Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[UKCruiseJeff]

To return to more 'savoury' topics - your butter chicken looked lovely; I admit to never having cooked it but eaten the Waitrose offering, which is not bad but I am sure not the same. I hope your waffle experiment works - sorry if I was a bit rude about it, but I don't have a sweet tooth - prefer drinks like Campari and Margaritas to sweet things.

 

On a genuine Silversea topic; I was very sad indeed to read about Judi. We met several wonderful CDs on Silversea - they definitely outshone most of Seabourn's - like Ray Solaire and Colin Brown, but Judi was so warm and friendly, especially to solo travellers. (She thought I was one when DH was not around for half a day). So often it is the best people who leave us.

 

 

Helo Lincslady,

 

Thanks for your kind note about my waffle waffleings! I syill yearn for something cripsy involving bananas but it is on a back burner.

 

On the genuine Silversea topic that you raise. To be honest, I don't disagree but I certainly feel uncomfortable about the other comments a little and some in the other thread.

 

I met Judi a few times and she was a nice lady. She worked for Silversea and she was really great at her job. Better than many. I am pleased that for you she was better than others that worked for other lines, but I'm not clear that it is courterous to those others to mention at her death that they are deficient by comparison. They are just different and presumably do the best they can.

 

I also have to be completely honest - even though I will go to reasonable lengths to see the Cooler and CC SS prosper and not wish to lose any of our fragile community - but I do not agree wth the observation that "So often it is the best people who leave us" is true. All of us leave us. Even the people you name as deficient by comparison to Judi employed by SB as CDs. They have feelings and you have named them. I am sure you would be mortified if you thought that they or their familes would read your comments. I know you are lovely and meant no offence. But the comments might be hurtful.

 

I'll say nothing more of the other thread as I am already behind on the overall scheme of things.

 

I mean no harm, but I waffle about waffles and about non-waffles.

 

Jeff

Edited September 26, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff

[lincslady]

No no Jeff dear - you have got it wrong. I must have phrased it badly, but Colin and Ray were also excellent Silversea DCs. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I would not dream of being critical of anyone by name on CC.

[UKCruiseJeff]

No no Jeff dear - you have got it wrong. I must have phrased it badly, but Colin and Ray were also excellent Silversea DCs. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I would not dream of being critical of anyone by name on CC.

 

Thanks for clarifying.

 

:)

[lincslady]

Sorry about the litle contretemps re Judi. Rereading my remarks, I can see how they read the way you interpreted them: I am too inclined to use dashes! And you are quite right about my cliche about the best people leaving us - not my finest hour. Oh dear, there is another dash. Anyhoo, re CDs, the only ones we have met on SS were those three people, all of whom were exceptional, whereas on Seabourn we have met many more, and many are great, but obviously some were not to our taste, being a much larger group.

 

Does anyone know the current whereabouts of Ray Solaire?

[UKCruiseJeff]

Sorry about the litle contretemps re Judi. Rereading my remarks, I can see how they read the way you interpreted them: I am too inclined to use dashes! And you are quite right about my cliche about the best people leaving us - not my finest hour. Oh dear, there is another dash. Anyhoo, re CDs, the only ones we have met on SS were those three people, all of whom were exceptional, whereas on Seabourn we have met many more, and many are great, but obviously some were not to our taste, being a much larger group.

 

Does anyone know the current whereabouts of Ray Solaire?

 

 

You are lovely to be so sensitive!

 

We only ever had one CD who we disliked with an unsurpassed passion. I cannot currently remember his real name - I seemed to have blocked it out. We called him Tannoy Tommy. Everyone must have a nickname. He wouldn't leave the ships personal address system alone. To identify him to others he always said "To the port side .... the left hand side".

 

He ruined a moment for us that I had always been looking forward to providing for wifey. A really looked forward to moment. It was entering the Venice lagoon in the early morning mist which we had fantacised would be taken quietly to take in the atmosphere. Instead he shouted incessently and there was no escape. Loved his own voice and he ensured that there was nowhere quiet to escape from him. It seemed to confuse him that some people might actually like taking in an atmosphere quietly.

