The Daily for Tuesday Jan 12, 2021

[Vict0riann]

1 hour ago, USN59-79 said:

Ann

Could you let us know what you mean by bottling wine?  Do you buy different wines and blend them yourself?  I have been making my own beer for years with a Cooper's beer brewing kit.  Recently my DD sent me a wine making kit with some recipes, but I haven't tried it yet.  The simplest seems to be to start with fresh apple juice and make cider with it.  However, I am not familiar with blending different wines to make your own blend.

Spent most of this morning checking in on the HAL website for our next three cruises.

There are lots of "wine-making" shops in BC - it actually is just a way to avoid the tax!  You go in and sprinkle the yeast on the grape juice mix, we like the NZ kits.  There are many, many blends to choose from, I think we may even still have a few bottles of a chocolate port we made a few years ago.  When the wine is ready in the shop, you take your empty bottles in and use their equipment to bottle it all.   Then, at home, it has to age for a few months before it's ready to drink.    I know that some of our neighbours have all the equipment at home, so all they have to do is to buy the kits, and the rest they do at home.

 

One time when we were in Ireland, we went to a nice restaurant DH's cousin took us to, and the bartender told us she had just been in Canada, and wanted us to try a wonderful wine she had brought back - it was a Mission Hill merlot!

[Vict0riann]

50 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Ditto!  Can’t understand the outdoor restrictions here when school is in.   

Dr. Bonnie has said that there is very little transmission in schools, and it is so important to keep the children learning, and I suppose parents have to work...  that said three schools have closed here for deep-cleaning, two private schools and one, I think it's a junior high, due to cases of COVID.

Edited January 12, 2021 by Vict0riann

[Red Haired Lady]

After the Maasdam left Sydney it was two days at sea before we arrived at Mare, New Caledonia. (No, this travelogue is not exactly on the right date, but close.)

 

I did not have any excursions planned so I just got off, walked around a little and got back on.  I am not a sit-in-the-sun kind of girl.  

The Maasdam at anchor in Mare, New Caledonia.

 

 

Tomorrow we will be at Lifou, New Caledonia to see a vanilla plantation.

 

Janet

[StLouisCruisers]

Confirmation that MIL has tested positive again for Covid.  She is doing very well, according to nursing staff and hospice worker.  Just the cough.  I've always said she'll live to be 100.

[Red Haired Lady]

This is definitely my day.  I only drink tea, prefer iced to hot, and spend many hours planning travel.  Like planning it far better than cancelling it!

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Red Haired Lady

[Red Haired Lady]

..

Edited January 12, 2021 by Red Haired Lady

[StLouisCruisers]

4 minutes ago, Red Haired Lady said:

Positive?  I hope you mean negative?

No I mean positive.  She tested twice (rapid and PCR) for Covid and has it for sure.

 

Edited to add she tested positive about 10 days after she got her first vaccination for Covid.  Now they will have to probably wait for the second or start over again on shots for her.  Another lady tested positive the same day.  Every week they have a couple of people test positive.  It is so frustrating!!

Edited January 12, 2021 by StLouisCruisers

[cat shepard]

4 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

No I mean positive.  She tested twice (rapid and PCR) for Covid and has it for sure.

I am so sorry!

[bennybear]

52 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

The three stages of tea deprivation:

1) I’d sell my soul for a really nice, properly brewed pot of tea right now!

2) I’d sell my soul for ANY cup of tea right now!

3) Hand me that tea bag. They chew tobacco, don’t they?

Lol!  I so miss the loose Indonesian green tea when HAL had the Indonesian teas 

[bennybear]

8 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

No I mean positive.  She tested twice (rapid and PCR) for Covid and has it for sure.

 

Edited to add she tested positive about 10 days after she got her first vaccination for Covid.  Now they will have to probably wait for the second or start over again on shots for her.  Another lady tested positive the same day.  Every week they have a couple of people test positive.  It is so frustrating!!

Yikes!   Hope she is ok!  A friends mom had her shot last week and now has tested positive,  but asymptomatic in long term care.  

[bennybear]

13 minutes ago, Red Haired Lady said:

This is definitely my day.  I only drink tea, prefer iced to hot, and spend many hours planning travel.  Like planning it far better than cancelling it!

 

I love the unsweetened ice tea in the states!  Love the mango and passion fruit ones in the Mexican restaurants!  But no travel,  no good ice tea,  far too cold here for ice! 

