P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Harry Peterson]

20 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

With 1st class stamps going up 9p (to 85p) on 1st January there will be more people using the Jacqui Lawson type cards.....

Could be.  We had a subscription exactly 14 years ago (£8 for two years) - I'm amazed it's still around! e-cards never really caught on, but these are a bit different.  🙂

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, brian1 said:

Hi all and sis,finally got a £5 a month cheapo internet with BT.We caught an earlier Eurotunnel and got home at 2.30.Thought great I can chill out now but found that the bog wouldn't flush, some idiot neighbour was flushing wetwipes for the 9 months I was away.Spent the afternoon lifting heavy manhole covers and waiting for Thames Water to come and clear it.After reading all the rows a few pages back I'm glad that's the only crap  I can be accused of posting.Popped in Boots yesterday to enquire about flu jab and they done us both straight away.Got my £200 heating allowance today,just don't tell them we were not here in Sept to qualify for it,lol.Hey sis,glad you're posting regularly again,was getting worried reading 20 pages back,cheers,Brian.

Welcome home Brian.

[P&O SUE]

7 hours ago, SarahHben said:

I should really get my next few weeks click and collect slots sorted out soon. I think avoiding the shops as much as possible is a good idea at the moment! 

I love the Costa toasties, lots of calories in those too sadly.

We haven’t had home delivery shopping for ages. John has a sign on for a couple - he managed to get on his Tesco one today and all normal shots gone but he’s managed to nab a click and collect one for the 16th! He’s just got quite excited adding stuff to it!

[P&O SUE]

Hello folks, been very busy at work the last couple of days, this thread moves on so quickly so sorry if I’ve missed too much.

I did notice Brian is home - welcome home!

[P&O SUE]

On 11/30/2020 at 5:38 PM, SarahHben said:

I agree, I feel much more wary out and about locally at the moment than I did before.
My husband, son and I walked to Hempstead Valley yesterday and got a few bits from Sainsburys, Boots and M&S before all the shops open on Wednesday, figured it would be much less busy. Youngest daughter is a little bit nervous about going back to work there later this week. The COVID rate in our immediate area fluctuates but is currently around 3 times the national average.

 

Hubby and I were at Hempstead yesterday for exactly the same reason, we went about 3pm and it was lovely and quiet.

Dread to think what it will be like once all the other shops open. I’ve done online shopping for presents but sometimes you just want to browse and get ideas but I’m not going to go near if there’s crowds. I don’t like crowded shops at the best of times.

[brian1]

Great news,vaccine rolling out next week.Top of the list, health workers,care home residents,over 80s and Gary.

[brian1]

14 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

Hi bro. Glad you both got back safely. I was just thinking about you yesterday while I was making the dumplings with olive oil that you told me about. Really lovely with the beef casserole. Not such a good welcome home gift from your neighbour, but it gave you some exercise and kept you warm. Doesn't take long to get back into the swing of things, does it?  No need to worry about me bro, I just had a little wobble but all's well now. I'm like a Kelly, knock me down and I'll pop straight up again😊 How's the family?

Sis

Cheers sis glad to hear you're back on form.I had to laugh at the "temperance debate" when I read it.After I drove home with 60 bottles of voddie,20 bottles of fiz and 2400 fags for stepsons FIL.Didn't realise we've still got 10 bottles left over from last year,I think we brought back 80 then,must be cutting back ,lol.Hoping Peacocks are reopening today.need a smaller wardrobe desperately.All my trousers are 6 sizes too big now,lol.What with Debenhams now,the high st will be nonexistant soon,frightening.See you later,bro.

[brian1]

On ‎11‎/‎30‎/‎2020 at 11:21 AM, DamianG said:

 

Dear Vampiress

 

I'm so sorry for your loss. It will take time but things will get better.

 

It's hard when you feel like you're stuck in a downward spiral (bear with me here).

 

When Brexit was voted in I was worried for my job and sure enough was made redundant in September 2018. I've applied for over 50 jobs but got nowhere and I am now used to not even getting replies.

 

I was originally quoted 34 years worth of redundancy but then they advised that they'd forgot about the "new" 20 year cap so my payout was significantly less than the original quote.

 

My wife got a blood clot on her lung in November 2019 and was seriously debilitated for several months while they found the right combination of medication to keep her stable.