 

On one occaision we were taking an after lunch doze and he managed to switch on the emergency PA channel ie to all suites from the bridge. So we were woken up by Tannoy Tommy shouting at the top of his voice "And the the port side .... the left hand side".

 

Later we passed him talking to some passengers saying indignantly "and some really quite horrible people complained about my commentary ........" after we called the bridge and asked to be at least spared from his constant shouting when we were in the suite dozing and minding our own business.

 

I wish they would confine commentaries to a small section perhaps at the back of the ship so it is optional for those that want it rather than mandatory for all.

[lincslady]

Sailing in and out of Venice is one of life's lovely experiences. We have had it spoiled for us by fellow passengers, who insist on talking to you all the time!

 

This weekend could be tricky for Seabourn Spirit, both embarking and disembarking maybe. She will be at the San Basilio pier on Monday,right opposite the Guidecca, while the jolllifications of the Clooney wedding will probably still be taking place, and it sounds as though the authorities are being asked to close various canals etc. etc.

 

Re the dreaded DLT etc. - I wonder (you will know Jeff, having been involved in that scene many years ago) whether his behaviour would be considered by him to have been less appalling that Saville? I believe a Judge may have suggested that.

 

I can well remember having my bottom patted often whenever I was near someone who was my superior at work, and that was just par for the course. But it did not go any further than that, so we just used to swat his hand off. Anything more intrusive would not have been thinkable in those days, at least not in my experience. (Limited)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Re the dreaded DLT etc. - I wonder (you will know Jeff, having been involved in that scene many years ago) whether his behaviour would be considered by him to have been less appalling that Saville? I believe a Judge may have suggested that.

 

 

 

Savilles behaviour was more apalling because he was doing things including raping prisoners when he was effectively governor, under-aged kids, adults with learning difficulties and I hate to remind - most shokingly - the deceased.

 

DLT was/is basically a serial groper. When the rumour first emerged during Saville that a BBC empoyee was being investigated, wifey asked me who it was and I told her straight away "DLT". He use to disguise the groping under the guise it was a huge joke. Many will understand how this works. He gropes and if a female objects he immediatly accuses the person of over-reaction to a "bit of fun".

 

I'm not sure where the Beeb is with the enquiry which seems to get ever wider in scope and further into the long grass. There was an ethos at the Beeb in the late 60's and early 70's that all were lucky to work there - particularly young females as the majority of talent in Radio was male and that they should take the ethos like a "man" and not complain. Complaints nearly always ended up either not being pursued or batted away or females leaving.

 

The organisation was completely different in different locations. Bush House - where a fair amount of BBC Overseas was broadcast from, was different completely in ethos to White City ie Top of The Pops and Great Portland Street ie Radio 1.

 

Bush House was more mature in environment ... for example a fair number of radio producers and continuity announcers where female even then - and I once did a programme called "Good Morning Africa" which wasn't one of my finest efforts ..... on account of my inability to pronounce any of the undecipherable names of more than 3 letters long on the hoof. I became more anxious with each new word. I didn't last long. Bush House was iconic and a great loss - although part of it has just become a hotel where I had a free night a few months ago.

 

Nostalgia isn't what it was. :D

[specialcruisegirl]

Good morning from a very pleasantly warm and sunny Yorkieland!

It does brighten one up despite deciding to cook a Sunday roast...:rolleyes:

 

Tomorrow is going to be crunch day to see if my viewers will bite and buy the house...it's also going to be serious packing day...I hope!

 

Happy Sunday

 

S:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good morning from a very pleasantly warm and sunny Yorkieland!

It does brighten one up despite deciding to cook a Sunday roast...:rolleyes:

 

Tomorrow is going to be crunch day to see if my viewers will bite and buy the house...it's also going to be serious packing day...I hope!

 

Happy Sunday

 

S:)

 

 

Everything is crossed! Hope it goes well. :)

 

Yesterday was a wfe-free day so I had "Self-Indulgent Brunch" with cider and apple pie with cold custard!

