Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Ray66]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

I think we've finally abandoned hope of being able to travel abroad again this year so I'm looking at something in the UK for September. We both need to use some holiday & hopefully the weather will be bearable.

 

Have you ever holidayed in North Wales? That's where we're off to today for a week - the day we should have boarded Iona for a week to the Fjords.

It's our first holiday of the year and we sometimes wondered if we would ever make it. We managed to get a cancellation. Everywhere seems to be booked out.

[Host Hattie]

15 minutes ago, Ray66 said:

Have you ever holidayed in North Wales?

Only for a long weekend, we've stayed in Portmeirion & Llandudno, I'd like to spend more time there and see more of the area.

Have a great time.

[Host Hattie]

@Camgirl thanks, the sun is out today and we have a sea breeze so it's a pleasant temperature under a tree in the back garden. Mr HH is out shopping for humane mouse traps, Biggles keeps bringing them in and losing them 😂.

I managed to catch one in the kitchen last night but the one running round the bedroom this morning is still on the loose !

[alc13]

Hot and humid - Maine is trending in that direction, during July, anyway.  I grew up in Baltimore, where summer was like a sauna bath.  Here at least the hot+humid season is shorter.

 

A joke - SJ Perelman, the American humor writer, once wrote a book about his world travels.  He titled one chapter, "It's not the heat, it's the cupidity."  Still makes me laugh.

[LewiLewi]

Summers in Southeastern Florida are generally around 35C/95F with very high humidity. These temperatures can begin end of April and last till the middle of Nov. We can have some slightly cooler weather, but generally it will be in the high 80’s or 90’s during that time. We are very dependent on AC down here.

We really are stuck at home since it is so unsafe to travel anywhere at this time. Some friends are driving up North to see family, but are concerned about accommodations along the way. Flying is out of the question for them at this time. We can only hope that things get better.

[Lanky Lad]

It's been a lovely day here, sunny but not too warm.  I went to the historic town of Clitheroe this afternoon and then down to Edisford Bridge on the river Ribble.  It was quite busy by the river, but people were social distancing. 

 

Before coming home, I watched a steam train pass through on its way back to London from Carlisle, down the famous Settle / Carlisle line.  A must do for any fans of scenic rail trips.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

...

 

Before coming home, I watched a steam train pass through on its way back to London from Carlisle, down the famous Settle / Carlisle line.  A must do for any fans of scenic rail trips.

If you are ever in the Northeast US, you might want to ride the Valley Railroad - up the West Bank of the Connecticut River from Essex to Chester - on some of the runs you are able (after a training session) to ride in the cab of the steam locomotive and control the throttle and whistle.

[Kynance]

Hi everyone - from sunny west Berkshire, where the BBC weather app has been predicting that tomorrow afternoon will feel like 39! 😰Frankly that fills me with dread as I really don’t get on with the heat - 23 is plenty warm enough for me! When it becomes so hot, I just stay at home and limit physical activity to try and stay cool. I know reports of the UK heatwave probably sound feeble to many of you based in the US, Australia and other much hotter climes but the UK really isn’t set up for the increasingly hot summers we probably need to expect. Most homes don’t have A/C and whilst a lot of offices have it - or what passes for it - lots of public, enclosed spaces don’t. Fortunately, if I were commuting right now I would at least have excellent A/C in my car. 
 

Quite a bit to report this week. Firstly, after 6 attempts at trying to mend a tumble  dryer which was barely 18 months old, John Lewis delivered a brand new one this week under the terms of their guarantee so at least I have soft towels again! 😊

 

I also took delivery of a new phone and have been busily setting it up this afternoon.  It’s got a great telephoto lens on it - would be superb for taking cruise holiday photos.  🙄

 

Friday was my first shopping trip out for more than 2 weeks - so the first time wearing a mask.  I just popped in quickly to Waitrose for perishable items and picked up the rest via their click & collect service. It was bearable for 30 minutes or so in the chilled section but I can’t see myself doing anything other than essential high street shopping for the foreseeable future. My aunt is asthmatic but has been wearing a mask because she can’t face the prospect of getting “looks” or having to explain herself each time, though she can only wear one for a short time before it has a negative effect on her. Likewise, a friend has an autistic teenage son who won’t wear one (they are compulsory for children over 11 in enclosed public spaces in England) - I hope people will be kind to those who genuinely can’t wear a mask and not rush to judgement when they see someone without one in the local supermarket or on the bus. 
 

That said, my other half and I are continuing to visit independent local shops and the excellent cafe by the canal, which is operating completely outdoors and now doing pizza evenings on Fridays & Saturdays. We treated ourselves Friday night as it was just too hot to cook and the pizzas were absolutely delicious. 
 