 

In early July 2020 we noticed a lump on one of our son's guinea pig's hips. She deteriorated rapidly and athough I took her to the vets 3 times we couldn't do anything for her and she passed away in just over a week. She was just short of 3 and as the person who did most of the feeding and all the cleaning out I took it way more badly than I would have expected. She was such a lovely, placid animal and I cried as I buried her.

 

In late August my dad suddenly became ill and couldn't move his torso, arms and legs. We kept getting advised that steroids would put him right but eventually I spent over 2 hours making over 100 calls to get through to a specialist who told us to get him to A&E straight away. He's now been in 2 different hospitals and an infirmary over the last 10 weeks and has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome so will need to go into full time care. My sister and I have been helping mum as much as we can but obviously it's an unexpected shock for all of us as he has been fit and healthy and looked after himself (never smoked or been a drinker).

 

But...

 

Last week an ex-teammate of mine got in touch asking how things were going. She told our ex-boss that I was not working, he knew someone who was short-staffed and they called me to offer me a temporary contract. It's a job that I can do, I already know all the staff and the pay is good with full benefits such as healthcare. It's only short term but it's been such a boost, not least for my mum and dad who've been worrying about me as you'd expect.

 

Throughout the last 2 years I've kept telling myself we were due a slice of luck. When I've been down I've had my wife, son and family pick me up. My best friends have kept in touch and on my side. We're all rugby fans and they keep telling me that only the strongest "can grind out the hard yards."

 

Then there's everyone on her, the chat, the debate, the fun, the arguments, the things typed in the heat of the moment followed by apologies a day later, the picture threads... I don't really know anyone on here but I feel like I do and I've had my own share of encouragement and advice, especially with regards to my job situation.

 

I've waffled on a bit but in summary, hang in there, it will take time but things will turnaround and pick up. There's better days ahead for all of us and know that you have the support of all the regulars on here.

 

Damian

 

 

 

Great post Damian,belated congrats on new job.In this day and age the old saying of"it ain't what you know but who you know" is obsolete.The person that put you in the frame for the job obviously knew you were competent and wouldn't risk her reputation otherwise.Our Son in law contracted GBS years ago via a bout of food poisoning abroad.He was paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator but after a transfusion of specially treated blood,made a full recovery.He was obviously younger but hopefully your dad will be OK.Good luck,cheers,Brian.

[pete14]

Just a small question to while away the time in tier 3:
 

How many of the beautiful quail scotch eggs sold in the Glasshouse would constitute a substantial meal, on their own with nothing else?

 

Any advance on 8?

[davecttr]

The Tesco home delivery is now working as expected with the 7 day 'window' for booking delivery slots advancing one day at a time. Slots for Tuesday 29th December became available and I managed to reserve one, there were not many left!. I would have preferred a Wednesday slot so will try for one tomorrow and if successful will cancel the Tuesday slot so it goes back into the pool. I think people being able to book slots for early January was probably a mistake by Tesco.

 

Todays little surprise is my leccie smart meter displays £1423 of usage since since midnight 😱 that is equivalent to over 8000 Kw used since midnight so apparently I have been using approx 1 MEGAWATT per hour 😱😵. However the unit usage says 1.33KwH since midnight which is what I expect with my dehumidifier running overnight, I wonder how long it is going to take to have the leccie company admit there is a problem and send me a new meter 😈

 

I wish the scaffolding company would hurry up and remove the scaffolding now the roofing work is complete.  I want to kitty proof my garden so that huge black cat, and the brown and white one, stop scaring the birdies away from my new feeding table.

[P&O SUE]

11 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The Tesco home delivery is now working as expected with the 7 day 'window' for booking delivery slots advancing one day at a time. Slots for Tuesday 29th December became available and I managed to reserve one, there were not many left!. I would have preferred a Wednesday slot so will try for one tomorrow and if successful will cancel the Tuesday slot so it goes back into the pool. I think people being able to book slots for early January was probably a mistake by Tesco.