 

 

 

[lincslady]

Hello coolers

 

Jeff, that brunch looks very tasty, though a lot of calories/fat etc.etc. We are getting fed up with being told one minute to eat no fat, then no sugar, then no bread and potatoes, which is why most of us sensible ones are doing as we please.

 

Sophia - lots of luck with the sale. Funnily enough our last house sale was agreed while we were on board a cruise ship, with faxes, as it then was, flying around. It certainly made the trip even more enjoyable. It is no fun selling, especially if your house is quirky or interesting and therefore only appealing to a more limited market. Ours was, a lovely old house but needed some work and cost a lot to heat. One of our kids is at present in the same situation, with a quirky old grade 2 listed house which viewers love, but they have the usual reservations. It has to be real love almost at first sight (much as with people I guess). Anyway, do hope you get your firm offer before or during your cruise.

 

LL

 

P.S. We are getting near to 100,000 views, have you noticed?

[TLCOhio]

Sailing in and out of Venice is one of life's lovely experiences.

 

Appreciate the mention of Venice, especially for the greatness in doing the sail-in and sail-out there. Below are a couple of my visuals to bring back those memories for others. More on Venice are on the added thread connected below.

 

With the George Clooney wedding there this weekend, I enjoyed so much checking out the Daily Mail last night from London with so many wonderful pictures of the "stars" in Venice for that event, George looking great in his tux, etc.

 

Excellent fun!! Love Venice!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting is now at 42,333 views and I appreciate those who have dropped by and tuned in.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

 

Don’t miss the sail-out and/or sail-in for Venice. This was our view from the top of our ship as we approached the historic center of Venice. On a beautiful day, as we enjoyed, this is so spectacular!!!:

 

 

 

Here is a tighter shot of the main square and the crowds that were there around 1 pm on June 14, 2011.:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hello coolers

 

Jeff, that brunch looks very tasty, though a lot of calories/fat etc.etc. We are getting fed up with being told one minute to eat no fat, then no sugar, then no bread and potatoes, which is why most of us sensible ones are doing as we please.

 

Sophia - lots of luck with the sale. Funnily enough our last house sale was agreed while we were on board a cruise ship, with faxes, as it then was, flying around. It certainly made the trip even more enjoyable. It is no fun selling, especially if your house is quirky or interesting and therefore only appealing to a more limited market. Ours was, a lovely old house but needed some work and cost a lot to heat. One of our kids is at present in the same situation, with a quirky old grade 2 listed house which viewers love, but they have the usual reservations. It has to be real love almost at first sight (much as with people I guess). Anyway, do hope you get your firm offer before or during your cruise.

 

LL

 

P.S. We are getting near to 100,000 views, have you noticed?

 

 

Good Afternoon Lovely Lady From Lincolnshire ......... ;)

 

For reasons that could well be the subject of a whole thread I am now belatedly convinced that the life-length extending industry of which components are the NHS,and in particular GPs, the pharmecutical industry, weightloss industries, fad food industries and others are collectively obsessing all of us on issues that some of which might be sensible and/or relevant but are largely intended to stress people instead of suggesting they simply be sensible and get on with the very short time we have here. I haven't had a brunch like that for months and hadn't even planned it. It was what was in the fridge. S8d them all. :D The health industry have ruined bits of my life and many others.

 

You have noticed a bit of a landmark I guess re 100,000 peeps at this place of total irrelevance and irrevereance.

 

I'm a bit suprised to see that the odd person has had a sideways glance at the cooler. I really, really hope more come and join. I sort of like to feel it's a bit of a table in the main dining room feels is a sanctury. A "give us a break" from some of the other tables we have been on for a sub-prime dinner. I at least share my food! :D

 

I think it has had the slight influence in quietening down some of those that use to post simply to offend and get their rocks off by being nasty. Some still do. Sad for them. I'd love to see less people compete on other threads on what sometimes appears to be a pseudo-niceness competition ie under the pretence of being amiable and sort of pious use every opportunity to boast about how much more they cruise than others and how much more they know and are interested in particular named members of staff. It puts new people off and seems often intended to simply make the poster feel better about putting their stake into the ground of how important they are in the status front. It may just be a cultural thing that perplexes me simply because I am an uncultured shy and as you know ignorant Brit. But the obessing - sometimes - it seems to be clearly intended to be boastful - about which member of staff is where and how they were the said person's besty friends simply reminds me of 60's groupyism - and I do not understand it at all. It is rarely about named ordinary cruise staff - but most often about the senior staff. It's the bar man that gives me more joy than the captain but I am simply working class.