In other news, my partner successfully complained to Amazon when they suddenly withdrew a series from “Prime” which we were a third of the way through watching, without any notice. They agreed to refund the purchase price if we purchased, which we have now done - I guess they decided that Jeff Bezos didn’t need another £15 to add to his $190 billion dollars! 🤣
 

Finally, the best news of all is that we have managed to book a brilliant cottage in Cornwall for a few days in September. Having trawled through more than half a dozen websites, I was beginning to despair that we would find something we liked but by great good fortune we have managed to book a cottage privately rather than via one of the big online agencies - and as we know the owners, we can be assured of a great stay. So the moral of this story is, if you want a UK staycation in September book it now!! (Or yesterday.)
 

That’s it really. As you can tell, we have had a scintillating time recently, but I am grateful we continue to be well and are able to find pleasure in the small things in life. 
 

Have a good week everyone, stay cool, stay safe. 

[Lanky Lad]

21 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you are ever in the Northeast US, you might want to ride the Valley Railroad - up the West Bank of the Connecticut River from Essex to Chester - on some of the runs you are able (after a training session) to ride in the cab of the steam locomotive and control the throttle and whistle.

Now that sounds good.  I will have to add to my to do list. 

 

I am glad I am not in the South East at the moment, it's warm but not too bad up here in the North West of England.

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

Now that sounds good.  I will have to add to my to do list. 

 

I am glad I am not in the South East at the moment, it's warm but not too bad up here in the North West of England.

The Southeast US (never a place to be during the months of May through October) is a COVID pesthole because of the arrogant refusal of so many to feel a sense of social responsibility sufficient to overcome their sense of immortality.

 

At least in Connecticut we learned the lesson of New York and are keeping our distance -- but the current 90+ F humid days give us a different reason to "shelter in place" -- thankfully with air conditioning

[Camgirl]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:43 PM, Lanky Lad said:

Now that sounds good.  I will have to add to my to do list. 

 

I am glad I am not in the South East at the moment, it's warm but not too bad up here in the North West of England.

I'm in the south east and melting rapidly! We are going to try out the unheated outdoor pool today in an attempt at exercise that can actually be done outside. We will see how it goes......!

[navybankerteacher]

On 8/8/2020 at 8:27 AM, Host Hattie said:

@Camgirl thanks, the sun is out today and we have a sea breeze so it's a pleasant temperature under a tree in the back garden. Mr HH is out shopping for humane mouse traps, Biggles keeps bringing them in and losing them 😂.

I managed to catch one in the kitchen last night but the one running round the bedroom this morning is still on the loose !

Humane mouse traps are great - but the release bit of “catch and release” needs to be thought out.  We had a “Hav-a-Heart”  trap in our attic one winter, and every morning would find a field mouse - which we would release outside.  Finally getting suspicious, I started putting a dab of red paint on his/her haunch before release.  Yes - we were catching the same one.  I then would take the trap with me as I drove to the station to catch my train to NYC, and release the little recidivist over a mile from home.  After a week of this procedure I had finally transported the species out of our area —- reminiscent, I suppose, of the early colonization of Australia.

[Lanky Lad]

We have a spectacular thunderstorm last night.  There was almost constant lightening from Midnight and then thunder and lightening at about 1am.  I am glad I didn't have to get up early today.

[Host Hattie]

We've had a thunderstorm warning for most of the week but we've managed to dodge them so far. 

@navybankerteacher still no sign of anything in the traps, I usually catch and release into the field behind the house so I'm never sure if it's a different mouse every time. It's definitely not always the same as he does kill them now and again.

 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

 

... I'm never sure if it's a different mouse every time. 

...

 

They all look alike to me.

[Host Hattie]

Still no storms here but it's been much hotter here today so tonight could be the night.

Sad news about a train derailment in Scotland this morning.

 

[Kynance]

We had some thunder & lightening late afternoon and early evening, together with a powercut which lasted half a minute. Thankfully the temperature has come down a few degrees and it is starting to feel more comfortable, though it is still 27C in our front bedroom. 
 

Tomorrow I am making a rare trip to my office - I hope the air con is working. I’ve got to print and laminate some signage as we have some colleagues who will be returning to the workplace over the coming weeks and we have to ensure the building is “Covid-secure” with social distancing signage. 

[Lanky Lad]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Still no storms here but it's been much hotter here today so tonight could be the night.

Sad news about a train derailment in Scotland this morning.

 

I was very said to hear about the rail accident in Scotland. 

[Bigmike911]

On 8/11/2020 at 12:13 PM, Lanky Lad said:

We have a spectacular thunderstorm last night.  There was almost constant lightening from Midnight and then thunder and lightening at about 1am.  I am glad I didn't have to get up early today.

Here in South East Texas we experience amazing thunderstorms in the spring and summer as the warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cooler dry air moving in from the Rockies or the Great Plains. I am able to safely watch from my screened porch. I love seeing Mother Nature at her fury. Right now with a heat spell with high temperatures in the high 90s f lasting for the last few weeks. I could use one. 

 

Sorry to hear about the Train derailment in Scotland. Those of you in the U.K. have remarkable train service when compared to the U.S. And here because the passenger trains run over track owned by the freight railroads, the maintenance is not what is should be, so accidents are far more common here than in the U.K.  

