Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Camgirl]

10 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

I had the same problem. Maybe it’s just these masks, or my ears, or eyes. I found the solution was to twist the elastic at each side so that the elastic from the top of the mask went to the bottom of my ear, round the ear and from the top of my ear to the bottom of the mask. Sort of like a figure of eight, if that makes sense?

Me too. I assumed it was my small nose and chubby cheeks causing it to ride up. I wore one for the first time on Friday in M and S. I will try Colin's suggestion next time. 

 

I am going to try to make some more masks today so I might add slightly longer elastic so I can twist it easier. I'm also going to try to put nose wire in to see if that helps. I remember someone saying, early on on this thread, that they were making masks. I can't remember who though. Does anyone have any useful tips for sewing your own?

 

I went to harvest strawberry 3 this morning. It looked fine but just disintegrated when I touched it! I assume it had rotted. I'm determined to get to eat at least one this summer!!

[BklynBoy8]

5 hours ago, Camgirl said:

 Does anyone have any useful tips for sewing your own?

Hello Camgirl From The USA....

 

If you Google Mask Patterns you may find many articles or suggestions.

 

At the beginning when the Virus attack started in the USA and cloth masks were suggested, many many articles hit the internet for those that did not want to purchase them. Many articles and suggestions appeared for those willing to make their own.

 

[Host Hattie]

It's the first day that pubs and restaurants have been allowed to open their outside areas and the weather has been typically Welsh, after a beautiful sunny weekend. One of the two pubs in the village was planning to open this afternoon, hopefully their marquee is keeping the worst of the rain off.

 

[LadyL1]

Today we went to Weymouth Bay, and managed to have a picnic before the weather turned and then rained. Britannia is in the forefront with QM2 further to the south east. I have to say Britannia's paintwork on the hull was not looking its best. There were a couple of Marella ships,  Carnival Valour with was behind the Ventura and difficult to see from any angle. 

Good to see QM2 again, and only able to dream what might have been this October.

At least there were not too many people at the coast, but did see some first rate idiots trying to paddle out to the ships in tiny beach rented canoes!

It was good to be here again, as have been avoiding the area during lockdown, after seeing the beaches jammed with folk, not concerned with welfare, and litter being left on our lovely local shores, by the ton.

[alc13]

10 hours ago, Camgirl said:

Does anyone have any useful tips for sewing your own?

Yes!  The patterns with darts for the nose and chin seem to fit better than pleated ones.  Also, try to keep the sides long, extending most of the way to your ears.  That ensures less gapping on the sides.  I have a small head and face and finding a well-fitting mask has been a quest.  My current favorite is the brainchild of a friend who is just a wizard with all kinds of crafts.  She shortened the pattern top to bottom, but left the side lengths untouched.

 

Another tip, based on a research paper from a reputable institution - if you use 2 kinds of fabric in the mask layers, say quilting cotton and lightweight silk, the protection is comparable to an N-95 mask.  Apparently that's due to a combination of weave density and electrostatic charge.

 

About those strawberries - I didn't know this was a crop so capable of raising hopes and then dashing them.  

 

Good luck on both fronts!

[alc13]

23 hours ago, Kynance said:

I’ve posted a few times on this thread about what I have been growing in the garden, so thought I would share a couple of photos of my agapanthus

Those are gorgeous!  The only color I knew for many years was the pale purple kind , which are okay.  But then some deep blue ones appeared that I fell in love with.  Both your varieties are a bit smaller and also have nicer flowers and a more manageable amount of foliage than the kind that is ubiquitous in California.   Thanks for posting the pictures!

[Kynance]

Thanks for the tip @Colin_Cameron - I will try that next time. 
 

@alc13 - glad you liked the photos.  There are a couple more I’m waiting to flower which I think should be particularly good so will try to post photos of those too. 

[Camgirl]

Kynance, your agapanthus are lovely. Congratulations.

 

Alc13, thank you for the mask help. I don't suppose you can recommend a pattern? I have been looking on the internet and every pattern is slightly different. It is so difficult to know which is going yo be the best. And thanks for the hint about the fabrics. Boris has announced today that we will all have to wear masks in shops, so hopefully they will become much more the norm, and we will get used to wearing them.

[Host Hattie]

This might help 

Review of materials and design of home made masks

[alc13]

3 hours ago, Camgirl said:

Alc13, thank you for the mask help. I don't suppose you can recommend a pattern?

Here is a link to the pattern my friend used, re-sized so the nose and dart points are a little farther apart than your own nose to chin distance.  As I said, keep as much of the overall width as possible.  My friend's ear loop elastic was only 3 inches long.

 

https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/

 

I've actually made that pattern as written and it is a good one even without sizing down to fit your face.  But a good fit is key to comfort.  It's also worth pointing out that a good fit is key to protection.  But then if the mask fits closely the fabric has to be breathable.  That's where this new information about combining lightweight silk with cotton is helpful.

 

One other tip - if ear loops are annoying try ties.  Ear loops are easier, though.

 

Good find, HH - that is the exact information I was thinking of.

