The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday July 10th, 2023

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

I didn't make it here yesterday, just too busy with the DGS.  We took him home last night and now it's back to my usual quiet life. 😉  After 3 days of taking him swimming, museum, inflatable bouncing venue, movies etc. etc., I'm tired!  But we had a wonderful time, he's such a great kid.  Next month we'll be doing more of the same with his little brother.  

 

I adore kittens and have had many in my life.  The only reason I don't have any now is because we're taking longer cruises and I hate leaving my fur babies.  So I get my kitten fix from my grand-kitties.  Pina Coladas are good, and so are teddy bear picnics.  DD has my teddy bear from when I was 6 -- he's very fragile as you can imagine and "lives" at the top of the boys' closet where he's safe. 😉  

 

I like the quote, will pass on the red wine and drink.  I'd like the meal but only with some changes in some of the ingredients and less spice.  We were in Edinburgh in 2018 on the VOV. I wanted to go inside the castle but they were having several festivals that day and the lines were hours' long.  Some photos of the day:

 

Street performers

 

Home of Robert Louis Sevenson

 

Some exterior shots at the castle.  Some day I'd like to get inside!

 

 

 

 

 

View of Edinburgh

 

The Balmoral

 

Love this corner scene

 

 

 

 

[rafinmd]

A few photos from the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh:

 

 

 

 

Roy

 

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Good morning friends!  Here we have 70F and rain which will continue for 3 or 4 more hours, and a high of 81.  I'm going out in late morning for my annual mammo so hope the rain stops by then.  

 

Thanks go to Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report.  It's all fun and games today with kittens, pina coladas and teddy bear picnics!  I like the quote and am interested to see the recipe for the vegan crunch wrap.  Not sure what the drink is but will pass on the pinot noir.  Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for giving us information on the food and beverages.

 

I had lots of prayers to say today on the treadmill.  I've added those in the path of flooding due to all the heavy rain. Everyone on the Care list is included each day.  Hoping Lou and Terry @smitty34877 have a good appointment today and get good news.  🙏  A salute to everyone cruising and celebrating happy events.  🥂🎂  We could use more nice things happening in our lives.  Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists today.

 

The port today is all inclusive I guess.  Any port near Edinburgh seems to be listed so go for it!  In the past it was listed as S. Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland.  Those dates were March 12, 2021 and Aug. 12, 2022.  Below are the links and some photos from

 

 

 

 

 

For our Port of the Day, South Queensferry, we were there in 2015 on Royal Princess.  On the Prinsendam in 2018 we docked across the bridge in Rosyth.  In South Queensferry we took a tender to the pier and were greeted by a band of bagpipes.  The weather was a little drippy but at least it wasn't pouring.  Instead of a tour, we paid for 2 tickets on a shuttle bus to Edinburgh.  It was a private company that ran the buses back and forth.  I suppose this red bridge is the one that crosses between South Queensferry and Rosyth, Scotland.  Since South Queensferry is on the south side of the River Forth, along with Edinburgh, we didn't have to cross it.  

 

We arrived in Edinburgh and given the location to pick up the return bus when ready.  Then we headed to Edinburgh castle for a tour.  There were military personnel there holding things up for a bit but we were lucky to get to watch them for a while.  This was in May, not in Tattoo time (August).

 

 

 

 

 

We left and walked down The Royal Mile passing St. Giles Cathedral.

 

With the gray skies and gray buildings it sure looked gloomy.  On a sunny day it would be a whole other story.  We walked the entire length of The Royal Mile but I have hundreds of photos and can't share them all here.  At the other end, we planned on visiting the Palace of Holyrood House.  But someone else had plans for Holyrood House so it was closed for the day. 

 

 

Sticking my phone and camera through the iron gates I got this photo of the palace.

 

And moments later we got to see the hoopla as the royal guest left for a meeting somewhere.

 

Holding my phone overhead I got this photo of The Royal Mile.

 

We walked quite a bit around Edinburgh and I was able to find a spot to take this photo of Edinburgh Castle.

 

My goodness, I have hundreds more photos but have to stop.  But this last photo was one of the most enjoyable moments of the day - looking out from our balcony as our ship left South Queensferry later in the day and seeing sights like this beautiful hillside.

 

My first time in Edinburgh was in 2011 on Emerald Princess and we took a tour of Edinburgh Castle.  It was actually a sunny day!  However I didn't post photos from that day because I stuck to the S. Queensferry location.  I'm sure there will be a lot of photos of Edinburgh today

 

I saw the penalty kick segment of yesterday's U.S. over Canada (3-2) soccer game on TV this morning.  Wow!  That's all I can say!  Superb work by the U.S. goalie.  Congrats to them!!⚽

 

Hoping everyone here has a safe and healthy day!

