pete14

Hopefully our son, who is a keen photographer, will assist in the photo taking.

Thanks again Selbourne for your balanced review. I am pleased the good things outweighed the not so good and that you and Lady Selbourne had such a good time. Hopefully I will post our experiences on Aurora from Wednesday (internet permitting) and hopefully I will be able to be as fair and positive as you have been. You may even see a real photograph of the Northern Lights but I can’t promise.

I do find it gratifying when the goodness in the majority shows through at this time of year. I was in Aldi this morning just before 11:00 am and the 2 minute silence was well observed. I have attended two football matches this month and at each, the last post and silence was observed perfectly by the thousands of people present. It just makes me wonder why people can’t be so respectful at all times and how much better things may be if they were.

Thanks Kalos, I look forward to more recollections and musings in time. Breakfast looks tasty but when plating it up, some more creative presentation would have been more impressive.

We are scheduled to be there on Nov 25 on Aurora and have heard nothing to say that we won’t be, so probably a change for specific operational reasons rather than passenger dissatisfaction with the port. We haven’t been there before but just intend to have a little wander around rather than planning anything.

I didn’t realise you have moved to Stoke

You have made my day by posting the wine list that shows that, despite being £13.40 a large glass, ‘Velvet Devil’ red wine is part of the drinks package that we have bought for our cruise next week. Not quite so positive about the orange jelly masquerading as marmalade though. A nice dark thick cut one like Frank Cooper’s Oxford or even that that Mrs Pete makes would be much better.

50% of the population may be reluctant to take any handbag to the buffet, never mind a brightly coloured or distinctive one.

If you did not buy the extra cruise cover on insurance to cover instances like missed ports, I think it is unlikely that you will be covered for this. If the policy says it comes with cruise cover as standard, that may mean the policy applies to cruises the same as other holidays and so will not cover missed ports. We fell foul of this with Aviva a few years ago so we now make sure we pay the supplement for cruise cover which includes missed ports.

I am glad somebody else is as infantile as I am about food presentation. 😊

Condolences Josy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

I think, as it is a potential health hazard for pork and chicken to be undercooked, it is always cooked to well done whereas beef can, and in my opinion should, be safely eaten with a degree of pink in the middle.

I used to love that song but it has been played to death every year.

So sorry for you and your family Josy. Life can sometimes seem so cruel to the best of people. I pray you can stay strong in your time of need so you can support the family, especially the younger and more fragile members.

Looks awful to me. ☹️ At least if you are on it you cannot see it from the outside.

I was born around the same time as Megabear but don’t think it matters when you were born to appreciate good music. I also don’t think that a seven year old has the maturity to ‘live through’ anything. Even their last ‘hit’ as a real group in 1970 would be a bit of a stretch, especially considering the huge variety of music throughout the 60s. The Beatles were good but in my view no better than many other creative bands in the 60s. Maybe they were managed and promoted better than others despite their misuse of illegal drugs that influenced some of their greatly praised (and possibly best) lyrics and music. I disliked Monster Mash but enjoyed Snoopy and the Red Baron.

Although I was never a great Beatles fan, I acknowledge their contribution to the history of music. However, there were many good bands in the 60s when I was growing up, the Beatles are just one of them and maybe not the best. I quite like the new song but maybe out of nostalgia. Much more preferable to much ‘modern music’ but in my view that is not saying a lot. I am not sure that a seven year old can know that an act is going to be very special though. Megabear - travelling the world to see bands would only be a dream to me. If I were to achieve the dream, I am not sure the two remaining Beatles would be on my list.

What a grinch you must be. 😉

I am also on the Aurora Northern Lights cruise leaving next week and was also surprised to receive the email. I wasn’t expecting it to be a Christmas themed cruise. Hopefully plentiful Christmas spirit will be flowing. It does seem a little early though.

I think the combination may reduce the effectiveness of the medication in some people but this is just my memory from what I have read. Not good for those of us who like grapefruit and grapefruit juice. ☹️

It is probably best to discuss this with your TA so that if things go wrong, you may have some comeback.

If you get one, it is a good idea to have one that films from the rear of the car as well as the front. Mine uses the reversing camera that is on the car as standard.

I had a bump in my car a couple of weeks ago. The other party admitted it was his fault entirely (which it was) and the insurance company and body shop (Halo in Crewe) were excellent. Although it didn’t prove to be necessary, the dash cam footage (minus the language on impact), would have removed any doubt. This is the first car I have owned that has a dash cam, I won’t buy one without in future.

What about ‘Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup’ (catering size)?

We always have fixed club dining at 6:30 which is pretty much when we eat at home. It removes any desire for afternoon tea as well, which helps the waistline; just about the only thing that does on a cruise.