Mareblu

Oh, and my favourites to return to many times:  my travel diaries which I keep religiously for every trip.  It's so easy to forget the little details, and just one page can conjure memories of an entire voyage.  The first year (2010 I think) I had an iPad, I thought I was far too clever to keep a handwritten journal, and then couldn't find the texts I'd written.  Back to basics, which I've done ever since😊

58 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Apparently Harvey Norman repaid $6.02million of the $22 million they received. Better than nothing, but ...... I'll say no more.

Yes, you were right to correct me.  I do know that they repaid a small proportion of the grant.  Still, though......I'll say no more either🙂

On 5/5/2022 at 4:03 AM, NSWP said:

Church St Pizza, heading south, over the bridge, turn right at the 1st set of traffic control light signals and it is on the right, byo.🍕

So, Les, we gave Zero (Dononegan's replacement) a try.  😞  Please come back, Shea.

3 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Yep plenty of them shut up shop and took the money .your example is not the norm of the industry. You are extremely lucky. 

That is a generalisation, not always a wise observation.  I can only (and did above) speak for our experience.  I do know that TAs took a huge hit with COVID, and many only survived for as long as they did, keeping staff in  employment, btw, through Jobkeeper.  It couldn't last forever;  there's no such thing as a bottomless moneypit, but it was an innovative and generous scheme to keep food on the table for many families, young and old.  I doubt that TAs could simply take those funds without employment records.  I recall reading that "Hardly Normal" was a different story.  Made a profit and didn't return the grant.  I also doubt that any TAs could have made a profit during COVID.

Our TA of many years is like a member of our family.  I couldn't recount all the instances she's tirelessly  advocated for us, always refusing to take "no" for an answer.  I have on occasions contacted cruise lines direct when a cruise we've booked has later been advertised at a lesser price (half, one time) and been politely informed that the price would remain as the price we booked.  Our TA has had those decisions reversed, so that once we enjoyed a wonderful Oceania cruise at half the price we booked it.  Her knowledge, and therefore her advice, are both the products of years of dedicated service, and a passion for travel and all it entails.  We always research and book our own overseas and local accommodation and transfers, and our intra-Europe flights.  Ditto for researching future cruises, mainly itinerary-driven.   For our international flights and cruise bookings, we don't hesitate in contacting our TA.  There's a saying in the industry:  "without an Agent, you're on your own".

If I have time to give potatoes a flourish:  Leave peel on, cube and simmer slightly in salted water till only slightly tender.  Drain, then vigorously shake saucepan with lid on till potato cubes are very rough around edges.  Turn oven to 200.  (that's centigrade, Blackduck🙂) Spread on a plate and allow to dry out.  Toss in ev oil in a bowl, then spread on baking paper on an oven tray.  Roast till they're really crisp.  They'll be fluffy inside.  Toss in sea salt flakes and a few rosemary needles fresh from the garden.  Yummm, they all say🥰

15 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

My birthday today, and surprise surprise  I love Rosemary with everything.

Happy belated birthday, Mic.  

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

Church St Pizza, heading south, over the bridge, turn right at the 1st set of traffic control light signals and it is on the right, byo.🍕

Yes, I know now.  Red brick front....been there a long time?   Going to Batehaven today for a couple of days.  Just post on here if you'd like to meet up for (a) a drink and a bite at Catalina or somewhere, or just a drink,    (b) a coffee at the Bakery.  And a belated Happy Birthday for last week.  

6 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Hellenic but Southern Cross clubs have similar pricing.

It's our local too, along with Yacht Club (closed for renos).  Les, we're also members at your Golfie😊.

Where's the Italian in Moruya?

20 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

A newspaper report dated last Wednesday said that renovation work is underway and that they hoped to have part of the resort ready by the end of this year or early next year.

It will be interesting to see if that vision comes to fruition.  We've enjoyed many wonderful golf group stays there over the years, when it was indeed one of our country's best resorts.  The course was immaculate, and a real test of golfing prowess,  watched over by the spirit of the looming Mt. Coolum.  So many of our major tournaments were staged there.  Several dining choices, ranging from casual to a sophisticated, but comfortable signature restaurant. The accommodation was lovely:  understated (from the outside) cottages nestled in the beautiful area's natural environment, with pathways meandering through lush vegetation.  Then along came Clive. 😞

46 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Never been to the Sunshine Coast, maybe one day.

Loved it before Clive ruined Coolum.

I'm sure everyone on CC will agree that it's not the news we wanted to read.  What we do want to read is more of your tales of the wondrous cruising adventures you've enjoyed, and your sharing of the vast wealth of knowledge you've banked.    Your humour is contageous, Les, and I love the photos you post.  More, please.

