Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[Mr Luxury]

A good chance to eat more healthily and loose some weight Jeff.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Have a great time at Seaside! The meal looks awesome!

 

Thanks!

 

One of my old bosses (no longer with us ....) was in the British press today .... a famous Canadian from your home country ......

 

2 extra chips if you can name him .....

 

:D

 

[TLCOhio]

Thanks! One of my old bosses (no longer with us ....) was in the British press today .... a famous Canadian from your home country ......

2 extra chips if you can name him .....

 

Do I win the prize with . . . Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, GBE (June 5, 1894 – August 4, 1976) as a Canadian newspaper proprietor who became one of the moguls of Fleet Street? As an USA resident, there should be extra "bonus points"!!!

 

The roast shoulder of lamb with Rosso gravy looked super good.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, 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 more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 107,525 views for this posting.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Well done! Indeed. He was my second-line boss for a while .... before I was fired that is. Well not fired exactly .... but you know what I mean. ;)

 

He was quite an extraordinary, ordinary man. And he let me use his box at The Royal Albert Hall!

 

Three chips for you Terry.

 

:)

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Darn it all Terry! Now I don't get any chips! :( And I so wanted some! Maybe I can earn a few scraps by providing some additional information. Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall located in Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It acquired its official name on January 14, 1982, as thanks to the family of Roy Thomson (first Lord Thomson of Fleet and founder of the publishing empire Thomson Corporation), who had donated $4.5 million (Canadian dollars) to complete the fund-raising efforts for the new hall. The information came from Wikipedia. I cannot in all honesty take any credit beyond that. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

You do get a consolation chip! I didn't know any of that!

 

He had his office in The Times offices in Grays Inn Road. He actually took the bus to Kings Cross station after work and if it were raining and he decided on a taxi and you shared it with him you would share the fare! Few times, he and his secreatary .... fare split three ways .....

 

He would glance through his regional papers during the day ... always read it from the back ie only interested in classified advertisment inches and had no real interest in editorial. He loved The Times though ... I think he was more proud of that paper than any other.

 

His box at The Royal Albert hall was thr next one to the Royal Box so that was fun. He never asked for any cash for tickets .....

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

Well done! Indeed. He was my second-line boss for a while .... before I was fired that is. Well not fired exactly .... but you know what I mean. ;) He was quite an extraordinary, ordinary man. And he let me use his box at The Royal Albert Hall! Three chips for you Terry. :) Jeff

 

Appreciate Jeff's quick follow-up and confirmation for me being the winner!! Good to hear the added background about your "firing" and moving on up and UP to bigger and better work positions.

 

The Thomson name is a very familiar here and to me. From my days on library boards here in Ohio, Thomson is a well-known and aggressive owner for many top world-wide info sources. This includes a large number of electronic legal, medical and scientific resources used by businesses and researchers. Plus, they owned many different smaller-town newspapers in our state and across our country. Not a well-respected newspaper chain, however, at that time. Just focused on hiring cheap, inexperienced writers, jacking up ad rates and maximizing profits to suck out of each local community. Sorry to be so blunt!!

 

In checking quickly, the empire is now run by the grandson, David Kenneth Roy Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet (born 1957, age 57). He became the chairman of Thomson Corporation in 2006 at the death of his father and after the acquisition of Reuters, became the chairman of the merged entity, Thomson Reuters in 2008. He currently resides in Toronto, went to college in Canada and then got a MA in history from Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge in 1978. Thomson is listed as one of the wealthiest people in the world with an estimated net worth of around $23.0 billion. That makes his family the richest in Canada and 22nd richest in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

 

For Jeff, have they shared any of huge wealth with you lately? Or, is the check in the mail? No wonder that at Royal Albert Hall that their seating area would be next to the Royal Box!! Fun facts!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 51,737 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

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

[mysty]

OK Terry, you win! :) I'm happy with my consolation chip!

[UKCruiseJeff]

I really impressed him at my job interview.

 

I was being interviewed by a chap called Bill Gillespie who would become my boss. It was a terrible interview. I was ushered into his office and Bill waved me to a chair and basically shouted "Sit ..." in what I determined was a Scottish accent. He was going through a lengthy document, underlining stuff and initialling stuff ... and I though this must be a test. I sat there for what felt like hours .... and after an eternity I said to him "So what part of Scotland are you from?" ....."Dublin"......

 

Anyway he clearly saw the funny side of that .... and Roy came into his office and asked who I was. "This is Jeff. He is joining us. It might not be for long as he thinks Dublin is in Scotland!".

 

Anyway ....it was great fun whilst it lasted and wifey couldn't believe being able to use the box!