 

Todays little surprise is my leccie smart meter displays £1423 of usage since since midnight 😱 that is equivalent to over 8000 Kw used since midnight so apparently I have been using approx 1 MEGAWATT per hour 😱😵. However the unit usage says 1.33KwH since midnight which is what I expect with my dehumidifier running overnight, I wonder how long it is going to take to have the leccie company admit there is a problem and send me a new meter 😈

 

I wish the scaffolding company would hurry up and remove the scaffolding now the roofing work is complete.  I want to kitty proof my garden so that huge black cat, and the brown and white one, stop scaring the birdies away from my new feeding table.

I have heard of many scaffolding companies leaving their scaffolding for weeks 😱using your property as storage! Hopefully this won’t be the case for you.

We’re having a smart meter installed soon, I hope it’s not going to be a problem!

[brian1]

15 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The Tesco home delivery is now working as expected with the 7 day 'window' for booking delivery slots advancing one day at a time. Slots for Tuesday 29th December became available and I managed to reserve one, there were not many left!. I would have preferred a Wednesday slot so will try for one tomorrow and if successful will cancel the Tuesday slot so it goes back into the pool. I think people being able to book slots for early January was probably a mistake by Tesco.

 

Todays little surprise is my leccie smart meter displays £1423 of usage since since midnight 😱 that is equivalent to over 8000 Kw used since midnight so apparently I have been using approx 1 MEGAWATT per hour 😱😵. However the unit usage says 1.33KwH since midnight which is what I expect with my dehumidifier running overnight, I wonder how long it is going to take to have the leccie company admit there is a problem and send me a new meter 😈

 

I wish the scaffolding company would hurry up and remove the scaffolding now the roofing work is complete.  I want to kitty proof my garden so that huge black cat, and the brown and white one, stop scaring the birdies away from my new feeding table.

Sssh,don't broadcast here,just turn off the cannabis farm in the loft.

[P&O SUE]

On 11/30/2020 at 11:21 AM, DamianG said:

 

Dear Vampiress

 

I'm so sorry for your loss. It will take time but things will get better.

 

It's hard when you feel like you're stuck in a downward spiral (bear with me here).

 

When Brexit was voted in I was worried for my job and sure enough was made redundant in September 2018. I've applied for over 50 jobs but got nowhere and I am now used to not even getting replies.

 

I was originally quoted 34 years worth of redundancy but then they advised that they'd forgot about the "new" 20 year cap so my payout was significantly less than the original quote.

 

My wife got a blood clot on her lung in November 2019 and was seriously debilitated for several months while they found the right combination of medication to keep her stable.

 

In early July 2020 we noticed a lump on one of our son's guinea pig's hips. She deteriorated rapidly and athough I took her to the vets 3 times we couldn't do anything for her and she passed away in just over a week. She was just short of 3 and as the person who did most of the feeding and all the cleaning out I took it way more badly than I would have expected. She was such a lovely, placid animal and I cried as I buried her.

 

In late August my dad suddenly became ill and couldn't move his torso, arms and legs. We kept getting advised that steroids would put him right but eventually I spent over 2 hours making over 100 calls to get through to a specialist who told us to get him to A&E straight away. He's now been in 2 different hospitals and an infirmary over the last 10 weeks and has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome so will need to go into full time care. My sister and I have been helping mum as much as we can but obviously it's an unexpected shock for all of us as he has been fit and healthy and looked after himself (never smoked or been a drinker).

 

But...

 

Last week an ex-teammate of mine got in touch asking how things were going. She told our ex-boss that I was not working, he knew someone who was short-staffed and they called me to offer me a temporary contract. It's a job that I can do, I already know all the staff and the pay is good with full benefits such as healthcare. It's only short term but it's been such a boost, not least for my mum and dad who've been worrying about me as you'd expect.

 

Throughout the last 2 years I've kept telling myself we were due a slice of luck. When I've been down I've had my wife, son and family pick me up. My best friends have kept in touch and on my side. We're all rugby fans and they keep telling me that only the strongest "can grind out the hard yards."

 

Then there's everyone on her, the chat, the debate, the fun, the arguments, the things typed in the heat of the moment followed by apologies a day later, the picture threads... I don't really know anyone on here but I feel like I do and I've had my own share of encouragement and advice, especially with regards to my job situation.

 

I've waffled on a bit but in summary, hang in there, it will take time but things will turnaround and pick up. There's better days ahead for all of us and know that you have the support of all the regulars on here.

 

Damian

 

 

 

Sorry I missed this post before, I’m so pleased you’ve found a new job. Hopefully it might lead to something more permanent. 
Sorry to hear about your Dad, I hope he gets the care he needs.