 

 

Nice photos Sandi.

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all! 
Enjoying the pictures of Scotland, it has been far too long.  DS is considering St Andrew’s for a doctorate so we may have to check it out. 
congratulations on the engagements @ottahand7 @RMLincolnhow exciting!  

 

 

@cruising sister thanks for the update on baby Murphy!  Hope goes well.  Love the spa idea,  perhaps don’t read the novel nine perfect strangers,,lol! 
 

my idea of heaven 

 

https://www.facebook.com/100002630387890/posts/pfbid02t5WKT5J6JGTN29LSaZchK74jJEkNNVpoNicqBnTMfUAibK1K9b2EdZQMxQ7UAidGl/

[grapau27]

4 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

We have been to five times all but the first time on the Prinsendam, so we docked at Rosyth. The first time was in 2008 on Tahitian Princess. The first time we were in Edinburgh in 2011, we took a morning tour to Edinburgh and the castle, followed by an afternoon tour to St. Andrews.  In 2016, we were late docking due to tidal conditions, and our tour to the Falkirk Wheel was cancelled, so we took the train into town.  In 2016, we did several b2bs, so we were in Rosyth and Edinburgh three times. 

 

The first time, we made it to the Falkirk Wheel, but the tour was nearly cancelled.  The guides for the two buses had to cancel and there were no replacements.  We were given the option of getting off the bus and getting our money back, or doing the tour anyway.  The two drivers went out of their way to make it a memorable tour even without out any commentary.  The wheel provided a guide for the boat ride.  The bus drivers even made a unscheduled stop at the statues of the Kelpies, mythical sea creatures that steal children.  As usual, there was one grump who complained about the lack of commentary on the bus.

 

A view of the stands being erected at the Castle for the Tattoo.  The stands are vey steep and tall, and since I do not like heights, I'm not sure I will attend the Tattoo because with my luck I'd be on the top row and miserable.

 

When we left the Castle in 2011, we had to wait for our bus until a parade of veterans assemble and marched by, followed by a band, and pipers.  It was worth the wait to see how proud they were.

 

The Kelpies.

 

We visited the Britannia, but I will only show one picture of the sitting room.

 

The last time we did the combination of the city bus and the Ho-Ho, since I wanted to go to the statue of Greyfriars's Bobby.  Here is the statue and his grave in Greyfriars's Cemetery.

 

Finally, a couple of pictures from the town.  The first was taken in 2016 during the Fringe and the Tattoo.   You could hardly walk down the streets.

 

 

Lenda

 

Excellent collection of photos Lenda.

Edited July 10, 2023 by grapau27

[fruitmachine]

It's great to see so many people's pictures of Edinburgh and how much you enjoyed visiting my home city.  I've been on the Royal Mile today and last week - it's looking particularly spick and span after having had a bit of a polish for the "Presentation of the Honours of Scotland" ceremony last week: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66098124

[StLouisCruisers]

See, I told you we'd have lots of photos today of Edinburgh!  😁

 

Thank goodness, that mammo ordeal is over for another year!  ✔️  They said they have a new machine and everyone is complaining!  But almost as bad was an accident on I-75 so DH called and advised me to take some side roads before I got tangled up in it.  He gave me some directions which I followed and never had to park on the interstate trying to get home to lunch.🚙🚗🚚

 

Also I wanted to report that Brenda texted that they made it over the border into Canada as planned last night.  The birth certificate and RealID driver's license will be enough to identify Jaana.  Today is Calgary Stampede.🤠🐮  Their Alaska cruise on the Volendam leaves a week from Wednesday in Vancouver.  I would bet this is the highlight of the trip for Brenda and Jaana.  Paul enjoys the camping more than the ladies do.🏕️

 

Congrats to Graham @grapau27 on the 2025 cruise booking.🚢  Also to the young people getting engaged recently!💍❤️  And the great news about Baby Murphy, family visits, new campaigns, promising test results, and upcoming birthdays.🎂🎉🎈

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a very sunny central Texas.  The sun is as intense here as in Quartzsite.  Luckily, most of the work I had to do outside this morning was in the port or in the shade. 

 

The smoker is now cleaner.  I would probably have to pressure wash it to get all the greasy smoke off the walls and grates.  As it is, it will still be good for smoking.  After I got the smoker cleaned, we plugged it in to see if the element would heat.  It didn't.  Next, I took the back off, and DH while wearing gloves removed the three thick layers of fiberglass insulation so he could test the element with the volt meter.  We now have an new element on the way, and this will be the third element for the smoker.  We have an identical smoker in Q, and it's still on the first element.  Go figure.  Right now, the insulation is in a large trash bag, and the other parts are in boxes until we install the new element.  The weed killer has been sprayed, again.  It's an on going battle with the weeds.

