Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Host Hattie]

Happy Friday for those of us who still care about days of the week !

The weather has turned wet and windy & Mr HH has cooked stew & dumplings for dinner - perfect. 

The UK furlough scheme is being extended until the end of June.

[Bigmike911]

8 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Happy Friday for those of us who still care about days of the week !

The weather has turned wet and windy & Mr HH has cooked stew & dumplings for dinner - perfect. 

The UK furlough scheme is being extended until the end of June.

Rain expected later in South East Texas. I am going to the garden center to get some bags of planting soil. I received two Acer Palmatums, Japanese Maples from my tree seller and they need to be planted Monday when the Gardener comes. I am thinking there will be fewer people there this afternoon than on the weekend. It is 73f (about 23c) so it will be wet but not cold. 73f is a mild temp for this area, in summers it will go to 90 with the dew point in the high 60s or low 70s described as oppressive. That is what central A/C is for.

[erniebernie]

HI Bgmike911 WOW how lucky are you to be able to go to a garden center N.Z is in total lockdown only places open are supermarkets,gas stations and chemist shops with the odd fruit/vege store. I work in a garden center and on our last day of freedom before lockdown  we sold over 500 bags of compost& potting mix and nearly every plant,shrub and tree we had instock. Once we get back to normal NZ will be looking beautiful !  Its 11am here in Christchurch NZ and 14 deg c  coming into Autum   expeted high today of 21deg.  I am enjoying reading on here about what people are up to as I like many others are missing our cruise updates.  Allison

[sfred]

I just saw on Simon Palethorpe's latest status video that Chef Nick Oldroyd will be posting a recipe and how-to video for making Cunard scones.  Yum!  The wife and I will happily give it a go.  It might be hard to find Tiptree strawberry jam in Brisbane just at the moment, but I imagine we can make do with Beerenberg.

[Bigmike911]

15 hours ago, erniebernie said:

HI Bgmike911 WOW how lucky are you to be able to go to a garden center N.Z is in total lockdown only places open are supermarkets,gas stations and chemist shops with the odd fruit/vege store. I work in a garden center and on our last day of freedom before lockdown  we sold over 500 bags of compost& potting mix and nearly every plant,shrub and tree we had instock. Once we get back to normal NZ will be looking beautiful !  Its 11am here in Christchurch NZ and 14 deg c  coming into Autum   expeted high today of 21deg.  I am enjoying reading on here about what people are up to as I like many others are missing our cruise updates.  Allison

I was stunned at how busy the store was. It is a big box hardware store with a garden center attached. They have arranged it so that people have to queue at the front door, and exit though the garden center. In my humble opinion it made things worse. Normally I can get my cart enter the garden center, get what I want go to the self check out and never come closer that a yard to a person. In their effort to 'manage' I had to pass entry door checker, have a member of staff go to get me a cart (un-sanitized), and there was another staffer at the self check out, then some one to open the exit gate. Way to much contact when there should be none. I won't be going back soon.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Bigmike911

[Lanky Lad]

I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait to go back to work.

[Kynance]

Hi everyone - hope your weekends are going ok. . A bit damp & chilly this past day or two but the weather forecast from Sunday onwards is encouraging. I’ve got next week off so hoping for some decent weather. 
 

I am still enjoying my dark chocolate & ginger egg - I expect it will last all the way through this coming week if I am self-disciplined!

 

The big event in my household this week has been the arrival of season 6 of Bosch on Amazon Prime, one of the few TV shows my other half & I both enjoy, so we watched two episodes last night accompanied by Dominos delivery pizza and followed by ice cream (from Jude’s - a producer a based in Hampshire, which is retailed through local farm shops.) There are 10 episodes of Bosch,  all of which are available now, so we shall try to eke them out for a while.
 

I am also up to season 2, episode 3 of Poldark re-runs. We would normally be going down to Cornwall about now so this is the closest I am going to get for a while. If we’re able to take UK-based holidays in the autumn, we will hopefully be able to get down for a break then. 
 

 

[Ray66]

7 hours ago, Kynance said:

I am also up to season 2, episode 3 of Poldark re-runs. We would normally be going down to Cornwall about now so this is the closest I am going to get for a while. If we’re able to take UK-based holidays in the autumn, we will hopefully be able to get down for a break then. 