 

Jeff

[mysty]

What a great line! I do so love wit! And what an awesome perk of the job to have access to a box at the Royal Albert Hall. A wee bit odd that he would want to split taxi fare but felt comfortable not asking for ticket money. But then, some of us Canucks are a wee bit odd. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

What a great line! I do so love wit! And what an awesome perk of the job to have access to a box at the Royal Albert Hall. A wee bit odd that he would want to split taxi fare but felt comfortable not asking for ticket money. But then, some of us Canucks are a wee bit odd. :)

 

I think it was because the box was paid for by the company so wasn't really his, but the fare was from his own pocket.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

OK. That makes sound money sense! Nice that you were able to enjoy the perk!

[TLCOhio]

I think it was because the box was paid for by the company so wasn't really his, but the fare was from his own pocket. Jeff

 

Appreciate these great, added details with Mr. Thomson. Yes, the car fare came out of his personal pocket. BUT, from what I have read, the Thomson family pretty much owned and controlled most all of their media company. He was paying, kind of, either way. Those box seat tickets at Royal Albert Hall had been bought in advance and those tickets, however, would have gone to waste if you had not impressed your wife by having/using them. Fun!!

 

From reading about the son and grandson, they were/are both rich, but seemed to live and operate more reasonably than certain mega-ego rich folks who want vast personal publicity/attention.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 198,953 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

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

Edited May 11, 2015 by TLCOhio

[TLCOhio]

This thread is not over 170,000 views. Congratulations to Jeff and many other regular contributors, visitors. Appreciate all of the comments, involvement, etc. And, yes, we like those visuals, food samples, etc. To celebrate, below is one of my favorite visual from our visit in 2006 to London. Nice views of Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 22,484 views for these postings.

 

 

From the London "Eye" or Millennium Wheel, it offers great views of the key sights and sites. It is 443 feet or 135 meters tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet or 120 meters. When erected in 1999, it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. It offered the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 804 feet observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, opened in 2013. The Eye is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK with over 3.5 million visitors annually.:

 

[Tothesunset]

This is completely irrelevant to anything that's gone before but I need a break after finally getting round to sorting out the contents of my email account. Lots of organised folders, received and sent mails deleted and now feeling quite sanctimonious. Moral of the story? Keep the 'kin account organised!

[mysty]

Tothesunset, there is nothing as satisfying for me as organizing stuff. My spices are not ordered alphabetically but only because I don't have the proper storage to allow for that. :) I understand your sanctimony ( which I hope is the right word). :)

[Tothesunset]

I understand your sanctimony ( which I hope is the right word). :)

Sounds good to me.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good morning coolers, from Seaside!

 

We arrived a couple of nights ago at a time when all was quiet and have been doing nothing much of anything.

 

When we bought this place it was an impulse buy "off plan". I had been fantacising about finding a house on a beach ... but here's the thing ... the fantasy was the beach should have no road going past it. So you could sit on the beach and not hear traffic.

 

For years we would go for jaunts along the coast exploring every track and lane - and see nothing fitting the image I had in my mind. I concluded that there was no such thing. Then one day, whilst we were renting a lovely house close by, wifey was bored with me and so I sent her on a steam train ride and on the ride she saw the beach. The beach had a 50's reall Seaside feel, with buckets and spades and punch and judy and beach huts. Later that day whilst driving home we stopped by th beach and saw this sign saying that a house was being built. There was the view you could see on the piccy below and within ten minutes we had been told that a lady had placed a deposit on the house but she had that hour had to withdraw ..... and I of course without even asking wifey bought the house. That was in 1996 and we come down here for around 20 to 30 nights a year to sit on the balcony. There's a private little path down to the beach .... there's no road and no traffic.

 

A load of junkmail on the mat when we arrived thsi trip but including a letter from that lady that was posted through the door. She wrote a note asking us to telephone her and she asked if we would be interested in selling her the house. She sounds like a delightful lady on the phone. She is 70, a retired schoolteacher and her mum who is 102 lives around the corner. She wasn't able to buy the house at the time, - and of course it wasn't even built ... it was an "artists impression" - but she never forgot it. Over the years ... the house became a bit of an escape when we were tsarting our business ... I even bought clients down here. Two large corporations developed their strategic plan on that beach with me. The deal always was 5 days on the beach with no mobile phones. Just thinking and hatching plans. How could you not think the impossible was possible on that beach. So the house even earned it's keep!

 

We have no idea what to do. We cannot even talk sensibly about values as none have been sold and there's no starting point. To me it is a balcony with a unique view I've not seen bettered anywhere including the South of France where we had another place for a while - with a four bedroomed house attatched to the view from the balcony. But we don't really use it and she wants it .... She is arranging to come here ... Decisions!

 

This is the ipad piccy I have just taken ..... no piccy does the view justice ... we're due south facing and the open sea is out "off piccy" to the left.

 

What to do ....

 

 

Edited May 13, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Oh my goddess! That is indeed a piece of paradise! No wonder you are twixt and tween. I think you have to trust your gut. I'm sure that approach has served you well this far. Good luck with your decision. And enjoy your bit of paradise now!

