Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[jpalbny]

Cute funny, M!

 

No snow here. Just grey and rain, but looks less rainy today. Leaves all over. Yuck.

Edited October 28, 2018 by jpalbny

[TLCOhio]

6 hours ago, jpalbny said:

No snow here. Just grey and rain, but looks less rainy today. Leaves all over. Yuck.

 

YES, weather conditions are starting to get much more "marginal".  As a summary for what is coming here in the main United States, plus parts of Canada, see the AccuWeather map below as to how it will look on Wednesday for Halloween.  Agree that "Yuck" is an excellent technical terms for these upcoming conditions.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 43,029 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

 

From AccuWeather, here is their forecast for Wednesday evening that will be Halloween  nightfor many here in America.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this picture larger/better!)

 

 

[MissSophia]

Hello All....have finally had time to try and catch up with everyone.... 

It’s been a very testing time having found part of my brand new renovation work under water last week...result being two bathrooms have been ripped out and it took the plumber four hours to find the source of the leak...right now l have a dehumidifier in place drying it all out before the repair work can start..which will be done whilst I’m away!!

While it has been a tad stressful I’m very lucky as it could have been a lot worse had l not been here so I’m counting blessings!

As departure looms l am packed and ready to leave for NYC on Friday  and really hoping there is no snow forecast as l intend to do some serious Christmas shopping!

 

As usual, lovely to see the delicious food pics and read all the news.....😊

 

[mysty]

Oh Miss S....so sorry to hear about your flooding issues!  Not the kind of adventure to run into when planning for a much more fun adventure!  A little snow in NYC will put you in the mood for Christmas shopping though!  🙂  I'm joking!  Hope you have wonderful weather and safe travels!

[jpalbny]

Welcome back Miss S, but that's some unwelcome news. Hope it's fixed for good this time!

 

The weather here looks raw and unsettled but I don't see snow in the forecast any time soon. New York should be lots of fun. Weather forecast looks like it will be around 10C daytime and 5C nighttime, with some variation. Rain but no snow is likely.

 

We will be in Virginia for a few days next weekend while Chris is at a conference. So, a little warmer than up here but not by much. Looks like summer has left for good.

 

 

[frantic36]

MissSophia sorry about the flooding in your house. We saw your friend Jane MacDonald on television for the first time a few days ago. Her program hasn't aired here before as far as I know. She was featuring Viking Sky. Both my husband and I thought she looks like lots of fun to be around.

 

Jeff have you ever tried to make murtabak? It is something we enjoy eating when we visit Singapore.

 

Julie

Edited October 28, 2018 by frantic36

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny continues on the Halloween theme.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[MissSophia]

Thanks All.....

 

JP...good to know there’s little chance of snow this weekend...rain l can cope with if the cab drivers are not hiding!!

Wishing you both a happy weekend away...

 

M...l do agree that NY can be the best place in snow....reminds me of the good old movies.....but not whilst I’m busy trying to shop in just one day 🧐

 

Frantic...glad you enjoyed Jane...she been filming in Oz these past few weeks so hopefully there will be more to come...and she is great fun!

 

This morning has been final laundry day..anything left my cleaner will sort so l don’t worry too much...

The dehumidifier has now worked magic on the wet carpets so all is good ....

 

Happy Day 😊

 

[Joc123]

I’m sorry the weather has turned cold and even snowing!

Here in Oz we are experiencing our first taste of summer with temperatures in the mid 30’s this week.

Great news for us from the UK.

When we arrive in your country we no longer have to go to the aliens queue to go through immigration. It has always annoyed me that even though we are part of the Commonwealth and the Queen is our Head of State we are considered aliens!

Last nights sunset on Yorke Peninsula South Australia - just beautiful.

(for some reason photos have loaded out of order but I’m sure you get the idea)

[jpalbny]

Beautiful pictures, joc123. We were nearby in March, just on the other side of the gulf in Adelaide. We visited the other peninsula too, for the views at Port Elliot. 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Beautiful sunset pics Joc!  Thanks for adding them!

 

Today's funny comes courtesy of Miss S and continues the Halloween theme.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon all ....

 

It really doesn’t seem more than a few weeks ago that we were emerging from better weather into winter but time sadly flies by and it is another year and the garden is again covered in wet leaves and birds appreciative of the seeds we leave.  