 

And Doc Martin too of course. Presently showing repeats on ITV3 on Fridays and ITV on Tuesdays.

 

I always thought Bosch made home appliances and power tools. 🙂  I didn't know it was a TV programme as well.

[Photo Andy]

Easter is over and all the chocolate has been eaten, gained a few pounds so will need to up the walking time and maybe out on my bicycle as this is more intense to loose the weight gained.

I was out walking yesterday and observed a police van at a house on our estate (Barratt, not some 100k acre parkland) and observed they had fencing posts and aggregate bags dropped off to presumably do some work in the garden. Presume they had been observed and reported to the police for breaking the lockdown!

When out walking people walk in strange geometric lines to avoid each other to aid social distancing. I am starting to make a list of things (for when the lockdown finishes) to buy (non essential goods but useful for me) and activities to arrange - haircut, car service, and see my dentist etc. I had a number 5 cut prior to lock down so the hair has grown a bit, the dentist is important as awaiting a new crown and the temporary tooth fell off, my oral hygiene had been upped to protect the tooth stump. The car tells me when it wants a service but had a service May last year so presumably May / June this year.  I had a day booked on the Farne Islands in June with a wildlife photographer shooting Puffins and this has finally been cancelled so the diary for 2020 is empty! from being very full in early February.  

Stay safe everybody in these difficult times.  

[naturelovergirl]

I’m on week 5 of social distance in Florida.

We continue to do Fixer-Up work around our home. We were fortunate to have much of the supplies we needed here already before the start of this, and the rest have been delivered. It has been a way to stay busy and be able to accomplish some tasks even in these strange times.

 

We have made some good food including some delicious homemade breads. Luckily we both love cooking. Grocery delivery has been our choice in this- and so far has worked. We have not needed to buy some of the items (like t.p. and cleaning supplies) that have been running out consistently... so we shall see down the line how it goes when we do need them.

We continue to look at our August Alaska voyage on Cunard, but the longer things go on, the more we are resigned that it most likely won’t happen this year. We were hopeful at the start, but not so much now.

 

 

[Bigmike911]

13 hours ago, Ray66 said:

 

And Doc Martin too of course. Presently showing repeats on ITV3 on Fridays and ITV on Tuesdays.

 

I always thought Bosch made home appliances and power tools. 🙂  I didn't know it was a TV programme as well.

Bosch, Harry Bosch, a fascinating character created by Michael Connoly. Bosch is a Los Angeles Police detective. He is a man troubled by his past, with a murdered mother, and a bit ragged at the edges. The stories had significance to me a retired p.o. because he captured the atmosphere of a real police department and was spot on with the policy and procedures of the department. 

[Host Hattie]

I've read some of the Bosch books but haven't watched the TV programme, I'll add it to the list. It was gloomy here yesterday. Mr HH has a Skype job interview on Wednesday so he spent most of yesterday trying to set up a webcam and microphone on our desktop PC, which meant lots of unsuccessful video calls usually without sound and/or pictures. Hopefully all sorted now.

[vettprincess]

6 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Bosch, Harry Bosch, a fascinating character created by Michael Connoly. Bosch is a Los Angeles Police detective. He is a man troubled by his past, with a murdered mother, and a bit ragged at the edges. The stories had significance to me a retired p.o. because he captured the atmosphere of a real police department and was spot on with the policy and procedures of the department. 

I have also read those books and love them. No tv show here. I love my British TV shows-mysteries. As soon  as I get the roku device hooked up I am ordering Acorn British TV.

[Kynance]

20 hours ago, Ray66 said:

 

And Doc Martin too of course. Presently showing repeats on ITV3 on Fridays and ITV on Tuesdays.

 

I always thought Bosch made home appliances and power tools. 🙂  I didn't know it was a TV programme as well.

There is also Wycliffe, which had quite a long re-run on ITV 3. Like the later seasons of Poldark, it was was seemingly filmed in the depths of  autumn & winter because the weather always seemed atrocious. 
 