 

The cooler is a place I hope to be a sancturary - but not clinically clean - that allows for vigorous debate and argument but also the discussion of mundanity which for me seems more important than the important stuff. I think an error that may inhibit some to participate is that we want to hear about what people are doing today and they needn't compete on niceness by asking of others what they are doing. Simply say what you are doing and thinking. Just tell us what you are eating and what is going on today to me is more than good enough.

 

So .... 100,000 is hopefully a mere circle in the ocean!

 

EDITED: Terry ....... your pictures are so lovely and remind me of the wonderfulness of Venice. I must see if I can found something taken in the morning and very mysterious mists. It will of course not refelct the horribleness of Tannoy Tommy ... but you can imagine that!

 

Today I have made wifey some spit-roasted shoulder of lamb with gravy and mash and peas and some little yorkshire puds!

 

Edited September 28, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff

[lincslady]

Thanks Terry for those lovely pictures - how lovely it would have been to be a guest at the wedding!

 

We are having lamb tonight too, hoping there is a last bit of mint in the garden to make sauce with.

 

I get your point Jeff about the people who boast so much on some boards - I know I do mention names of super staff, but would never say I was a great friend to any; mainly because I am not. They certainly make a difference to a cruise, but apart from the Captain, chef and maitre'd not that much. On another nameless board at present there is so much going on about (trying not to be too obvious)being 'considerably richer than yow' which I came away from some time ago as there was definite bitchiness going on. And on Seabourn someone who knows and is friends with everyone important who drives me mad with their silly posts. (No names, no pack drill).

 

It is a lovely early autumn day here, the fields now being got ready for the next crop and the trees turning a little - drove down to our 'designer outlet' and got some rather snazzy jeans with quite a lot off the price! Some days are really nice, aren't they?

[TLCOhio]

Thanks Terry for those lovely pictures - how lovely it would have been to be a guest at the wedding!

 

Yes, would have loved to have been there in Venice. Great weather and fun. Below are a couple of pictures from the Daily Mail over this weekend. Love seeing the sights, buildings, architecture, history, character, etc., of this unique Italian town in such a world-class setting.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 184,719 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

From the Daily Mail in London, here are two of the many pictures they have on their website. First shows George and his new bride on the day after the ceremony enroute to a Sunday brunch. Great Venice background, right? Second was George in his tux on the way to the ceremony. Lots of other boats are all around them on the Grand Canal, including photographers working to get lots of pictures of the stars. Fun!!:

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Terry for those lovely pictures - how lovely it would have been to be a guest at the wedding!

 

We are having lamb tonight too, hoping there is a last bit of mint in the garden to make sauce with.

 

I get your point Jeff about the people who boast so much on some boards - I know I do mention names of super staff, but would never say I was a great friend to any; mainly because I am not. They certainly make a difference to a cruise, but apart from the Captain, chef and maitre'd not that much. On another nameless board at present there is so much going on about (trying not to be too obvious)being 'considerably richer than yow' which I came away from some time ago as there was definite bitchiness going on. And on Seabourn someone who knows and is friends with everyone important who drives me mad with their silly posts. (No names, no pack drill).

 

It is a lovely early autumn day here, the fields now being got ready for the next crop and the trees turning a little - drove down to our 'designer outlet' and got some rather snazzy jeans with quite a lot off the price! Some days are really nice, aren't they?

