.......idle jottings

[MACT]

Hell it was windy today !

Even had to eat in the Dining Dalon for lunch !

The salad would have arrived at the table before you !

 

 

Dining Room for lunch?

 

Sea Dream has a dining room? This is as startling as the rumour about the yachts also having gyms. Next time on board I really must abandon the permanent station at the TOTY and go explore.

 

It would have been fun to have lunch up top. How to stop wine glasses falling over? Keep pouring Frank...

[gcmv]

"Dining room" - that's the catch-word!

 

Next try of gcmv to convince ho-hum - take a closer look at this ... ;)

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Variety is the spice of life..... until you have had so much of it that it gives you indigestion.

[kathyanddanny]

"Dining room" - that's the catch-word!

 

Next try of gcmv to convince ho-hum - take a closer look at this ... ;)

 

 

gcmv,

 

Thanks for the link! This boat looks lovely! 😃

 

Kathy.

[ho-hum]

Here we are in Isle de Saintes on another blustery morning: again it rained in the early morning but now it seems set for a fair-ish day.

The skies are laden with large cloud formations which are thankfully greeted when they cover the sun, for without them it is a tad hot.

 

Anchored further out from port are Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Spirit.

Our morning breakfast dinning companions and ourselves are curious.

 

Which two ships are now owned by Windstar ?

 

When will the last of the three Seabourn small ships be handed over to Windstar?

 

Is the Windstar company a good outfit ? One of our party says it is.

 

What is the real truth in the rumour that Windstar will dramatically reduce the crew on the newly acquired Seabourns ?

 

Will Windstar be a credible alternative to SD ?

 

Are Windstar's clientele any real different to SD's ?

 

Jim, you "fount of all knowledge", what say you ?

 

Oh and anybody else, feel free to chip in ?

[Jim Avery]

Variety is the spice of life..... until you have had so much of it that it gives you indigestion.

 

Or gout.:eek::D:D:D

[Jim Avery]

Here we are in Isle de Saintes on another blustery morning: again it rained in the early morning but now it seems set for a fair-ish day.

The skies are laden with large cloud formations which are thankfully greeted when they cover the sun, for without them it is a tad hot.

 

Anchored further out from port are Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Spirit.

Our morning breakfast dinning companions and ourselves are curious.

 

Which two ships are now owned by Windstar ?

 

When will the last of the three Seabourn small ships be handed over to Windstar?

 

Is the Windstar company a good outfit ? One of our party says it is.

 

What is the real truth in the rumour that Windstar will dramatically reduce the crew on the newly acquired Seabourns ?

 

Will Windstar be a credible alternative to SD ?

 

Are Windstar's clientele any real different to SD's ?

 

Jim, you "fount of all knowledge", what say you ?

 

Oh and anybody else, feel free to chip in ?

 

The last Seabourn "little Sister" is heading over end this year. The Legend went last year. Yes, published data has some 60 less crew. Inevitably another product altogether. We enjoyed the Seabourn small ships immensely but there you go, life moves on and ships get bigger.........Like a waistline on Holiday??

[ho-hum]

.......and Mr Ho Hum is off on his jolly holidays again. WOW. Looking forward to catching up on a whole month of Idle Jottings:)

BTW HH, loved Emirates first. Had the first cabin all to ourselves on two legs of the trip with three crew. Far, far, far too much champagne, loved it. Have a great cruise and I'll pop open a bottle later and get reading. P xxxx

 

A whole month's worth !

Oh my !

War & Peace is shorter (fewer laughs though) !!

 

What was the champagne ?

My, we simply skip the important details......just not on, but you must be jet lagged (and perhaps a tad sozzled).

 

Well hubby must be "grinning from ear to ear" for arranging such an extensive trip "Down Under" (NZ if HH is not mistaken).

 

Sadly your return sees Fulham receive quite a "spanking" from the Cherries. Yikes !

Happy reading, tell us your "highs".

HHx

[ho-hum]

First/biz flying turned into a bit of a sour grapes story for ol' Ragnar. Before the "ol'" was added, I used to press my nose against that terrible curtain which divided coach from "the drinking class", my heart heavy with envy. And then there were the happy, cheerful folks waltzing from the lounges to the gate, with obvious headstarts on the joys of the higher class cabins.