On 4/25/2022 at 10:20 AM, NSWP said:

I go back to the Docs on Friday re my latest excision, not looking forward to diagnosis. .  Last time they took a chunk out of my arm arm and had to take 2 lots, lucky it was OK. Danger is going into the Lymph nodes, right?  I don't know a lot about these things and I don't not really want to know. My son reckons I am a dead man walking, lol.  He is about to land at LAX on QF17 on Albatros business.

I was in Batehaven today, and thinking of you Les.  Not intruding, and you don't need to reply or share, but hope all went well.

Linda

32 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

A relative of mine was also killed on the Buna- Sananda rd, died 18/01/43.

2/10 Aust Inf Bt.

He was buried on the side of road then reburied at Bomana Port Moresby. He had also just been married in  1942. He was 23yrs old, no children and I doubt any relatives have visited his grave.

We were planning a trip to PNG by air before the world locked down...to visit his grave there. The closest I  got was sailing into Milne Bay on ANZAC day on the Dawn Princess which was where they were off loaded.

 

I also have a couple of relatives that died in France, one that died on what was called ANZAC ridge, they placed a cross on a grave where he was killed along with another and when they came back after the war they could not locate his body.

He is memorialised at the Menin Gate Ypres. He left a wife and 5 children.

Other relatives were Light horse men in South Africa/Egypt, one is buried there.

God bless all their souls.

My Dad was in the Navy (after WW2) and Grandfather Army (WW2) based in Darwin.

That's uncanny.  Gavan (2/7 Cavalry Commando Regiment) died in courageous circumstances in an ambush on 19/12/42, just thirty days before your relative.  He was also buried where he fell, and was also reinterred in Bomana.  I had hoped to take my mother to visit his grave, but the journey was never to be.  Instead, friends who were on a posting to PNG delivered her letter to his grave.  It was buried in his grave in a moving ceremony, complete with a guard of honour.  

The Menin Gate is a hauntingly beautiful shrine.  I hope that one day your relative's remains are found so they may be buried with respect.  Yes, we need to be so thankful for the incredible courage of all who served, including those who returned after conflict, and those who also served in peacetime.

To return to cruising, our visit to Ypres was during a cruise, and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable.  It makes all the difference.  I still intend to visit Bomana one day, and maybe the best way to do that is again a cruise.

On 4/26/2022 at 8:14 AM, MMDown Under said:

Yes they are always special services with beautiful music.  I love the Kiwi singing the best even though I’m a Aussie. 

The Kiwi anthem is haunting.

On 4/26/2022 at 10:28 AM, MMDown Under said:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

between the crosses, row on row,

That mark your place, and in the sky

the larks still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Penned by Dr. John McCrae.  We visited his "surgery", a small bunker outside of which he had the terrible task of which of many, many wounded young soldiers lined up outside on stretchers.  Ypres was the most moving and emotional tour we have ever done.  He was wounded and died not that long after.  My mother's first husband was killed at Sanananda on Kokoda.  They were married only six months.  She joined the Air Force immediately after his death, and met my father after the war.  My father fought at Milne Bay and Balikpapan.  Anzac Day has always been a sacred day in our family.  Lest we forget🌹

34 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Yeah fine, just the rotten things are nearly constant, hey at least this time I didn’t fall, o4 smash the screen on my computer, or even need an ambulance, for me at the moment that is all victory

Good to hear you're okay at the moment.  Hope it continues.

1 hour ago, onlyslightlymad said:

Yes, the Stage IV disease was in my abdomen.  No way of knowing if it came from the mole of my back or was independent of that.  I have met people who had melanoma appear as a lump in their breast or a tumour in their lung and never had a mole removed from the outside of their body.  It can appear anywhere not just on the outside.  That's why i prefer referring to the disease - melanoma - rather than the plural melanomas.  I had targeted gene therapy and immunotherapy and was a good candidate for both.  I was sent home from the hospital in an ambulance on a Friday to die.  My family were told i"d be dead by Monday.  Really long story.

I'm overawed to read your incredible story, and so happy to learn of your wonderful outcome.  I've read a lot about the new therapies, and delighted you were obviously a good match for them.  Human endeavour, particularly in this field of medical research, is so inspiring.  Congratulations on your return to good health.

22 hours ago, NSWP said:

I go back to the Docs on Friday re my latest excision, not looking forward to diagnosis. .  Last time they took a chunk out of my arm arm and had to take 2 lots, lucky it was OK. Danger is going into the Lymph nodes, right?  I don't know a lot about these things and I don't not really want to know. My son reckons I am a dead man walking, lol.  He is about to land at LAX on QF17 on Albatros business.

Good luck for your Friday visit, Les.  I'm sure it will be like your last one, and okay.  They watch you closely after one find, so this one would have been detected early, I'm surmising.  Thinking of you.

21 hours ago, onlyslightlymad said:

Not always true, I'm afraid.  I had a melanoma removed in it's very early stages (0.4mm).  Five years later, Stage 4, was given three weeks to live.  Plainly I made it (very long story).  I know a lot more about melanoma now than I ever thought I would need to know.    Melanoma can occur anywhere in the body where there are skin cells, inside and out.  Hopefully, it will appear on the outside of the skin and be detected.  If it is removed in the early stages, there is a good chance (about 95%) that it won't have spread but there is a reason that the symbol for melanoma is a dandelion.  Those pesky weeds have a habit of seeding everywhere.

That must have been a terrible time for you.  I should have been more specific about my experience:  I was extremely fortunate that there was no depth to measure.  When I said "they always go deeper and wider and longer", I was referring to the doctor removing the initial melanoma for immediate pathology testing, and not, in my case, the melanoma itself.  Both my GP and Specialist Surgeon said another couple of months would have resulted in a totally different scenario.  I'm so grateful I was spared further worry.  This has been my experience:  when the results are available, and if they are hopefully  "in situ" (no depth only sitting on the top dermal layer), patients wait two weeks for the initial wound to settle, and then you are given a choice (at least at my local family practice) to choose your same GP, or a Plastic Surgeon,  to perform the necessary and precautionary incision, which is more enlarged in depth, width, and length than the first.  It certainly doesn't mean other melanomas won't appear anywhere on the body, and in my case, a second one was detected during a scheduled skin check.  It was equally, thankfully, treated similarly and with the same result.   It is absolutely vital to schedule regular and frequent skin checks.     I'm surmising you were involoved in the relatively recent immunotherapy procedures, some of which have produced amazing results.  I'm so very glad your treatment resulted in obvious success.  

On 3/24/2022 at 11:36 AM, PurpleHays said:

I am currently finishing Voyager. I'm rereading so that I con hopefully be far enough along to bring the newest and maybe the one before it. All of them are ridiculously long.📗

On 3/24/2022 at 11:58 AM, PurpleHays said:

I have a mild hearing loss--I'd rather read than listen. It's easier. However, I get it for a long commute. Mine is only 20 minutes and not long enough IMO.

Outlander series is well researched (at least as far as I know the Scottish adventures, because my ancestral home of genetic memory is the Scottish Highlands) and simply captivating.  Not being completely educated in American literature apart from some publications I studied at university, I can't vouch for her accurate depictions of historic America.  Clever use of the time tool, and the mystique of, "well, could it be so?".  I have read each and every book in the series.  Also, of course, anything at all by Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve.   They tackle the edgy topics (particularly Picoult)  and are born storytellers.   I have a degree in professional writing, and I truly believe they are the modern-day classic writers of yesteryear. 

On 4/17/2022 at 8:48 AM, Aus Traveller said:

Cairns isn't part of an Indigenous community. There is an Aboriginal community at Mossman Gorge around 70km north.

Quite correct.  My brother and his family have lived in Cairns for decades.  Cairns is a large, spread-out city, and there certainly are indigenous people among its citizens, but I wouldn't describe it as an indigenous community.  

7 hours ago, RD64 said:

Mareblu - should you ever want to discuss anything Friuli related, feel free to email olegnad4961@gmail.com.

Grazie, RD64.  Will contact you through this week.

Mandi,

Linda

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

@Mareblu Thanks for the weather report. It is lovely here. I haven't been to Butchart Gardens in several years. Right now the Tulips are up everywhere and are quite spectacular. The Magnolias are stunning and the Dogwood trees (Our provincial flower) are starting to show their spectacular displays. We are on the second group of ornamental flowering trees now. There are pink pompoms all over the place, when they start to drop it will look like a pink snowstorm. The Rhododendrons are starting to bloom and soon they will be putting on quite a show. We were going to try doing some photography at Government house today but there was something going on and the parking lot was full.

Sounds like God's back yard🥰  I simply adore dogwoods, and hated having to leave some when we moved to our present home several years ago.  We have many magnolias, which are beautiful when they bloom (through two seasons, actually).  Rhododendrons put on such a wonderful show.  Some of the glens in the Scottish Highlands are lined with them, and the steep sides they line look like vertical carpets.  Sadly, they're considered a noxious weed there, and they have intense eradication programmes in place.  Enjoy your beautiful springtime.

8 minutes ago, valantine80 said:

Maybe I over think things but the problem as I see it is if you get secondary spread and you never know if that may happen. Also some companies want to know everything and also anytime you may have been hospitalised even for day surgery which one of mine involved because of the need for skin graft. Am thinking will just ignore that in future.

Once an "in situ" (top dermal layer only) melanoma is excised, it's gone.  They always go deeper and wider and longer.  The first one at base of my neck near shoulder was subsequently redone by a whizz of a Plastic Surgeon.  Impossible to see the line.  The second, on my back, my GP did, and it's quite neat apparently.  I can't see it so it doesn't bother me.  However, melanoma patients always need to be on the lookout for any further little friends appearing, so regular skin checks are essential.  I actually rang our travel insurance office, and they advised that it was unnecessary to list any such skin cancers that were totally removed.  Hope that helps.