Now for something completely different

[GUT2407]

7 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think people like eggs Benny but it's not really an at home breakfast, unless you have a cook on staff to make it for you. Hollandaise sauce is a drag to make, then you have to poach the egg perfectly. It's just easier to order it and have someone else do the work. That's what makes it special, you wouldn't normally get it at home.

My good ladies make it for me at home, usually just once a year for my birthday.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

My good ladies make it for me at home, usually just once a year for my birthday.

 

I've been known to make eggs Benny for my lovely wife from time to time but it is does require a bit of skill and love. She does appreciate it, but prefers Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream (don't forget the maple syrup). Those take a bit of love but less skill and she has a much bigger smile for the waffles.

[GUT2407]

8 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I've been known to make eggs Benny for my lovely wife from time to time but it is does require a bit of skill and love. She does appreciate it, but prefers Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream (don't forget the maple syrup). Those take a bit of love but less skill and she has a much bigger smile for the waffles.

Yeah I don’t mind waffles, but like ice cream and maple syrup with mine.

[By The Bay]

This is one way to limit the spread of the virus. Keep those visitors out. 😉

 

"Wangi RSL adopts "locals only" approach as part of its fight against COVID-19" Source

[lyndarra]

1 hour ago, By The Bay said:

This is one way to limit the spread of the virus. Keep those visitors out. 😉

 

"Wangi RSL adopts "locals only" approach as part of its fight against COVID-19" Source

Saw that in The Herald today.

Allowing postcodes 22xx. I'm in!

[GUT2407]

8 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Saw that in The Herald today.

Allowing postcodes 22xx. I'm in!

But I’m not. I read the other day that all Lake clubs were going to do it.

[lyndarra]

5 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

But I’m not. I read the other day that all Lake clubs were going to do it.

I assumed you were 2267 for some reason.

[GUT2407]

22 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

I assumed you were 2267 for some reason.

Grew up there, but live in East Maitland for now. Mum and Dad are still in Wangi, dad’s a life member of each club in Wangi.

 

[Blackduck59]

Well I'm having one of those days. It looks like we will have to cancel our down under adventure. The oblivious few are manifesting themselves all over the world. We just had a news story of a bunch of rowdy "Campers" had left a total mess at a wilderness site on the lakeshore. More covid cases in BC and for me a general feeling of hopelessness. Can't plan anything, if you set a goal the goal posts move. 

I'm not really happy with the offerings from Celebrity for down under in 2022 so will start looking at other options. I don't mind the 14 day itinerary but Lynn is a little skeptical about a 2 week cruise. (add $500.00 for laundry, Celebrity does not have passenger laundry rooms) I really haven't started looking, it just feels like whatever we get it will not be as good (in our minds) as what we have planned. The whole thing flowed with our preferred Airline, we had the best seats in premium economy (business class is way above our means) the cruise was a one way Auckland to Melbourne and we had what we felt was the best cabin in our price range.

Meanwhile I read these boards with a certain amount of despair, almost every thread is all about Covid. Even when there is a good news thread (The one about the cruise on Mein Schiff) somebody had to do the "what about the outbreak on the Roald Amundsen thing. I'm tired of so many people wanting to p**s on everything.

Rant over

 

[By The Bay]

5 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Rant over

 

I guess you feel better now Lyle. 😉 Keep dreaming and one day you will get down-under. Stay safe 😷 and keep smiling.

[possum52]

17 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well I'm having one of those days. It looks like we will have to cancel our down under adventure. The oblivious few are manifesting themselves all over the world. We just had a news story of a bunch of rowdy "Campers" had left a total mess at a wilderness site on the lakeshore. More covid cases in BC and for me a general feeling of hopelessness. Can't plan anything, if you set a goal the goal posts move. 

I'm not really happy with the offerings from Celebrity for down under in 2022 so will start looking at other options. I don't mind the 14 day itinerary but Lynn is a little skeptical about a 2 week cruise. (add $500.00 for laundry, Celebrity does not have passenger laundry rooms) I really haven't started looking, it just feels like whatever we get it will not be as good (in our minds) as what we have planned. The whole thing flowed with our preferred Airline, we had the best seats in premium economy (business class is way above our means) the cruise was a one way Auckland to Melbourne and we had what we felt was the best cabin in our price range.