 

Well, as time went on and Ragnar accumulated more money (and freq. flyer miles), he left the dungeon of coach behind. However, much to my disappointment, I found that having even a wee dram before or during flights resulted in splitting headaches :( So now ol' Ragnar can only watch in great dispair as those around him in the lounge and plane swill with wild abandon.

 

Well, at least there is more legroom, and a flat bed on which to slumber.

 

And fortunately, no such headache issues at sea level:D

 

Water, water, water Raggy !

 

Ho Hum drinks 1:1.

1 wine/champagne to 1 water MINIMUM !

Flying de-hydrates, alcohol dehydrates, being too warm dehydrates.

[ctbjr1309]

Water, water, water Raggy !

 

Ho Hum drinks 1:1.

1 wine/champagne to 1 water MINIMUM !

Flying de-hydrates, alcohol dehydrates, being too warm dehydrates.

 

Behold. The Master has spoken!

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Water? Drink water??? You know what W.C. Fields said about drinking water.

[ho-hum]

Yes Raggy we know what fish do in it !

 

Favourite WC Field quote:

During one of my treks through Afghanistan, we lost our corkscrew.

We were compelled to live on food and water for several days.

 

(Quote button not workng)

[ho-hum]

Dear Mr Hum

I’m merely a serf in the presence of a master...Laphroaig as a “session” malt? term very loosely indeed, decided that the use of waders would greatly increase the ".........................................ith water but alas no fish emerge from the deeper recesses of the right or left leg.

 

Well, not to be frustrated by such an incon

ankfully able to dress in time for dinner (no salmon on the menu), cleaned the windpipes with a few pints of ale and sat down to enjoy a wonderful dinner washed down with gorgeous Chateauneuf.

 

Thankfully he doesn’t remember a thing. Which is good…as the waitress was also an amateur opera singer…but that is for another time.

 

 

A truly lovely story MACT.

Thanks for wearing out the pads on your digits: it was well worth it.

 

Aaaaahh the dram ........ nothing packs as much nuance, character, tales.

 

You may wish to hear a few stories of the Laphroaig from HH.

 

Once in Nevis (Caribbean), Blondie and HH were staying in a hotel run by an English couple from Henley. It was a beautiful hotel though the rooms were in desperate need of upgrading and the staff were hopeless.

We would gather before dinner and there was an elderly Scottish couple who had arrived for drinks at about 5.30pm. In front of the gentleman sat a bottle of the 10yo Laphroaig and a crystal tumbler. He was a big barrelled chested man and always wore a fresh, crisp white shirt. He was white haired and white bearded: the hair growing on his upper cheeks.

In all intents and purposes he was Father Xmas awaiting for Xmas.

Do you know the film with Richard Attenborough who played Father Xmas: "Miracle on 34th street" ?

Well he was the spitting image but not cheery, instead he was dour but good mannered.

He loved that whisky and poured treble after treble until a third of the bottle was gone.

We asked if we could sit with him and his lovely wife who sipped a vase full of gin and tonic !

 

Polite introductions were made. It turned out he was a GP (General Practitioner...a regular doctor for non-Brits) who had his practice in the Gorbals in Glasgow, a tough working class area of the city. He had "cut his teeth" there as a young man and later with incentivisation of the National Health Service, he had acquired practices all over Glasgow and was now quite wealthy.

He talked of the Laphroaig as being the closest taste to the real "usquebaugh" (water of life) he had ever come across. It is sweet and peaty as if it had trickled out of the earth from an ancient spring. Indeed another favourite whisky of HH's is "Springbank".

It says it all.....

By the way "usquebaugh" is said to be an Arabic word and to Brits it sounded like whisky, hence the name today.

 

He drank at least half the bottle before poodling off to dinner dead on 7.00pm completely sober.

His stories of the tenements in the early 1970s were hair raising.

Treating the sick, the abused, wives beaten after a football match between Rangers and Celtic, the drunkenness, the grinding poverty......hell you needed a drink to get through the day.

And oh so many did......

 

He spoke with a gruff accent and he did'nt care whether you understood him or not. He spoke as if in a trance, looking at the glass as he spoke.....it was a very intense experience.

In a way he was in another world.

