P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Josy1953]

I have just been out to do the weekly shop and have come home feeling extremely sorry for the people who are on low incomes with families to keep.  I enjoy cooking so I buy fresh ingredients rather than anything pre-prepared but the price of basics such as bread flour, meat, vegetables and fruit has risen ridiculously over the last 3 weeks, I have just checked my spend today with how much I spent for a similar shop 3 weeks ago and it has risen by almost 20%.

[wowzz]

11 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I have just been out to do the weekly shop and have come home feeling extremely sorry for the people who are on low incomes with families to keep.  I enjoy cooking so I buy fresh ingredients rather than anything pre-prepared but the price of basics such as bread flour, meat, vegetables and fruit has risen ridiculously over the last 3 weeks, I have just checked my spend today with how much I spent for a similar shop 3 weeks ago and it has risen by almost 20%.

And if you compared the cost to this time last year,  you would need to have a lie down !

[DamianG]

On 10/8/2022 at 6:04 PM, Snow Hill said:

The Ninja Foodi Multicooker came yesterday, croissant done in 8 minutes this morning, roast chicken on the go for this evening, very quiet whilst in pressure cooker mode, no rattling like the old Prestige ones. 

 

We've had ours just over a month now. I was interested to see if it really did reduce our energy consumption by not having the oven on as much, so I compared the usage over 3 years:

Electricity: September 2020 196 kw, September 2021 233kw (builders used a lot), September 2022 139kw.

Gas over the same timeframe, 184kw, 192kw, 102kw.

Quite a difference and everything is done so much quicker (and I'm no longer overcooking our Sunday roasts).

I hope that you have similar success with yours.

Damian

[Ilovemygarden]

6 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

Currently in Majorca on the beautiful Vitruosa, great weather, great ship nice to be at sea again.

It would be great if you could let us have your thoughts on MSC later and meantime enjoy your cruise 🛳

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

 

We've had ours just over a month now. I was interested to see if it really did reduce our energy consumption by not having the oven on as much, so I compared the usage over 3 years:

Electricity: September 2020 196 kw, September 2021 233kw (builders used a lot), September 2022 139kw.

Gas over the same timeframe, 184kw, 192kw, 102kw.

Quite a difference and everything is done so much quicker (and I'm no longer overcooking our Sunday roasts).

I hope that you have similar success with yours.

Damian

The chicken was really tasty, Sunday morning croissants were done well, too early to say how much, if any savings on power, but we are going to enjoy using it. Spoke with my youngest son today he swears my his air fryer, hardly uses his oven now. 

[Eglesbrech]

So a question. What does the little hand symbol on the side of some peoples pictures mean?

[wowzz]

23 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

So a question. What does the little hand symbol on the side of some peoples pictures mean?

They are newcomers? 

[Eglesbrech]

14 minutes ago, wowzz said:

They are newcomers? 

Thank you.

[Eglesbrech]

We are off on a cruise again shortly so today has been spent cooking to use up all the food left in the fridge. I really hate food waste, probably a kickback to childhood.

 

Made a massive pot of lentil soup and a veg curry to freeze. Also apple sauce from the last of the apples from the trees as it is good for apple muffins. I make sugar free muffins from oat flour so basically portable apple porridge.

 

My back is killing me from standing for most of the day in the kitchen,  as my mum used to say age doesny come itself!

 

 

[Waju]

3 hours ago, Ilovemygarden said:

It would be great if you could let us have your thoughts on MSC later and meantime enjoy your cruise 🛳

If I could just jump in - we had 3 nights on Virtuosa starting 24th September.  This was our 2nd cruise on her, our first was the 2nd maiden voyage (apparently there were 4!).  She is a beautiful ship, very glitzy and shiny, but if anyone offers you a cruise including alcohol run a mile!!!  I don't know why, as an experienced cruiser, I didn't even consider that it would be like a very poor holiday camp at sea.

I know I'm going to get shouted down in flames, but the hard working bar staff just could not keep up with the amount of booze being requested.  40 minutes was about the average wait to get a drink, we had a one hour wait for breakfast on the first morning in the MDR and heard 'fellow passengers' effing, blinding and screaming at staff on 5 occasions.

I wouldn't do another cruise on Virtuosa which included a drinks package if it was given to me free of charge and a large number of the passengers are not people I would like to meet on a cruise ship ever again!

.

[Adawn47]

6 hours ago, pete14 said:

Just the thing for attracting the over 60’s to have their booster!

I'd rather have a sweetie for being a brave girl and not crying😊

Avril

[Eglesbrech]

30 minutes ago, Waju said:

If I could just jump in - we had 3 nights on Virtuosa starting 24th September.  This was our 2nd cruise on her, our first was the 2nd maiden voyage (apparently there were 4!).  She is a beautiful ship, very glitzy and shiny, but if anyone offers you a cruise including alcohol run a mile!!!  I don't know why, as an experienced cruiser, I didn't even consider that it would be like a very poor holiday camp at sea.

I know I'm going to get shouted down in flames, but the hard working bar staff just could not keep up with the amount of booze being requested.  40 minutes was about the average wait to get a drink, we had a one hour wait for breakfast on the first morning in the MDR and heard 'fellow passengers' effing, blinding and screaming at staff on 5 occasions.

I wouldn't do another cruise on Virtuosa which included a drinks package if it was given to me free of charge and a large number of the passengers are not people I would like to meet on a cruise ship ever again!