Yes - I had no idea that Bosch was anything other than a high quality German manufacturer of washing machines & lawn mowers until a couple of years ago. I haven’t read any of the books but the TV series is really gripping. 

[Kynance]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

I've read some of the Bosch books but haven't watched the TV programme, I'll add it to the list. It was gloomy here yesterday. Mr HH has a Skype job interview on Wednesday so he spent most of yesterday trying to set up a webcam and microphone on our desktop PC, which meant lots of unsuccessful video calls usually without sound and/or pictures. Hopefully all sorted now.

Best of luck to Mr HH for Wednesday - hope Skype holds up!
 

[Kynance]

11 minutes ago, vettprincess said:

I have also read those books and love them. No tv show here. I love my British TV shows-mysteries. As soon  as I get the roku device hooked up I am ordering Acorn British TV.

Endeavour is my favourite British “murder mystery” series. It’s a Morse prequel and has the same quality script writing and production values. 
 

People in the UK got very excited last year about something called “Line of Fire”, about a police anti-corruption unit. I only watched the last episode but gather it had been compulsive viewing. 

[delgirl]

I have downloaded some box sets have finished watching all of Downton Abbey (watched it 1st time round, but its been awhile) At the moment I am enjoying watching soldier, soldier again. Forgotten how good it was.  Everything here in west midlands seems to be pretty quiet but who really knows everything.

[canoncruiser]

Well here in the “Big Apple”- now very shrunken-all is nearly desolate. I live in mid-town Manhattan and the streets are essentially deserted, the pictures you’ve seen on TV do not deceive . Many more are masked and keeping social distance; many stores are regulating the number of folks who can come in at one time; and they’ve laid out ’social distance’ markers one the sidewalks outside. Macy’s has laid off 130,000! Our health care workers are living sacrificial lives for others-and they are not helped by some levels of government.

Now we have malevolent political elements in parts of the country fomenting trouble over sensible health procedures. We are in a MESS!😠

 On TV we’re getting re-runs of Vera, and a new series of Mid-Sommer - with Sykes. Also television stations are reprogramming to meet the at home demand. You’ll not be surprised that in our intensely commercial culture the vendors of assorted goods are quickly tailoring their advertising to the pandemic. Pizza delivery with 'no hands' touching the pie after it comes from the oven-you get the idea.🤣 

There are so many thousands here who have lost performance, service  and restaurant jobs, and those jobs are not coming back because their employers have gone under. These are the folks who make New York - New York!The multi-billion paycheck protection that Congress passed is already out of money!

Nevertheless! Keep good thoughts for us-we’ll cruise again!😊

[Ray66]

3 hours ago, Kynance said:

People in the UK got very excited last year about something called “Line of Fire”, about a police anti-corruption unit. I only watched the last episode but gather it had been compulsive viewing

 

I think you mean Line of Duty.  Yes very compulsive viewing. Last year was series 5, but Series 3 was the best.

[Bigmike911]

5 hours ago, vettprincess said:

I have also read those books and love them. No tv show here. I love my British TV shows-mysteries. As soon  as I get the roku device hooked up I am ordering Acorn British TV.

Bosch is on Amazon Prime. 

[Lanky Lad]

I have gone wild and ordered a new patio set which is due to arrive on Wednesday. 

[Host Hattie]

21 minutes ago, Lanky Lad said:

I have gone wild and ordered a new patio set which is due to arrive on Wednesday. 

Hope the weather stays nice enough to get plenty of use out of it. It's been a bit windy here today but warm in the sunshine.

Will you be furloughed for June now as well ? I'm guessing ours will be extended for some but we haven't started discussing terms yet.

[Lanky Lad]

5 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Hope the weather stays nice enough to get plenty of use out of it. It's been a bit windy here today but warm in the sunshine.

Will you be furloughed for June now as well ? I'm guessing ours will be extended for some but we haven't started discussing terms yet.

Thanks HH

 

I have not heard anything yet, but I expect I will be.  We will just have to see who things work out. 

[Host Hattie]

The regulations do allow for people to be rotated if that's an option

[Lanky Lad]

2 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

The regulations do allow for people to be rotated if that's an option

I think some people are still working, so it is possible.