 

 

The second encounter with Laphroaig was up a mountain in India in the Himalayas.

A 12 hour train journey from Delhi followed by two 6 hour jeep trips and a 2 hour hike up the side of a mountain to a flat section of ground comprising of an arrangement of grand canvas tents. Two for a couple of guests (each with a chemical toilet), one for staff, another for a kitchen and the last for a dining-room with silver service and candelabras !

 

Again at cocktails, there was a small bar set up and an open fire. We sat in leather armchairs and were served drinks by a uniformed young man.

Now HH was a Cuban cigar smoker then and usually drank Armagnac. None was available except this Laphroaig. HH hated it but it went well with a cigar. After three days HH loved it !!!

 

To HH it tastes light like an adult lemonade. HH thought of the man in Nevis and wondered whether he would end up like him. HH too was loving it so much. And more than once he has drunk a third of a bottle without any problems.

Now HH no longer smokes ...... he no longer drinks......as much of the wonderful liquid.

 

Years later Laphroaig brought out the "Quarter Cask" where the whisky has more surface contact with the ex-Bourbon, oak barrels.......wonderful stuff. Amazing stuff.

HH along with thousands of people all over the world own a piece of Laphroaig: a square foot of the glorious sod !

 

Talking of glorious old sods, anybody hear from Jim these days ?

Haha

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

My favorite quote, not sure by whom:

 

I spent much of my money on women and booze, and wasted the rest.

 

 

Words I tried to live by.

[ctbjr1309]

 

Talking of glorious old sods, anybody hear from Jim these days ?

Haha

 

Oh, my!

[Jim Avery]

Talking of glorious old sods, anybody hear from Jim these days ?

Haha

 

Sorry, my mind was wandering again. I love Raggy's quote as well. I have always tried to emulate it. Just arranging a short getaway to the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona with an overnight stop in Tubac, Arizona. Might be thought of as our version of the Cotswolds. Somewhere en route is also a massive aircraft "boneyard" where thousands of civilian and military aircraft are parked cheek by jowl in the desert. Some quite famous. As you know, when not at sea, I am easily amused. Have a safe trip home and I hope the staff have behaved whilst the cat has been away.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Jim Avery

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Some other words of wisdom that guided my life (found on a shirt tag, no less):

 

Never make promises.

Never stand in line.

Never explain.

Split before dawn.

[ho-hum]

"Dining room" - that's the catch-word!

 

Next try of gcmv to convince ho-hum - take a closer look at this ... ;)

 

 

Sorry Ralph....Sea Dream block webpages onboard ! Booh !

Will open link on return.

[ho-hum]

My favorite quote, not sure by whom:

 

I spent much of my money on women and booze, and wasted the rest.

 

 

Words I tried to live by.

 

It was a quote by George Best, a famous footballer who played for Manchester United in the 1970-80's.

He was a genius on the ball, very handsome and loved life.

 

He even played for Fulham !

 

Saw him play a few times and he frequented local pub.

But that was the problem.

He frequented too many pubs !

 

The correct quote will be found in the attachment below.

 

Ho Hum's favourite George Best quote is:

 

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol.

 

It was the worst 20 minutes of my life !"

[ho-hum]

Talking of glorious old sods, anybody hear from Jim these days ?

Haha

 

Sorry, my mind was wandering again. I love Raggy's quote as well. I have always tried to emulate it. Just arranging a short getaway to the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona with an overnight stop in Tubac, Arizona. Might be thought of as our version of the Cotswolds. Somewhere en route is also a massive aircraft "boneyard" where thousands of civilian and military aircraft are parked cheek by jowl in the desert. Some quite famous. As you know, when not at sea, I am easily amused. Have a safe trip home and I hope the staff have behaved whilst the cat has been away.

 

 

Thanks Jim.

HH's reference to Jim is a cheeky, laddish term of endearment for the great man.

 

Bisbee ehh.

Yes been there.

 

Plane graveyard.

Always meant to go there.

 

Have a great trip.......simple pleasures, car, open road, nice weather....aaaahhhh.

Cant be beat !

Not something we have in the UK !

Loved our fly-drive holidays in the US !

Great times.

[ho-hum]

Some other words of wisdom that guided my life (found on a shirt tag, no less):

 

Never make promises.