.

No one should shout you down. Your experience is your experience.

All I will say is that short cruises always tend to be different to standard ones.

 

[Josy1953]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

And if you compared the cost to this time last year,  you would need to have a lie down !

With my memory I have no hope of remembering this time last month let alone last year.  I wouldn't have been able to comparewith last week if I hadn't still had last weeks receipt in my bag😄

[Gettingwarmer]

57 minutes ago, Waju said:

wouldn't do another cruise on Virtuosa which included a drinks package if it was given to me free of charge and a large number of the passengers are not people I would like to meet on a cruise ship ever again!

I think it had more to do with the number of days(3) than the drinks package. All cruise lines with cruises if 3 days turn out to be booze cruises. 

[Son of Anarchy]

7 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

I have just been out to do the weekly shop and have come home feeling extremely sorry for the people who are on low incomes with families to keep.  I enjoy cooking so I buy fresh ingredients rather than anything pre-prepared but the price of basics such as bread flour, meat, vegetables and fruit has risen ridiculously over the last 3 weeks, I have just checked my spend today with how much I spent for a similar shop 3 weeks ago and it has risen by almost 20%.

Just got back from a couple of weeks in the Algarve.  Mini-markets near the apartments were charging €7 for a frozen pizza.  I appreciate that they are charging the holiday makers for the privelige of not having to go further afield to the likes of the Aldi and Lidl, but I thought €7 was a bit much for that part of the world.  

[Harry Peterson]

7 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Just got back from a couple of weeks in the Algarve.  Mini-markets near the apartments were charging €7 for a frozen pizza.  I appreciate that they are charging the holiday makers for the privelige of not having to go further afield to the likes of the Aldi and Lidl, but I thought €7 was a bit much for that part of the world.  

On the subject of frozen pizza, I noticed last night that Amazon will deliver frozen Dr Oetker pizzas for £2 with Prime.

 

Not sure how they deliver frozen food though.

[Josy1953]

Wordle in 1 just sent pic to my niece and got  Grrrrrrrrr back

 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Josy1953
Deleted pic

[Eddie99]

Well done 🎉  🥂 

It’s got to happen sometime

Pure luck, but we all need a bit of that

 

Have a sunny day!

 

(Harry - go back to my previous post, with the pic.  I put in a PS for you as an edit but I think you missed it)

[Josy1953]

I lovely sunny day here in Stoke though a cold 7° when I just went outside.

I am back in the vaccine hub this afternoon, I have decided that after almost 2 years I will only do half a day a week.  One of the ladies who I became friends with during the early vaccine days messaged me last night to say that she had been told that I had reduced my time and she had also put her name down just for half a day a week now because she was tired of being shouted at by the current cohort coming in, she was should have been in yesterday for a full day but left at lunch time.

I wish people would realise that we are volunteers so are below the pay scale for being abused.

[bobstheboy]

3 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I lovely sunny day here in Stoke though a cold 7° when I just went outside.

I am back in the vaccine hub this afternoon, I have decided that after almost 2 years I will only do half a day a week.  One of the ladies who I became friends with during the early vaccine days messaged me last night to say that she had been told that I had reduced my time and she had also put her name down just for half a day a week now because she was tired of being shouted at by the current cohort coming in, she was should have been in yesterday for a full day but left at lunch time.

I wish people would realise that we are volunteers so are below the pay scale for being abused.

It is astounding that you continue to get abuse from idiots you are trying to help and keep from getting seriously ill. All credit to you for carrying on despite the abuse, you are the bigger person by far.

[lincslady]

Wondering why people would be abusive - having to wait longer than they hoped, or maybe those who don't yet qualify but think you will do it anyway?  It is only those who would never volunteer for anything who are like this; those of us who do or have know better.

[Josy1953]

5 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Wondering why people would be abusive - having to wait longer than they hoped, or maybe those who don't yet qualify but think you will do it anyway?  It is only those who would never volunteer for anything who are like this; those of us who do or have know better.

It is usually "older" people who don't think that should have to queue or they think that we have an array of vaccines that they can choose from, we don't have many people coming in who aren't qualified to have the vaccine yet.  The other problem is that we are only getting enough vaccines for those who have appointments but people still think that it is a walk in centre because they haven't checked where the local walk-ins are being done.

[Guest ccpm]

Good morning all its OK here weatherwise. The low riders have all been walked by the dog  walker and I am gazing at my new air fryer with trepidation. I had one years ago which was OKish. This one is a 2 basket Ninja thingy and to date I have done chicken thighs in some asian sauce and cooked breaded fish and fresh chips. They turned out fine but timings used on videos didn't match what was needed for mine so more trial and error needed. Today it is to be a roast chicken etc. I have perused youtube got the recipe etc and now at 5pm will need to load and go. Wish me luck! 

 

Other than that its try and sort out adding what I can for the November cruise and gird up my loins for ringing P&O as they have allocated me the wrong benefit I asked for OBC and they have allocated parking which I have already paid for. Still it will keep me busy whilst sitting on my backside in the chair.

[kalos]

Life is amazing ...😊

 

One minute you are young and wild !

 

The next thing your into Air Fryers 😊😉

[Caullkhead]

Well I thought I’d try  cooking fish fingers in the actifry the other day, but as I thought would happen  the paddle broke them up. We bought the actifry as it’s the only one that cooks decent homemade chips. Back to the grill for the fish fingers though.