Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[UKCruiseJeff]

That's a lovely story Cams ..... On the subject of both trivia and film locations and indeed food at film locations .....

 

I think I mentioned some time back that Shepperton Film Studios were clients of ours and wifey and we use to spend many magical hours at Shepperton, nearly always over a very lengthy lunch and we found the place to be fascinating. It is difficult to actually remember doing anything remotely like work. Although the place is very clearly a factory for making films sometimes factors would converge to make the place seem extraordinary and almost a dream like fantasy. For example between around 1994 and early 1996, they were making several films on different lots at the same time. From recall, there was "The Madness of King George" with amongst others Helen Mirren, and "101 Dalmations" with Glen Close and an extraordinary number of yapping, and barking spotted dogs, and "Evita" with Madonna all being filmed at times at the same time but on different stages or open sets and lots that were all very close to each other.

 

Their catering basically had different levels of service depending on your status and who you were with a full silver waitress service restaurant, and a self-service for others and of course on lot basic catering. We were lucky enough after a while to be given permanent passes which allowed us to enter and not as "visitors" any more but simply by having the car sticker and that was lovely. The relationship also developed so they offered that we could open an account at the restaurant and use it for entertaining friends and clients so that we could with our passes sign them in as visitors and effectively come and go as we pleased. Now that would have made a great Cooler visit ...

 

Clients would of course be mesmerised when we invited them to Shepperton for lunch and their mouths would drop when they saw so many famous faces often in make-up and film costumes eating together in the restaurant. I'm pretty sure we got and retained clients partly because of our relationship with Shepperton. On one occaision the head of the studios was eating with us and he received an urgent call to sort out a problem and it later transpired that a certain star was fed up with lwith eaving her motorhome to step into what she described as "mountains of dog S**t" and she was also fed up that she couldn't "rest" because of the constant noise. She had two enormous guards outside her day with "shades" and walkie talkies. We got invited to lot's of great events there and we had a few glorious years finding any excuse we could to visit. ;)

 

Eventually the studio asked their caterers to be clients to improve their service and so they joined our happy clan of enthusiastic clients. I read some years later that they ("The Dining Set") went bust taking lot's of deposits for Christmas parties at the other studio they catered - Elstree- - with them. (Nothing to do with us - we were unable to save them ..... )

 

http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/41103.Santa_studios_saves_the_day/

 

Nostalgia isn't what it once was. :)

[rosepark]

TTS - meant to ask if you were at the Aviva on Saturday? It was a grand day all round.

JP, sorry to hear about your cat, our eldest was 21 when he died, quietly - we hope- and by himself, I don't know if that was a good or a bad thing. I miss the snuggles as our new girl is lovely but not a cuddle cat.

Miss Sophia, I think we may be on the same Spirit cruise in May, is it the one ending in Greenwich?

Jeff, I have eaten at Shepperton, but only as a guest and it was such a thrill. I have absolutely no idea what was on the menu, too busy looking round me. Actually, it was a thrill even to drive on to the lot. What fun to do it as a regular.

The arrival of the beast from the east is promised here. I am Mrs Smug of Smugsville as my new waterproof walking boots arrived on Friday and, for once in my life, I will be suitable shod for the weather. I can often be incorrectly attired but not as much as the lady I saw walking in Yosemite in white stilettos.

Have a good dry and safe Monday, all

Rp

[Tothesunset]

TTS - meant to ask if you were at the Aviva on Saturday? It was a grand day all round.

Rp

Sadly, not. Great game, though, and a very flattering scoreline - if Wales had been as interested in the first half as in the second it might have been a very different result. Excellent Calcutta cup - good to see a team play so well and disect the usually stable England tactics. Could Hugh Jones be the new B o'D? Makes for quite a prospect in Dublin in a couple of weeks.

 

Never been to a 6 nations game. World cup? Tick. European final? Tick. 6 nations? :(:(Er, no.

 

My son lives in Leicester so been to quite a few Tigers games. They played Ulster a couple of years ago and we happened to be in a group of lads from Belfast who had come over for the match. I must admit I went all Shankill Road for a couple of hours. Tigers won but great bantar with the Tigers fans. If only football were so joyful!

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! Our temps continue to be warmish. 38 F. I'm not falling for the notion that spring is really here though. She is a tease!

 

J....your memories are so interesting! That blue chair suits you! :)

 

“Live courageously bold! Live in such a manner that at the end of this day, at the end of this year, at the end of this precious life, you can hold your head up high, smile, and be proud of a life well lived.”

 

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

 

Have a great day all!

[Mudhen]

Terrific quote!

Another, really simple one that I like took place with President Obama and Bear Grylls (sp?)....When asked what advice on living could Pres. Obama give his girls...."Make a difference in the world and be kind..." Works for me!

[mysty]

Spring in Canada brings potholes.

 

[Lois R]

Hi friends, well, SS fixed my flights today:D so it is all good now!

[Mudhen]

Good job, Lois! Remind me again of when and where you're going...which ship?

[jpalbny]

Ugh. Albany roads have gone from bad to worse this winter. Our commute is a never ending series of slalom maneuvers to avoid tank traps in the road. It's atrocious. And almost hopeless at this point. The pothole density is so great that they are almost unavoidable.

 

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[mysty]

Yes JP! With the ridiculous cycles of freezing and thawing this winter our roads are almost impossible to navigate. Road crews have been trying to fill them but for each one they fill another 5 or 6 pop up. So very many lost hubcaps along the road sides! Nasty!