 

Edited to add - Making enough bias tap for that pattern is time consuming.  You could alternatively sew the pieces together right sides together then turn it inside out before pleating so you don't have to edge the top and bottom. 

 

Gosh, this is important - sew a pipe cleaner or twist ties into the nose bridge!

Edited July 14, 2020 by alc13
Yet more to add...

[naturelovergirl]

Hello from Florida. We wake up every day and see the numbers in the state ticking up. 

We try to do our part in helping combat this by continuing to be on our path of social distance.

 

We still either have grocery items delivered to our home or mask up to shop at stores which have good reputations of enforcing masks (we have found Costco and Trader Joe's to be two of the best on making their customers feel comfortable with their rules and enforcing masks and the ordinances). 

 

We continue to hike, ride bikes, walk, and enjoy time in nature. This makes the most sense to us.

 

We miss our former lives everyday... but we keep trying to make the most of the time we find ourselves in.

[Kynance]

11 hours ago, Camgirl said:

Kynance, your agapanthus are lovely. Congratulations.

Thanks Camgirl!
 

Good luck with your mask making. My other half & I will be wearing our motorcycle buffs/neck tubes as face coverings when we have to go into shops. They can be easily pulled up or down quickly as needed so I think this is the best solution for us. 

[Bigmike911]

Grocery shopping today took me to Trader Joe's (no line today), the British Depot for real Shepherds Pie and I got two for the freezer, and to HEB the mega grocery. They sanitize the carts (Trolleys) but are always out of hand sanitizer so I carry my own. The store wasn't busy, but people had full carts and they were short on checkers (tills) so there were waits on the appropriate foot markings.

 

I am going to get a hair cut tomorrow, I hope, as there are several local politicians who want lock down orders and the Governor hasn't said yes, yet, but you never know.  Fortunately, my county is not seeing the spurt that the more populous counties in the state are. So hopefully we will stay open. 

 

I worked in the garden yesterday and today. I have pyracanthas (firethorns) which have gotten thick and tall, so serious pruning was required. Plants grow so quickly in our wet extended growing season. I thought a cool dip in the pool would be just the answer. Well almost the water was 94f or 34c so more like a hot tub. I got in some of my deep water aerobics but not the strenuous because it was just too warm. 

 

All things being different I would have been flying on Thursday over night to London for some time with friends before flying on to Hamburg to sail back on 22 July.  Hopefully the same time next year. I have the booking and it's a ten day westbound like the one I did last year. 

 

I hope all are well. 

[Camgirl]

Thank you so much for all the mask-making help, it has been incredibly useful. I am going to try to get started this afternoon. I'm just hoping my sewing machine, which can't have been used for at least ten years 😊 still works!!

 

I am off for my first haircut at lunchtime. I'm looking forwards to it, but am quite anxious as well. Apart from a quick dash into the odd shop for fresh food, I haven't been inside anywhere, apart from home, since March. 

 

Bigmike, your pool sounds like heaven! But definately too hot for aerobics! Enjoy the water!

[LewiLewi]

21 hours ago, naturelovergirl said:

Hello from Florida. We wake up every day and see the numbers in the state ticking up. 

We try to do our part in helping combat this by continuing to be on our path of social distance.

 

We still either have grocery items delivered to our home or mask up to shop at stores which have good reputations of enforcing masks (we have found Costco and Trader Joe's to be two of the best on making their customers feel comfortable with their rules and enforcing masks and the ordinances). 

 

We continue to hike, ride bikes, walk, and enjoy time in nature. This makes the most sense to us.

 

We miss our former lives everyday... but we keep trying to make the most of the time we find ourselves in.

We continue to have everything delivered to our home. We will usually take a walk later in the day or early evening when it cools down a bit. It has been so hot and humid during the day, that we cannot sit out on our patio any longer. Florida in the summer is brutal.
We are thinking about planning another World Cruise on the QV for Jan. 2022 after canceling the one planned for 2021. We really miss cruising so much but worry about what the “new” cruise experience will be like.

Edited July 15, 2020 by LewiLewi
Could not finish post.

[Bigmike911]

On 7/15/2020 at 3:51 AM, Camgirl said:

Bigmike, your pool sounds like heaven! But definately too hot for aerobics! Enjoy the water!

On the other hand if you have arthritic joints, the warm water is nice even if you spend time moving slowly. Yesterday, the high for the day was only 90f, so the pool cooled off a bit, and it was back to the usual exercises. An interesting note on the pandemic. It appears that some places, El Paso County, Texas for one, is counting every positive test as a NEW positive even it is the same person. One hospitalized woman was tested twelve times and it was reported as twelve new cases. In Florida some of the testing companies are only reporting positive cases and no negatives. So now even the data is suspect. We will get through this somehow, and I got my haircut yesterday, there is no shut down order, just yet. 