 

You need not worry. Personally I think most people clearly see and differentiate the difference between serial and continual pathalogical boasting and simply talking about the joyful memory of a past cruise or the genuine unbridled excitement about the next one or two. It is pretty clear to me. I think it's something else entirely! Some also seek to trivialise others by constantly dishonesltly rather than innocuously boasting. Some of this can be more than simple harmful fun if say over a 10 year period .... but I will say no more. ;)

 

I am so looking forward to winter. I'm hoping that some who sometimes post here but live in snow post us pictures and share. I'm hoping to get down to Mottisfont where they have some ancient sweet chestnut trees I have identified

some mature sweet chestnut trees.

 

:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Terry, please some pictures of where you live, and walk and eat!

 

:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Dave Lee Travis.

 

 

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/share/uuid/218a9a72-458a-11e4-92bc-f4ebcfb43c5f

 

'This is all your fault, Camilla. You kicked things off'

 

 

It was soon after Camilla Long interviewed him that the former DJ and serial groper Dave Lee Travis came under investigation. As she saw him convicted last week she was plagued by memories of his abusive behaviour

 

I have waited two years and sat through two trials, including nearly 40 hours of deliberation by two separate juries, to be able to say what I already knew to be true: that the former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis is a compulsive groper and sexual opportunist.

 

He thought nothing of forcing himself on a 22-year-old studio assistant when he was a guest on The Mrs Merton Show nearly two decades ago, and he was still chancing it in his late sixties when I interviewed him before his arrest by Operation Yewtree on suspicion of “historic” sex offences.

 

Travis put his hands all over me. I’ve never been around someone who feels the need to touch other people so much. I don’t think it’s because he likes women particularly — I’m not even sure he regards them as people, just nice warm places he can temporarily rest his hands, like the hand-dryer in a public lavatory.

 

“I spent 90 minutes with Dave Lee Travis and I don’t think there was a part of my body he didn’t grope,” I wrote in these pages on June 17, 2012.

 

“He fondled my foot, inched his hands up my thighs, tried to make me sit on his lap and kissed me. He copped a feel of my hips when I foolishly asked for a tour of his studio, stroked my chin and my back and gave me a full body hug as I left.”

 

Not that any of these accusations seemed to bother DLT. He didn’t respond to the piece, except for emailing to ask us to remove his photos from The Sunday Times’s website.

 

He still seemed supremely upbeat and cocky when he arrived for both his trials at Southwark crown court, a brown blockhouse near London Bridge where both Rolf Harris and Max Clifford were sentenced to jail this year for their own sleazy roles in the showbiz sex scandals unearthed since the death of Jimmy Savile.

 

Travis held court next to the coffee shop in the lobby with his flinty blonde wife, Marianne, and his former assistant Amanda Townley.

 

Townley was among several defence witnesses who conceded that Travis was “tactile” and liked “giving bear hugs” but insisted she had never heard or seen anything unpleasant.

 

I am sure Marianne might have claimed the same if she had taken the stand, even though she was in the same room when her husband kissed me and massaged my thigh. I asked her later what she thought of his behaviour and she said: “I just ignore him.”

 

He did not ignore me. Beckoning me over last Monday during the third day of jury deliberations at his second trial, he asked me what I wanted out of “this”. “Because this”, he snapped, “is all your fault. The interview you did kicked everything off.”

 

I tried to say, “No, I think it’s your fault, Dave”, but he swept on: “But did any of it really happen, Camilla? We can go through it all now if you like, the stuff about getting in another grope in the studio. Did that really happen?”

 

I thought, “Is this man for real?”, and began to walk away.

 

“Don’t make the same mistake again,” he bellowed nastily after me.

 

In the end he was given a three-month suspended sentence for groping the breasts of the victim from The Mrs Merton Show.

 

Now a well-known television presenter, she convinced the jury he had committed an indecent assault. All the other charges failed.

 

But during the long and disheartening weeks of evidence, I could only think one thing. Based on my own experience, every sloppy kiss, every brushed hip, every fondled thigh, every stroked back, every wet moment and “friendly” squeeze — everything that his accusers claimed in evidence — was true for me.

 

THROUGHOUT Travis’s trials his habit of touching women was treated by everyone around him, including his three former assistants and various celebrity-worshipping flunkeys, as a sign of his brilliance, part of his charm, part of the package, part of the whole groovy Seventies thing.