[jpalbny]

On Saturday we had to say goodbye to Ashley. It was sad but I think she was finally getting uncomfortable and we knew it was time. So ended our (almost) 21 years with that little cat with an outsized attitude.

 

 

I will miss my morning ritual of trying to get prednisone into her while dodging her razor-sharp teeth. And her endless begging for food. She always had her nose in her food dish, or in whatever we were eating (cream cheese here) We still have no idea where she put it all, as she was always incredibly skinny.

 

 

We still have the "young" 16 year old cat but she is standoffish and definitely not a lap cat like Ashley was. She loved to snuggle with us. When she wasn't the center of attention, she wasn't too shy to let us know how she felt about it. So it will be a little lonely for now. And it\s very quiet. We will have some adjusting to do.

 

[mysty]

Sorry to hear about your loss JP and Chris!

[MissSophia]

So sad for you JP.....it's very hard losing a beloved pet.

 

rospark.....I'm on the Spirit Lisbon to Greenwich sailing in May.....if we end up in Greenwich and not Tilbury!!

 

Potholes are just as bad here and with bleak weather forecast they'll get worse!

😊

[spinnaker2]

JP

So sad to say goodbye to your beloved cat. She was quite a feline, you can see her personality shine through in those photographs.

What expression in those marvelous eyes of hers!

 

 

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[Mudhen]

Awwww.....so very sorry to hear about Ashley. It's wonderful, however that you got to spend 21 years with her! Loved the cream cheese on the nose photo. If you have a pet, of any kind, it's very difficult to think of the waning years....but I guess that's a part of life.

Sending hugs your way....Ashley knows she was well loved.

[Camillus112]

I echo the Coolers' sentiment regarding the loss of Ashley. You will have lovely memories of her throughout the coming years, when sadness yells to nostalgia. I had dogs growing up, and none lasted more than five years. Of course those were the times without adequate pet health care and when they would leisurely roam the streets... Enjoy your younger cat.

[jillyf]

Feeling sad for you JP and Chris. Lots of happy memories for you as she sounded a cuddly girl.

[rosepark]

So sorry to hear about Ashley, JP. It's a brave decision to make.

Rp

[Lois R]

JP...sorry about your kitty.........

[UKCruiseJeff]

JP &Chris, how ghastly for you. It's a decision all pet owners fear and hate and anyone who has had to do the same knows exactly what you must be going through and feel mucho sympathies.. At least you provided Ashley with a really great life and satisfied that voracious appetite and in the end when you were called on to be unselfish you did exactly the right thing.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Jeff, I have eaten at Shepperton, but only as a guest and it was such a thrill. I have absolutely no idea what was on the menu, too busy looking round me. Actually, it was a thrill even to drive on to the lot. What fun to do it as a regular.

 

Rp

 

It was lovely to hear that you were able to eat there and have some great even if hazy memories! Was it in the main restaurant ie the building directly opposite the entrance barriers and up on the first floor, in a very traditional old-fashioned dining room? If so you were treated extremely well. We were asked to help that company by Shepperton after they deteriorated and even managed to cause a serious bout of food poisoning. You can imagine the impact on several flims if the people eating in the main restaurant suffered a serious poisoning bout.

 

It use to be a terrible job trying to park there. We once caused a major incident by parking in Alan Parkers parking bay - We received a call to move our car and a very indignant producer demanded to know why I had parked in his very clearly signposted bay. Before I could pull the words back into my mouth, I heard myself saying "I'm terribly sorry Mr Parker but i didn't realise you were genuinely working here today ....... " which was a daft thing to say but luckilly he thought this was hugely funny .... and waved his finger at me and winked.

 

I miss going there. :)

[jpalbny]

Thanks everybody for the kind words and sentiments. Much appreciated!

[rosepark]

Jeff, I lied, it wasn't Shepperton it was Pinewood, old age and dry rot setting in , sorry. It was still a rather spiffy lunch and fun to drive into the studio.

JP, I know what you mean about a lap cat, our current cat is a darling but neither a cuddle nor a lap cat and our previous two were both. I miss the cuddles.

TTS- 17th March is going to be a fraught weekend in our house. I will be up to high doh re the rugby and OH's football team, Brighton, is playing Man U in the FA Cup (that will go well then - not). I think I might start on the Valium now.

Miss Sophia, I do hope we get to meet on board the Spirit in May and that we dock at Greenwich. Do you "do" Meet and Mingles?

Stay warm all cold weather Coolers, wherever you are.

Rp

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

I read a very depressing Opinion piece this morning that unfortunately rings very true for me. I am supplying the link with a caution that the subject matter may be disturbing to some. The Opinion piece was written by Neil Macdonald. He is an opinion columnist for CBC News, based in Ottawa. Prior to that he was the CBC's Washington correspondent for 12 years, and before that he spent five years reporting from the Middle East. The title of the article is "It is too late for gun control in America". I really hope he is wrong!

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/florida-school-shooting-1.4552301

 

 

On a much lighter note:

 

 

 

Have a great day all!

[mysty]

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/us/news/articles/english-pub-cancels-chairty-snail-race-after-icy-weather-made-competitors-too-slow-to-compete-cold-snap-united-kingdom-london-europe-temperatures-dartmoor-union-inn/96391/

 

 

Bad news....the snail race scheduled for Saturday at the Dartmoor Union Inn in southwest England has been cancelled. It seems the weather is too cold for the racing snails. Chin up though...it will be rescheduled when the weather gets warmer. :)