[LewiLewi]

21 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

On the other hand if you have arthritic joints, the warm water is nice even if you spend time moving slowly. Yesterday, the high for the day was only 90f, so the pool cooled off a bit, and it was back to the usual exercises. An interesting note on the pandemic. It appears that some places, El Paso County, Texas for one, is counting every positive test as a NEW positive even it is the same person. One hospitalized woman was tested twelve times and it was reported as twelve new cases. In Florida some of the testing companies are only reporting positive cases and no negatives. So now even the data is suspect. We will get through this somehow, and I got my haircut yesterday, there is no shut down order, just yet. 

Florida is out of control. No beds left in ICU’s, Hospitals running out of medicines.

 And a Governor who does nothing at all, not even mandating masks. We will need a complete lock down to get back to normal. People are getting angry with the lack of leadership in many of the 39 states where numbers are rising.

[Host Hattie]

We had our second Zoom Community Council meeting yesterday. Some signs of progress, the Play Rangers activity scheme for children can go ahead (outdoors only) & we think our Pavilion can re-open from Monday. 

We're hoping for an outside get together with our friends tomorrow afternoon & my MIL has gone to her caravan in West Wales for the first time this year.

Sorry to hear things are so bad in some places, stay safe everyone and have a good weekend.

 

[Lanky Lad]

I am a little worried as I live between to areas in Lancashire where the numbers are going up.  4 new cases in this area today.  It's all down to people not following the rules.  The are steps being taken so hopefully the numbers will start going in the right direction soon.

[Bigmike911]

5 minutes ago, Lanky Lad said:

I am a little worried as I live between to areas in Lancashire where the numbers are going up.  4 new cases in this area today.  It's all down to people not following the rules.  The are steps being taken so hopefully the numbers will start going in the right direction soon.

LL, you are right. If we play by the rules we will get through this. I look at the Texas Department of Health web site and the information is very interesting. Most of the cases now are between the ages of 20 and 50, with more on the earlier end than the higher. Right after bars and clubs reopened youg'uns acted like there was no problem and went crazy, this is the result, not to mention the 60,000 protester-rioters who filled the streets at the beginning of June with no masks and no social distancing. Time will heal us all, eventually. 

[oskidunker]

San Bruno Calif. about 72. Nice day. Still waiting to go in my first Cunard cruise. Have 2 scheduled for next oct. hopeful . 

 

My favorite post was the one about making the guy ring a bell while wearing a dark suit on formal night. 

Started watching the Crown on Netflix. Up to season 3. How accurate is it? Enjoying it. 
 

 

[Bigmike911]

I bit of a downer today. I looked at my diary, and had a notation that I had plans for Dinner with two great Sussex friends at Rules tonight. And tomorrow dinner with some great friends from Wimbledon at Lutyens at the Ned. Rules is still closed and will be til 1st September but Lutyens is open. This was to have been a fun prelude to my 22July westbound from Hamburg on QM2. I would have gone to GF Trumper for a shave this morning in anticipation of the evening's pleasures. Well, on to brighter things. I found a bottle of Dom Perignon 1998 in my larder and I put it to chill. I will open it on Monday Lunch, with family celebrating my birthday. I hope all of our Cunarders are well. 

[alc13]

1 hour ago, Bigmike911 said:

I bit of a downer today. I looked at my diary, and had a notation that I had plans for Dinner with two great Sussex friends at Rules tonight. And tomorrow dinner with some great friends from Wimbledon at Lutyens at the Ned. Rules is still closed and will be til 1st September but Lutyens is open. This was to have been a fun prelude to my 22July westbound from Hamburg on QM2. I would have gone to GF Trumper for a shave this morning in anticipation of the evening's pleasures. Well, on to brighter things. I found a bottle of Dom Perignon 1998 in my larder and I put it to chill. I will open it on Monday Lunch, with family celebrating my birthday. I hope all of our Cunarders are well. 

I wish I could find a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon in MY larder... 

 

An early Happy Birthday to you, Bigmike911.  Hope you get to see your UK friends before not too long.

[Bigmike911]

2 hours ago, alc13 said:

I wish I could find a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon in MY larder... 

 

An early Happy Birthday to you, Bigmike911.  Hope you get to see your UK friends before not too long.

Thank you ALC. Actually two DPs one '98 and one 2000, so I chose to ice the older. We have decided to 'defer' our dinners for a year. Hopefully Mother Nature will oblige.

[Kynance]

@Bigmike911 - happy birthday and enjoy the 🍾! 
 

I’ve had one or two bottles of champagne over the past few months as a treat, as well as Prosecco and other sparkling wine. I’m missing my “Cunard sparklers” in the Commodore Club though. On our last trip I tried an Aperol Spritz for the first time and saw a recipe for it recently - Aperol, Prosecco, a dash of soda and a slice of orange. It seems you can adjust all the quantities to taste and as I didn’t have any oranges I used raspberries instead. It was lovely and only the sea view was missing! 
 

On a more prosaic note, I have arranged a milk delivery with a company that also delivers lots of other useful grocery and household products and I am getting my first supermarket delivery at the end of the month. I really want to sign up with Ocado for deliveries from M&S in September but unfortunately they are not open to new accounts at the moment.  
 

Have a good week everyone.