 

His defenders stretched, during one bizarre week in the first trial, to a former member of the band Pickettywitch, a former dancer with Pan’s People, and one of the Chuckle Brothers, who turned up to reassure the jury he had not come across Travis inserting his fingers into the trousers of a stage hand in a dressing room while he was playing the evil wizard Abanazar in Aladdin at the Hawth in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1990.

 

Yet the tawdry saga was the ultimate reversal for a cheesy lothario who had played so heavily on his power as a ladies’ man, wearing open shirts and licking a woman on Top of the Pops, now reduced to joylessly dissecting every last parp and honk in a strip-lit and airless courtroom.

 

How different he seemed in the dock — ashen, old, irascible, banging the table, holding his head in his hands — from the swaggering self-congratulatory elder statesman of pop who offered me a selection of vintage groping anecdotes when I visited him at his home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, two years ago.

 

In June 2012 he happily told me about the time he had touched a newsreader in the studio, how he had “grabbed her knee”, how someone he later described as “very, very famous” had even groped him. And yet when it came to giving evidence in court, he couldn’t remember a thing.

 

He failed to remember meeting any of the alleged victims, which seemed extraordinary in the case of a journalist who had visited his home in 2008. She claimed she had arrived at his house and conducted an interview, after which he had asked to photograph her. She said in court she had tried to put him off by saying “my boobs aren’t big enough”, whereupon he tried them for size by grabbing them.

 

Travis denied her claim, saying he was professional and knew where the boundaries with touching a journalist lay. The jury failed to reach a verdict on these allegations.

 

This made my blood boil. He touched me so inappropriately during our interview that you can hear the grunting and the snuffling on the tape. By the time the photographer arrived, I had to explain that he had a problem with touching because he would not stop holding my hand. I say problem but what I mean is a pathological inability to stop himself pawing women, especially if he had been paid a compliment (he kissed me after I stupidly told him I thought he looked youthful).

 

I came away from the interview feeling like a non-person, odd and dirty and used, a feeling all women will recognise, as if the whole thing had somehow been my fault. I kept going back over everything, thinking how disgusting that I had let an ageing DJ touch me on the sofa in his house — in Leighton Buzzard of all places.

 

Why didn’t I run away or tell him to stop? I didn’t run because I had no car to get away and I had no idea that things would escalate so quickly so I didn’t tell him to stop (he touched me within about eight minutes of me turning on my tape).

 

This whole drama — the bizarre interview, the exhausting trials and the extraordinary verdicts — has been the weirdest experience of my life, to paraphrase one of the witnesses. Travis himself is one of the oddest people I have ever met.

 

He seemed furious that he could be held to ransom by a bunch of “ladies”. During his time in the witness box he barely kept a lid on his anger that so many women could make up such outrageous lies while hiding behind a curtain (in fact, the television presenter whose testimony convicted him gave evidence face to face).

 

He denied he wanted to “stare out” the women, as the prosecution suggested, even though he seemed keen to threaten and harass me throughout both trials, coming up behind me and engaging me in conversation, by turns silky, then nasty. Eventually I had to ask other reporters to chaperone me past him in the lobby.

 

At times like this I regretted not giving evidence. I certainly regretted it at the end of the first trial when Travis was found not guilty on 12 of the 14 charges, including claims that he groped a 15-year-old so aggressively after a Showaddywaddy concert she feared she would be raped.

 

I was devastated by messages and calls I received, saying I should have expected this result because this kind of thing was too vague and too long ago and couldn’t honestly be prosecuted. Any sensible person would struggle to send a man of his standing to jail for a cheeky feel in 1978. Besides, touching someone’s tits isn’t really a crime, love. (Someone genuinely said this.)

 

Of my interview with him, they asked: were you really offended? Didn’t you get a great piece? Aren’t you just angry because he didn’t touch your tits or offer to take your photo?

 

But I felt awful. Why didn’t the jury believe so many women? The problem was no one had seen what I had seen. They hadn’t been to his bungalow where the walls were covered in pictures of semi-naked women. Next to his kitchen there was a bas-relief of a woman’s bottom and thong — a sculpture hideous enough to warrant a prison sentence in its own right, along with his jackets.

 

They hadn’t received the messages from people detailing decades of unpleasant behaviour. One described the “big sexual whirlwind” who arrived at work in a shirt with a wolf on it one day, telling a female colleague he’d like to “hunt in her forest”.

 

Mostly, no one could understand why some of these supposedly ballsy women had kept quiet so long. And yet my own response when a police officer telephoned me in November 2012 asking if I wanted to press charges or give evidence had been — instinctively — don’t get involved. Say no.

 

I hadn’t enjoyed the experience of being groped by him but I didn’t want to go to the big fuss of a criminal trial.

 

As a result, part of the horror of the first trial was watching everyone summoning the courage to appear in the witness box, only for everything to slide from the prosecution’s grasp.

 

One witness had got drunk before telephoning the police to complain. Another said she had been groped in a studio but couldn’t remember anyone she’d worked with. But mostly the women hadn’t told enough people soon enough after the event. Mothers told their daughters to keep quiet. Bosses failed to remember complaints.

 

Travis easily dismissed the women as liars and gold-diggers obsessed with his celebrity. During both trials he flamboyantly went from fury — railing how he had been through “two years of hell, lost . . . my life and house” over “made-up rubbish” — to farce, offering to demonstrate a groping.

 

“Not on me, thanks,” said the prosecuting barrister, Miranda Moore QC.

 

He seemed most wounded by suggestions he was no longer much of a celebrity. He said it was “rotten” of the prosecution to point out that his star had tailed off. “I am DLT,” he choked later. “I was DLT.” And yet he remained loud, arrogant and smooth — a blustering megastar to the last.

 

HOW ironic then that the person who nailed this last big celebrity in the great series of celebrity trials was a celebrity herself. The television presenter who as a 22-year-old had attracted Travis’s attentions on the Mrs Merton set said she had decided to come forward after she was sickened by his denials in the first trial.

 

She told the court how he had walked over and slid his hand up her chest, squeezing her breasts for 10 to 15 seconds while she was taking a cigarette break outside his dressing room at the BBC in 1995. She was “shocked” by his behaviour and immediately went to her boss, who in evidence corroborated her claim.

 

She said she felt as if she had been “punched” — a telling image that seemed to sum up the trial. By last Tuesday everyone looked as if they had gone through Alan Partridge’s version of Jarndyce v Jarndyce. Travis was grey and deflated as the verdict was read out. Only his wife showed emotion, colour slowly bleeding up her face as she held back tears.

 

Just before the judge sentenced him to three months in prison, suspended for two years, Travis couldn’t resist one final attack on me. Striding across the dock, near to where I sat in the public gallery, he rapped the glass loudly and shouted that I must “move back to the press gallery where you’re meant to be”, even though there were no seats over there. “Do you need to sit right behind me? You’re making me feel uncomfortable,” he ranted.

 

The only thing I could think was: good. Good that his horrible behaviour was given maximum exposure in a crowded courtroom. Good that people might start thinking of sexual assault as something that’s more assault than sexual. Good that more women now know the first thing they must do is speak out. Good that he won’t be groping anyone again any time soon. Good that no one can say: but it’s not really a crime, love, is it? And good, obviously, that the whole thing is over.

Edited September 28, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff

[TLCOhio]

Terry, please some pictures of where you live, and walk and eat! :)

 

Will do!! Busy getting ready for neighbors coming over from dinner this evening. My wife has lots of "honey do" items for me to complete. Got to get off of these fun CC Boards. And do some real "work"!

 

Looking forward to seeing some of your Venice in the mist pictures.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 158,795 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[UKCruiseJeff]

It was as I think you know .... the Queen of all Med cruises .... Istanbul to Venice. Enjoy ..

 

I have followed your sageness and tried to post small. I hope not too small.

 

A cross section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

It was as I think you know .... the Queen of all Med cruises .... Istanbul to Venice. Enjoy .. I have followed your sageness and tried to post small. I hope not too small.