 

My poor old mum has had 3 falls this week but she keeps laughing! One was into a glass door so was a bit subdued about that one. Elderly parents are such a worry.

Edited December 2, 2020 by P&O SUE

[davecttr]

3 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Sssh,don't broadcast here,just turn off the cannabis farm in the loft.

They are welcome to look, I have not been in the loft for decades. They could add to my insulation while they are up there 😁

[davecttr]

12 minutes ago, davecttr said:

They are welcome to look, I have not been in the loft for decades. They could add to my insulation while they are up there 😁

Guess what, my Smart meter has just changed to £0.26 for the usage since midnight, maybe screaming at it did the trick 😈

[Son of Anarchy]

47 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Just a small question to while away the time in tier 3:
 

How many of the beautiful quail scotch eggs sold in the Glasshouse would constitute a substantial meal, on their own with nothing else?

 

Any advance on 8?

 A small chain of local pubs have come up with what they call their Tier 2 Menu:

 

 

 

Tier2PeterBoat.pdf

[zap99]

2 hours ago, brian1 said:

Great news,vaccine rolling out next week.Top of the list, health workers,care home residents,over 80s and Gary.

Brian, welcome back. If you had not been incommunicado you would know that I am not allowed to mention that person. Great news about the vaccine. First of many to come. Jab it on.🤣

 

 

[AnnieC]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

The Tesco home delivery is now working as expected with the 7 day 'window' for booking delivery slots advancing one day at a time. Slots for Tuesday 29th December became available and I managed to reserve one, there were not many left!. I would have preferred a Wednesday slot so will try for one tomorrow and if successful will cancel the Tuesday slot so it goes back into the pool. I think people being able to book slots for early January was probably a mistake by Tesco.

 

 

Dave, it's always worth looking at Sainsbury's for slots if stuck - always have something available where I live, may be the same for you. Like Tesco, they're now doing a flexi slot (covers a 4 hour window and they text on delivery date to give you the timeframe in which it will arrive) for just £1.

[grapau27]

First day of Tier 3.

Sitting eating our McDonald's and coffee in the car overlooking the beach.

It has just started to rain although the sun is out so we might have a little walk shortly.

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

First day of Tier 3.

Sitting eating our McDonald's and coffee in the car overlooking the beach.

It has just started to rain although the sun is out so we might have a little walk shortly.

A luxury breakfast on day 1. What a treat. We will splash out today as well. Off to the harvester for a late lunch. Joy,!. We found out last night that we still had a 50% off voucher.

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

A luxury breakfast on day 1. What a treat. We will splash out today as well. Off to the harvester for a late lunch. Joy,!. We found out last night that we still had a 50% off voucher.

McDonald's drive through is handy and it is only a couple of minutes drive to the beach car park from there.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, davecttr said:

Guess what, my Smart meter has just changed to £0.26 for the usage since midnight, maybe screaming at it did the trick 😈

We ignore the electric company who keep asking to put a smart meter in.

Heard a few iffy stories and your earlier post confirmed the meters are not that smart unless you are the electric company.

[grapau27]

Just come back from a 15 minutes walk along the cliff top.

First proper exercise since my covid19 started  26 days ago.

Graham.

Edited December 2, 2020 by grapau27

[Bloodaxe]

26 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We ignore the electric company who keep asking to put a smart meter in.

Heard a few iffy stories and your earlier post confirmed the meters are not that smart unless you are the electric company.

Don't have a smart meter fitted until it becomes compulsory which I believe it will eventually 

The main benefit is to the companies, anyone with common sense should know which appliances use the most power in the house.

The other thing is you may have problems if you wish to change your energy supplier, the early meters may not be compatible.

Unfortunately I had one fitted when I signed up for a special tariff that included one, if I had done proper research I would not have done so.

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by Bloodaxe

[pete14]

24 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We ignore the electric company who keep asking to put a smart meter in.

Heard a few iffy stories and your earlier post confirmed the meters are not that smart unless you are the electric company.

We have had a smart meter for many years and it gives us a cheaper online tariff and we can check usage of electricity and gas at any time in real time or on the utility companies website. No need to read meters or have someone coming to read them. No problems - a brilliant innovation.