 

We’re looking forward to Singapore in 8 weeks or so (no Julie ... sadly not made that ... ) and we’re planning to go to Seaside next week for a few days for some late balcony time.  All the cameras are off so I think we’ve had a power blip which will entail a smelly freezer with defrosted food to bin.  Argh well .. a first world problem and no one has died so no harm done.  On the plus side Helga has been extensively serviced and hopefully will be full of life and vim.

 

Anyone who is a fan of The Beeb will be a fan of the extremely long running radio show called “just a minute” where panelists  must talk for a minute on a topic without mentioning a forbidden word and must not hesitate, so next week I’ll be posting Sophie’s travels that she sends me on the Cooler without mentioning anything I mustn’t and with no complaint.  I am looking forward to sharing.  I will promise a piccy of her in her rollers with a ciggy. 🙂

 

Today was tandoori lamb with salad and a sort of Uzbek bread.

 

Sophia has shared a piccy of her dealing with the terrible mess she has endured ....

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Your meal looks yummy J!  Sorry to hear about the power blip.  We had to dump our fridge contents when we lost power after the tornado episode.  Small price to pay considering the destruction others had to cope with.

 

Love the pic of Miss S.  She does have lovely gams!  🙂

[mysty]

I have added an email address to my signature temporarily should anyone have an interest in direct contact.  🙂

[jpalbny]

Mysty, duly noted, and I promise not to spam you. Actually I have that address from before, back when you used to comment on my old TravelPod blogs. And I haven't spammed you yet... So, you see that you can trust my word!

 

We are abandoning home tomorrow right after work. We really have grown tired of trick-or-treating, as our neighborhood is flooded with more kids than you can shake a stick at, and they ring the doorbell until way later than necessary on a school night. There is no curfew or set hours so it's just impossible to be home on Halloween.

 

Luckily we are away for the weekend, starting on Thursday. We fly to Richmond at noon, and then drive to Williamsburg, where Chris has a conference all day Friday, and Sat/Sun morning, before we come home Sunday evening. I will accompany her but I have no conference responsibilities. I'll try to meet up with some random cousins here and there - I have a ton of second cousins in that area, as two of my Grandfather's brothers lived there for decades.

 

One is still going strong at 92 years young, so we have lunch planned with him on Saturday. He's the last living sibling of any of my 4 grandparents. Haven't seen him in probably 4 years but he is a real character. He flew his own private jet well into his 80s, and loves his Scotch; not at the same time, mind you... Should be a fun time. We will have a lot of fun stories to swap.

 

At any rate, the Thursday travel day gives us the opportunity to spend Wednesday night in Saratoga. I've got a nice local rate at a gorgeous old hotel right on the main drag, and a dinner reservation at our favorite place. Best part #1 - no need to drive home after all the wine (our favorite sommelier works there). Best part #2 - see above about trick-or-treat.

 

Off to cook dinner. A little flat iron steak on the grill with chimichurri sauce and some pommes frites (air-frites, but close enough for government workers). Already opened a nice Malbec and dutifully tasting it to make sure it will pair up well. 😁🍷

Edited October 30, 2018 by jpalbny

[mysty]

JP...I absolutely trust You!  🙂  We are going out tomorrow to miss Halloween as well.  Safe travels and have a wonderful weekend!

[Joc123]

Personally I don’t get Halloween. Back in the 70’s when our boys were kids it was just starting to become an event (guess we can thank the American TV shows). Now it is really popular with shops and houses putting up decorations and our grandchildren are really into it.

I think they like the lollies (candy) more than anything else because they aren’t usually allowed to have them!

[MissSophia]

Excellent post there Jeffers....the pic captures me so well 🙈😂

 

Happy Halloween Day.....we are lucky around here, seems to be an unwritten rule that unless l have my pumpkins on show the kids don’t bother me...and who can blame them!! 😉

 

Just two days to go before departure ....last job being tomorrow when four paws tootles off to his Pooch Nanny....the worst job for me!

 

So another adventure about to begin and another birthday whilst on board in Bermuda....one of my very favourite places 😊

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Joc123....Halloween has become much more of an event these days than it was when our kids were little.  I think I prefer it as it was.