 

Appreciate these added pictures. YES!! Super love both Istanbul and Venice. PLUS, many other great ports in those wonderful areas of the Med.

 

More later!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 79,422 views for this fun posting.

[specialcruisegirl]

Hello coolers

 

Jeff, that brunch looks very tasty, though a lot of calories/fat etc.etc. We are getting fed up with being told one minute to eat no fat, then no sugar, then no bread and potatoes, which is why most of us sensible ones are doing as we please.

 

Sophia - lots of luck with the sale. Funnily enough our last house sale was agreed while we were on board a cruise ship, with faxes, as it then was, flying around. It certainly made the trip even more enjoyable. It is no fun selling, especially if your house is quirky or interesting and therefore only appealing to a more limited market. Ours was, a lovely old house but needed some work and cost a lot to heat. One of our kids is at present in the same situation, with a quirky old grade 2 listed house which viewers love, but they have the usual reservations. It has to be real love almost at first sight (much as with people I guess). Anyway, do hope you get your firm offer before or during your cruise.

 

LL

 

P.S. We are getting near to 100,000 views, have you noticed?

 

 

LL, you've hit the spot! My house is very quirky, described by the said last viewers as a tardis too! It's a 1930's farmhouse that's been extended over the years so yes, a very limited market that one either loves or has reservations about! These last viewers appeared to be very taken with it but one can never tell and I'm a great believer in what will be will be so as usual just go with the flow until something positive happens.

 

I have become very laid back about food and it's content...and also what the powers that be tell us! Growing up in the 50/60's there were very few supermarkets.....so one shopped locally with the then fishmongers, butchers, grocers and bakeries....and Boots was just a chemist!

 

S:)

[specialcruisegirl]

You need not worry. Personally I think most people clearly see and differentiate the difference between serial and continual pathalogical boasting and simply talking about the joyful memory of a past cruise or the genuine unbridled excitement about the next one or two. It is pretty clear to me. I think it's something else entirely! Some also seek to trivialise others by constantly dishonesltly rather than innocuously boasting. Some of this can be more than simple harmful fun if say over a 10 year period .... but I will say no more. ;)

 

I am so looking forward to winter. I'm hoping that some who sometimes post here but live in snow post us pictures and share. I'm hoping to get down to Mottisfont where they have some ancient sweet chestnut trees I have identified

some mature sweet chestnut trees.

 

:)

 

Lovely looking lunch again Jeff....I did the full monty today for a change!

 

As most will know, l don't often post on the main boards. Some of the sarcastic comments can be very hurtful and quite unnecessary and particularly off putting to newbies who seek genuine advice.....and it's not just Silversea that this applies to.

I have no problem with those who boast and tell us how wonderful certain crew members are...as ex crew circa 1971 I have seen it all, so find such comments now quite amusing having observed it from the other side so to speak.

 

I cruise because l love being at sea, l pays me money and I takes me choice and enjoy every moment. Why on earth folk feel the need to complain about the food, service, wine selection , in room beverages, entertainment et al beats me.....but that's just my own personal opinion and l feel very lucky to be able to enjoy something that a lot of folk can only dream about.

 

Sophia :)

[specialcruisegirl]

Love all the Venice pics......have never sailed in or out but had a fabulous time there despite the water taxi experience....which is another tale! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Love all the Venice pics......have never sailed in or out but had a fabulous time there despite the water taxi experience....which is another tale! :)

 

Do Tell!

 

I have a Venice water taxi story!

 

I once had to spend a month there when I worked for The Corporation. We had some annual conventions to organise and my boss sent me. At the end of them all I was on one of the last water taxis back to the airport with a group of blokes that had been drinking solidly for 4 days and they were a rabble. It was like the somme but smellier and many were snoring. One of them then sat bolt upright and shouted at the top of his voice in some state of panic "can someone sell me a present for the wife" and then slumped back and continued snoring as though nothing had happened.

 

One remembers these things.

 

:D

[UKCruiseJeff]

Dave Lee Travis indecent assault sentence to be reviewed

 

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/sep/29/dave-lee-travis-indecent-assault-sentence-reviewed