Never stand in line.

Never explain.

Split before dawn.

 

 

Where on earth do you buy your shirts ?

 

http://www.redneck.com.

OR

http://www.yeehaw.com

 

Most labels have washing instructions.

Yours has a life manual.....and a bloody short one at that !

 

HH's shirts are supplied, tailor made by Davies & Son of Saville Row, no they are not in Jermyn Street but they suffice.

If they are good enough for the Kings of Norway, Spain & Greece then HH is satisfied.

 

Sadly no pithy mottos or life instructions inside.

Just the "by Royal Appointment" discreet label naturally.

[ho-hum]

It was a quote by George Best, a famous footballer who played for Manchester United in the 1970-80's.

He was a genius on the ball, very handsome and loved life.

 

He even played for Fulham !

 

Saw him play a few times and he frequented local pub.

But that was the problem.

He frequented too many pubs !

 

The correct quote will be found in the attachment below.

 

Ho Hum's favourite George Best quote is:

 

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol.

 

It was the worst 20 minutes of my life !"

 

Oooops photo below:

[MACT]

Quote......."The second encounter with Laphroaig was up a mountain in India in the Himalayas.

A 12 hour train journey from Delhi followed by two 6 hour jeep trips and a 2 hour hike up the side of a mountain to a flat section of ground comprising of an arrangement of grand canvas tents. Two for a couple of guests (each with a chemical toilet), one for staff, another for a kitchen and the last for a dining-room with silver service and candelabras !"

 

I would volunteer for an ascent of Everest if it is like this!

 

Poor Santa Claus in Nevis...mentally scarred and haunted for life trying to keep healthy the inhabitants of the Glasgow tenements. Having a fair idea of what he probably witnessed, I presume he drank the Laphroaig trebles neat.

 

I recall the Glasgow of the early 1970's. No M8 motorway so had to drive through it to get to the Clyde. Dark, repressive, foreboding, rather unsettling for a child. Recall in the early 1980's undertaking inspections of flats. Dark, repressive.....

 

The lucky tenants had benefitted from the installation of bathrooms in the 1960's!!! but to the astonishment of one so young, I did not expect several of the tenant's to use their bath tub for the storage of coal or their entire bathroom as a storage cupboard. I was too frightened to ask "how do you access the toilet or take a bath?"

 

Thirty years on and now its all sheer luxury...no leaking roof, a flushing toilet and mice that now wipe their feet before entering.

[ho-hum]

Well we really are "rocking and rolling" as we head for St.Barts on another blustery an partly cloudy day.

Several people do not like it but for HH it is exhilarating.

 

Yesterday in Isles de Saintes the Captain on his walk around was asked by Blondie why the two Seabourn ships were moored so far out from port.

Because they are doing water sports he replied.

Adding we will have to join them later.

Blondie said she would pop over on the first tender service to visit IdS so at least one trip was short.

A moment later the Club Director toodles along and Blondie enquires if sea is really suitable for any water sport (it is a tad bouncy).

 

Now that sets these two great minds tinking as we see them chatting about the issue.

 

No we are staying !

Clever, devious, wicked Blondie !

A match for any man, even a Club Director and even a Captain !

 

At cocktails the Captain is on "walk about" regaling everyone how when he visited the port, the passengers on the two Seabourn ships were in uproar and furious with their respective Captains for the long distance they had to travel in bouncy tenders.

AND

Why did'nt they anchor closer to port like Sea Dream !

 

The Captain felt very proud by his decision.

Blondie congratulated him on his very smart decision !

Women ehh ! So smart ! Blondie, HH loves you.

 

And so after dinner last night there was the first Karaoke event in the Main Salon.

Whatever next ?

Bingo !

Knobbly knees contest !

Best looking grandmother !

T deck

Yea Gods !

 

The sounds from the Main Salon were akin to cats being experimented on by deranged scientists without having administered anaesthetics !

Well no, maybe that would have been better !

 

Arrived in St.Barts amidst showers but sun beginning to peep through.

Blondie off for a hike and shopping. HH sitting in the front deck under cover, tip tapping away to you dear chums, gout ridden, old fool that he is.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

"Where on earth do you buy your shirts?"

 

At a surf shop.