail, but how frail, snd how old, and who draws the line?

Thank you so much for the time and effort posting this informative review. After reading, I too feel dismayed. I hope you are all well or recovering well.

Sorry, bazzaw, you had this experience, when I'd read previously you were so looking forward to it. I wondered if there were covid cases aboard, because the Captain certainly wasn't into sharing. We had the same experience on Oceania last year, but only had to isolate for 2 days as I was diagnosed near the very end of the cruise. When we disembarked in Portsmouth, we were told to mix freely in the community if we wished, because people in the UK "no longer get hysterical about covid, as you Australians seem to do". I wasn't quick enough to tell them it got rid of their PM (before Liz Truss made a very brief appearance). Isolation whilst infectious is, in my opinion, a socially responsible thing to do. There are vulnerable and immunocompromised souls amongst us. If they were family members or friends, you'd want them to be protected. A cruise ship is a confined microcosm of society, minus most of the younger, stronger, members. Our parents lived through the agony and heartache of world wars. A few days in isolation is not the end of our world.

Yes, I stand corrected (even if not very politely). I had just assumed that the cabin numbers would be the same on each deck, but having checked, I now see they're not. FWIW, the cabin we had on this last cruise was immediately adjacent to a similar cabin the OP is looking at, and you would have needed to fall overboard to see into that balcony from the balcony of our cabin. We were on Deck 4 in a guaranteed cabin, and although we were happy with it, next time I would choose, because the interminable wait till your cabin is allocated is very frustrating, as you can't print boarding passes or luggage tags till allocation. I think it was very close to embarkation day.

Forgot to add that we've just booked a QE 2024 voyage in 8088, which would be 2 decks above your choice, in exactly the same portside position.

Not sure which Cunard vessel you've booked, but we've just finished a QE cruise in midships position, which is where your suite would be. I'm assuming a Q3 or Queens Grill? There was no wind noise, and we hardly felt the movement of the waves at all. For an aft view, you need to be in one of the suites with a wrap-around balcony, which affords views to both the side and aft. Friends on our voyage were in one of these, and loved the experience.

Back on topic😂: Sorry we didn’t meet, bazzaw, but hope you enjoyed the cruise. Hobart is so lovely, and the weather was perfect, except for a brief shower one day. We particularly loved the tour we did in Burnie. The countryside, thanks to nature’s gift of rich, volcanic soil, is breathtakingly beautiful, and the variety of crops grown is amazing. The swaying opium poppies seem to tell their own story as they spill down the rolling hills. The security around their cultivation is so interesting. We loved our first Cunard experience, and found life aboard QE relaxing and enjoyable.