[bennybear]

33 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

There are lots of "wine-making" shops in BC - it actually is just a way to avoid the tax!  You go in and sprinkle the yeast on the grape juice mix, we like the NZ kits.  There are many, many blends to choose from, I think we may even still have a few bottles of a chocolate port we made a few years ago.  When the wine is ready in the shop, you take your empty bottles in and use their equipment to bottle it all.   Then, at home, it has to age for a few months before it's ready to drink.    I know that some of our neighbours have all the equipment at home, so all they have to do is to buy the kits, and the rest they do at home.

 

One time when we were in Ireland, we went to a nice restaurant DH's cousin took us to, and the bartender told us she had just been in Canada, and wanted us to try a wonderful wine she had brought back - it was a Mission Hill merlot!

 We used to make our own wines still have all the equipment.  It was not bad, but doesn’t age well. So now we just buy it 😄
 

Our house had a wine cellar in it and we wondered how we ever fill it.   Well....

 

 I was just looking at an auction site, the saddest thing was they were auctioning off all this very expensive wine.  My thoughts were that it was so sad they never got to drink it.  So I do my part 🤷‍♀️ Not that I will ever try Petrus. 

Edited January 12, 2021 by bennybear

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Being from Texas, I am an iced tea girl.  I never acquired the taste for coffee — too bitter.  I admit I have  a sweet tooth.  
 

Ordering tea in the US can be a challenge.  In the southern part, when you order tea, it comes iced.  But watch out!  In the deep south, if you don’t say unsweetened, you will get very, very sweet tea.  In the northern states, tea is hot unless you specify iced tea.  If it wintertime, be prepared for some vey strange looks.

 

Lenda 

[rafinmd]

FYI, Celebrity Edge should be leaving Port Everglades soon.

 

Roy

[lindaler]

Just dropping in to say hi to everyone. Five pages already. I’ll catch up and read everything when I get home. 

[VMax1700]

13 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

FYI, Celebrity Edge should be leaving Port Everglades soon.

 

Roy

She has just left PE.  Did anyone get sound? 

[rafinmd]

7 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

She has just left PE.  Did anyone get sound? 

Not a peep.  No air horns, no planes passing by, nothing.  I think the microphone there is still down.

 

Roy

[VMax1700]

Just now, rafinmd said:

Not a peep.  No air horns, no planes passing by, nothing.  I think the microphone there is still down.

 

Roy

Shame about the sound.

The picture quality is very good though.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

YEAH!  Just got our appointments for the vaccine!  We get them on the 27th in Phoenix after 6 pm.  Not fond of driving back to after dark, but better than not getting jabs!

 

Lenda

[rafinmd]

3 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

YEAH!  Just got our appointments for the vaccine!  We get them on the 27th in Phoenix after 6 pm.  Not fond of driving back to after dark, but better than not getting jabs!

 

Lenda

How long is the drive?

 

Roy

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

How long is the drive?

 

Roy

About 2 hours depending on traffic.  
 

[Happily@Sea]

35 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Shame about the sound.

The picture quality is very good though.

 

Absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder - the Edge is still one very ugly ship. I don't miss seeing it block one of our DAM ships - every Sunday. 

 

Other than that, I really miss the sail-aways. 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Happily@Sea

[baltic17]

Wet and wild here in Oregon, as previously mentioned.  The wind has been pretty fierce knocking down a few trees in our area.

 

Thoughts and prayers with all.  Congrats to those of you able to get your jabs, may need to take a trip somewhere to get one as we are very far behind here.

 

 

 

[kazu]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

No I mean positive.  She tested twice (rapid and PCR) for Covid and has it for sure.

 

Edited to add she tested positive about 10 days after she got her first vaccination for Covid.  Now they will have to probably wait for the second or start over again on shots for her.  Another lady tested positive the same day.  Every week they have a couple of people test positive.  It is so frustrating!!

😱 😢 

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

No I mean positive.  She tested twice (rapid and PCR) for Covid and has it for sure.

 

Edited to add she tested positive about 10 days after she got her first vaccination for Covid.  Now they will have to probably wait for the second or start over again on shots for her.  Another lady tested positive the same day.  Every week they have a couple of people test positive.  It is so frustrating!!

Wow!  I'm so sorry.  Yes, frustrating!!

 

Pleased to see the number of posters who have been able to get their vaccinations.  DH and I are in Phase 1b, or those 70 and over.  They're still doing Phase 1a,  medical workers, first responders and residents of care facilities.   The estimated time to our phase is 1-3 months, I'll be 70 by then. Never thought I'd be looking forward to turning 70, LOL.   I'm anxious to get it done.  

Edited January 12, 2021 by Cruising-along