Meanwhile I read these boards with a certain amount of despair, almost every thread is all about Covid. Even when there is a good news thread (The one about the cruise on Mein Schiff) somebody had to do the "what about the outbreak on the Roald Amundsen thing. I'm tired of so many people wanting to p**s on everything.

Rant over

 

I think most of us unfortunately are feeling very disillusioned with some of our fellow citizens and what is happening in our lives and that comes out in these boards. We don't feel confident or optomistic, I certainly don't feel that way with what is happening here in Melbourne.

 

I hope you continue to visit and contribute to this board and you and your wife do make it down under sometime into the future Lyle. 

 

Leigh

[Russell21]

59 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well I'm having one of those days. It looks like we will have to cancel our down under adventure. The oblivious few are manifesting themselves all over the world. We just had a news story of a bunch of rowdy "Campers" had left a total mess at a wilderness site on the lakeshore. More covid cases in BC and for me a general feeling of hopelessness. Can't plan anything, if you set a goal the goal posts move. 

I'm not really happy with the offerings from Celebrity for down under in 2022 so will start looking at other options. I don't mind the 14 day itinerary but Lynn is a little skeptical about a 2 week cruise. (add $500.00 for laundry, Celebrity does not have passenger laundry rooms) I really haven't started looking, it just feels like whatever we get it will not be as good (in our minds) as what we have planned. The whole thing flowed with our preferred Airline, we had the best seats in premium economy (business class is way above our means) the cruise was a one way Auckland to Melbourne and we had what we felt was the best cabin in our price range.

Meanwhile I read these boards with a certain amount of despair, almost every thread is all about Covid. Even when there is a good news thread (The one about the cruise on Mein Schiff) somebody had to do the "what about the outbreak on the Roald Amundsen thing. I'm tired of so many people wanting to p**s on everything.

Rant over

 

Know exactly how you feel Lyle, there you are living in an area I have dreamed about for years and have no hope whatsoever of seeing it. As for having a holiday in our fair land, well it is in places 🙂, everything is priced for the overseas tourists that can take advantage of the exchange rate, but is beyond the reach of those that can normally afford a couple of 14 night balcony cruises a year.

BTW Lyle by trade I'm a fellow Carpenter/Joiner with post trade Building Clerk of Works Diploma. Had my own Joinery shop and House building business until Her with too much time on her hands started doing the wrong thing with one of my supposedly best friends. Graduated to major construction for an International Company.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Lyle, tell Lynn from me that the 13 or 14 day Celebrity itineraries are the best, especially if it's a one way cruise ie Auckland to Sydney. If going that way the first week is full on with usually only one sea day after Tauranga, then two sea days as you cross the Tasman, and depending on whar Australian ports it stops at one or two sea days after Hobart. We've done three of those cruises and would have had a fourth booked for 2021 except Celebrity reduced the itinerary down to 10 days missing ports we wanted to go to. So we booked Cunard instead but that is unlikely to happen. Hopefully we can roll that booking to 2022. Princess were starting to do more one way itineraries in the last year or two as well but who knows what they'll do in 2022. They haven't released the itineraries yet.

 

Julie.

Edited August 6, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[NSWP]

G'day young Lyle, brighten up old chap, you will get here, give it a couple of years.  I do feel truly sorry for blokes like you coming up for retirement and all these planned adventures on hold.  Most us dinosaurs are lucky, we travelled in calmer times.

 

Keep your spirits up, there will still be plenty of pies and beers here for you.  Harry's pie cart  is going nowhere.

 

You mention $500 for 2 weeks laundry on Celebrity, sounds a huge amount to spend on laundry.

Edited August 6, 2020 by NSWP

[OzKiwiJJ]

Lyle, on longer itineraries Celebrity usually offer a bag wash and fold for about US$50. I managed to fit all of our laundry - a week's worth of underwear, tshirts, nightwear, even a pair of DH's trousers -  in one bag much to my surprise. However if something needs ironing after washing send it separately.

 

Julie.

[NSWP]

14 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Lyle, on longer itineraries Celebrity usually offer a bag wash and fold for about US$50. I managed to fit all of our laundry - a week's worth of underwear, tshirts, nightwear, even a pair of DH's trousers -  in one bag much to my surprise. However if something needs ironing after washing send it separately.

 

Julie.