[erniebernie]

We thought it was too good to be true...after 100 days of no contact transmission New Zealand now has 17 cases found in community and more to be expected so as of miday yesterday Auckland has moved to Level 3 and in lockdown while the rest of the country has moved to Level 2 .  which means  those of us not in Auckland have to do social distancing and  signing into stores which in the grand scheme of things is no great bother. Government havent decided if masks will be manditory or not  so while we wait im making "Sock Masks"  with newly bought sock😁. And now for the weather... its Winter here in New Zealand  and here in the South Island we have been getting days of 14,16, and 18 degrees C which is amazing but sadly the snow on mountains near us is fast disapearing. Mt Hutt  and inland Kaikoras. Sadly we cancelled our travel insurance yesterday for our 2021 Alaska cruise  but on a pleasant note the money was in the bank the very next day!! Stay safe everyone.

[LewiLewi]

We have thunderstorms almost on a daily basis during July and August in South Florida. Some are very loud and damaging. I used to enjoy watching and listening to them, but too often our electrical systems are knocked out by them, and we will be without AC and other systems until power is restored. Fortunately, this is happening less and less as the electrical company has moved more wires underground.

On the subject of loose mice running around the bedroom(HH), I freak out if a gecko is running around my house, especially my bedroom. These little critters are very common in Florida. They are harmless but the idea of one climbing into my bed while I’m sleeping will keep me awake until I’ve caught it and thrown it outside. 
I am envious of all of you who are able to take even a little vacation, or even sit outside at a restaurant for a few hours. It is still not safe to do that here. I just keep looking at future cruise brochures on line and think about the future.

[Host Hattie]

Sorry to hear about the recurrence in Auckland @erniebernie, I hope it's under control soon.

We escaped the worst of the storm again, there was lightening in the distance and heavy rain but nothing too dramatic.

It's a big exam results day here today, except nobody took exams so there's lots of complaining about exam boards downgrading teachers' assessments. It doesn't seem quite as bad in Wales as in England, if my friends and family are anything to go by.

@LewiLewi our lights were flickering a bit last night but fortunately no power cuts yet. I was amused to read that they've had to restart a coal fired power station as wind generation has dropped so much and gas fired stations are struggling in the heat. Mr HH used to work in a coal fired station until it was closed down to help save the planet.

[navybankerteacher]

Just back from local beach - a real gulley-washer of a thunderstorm cut our stay short. Great lightning flashes, and the thunder so powerful you could feel vibration;  heavy rain stil falling.  The best part is that temperature now (2:30 PM) is just 75 —   21 lower than yesterday afternoon - hopefully a lot of the humidity got squeezed out of the air

Edited August 13, 2020 by navybankerteacher

[vettprincess]

13 hours ago, erniebernie said:

We thought it was too good to be true...after 100 days of no contact transmission New Zealand now has 17 cases found in community and more to be expected so as of miday yesterday Auckland has moved to Level 3 and in lockdown while the rest of the country has moved to Level 2 .  which means  those of us not in Auckland have to do social distancing and  signing into stores which in the grand scheme of things is no great bother. Government havent decided if masks will be manditory or not  so while we wait im making "Sock Masks"  with newly bought sock😁. And now for the weather... its Winter here in New Zealand  and here in the South Island we have been getting days of 14,16, and 18 degrees C which is amazing but sadly the snow on mountains near us is fast disapearing. Mt Hutt  and inland Kaikoras. Sadly we cancelled our travel insurance yesterday for our 2021 Alaska cruise  but on a pleasant note the money was in the bank the very next day!! Stay safe everyone.

I was excited to hear you had no more cases/transmission in New Zealand. But short lived. In Minnesota we have mask rules but lots do not follow. I stay home most of the time because of the crime around here and covid disease but do go to a few grocery stores. And doc appts. We have a hot summer and many storms. Positive-a bumper crop of tomatoes. Almost done making t sauce and dishes for winter.  We are hoping to go back on the QM2 next year from NYC to the northeast/Canada.

Take care and stay safe.

 

 

 

[Bigmike911]

2 hours ago, vettprincess said:

I was excited to hear you had no more cases/transmission in New Zealand. But short lived. In Minnesota we have mask rules but lots do not follow. I stay home most of the time because of the crime around here and covid disease but do go to a few grocery stores. And doc appts. We have a hot summer and many storms. Positive-a bumper crop of tomatoes. Almost done making t sauce and dishes for winter.  We are hoping to go back on the QM2 next year from NYC to the northeast/Canada.

Take care and stay safe.

 

 

 

Vette Princess, good to hear from you. Glad to know you are o.k. After all the stuff going on in MSP and around the country you have had a rough summer. Other than heat and lot's of it. things are quiet in S.E. Texas. It's nice to live in the country away from the troubles of the big cities. The good news for you is that Winter will be here in a snap and that should put a stop to the gangs, protester/rioters and their hangers on. I remember Winter in Minnesota.