[TLCOhio]

The beach had a 50's reall Seaside feel, with buckets and spades and punch and judy and beach huts. Later that day whilst driving home we stopped by th beach and saw this sign saying that a house was being built. There was the view you could see on the piccy below and within ten minutes we had been told that a lady had placed a deposit on the house but she had that hour had to withdraw ..... and I of course without even asking wifey bought the house. That was in 1996 and we come down here for around 20 to 30 nights a year to sit on the balcony. There's a private little path down to the beach .... there's no road and no traffic.

 

Appreciate, Jeff, the interesting background for your wonderful seaside escape. YES, love to see more glorious pictures. If I am not being too aggressive, what is the name of the town or village? I love to check these locations with the Bing Bird's Eye and/or Google map websites. As I mentioned earlier, we have not been out to those scenic SW areas of England and have the region on our to-do, future list. The Doc Martin series on PBS here has boosted wide interest and love for that area of the world.

 

Keep it coming!! Great not having either the road and/or traffic messing with your visual experiences.

 

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 177,618 views.

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

Edited May 13, 2015 by TLCOhio

[spinnaker2]

Jeff,

I have been enjoying the photos of the seaside that you have posted in the past, the food, the cigars, the drink...

Just wonder if you will find a similar view with the steam train bonus.

It was good fortune that brought you there. Is it now karma to sell it to the person who had to beg off buying it before? Things happen for a reason.

Wonder what choice you will make at this juncture.

 

Still dealing with Bromley, but had an epiphany several days ago. If this really is sundowners syndrome, then perhaps treating it with some of the more alternative modalities would work. So we started with Melatonin at night. The first night no change, but I increased the dose slightly and the dog is far more relaxed and sleeps much better. Internet research also provided me with another remedy, lignans, which is thought to have an impact on cushiness disease in dogs. So this morning, she had her first dose of flaxseed lignans. I hope it helps. All of course, to make her more comfortable without being so toxic and sedating that she can no longer get up.

 

Thanks for letting me vent about the dog. As a former hospice nurse, I know that making this journey at the end of life is part of the nature of things. Just harder to watch in a dog as they can't tell you what hurts or makes them feel better. Bromley is closer to the end now, but still seems to be enjoying her life as best I can tell.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon all from The Balcony ....

 

Spin, please stop apologising and do go on and vent about your Bromley. You may have bleedin' overlooked that all of us here sympathise ... and most of us are dog owners ...! So vent away.

 

I certainly understand. When Bob was my dog and Ben wasn't and I lost Bob, and Ben then adopted me we became very close. Ben after a further couple of years developed cancer and the vet said you can put him down now or I can give him a month or two more with some magic drugs the only problem being that it would cost you around £1k per month ...

 

Wifey and I established that the drug wouldn't upset him and we were fortunate to be able to do so. He immediatley bucked up and seemed renewed and we had five more precious months with us and towards the end me having to carry him everywhere with him licking my face as we progressed. The final day did eventually come when he looked up at me and I knew he was saying, "enough is enough now ... thanks ... but .... now is the time"

 

We all understand. At the moment you have Bromley. Think of today and forget tommorow until tommorow. Keep your pecker up. (English pecker ....)

 

You asked for some more piccies. As I'm away from main base where all my piccies live, these are all internet piccies except the top which is a current piccy from the bacony a few minutes ago. There's also a piccy of the lights on the cliff walk in the eveing.

 

Terry if you post an email so I can send it to you privately - no probs ... otherwise I'd prefer not. Sadly CC doesn't enable pm's.

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Terry,

 

I know you read the British press and would have read today of the publishing of Prince Charles "Black Spider" letters?

 

Some of the anti-Royals press has cast this as proof that he meddles and interferes, which is something he has always been pretty open about.

 

One of this longest letters was a personal private plea to Tony Blair that our troops were under-equipped for Iraq. To me, this proves exactly what he should be, whether one agrees with every one of his views or not that he is passionate and cares and tries to use his apparent little influence for what he sees is "goodness". Some of his letters clearly get ignored.

 

I think this will be like Bovril to many. It either feels them with dismay or delights them. I'm the latter!

 

:)

[spinnaker2]

Sorry for spellcheck which corrected cushings disease to cushiness.

argh!

 

Jeff, I may not be Poirot or Clouseau or Colombo, but I think I know where your seaside abode is.

My lips are sealed.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Spin, .... I appreciate the respect of privacy however tenuous .... :)

 

I just called the lady and explained we won't be selling and didn't wish to waste her time. I think combining Singapore, with our main country base and this beach base is an ideal combination that seems a shame to reduce.

 

I've got a fresh seafood delivery by fedex tomorrow morning including several ton of fresh moules so we're going to have a fishy day or two. I've ordered some sea bass as well.

 

Luckily our favourite of all seafood is plain old head-on prawns (shrimp?) and in the UK they're cooked and frozen on the boats so are normally perfect. We prefer it to lobster, langoustine, crevettes and crab soI've ordered loads and loads!

 

Jeff

Edited May 13, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff