Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, babydrum said:

I live in one of the states that opened up three weeks ago and it made perfect sense to me.  We had 40 active cases and 10 deaths at the time.  I'd like to know what the criteria is for moving forward to most people.  Did the number of cases rise, sure they were expected to but we are still at 10 deaths.   The whole point of closing down our entire economy was to flatten the curve not to eradicate the disease entirely.  We are not a one size fits all country and the powers that be need to stop acting like we are.  

No we are not one size -- but it is worth noting that a number of states which have reopened - in an undisciplined manner - have seen a marked upturn in infections.   At some point  an uptick in infections is definitive indication that the curve has not been flattened.

[Lanky Lad]

Well, it's official, my August cruise has been cancelled.  Now I just have to wait and see what happens in December. 

[Camgirl]

Us too. We have a short cruise still booked on QM2 in November. We will see.......

[alc13]

On 6/1/2020 at 5:03 AM, Camgirl said:

 Unfortunately I think my poorly Acer might have finally popped its clogs 😔. Very sad.

So sorry!  I was rooting for your Acer. 

 

That aside, everyone's garden experiences make inspiring reading.  We are in the midst of a serious upgrade to the plantings around our house, and the sight of so much fresh and healthy greenery fills me with happiness.  Mike's vegetable garden is coming along, too; although he admitted last night that his corn was not going to be knee-high by the 4th of July (an American corn-growing metric).  So far no deer or groundhogs have breached the fortress, I mean fencing.  

[Bigmike911]

Yesterday was Hot, not warm, Texas hot 95f, (35c) and the dew point 73, sticky. My garden helper arrived at 8 am and we spent the next three hours working in the rear garden. I have three live oak trees I planted 8 years ago and they have grown to be nice specimen trees. We planted Asiatic Jasmine, a well managed ground cover,  around the base. It will keep the St. Augustine grass and the weeds at bay. Three other trees got cedar mulch around them for the same reason.

 

Why ground cover on some and mulch on others. The oaks have a very dense canopy and have a well defined branch pattern. The other trees are smaller and have a lot of growth to come. When they are bigger they will get ground cover too. I was thoroughly soaked when we finished, so I showered and jumped into the pool for about 30 minutes of deep water aerobics. It was a glorious summer day in Texas.

 

New corona virus cases are down in Texas, even after the loosey goosey protesters with out masks and failing to social distance did 'their thing'. I hope all of the Cunarders around the world are well. 

[Host Hattie]

On 6/8/2020 at 3:19 PM, naturelovergirl said:

We personally continue to miss seeing family, friends, and traveling so much...

Same here, our local paper is suggesting the restriction on travel to 5 miles from home in Wales might be in place all summer. I hope they're wrong ! I live in a nice part of the country but I'd like to be able to get around a bit more. My commute to work is 18 miles so that might be the limit of my travels.

Mr HH has another video job interview tomorrow. His brother who worked at the same power station starts a new job next week, interesting time for it !

[Kynance]

8 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Same here, our local paper is suggesting the restriction on travel to 5 miles from home in Wales might be in place all summer. I hope they're wrong ! I live in a nice part of the country but I'd like to be able to get around a bit more. My commute to work is 18 miles so that might be the limit of my travels.

Mr HH has another video job interview tomorrow. His brother who worked at the same power station starts a new job next week, interesting time for it !

Once again, the very best of luck to Mr HH for tomorrow. 
 

Are people in Wales who live close to the border with England talking about popping across to do their shopping when non- essential retail stores open here next Monday? And possibly having their haircut if hairdressers and barbers open before they do in Wales? It must be very tempting. 

 

My step-daughter lives near Ruthin in North Wales and works in the hospitality sector. Luckily she has been furloughed by her employer rather than made redundant but it is difficult to see how her employer will be able to open if the 2 metre rule is not relaxed. They don’t have a seated area outside so can’t even benefit from the opportunity to serve people outside, though I believe they have been doing takeaways. Takeaways do seem very popular at the moment - even our local Michelin- starred restaurant has re-opened to do them. I must persuade my OH to give it a try. 
 

Fingers crossed self-catering holidays may be possible soon - I think you said you had something booked for August? I am hoping we may be able to get to Cornwall in September. 

 

[Camgirl]

Thank you alc13, very sad my Acer has given up but I am still holding on. Just in case....

 

Kynance, well done on eating your strawberries! Ours are still tiny and green. But they exist, so we might get some Pimms sometime! We have harvested a few bits of lettuce though. Very proud!

 

All the best to Mr HH for the interview. Such difficult times. 

 

I must admit, we have enjoyed a few of drives out into the countryside or to another town or village for a different walk on occasion, since it has been permitted. It must be frustrating not to be able to do the same Hattie. We haven't gone very far, but it is nice to see something different every now and then.

 

Our local chippy has, at last, reopened on three days a week. We supported them last weekend. Delicious!! Not sure I am comfortable with the idea of reducing the 2m rule though. Just so that we can sit in a pub garden, nice though that would be. I think, even if the government bring that in, we will be trying to stick to 2m.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks both, yes I'm supposed to be going to the Cotswolds for the weekend in mid-August. 

Some of my colleagues on other sites live in or much closer to England so I guess they'll be looking much better groomed than us ! 

[Bigmike911]

5 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Same here, our local paper is suggesting the restriction on travel to 5 miles from home in Wales might be in place all summer. I hope they're wrong ! I live in a nice part of the country but I'd like to be able to get around a bit more. My commute to work is 18 miles so that might be the limit of my travels.

Mr HH has another video job interview tomorrow. His brother who worked at the same power station starts a new job next week, interesting time for it !

Good Luck to Mr H H on his interview. 

[LewiLewi]

On 6/8/2020 at 9:03 PM, navybankerteacher said:

No we are not one size -- but it is worth noting that a number of states which have reopened - in an undisciplined manner - have seen a marked upturn in infections.   At some point  an uptick in infections is definitive indication that the curve has not been flattened.

We live in Florida and have seen a high upsurge of new virus cases in the past few days. We are one of 21 states that have seen an upsurge of cases in the last week. People are becoming complacent about social distancing and wearing protective masks when out and about. The virus is still out there. We lost two neighbors to the virus recently. Please be careful and stay safe.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the good wishes for Mr HH, it seems to have gone well but he's not that keen on the job as it's shift work in a cake factory ! It sounds fine to me 😁.

It's grey and wet here again, I'm back to work on site tomorrow.

Cases are still going in the right direction here but we're not expecting any changes in Wales until the end of next week. 

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

We live in Florida and have seen a high upsurge of new virus cases in the past few days. We are one of 21 states that have seen an upsurge of cases in the last week. People are becoming complacent about social distancing and wearing protective masks when out and about. The virus is still out there. We lost two neighbors to the virus recently. Please be careful and stay safe.

Each area seems to have had its own experience - generally people who live in states with very low infection rates - or even in relatively unaffected remote parts of impacted states like N.Y. - have very casual, laissez-faire attitudes about reopening.   Of course different approaches are indicated, depending upon conditions —- but thinly populated areas are not necessarily immune:  It is possible that the same infection and death rates will ultimately hit them, but it will just take longer.

 

I have a hard time understanding the mindset of the crowds in many places hanging out in close proximity with no apparent thought of possible resurgence.  I will be surprised if the early August sailings now scheduled from Florida ports will actually take place given what is now happening.

[Colin_Cameron]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have a hard time understanding the mindset of the crowds in many places hanging out in close proximity with no apparent thought of possible resurgence.

Having waited two months for the garden centres to reopen, now that they have, I’ve decided that I can wait a bit longer. I’d love a bit of colour in the garden. With being away Jan, Feb, Mar (and should have been away most of Apr) I didn’t grow anything from seed this year. I was relying on buying plants for the baskets, tubs, etc., when we got home. That didn’t happen. But I can live with that.

 

I probably won’t be first in the queue for a haircut either. It’s certainly starting to annoy me but again I can live with it.

 

I’m definitely giving more thought to food shopping now than I was, say, two months ago. The shops are much busier now and people seem much less aware of others around them, with fewer masks in evidence (but maybe that’s just as a proportion of the total).

[Colin_Cameron]

3 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks for the good wishes for Mr HH, it seems to have gone well but he's not that keen on the job ...

Just remember the old adage, “it’s always easier to find a job when you already have one”. 

 

I know, I wouldn’t be looking for shift work either, but if he (or you) doesn’t actually hate the idea, and there’s nothing else on the horizon, it could be a useful stop-gap. (Says the man that went for a three month summer job that turned into 42 years.😁)

 

Good luck with whatever he decides.

[Kynance]

Good news about Mr HH’s job interview Hattie - though I can understand that shift work lacks appeal. I worked early, late & night shifts for 7 years in my 20s and then another three years doing earlies & lates and that was quite enough. I know some people who love shift working though. Hopefully the factory makes nice cakes!

 

I missed today’s UK Government press briefing which was delivered by the PM: apparently a Southampton-based journalist asked a question about the future of the cruise industry and Boris replied that it would need to “self-reinvent itself”, although he also added that the Government would help it “anyway we can”. 
 

For anyone interested,  the briefing might be on iPlayer or if you have the BBC news app, the relevant bit is the 1800 update on the Coronavirus newsfeed. 

[bluemarble]

49 minutes ago, Kynance said:

... I missed today’s UK Government press briefing which was delivered by the PM: apparently a Southampton-based journalist asked a question about the future of the cruise industry and Boris replied that it would need to “self-reinvent itself”, although he also added that the Government would help it “anyway we can”. ...

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I found the government briefing on youtube. Here is my transcription of the portion of the question and answer dealing with the cruise industry.

 

Maria Zaccaro from the Southern Daily Echo: “… The pandemic has basically shut down the main industry in the city (Southampton), the cruise industry. Hundreds of jobs are at risk and people fear for their future. What will you be doing to ensure the cruise industry is safe?”

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “Well, thank you very much, Maria. Like all industries, the cruise industry I think is going to have to go through, in the short term at least, a period of self-reinvention to make sure that it is Covid-secure, and I have no doubt that it can do it. It’s a great, great British industry. We will support it in any way that we can. …”

[Lanky Lad]

It really is hard to see how we can get back to anything like normal until there is a vaccine, but we can't stay like this either. 

 

I am glad I am not in a position where I have to decide how to get out of this mess.  Lots of people demanding conflicting action and the press are waiting like vultures to pounce on any mistake.

 

All we can do is wait and see what happens next.

[vettprincess]

Greetings from the hell hole. Now destroying the statue of christopher columbus in front of the state capital here.

My gardens are blooming and tiny tomatoes and peppers coming on to my plants.

It was 95f on Monday and 59 this am. Wild temperature swings. So no QM2 cruise for us in Oct.

I guess the only way to get back on the QM2 is round trip to England and back.

All this is getting depressing.

 

[Host Hattie]

@Colin_Cameron & @Kynance these are 12 hour shifts with a commute to Cardiff so not ideal. He's got another interview next week for a job with the same company I work for, that brings it's own complications !

[Photo Andy]

This was cut and pasted from an article in "The Times", UK,  Wednesday 10 June 2020, online. The photo accompanying the article showed QM2 in the early evening light in Sydney Harbour just in front of the opera house - beautiful picture. The article was brutally truthful. 

"This Sailings of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria have been cancelled up to November 1, and the Queen Elizabeth will not weigh anchor before November 24.

Mr Palethorpe said that Cunard needed to “better understand the implications Covid-19 will have on board our ships”. He said that staff were working with government bodies, including Public Health England and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Cruise Lines International Association “to review every aspect of a holiday with us”. He would look at “enhanced protocols across ship life and experiences on shore”. 

Back to the "new normal" I had a telephone call from my dentist's receptionist as I am awaiting the fitting of a permanent crown. They can do this as no aerosols are generated. I will be telephoned the day before the appt, asked about my health re Covid 19 etc. The day of the appt the surgery will be locked, attend a few minutes prior to the appt knock on the locked door or telephone to let them know I am waiting. A dental nurse will collect me from outside and escort me to the chair, the same to leave the surgery. NO waiting in the waiting room.   

Conclusion - we all need to be patient as life is slowing down.

 

[alc13]

Whew, that is a tough choice for Mr HH.  Any port in a storm, vs wait for something better...  Mike and I met at the company where we both worked, so I won't say there wouldn't be problems with Plan B, but it can work out well, too. 

 

We met about 35 years ago.  To celebrate our 30th year together (we aren't married) we took the most luxurious cruise we could find and afford, which (sorry Cunard and all on this thread) was on the Europa 2.  It was pretty spectacular.  But our hearts remain with Cunard.  It's funny, I keep having thoughts that I should browse the internet from some new bit of fancy wear, which is something I regularly do before a Cunard cruise; but sadly, no reason to do that now. 

 

 

 

[alc13]

Oh, a deer got to a newly planted Rudbeckia a couple of nights ago.  Do I need to glue chili peppers to the remaining leaves?  Fortunately the rest of the new plantings were untouched.  Fingers crossed.

[newjoisey]

trenton nj.....i do not know any one personally that caught the virus and only one person said they know some one who heard that blah blah .Our business is essential so we get a large sample of people coming in .....i am not down playing the threat just passing our numbers    

[Host Hattie]

1 hour ago, alc13 said:

Whew, that is a tough choice for Mr HH.  Any port in a storm, vs wait for something better...  Mike and I met at the company where we both worked, so I won't say there wouldn't be problems with Plan B, but it can work out well, too. 

We met at work as well and the job is in a different department but I worry that he'll hate it & it'll be my fault !

 

No need to apologise about Europa 2, how was it ?

We've had lots of rain in the last 24 hours so I'm sure local gardeners are happy, Spring was unusually dry.