 

Miss S....safe travels, have a wonderful adventure and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

Today's funny (and the last of the Halloween theme)......

 

 

Have a great day all!

[MLeh]

Greetings all.  Since the demise of app access I find I am spending significantly less time on this forum, so I should probably make this an 'adieu' post.  I don't take my laptop with me on travels anymore, using only my iPad, and using browser access is just a pain.   Not that I contributed much!  But I did enjoy following along.

 

I thought I'd share one last story, following along the theme of freezers and their contents:

 

My parents, in their 90's now, still live on their own in a somewhat (an hour from the hospital, 20 minutes from groceries) remote lakefront home.  They love it there, and despite the encouragement of their children to move somewhere with a few more services, are pretty determined to spend their final days there.  I try to phone & see them on a regular basis, and my siblings phone and visit regularly too.  My mom usually answers the phone when we call, as my father is recovering from a stroke and doesn't do random conversation well anymore.  One day a couple of weeks ago, I phoned and my father answered.  This is the approximate transcript of that conversation:

 

"Oh, hi dad.  How are you?"

 

"Your mother didn't answer the phone because she's outside chasing a bear."

 

"Dad.  Put down the phone and go tell Mom to come back in the house right now."

 

I hear the phone being put down, and my Dad calling to my Mom.  A few minutes later she picked up the receiver.

 

"It's gone now," she said.  "It's just a little one."

 

"Mom," I said "If it's just a little one, there's probably a big one around."

 

"Oh," she said, "It's not THAT little."

 

So I made her promise to just use the bear banger and not actually go outside chasing it anymore.  (We then had a nice conversation about her work with Habitat for Humanity, and the meeting she had attended the day before.)

 

Fast forward to the next telephone conversation:

 

Mom:  "We're still having that bear come around.   It opened the freezer (which is sitting on their back deck) and stole a box of chicken wings and an apple pie.  Dinner and dessert.   The freezer was locked, but that little built in lock didn't slow him down long.   He moved the freezer about 2 feet getting it open though.   The neighbour found the pie plate (a glass pyrex one) in their yard, licked clean."

 

"Have you called the conservation officer?"

 

"Oh, that's a good idea. I'll do that right after we finish this conversation."  (We then talked about the work she was doing on her autobiography, and how she is now up to when she volunteered with the UN to go to Namibia to help with registering women to vote in their first election.  The bear probably won't even make it into the book.)

 

Due to the size of their house (small) it wasn't possible to move the freezer into the house, so my brother went up and put a hasp lock on the freezer.   Mom said "If that bear gets into the freezer again it will be because he ripped the door off."   I'll be phoning again today.

 

The motto in our family is "Live long enough to become a burden to your children."  My parents haven't become a burden yet, but one just never knows where the conversation is going to go.

 

 

[mysty]

WOW MLeh...your mother has nerves of steel!  And it sounds like she has had a very interesting life.

 

Sorry to see you go!  Have a wonderful upcoming trip!  Safe travels!

[mysty]

OK...one more because I couldn't resist!  🙂

 

[MBP&O2/O]

MLeh .... I agree the iPad access is dire. Pale grey font on a white background?

However .... being that we have booked a cruise from Greece I thought I had better hone up on my knowledge of ancient Greece, myths, etc ...

 

Greek Philosophy --- As pertinent todayas 399 BC !!

Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumour or spread gossip!

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test." 'Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.

"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, "You may still pass the third test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"

"No, I'm not sure really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?" The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was having an affair with his wife.

 

Secondly ... think Whispergate ...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/passengers-receive-refunds-after-party-ruins-cruise/

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

The problem is of course that no one actually knows whether the widely reported story of Socrates triple-gossip test is true or not.  

 

Using his own criteria, he may have been falsely ascribed a degree of wisdom and insight on this topic that he may never have in fact demonstrated.  

 

What we do know as recorded fact is that Socrates died largely because he was so irritating.  He eventually went on trial for a trumped up charge of corrupting young minds and found guilty by his peers and condemned to death by drinking hemlock.  Perhaps he should have listened to the rumours of what people thought about him and done a runner. 

 

🙂

 

 

[MBP&O2/O]

That all sounds a bit Greek to me 😁