We always washed our underwear in cabin on Princess, hanging it up to dry on clothes line in shower, or sneaking it onto the balcony, contrary to policy.  🤯 Being Elite pax we also had the perk of complimentary laundry for other stuff,, not making a welter of it, but putting in a bag every 3 or 4 days. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

46 minutes ago, NSWP said:

We always washed our underwear in cabin on Princess, hanging it up to dry on clothes line in shower, or sneaking it onto the balcony, contrary to policy.  🤯 Being Elite pax we also had the perk of complimentary laundry for other stuff,, not making a welter of it, but putting in a bag every 3 or 4 days. 

We just used the guest laundrettes on Princess although we did send in stuff that needed ironing after washing like my linen trousers and DH's dress shirts. We only reached Elite last year after doing the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise so I'm glad we got a chance to do the short Ruby cruise in December so we could enjoy the free laundry perk - not that we really needed to do laundry on an eight night cruise but ...

 

On Celebrity we hand washed some things on the first cruise but gave up after that. We only sent a few things in on the second cruise as they didn't offer a bag wash on that one, but last year they had the bag wash which was good.

 

Julie.

Edited August 6, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[GUT2407]

On cruises under about 12-14 days we take enough to get us through.

 

longer cruises we actually tend to pack less and do laundry about once per week. I usually put a load on before breakfast, set the alarm on my watch, get back just before it finishes, transfer it to drier, set alarm again and be back just before drier finishes. But all our longer cruises have, to date been on ships with passenger laundry.

[lyndarra]

5 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well I'm having one of those days. It looks like we will have to cancel our down under adventure. The oblivious few are manifesting themselves all over the world. We just had a news story of a bunch of rowdy "Campers" had left a total mess at a wilderness site on the lakeshore. More covid cases in BC and for me a general feeling of hopelessness. Can't plan anything, if you set a goal the goal posts move. 

I'm not really happy with the offerings from Celebrity for down under in 2022 so will start looking at other options. I don't mind the 14 day itinerary but Lynn is a little skeptical about a 2 week cruise. (add $500.00 for laundry, Celebrity does not have passenger laundry rooms) I really haven't started looking, it just feels like whatever we get it will not be as good (in our minds) as what we have planned. The whole thing flowed with our preferred Airline, we had the best seats in premium economy (business class is way above our means) the cruise was a one way Auckland to Melbourne and we had what we felt was the best cabin in our price range.

Meanwhile I read these boards with a certain amount of despair, almost every thread is all about Covid. Even when there is a good news thread (The one about the cruise on Mein Schiff) somebody had to do the "what about the outbreak on the Roald Amundsen thing. I'm tired of so many people wanting to p**s on everything.

Rant over

 

I've done one way cruises to NZ on both Celebrity and HAL. Both were excellent however I'm giving HAL the nod as they seem to include more, and sometimes different, ports. Have a squiz at HAL's itineraries if they have any yet for 2022.

Edited August 6, 2020 by lyndarra
typos

[ilikeanswers]

For my smalls laundry I use a Scrubba Bag. Makes it so much easier. It can do bigger articles too but you have to do them one at a time.

[OzKiwiJJ]

24 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

For my smalls laundry I use a Scrubba Bag. Makes it so much easier. It can do bigger articles too but you have to do them one at a time.

I just use a large ziplock bag.

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I just use a large ziplock bag.

 

I would have thought a zip lock bag would be too smooth for scrubbing😮. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I would have thought a zip lock bag would be too smooth for scrubbing😮. 

You shake it, best done in the shower stall just in case. 🤣 Most things don't need scrubbing, and those that do can be hand-scrubbed.I've been using the "plastic bag washing machine" when travelling for years, long before I even heard of Scrubba.

[Blackduck59]

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement, they really did help. Thanks also for the laundry tips, I'm in for the longer itinerary but I will have to work on Lynn. The Celebrity cruise we looked at added Bay of Islands and Hobart to our original itinerary but ends in Sydney instead of Melbourne so we will just alter the flow a little and do Melbourne and area at the end of our adventure and fly out from Melbourne with the connection through Auckland for our direct flight to Vancouver. We even have an extra year to save for the more expensive cruise.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Blackduck59

[OzKiwiJJ]

Both places are worth going to. The Bay of Islands is beautiful and the Waitangi museum covers some of the most important parts on NZ history.

 

Hobart is also a lovely place to visit. Do try to go up Mt Wellington if it's a nice day. The views are amazing. But take some warm clothing with you, it can be 10-12 degrees cooler up there than at sea level. It's only about 20-30 minutes by car up from the dock.