 

Staying inside this afternoon and doing bookwork and bills seems like a good idea.  There's a good wind now, but I don't want to be in the sun this afternoon.

 

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, I forgot to mention this morning that the red bridge in your pictures is the railroad bridge.  Construction was begun in 1882 and the bridge was opened in 1890.  We have been across the bridge several times when we took the train from Inverkeithing into Edinburgh.  It is the reason most modern cruise ships have to tender into Queensferry.  We have also been across the older vehicle bridge but not the new one.  I'm glad the mammogram is behind you and that you had a way around the blocked and backed up interstate.

@RMLincoln  Maureen good news on the the DGD's engagement.

@ger_77  Gerry, I hope they get the last two fires under control and that there are no more fires.

@smitty34877  Terry, we saw pictures of the flooding north of you, and it looked extremely bad.  I'm glad you were not affected.  I hope the doctor appointment today goes well.  I also hope your DS and family arrive at their rental safely.  It is nice that your DS will help you get Lou to his appointment with the surgeon tomorrow.  I hope the report from the surgeon is good.

@kplady  Laura, you are correct.  I would not enjoy being that high, nor going up and down the steps.  I felt the same way when we saw the stands being erected.  I guess I'm an oddball, but the Tattoo has never been high on my must see list.  Thank you for the pictures, so now I have a good idea of what I won't be seeing.  😁

@grapau27  Thank you as always, Graham, for  your nice comments.  Glad you have a cruise booked for 2025.

@JazzyV  Vanessa, I hope your PT can help your knees, and that they can give you some exercises to do.  When I hurt my knee last year, I found Aspercreme helped control the pain more than Advil or any other pain reliever.

@cruzn single  Mary Kay, that is good news that some of the family want the genealogy data.  Francis Lightfoot Lee and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, and the only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence were ancestors on my mothers maternal line.  I hope the lady who will move you and manage the estate sale has some good suggestions to help with the downsizing.

@fruitmachine  Welcome to the Fleet Report/Daily.  I hope we see you here again.  We have enjoyed all our visits toe Edinburgh.

 

Now, I guess it's time to get back to work.

 

Lenda

 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

It's great to see so many people's pictures of Edinburgh and how much you enjoyed visiting my home city.  I've been on the Royal Mile today and last week - it's looking particularly spick and span after having had a bit of a polish for the "Presentation of the Honours of Scotland" ceremony last week: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66098124

Welcome @fruitmachine

Graham.

Edited July 10, 2023 by grapau27

[1ANGELCAT]

Good sunny afternoon, much better than yesterday. The damage from the flooding has been  severe in certain areas. 
I have been to Edinburgh several times over the years, all on land trips. Love the Tattoo and the fringe festival. I especially loved dining at The Witchery by the Castle. I was on the Royal Yacht  on our first visit back in 1999.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

In honor of Kitten Day.

 

 

 

Lenda
 

[kochleffel]

I don't have any digital pictures of Addison as a kitten, but here he is with Fergus as adult cats.

[Cruising-along]

What’s blooming here today. 🌸🌻🌼

 

Fuchsia

 

Sweet Peas

 

Hydrangea

 

The Liatris is just starting

 

Jackmani Clematis

 

[grapau27]

[rafinmd]

@grapau27 is it almost July 11 there.  Happy Birthday to Father David.

 

Roy

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

@grapau27 is it almost July 11 there.  Happy Birthday to Father David.

 

Roy

Thank you Roy.

It is currently 22.45pm here.

[rafinmd]

And a zoom. but it's time for the first of my meetings.  Thanks Leanne, Lou & Dave, and fellow addicts.

 

Roy

[highscar]

Just minding my own business.  Sure!!????

[kazu]

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

It's great to see so many people's pictures of Edinburgh and how much you enjoyed visiting my home city.  I've been on the Royal Mile today and last week - it's looking particularly spick and span after having had a bit of a polish for the "Presentation of the Honours of Scotland" ceremony last week: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66098124

 

Welcome to the Daily 🙂 

 

Hope to see more of your posts 😄 

[richwmn]

Since we are talking about cats today, here are mine. I didn't have either one as a kitten, but here they are today.

 

 

 

 

[Nickelpenny]

Ok here’s Martina!  🥴😀👍

Edited July 11, 2023 by Nickelpenny
Addition

[quilty964]

Happy Monday, what's left of it!  I'll take a Pina Colada any day, no kitties here, and I'm sure we could have a Teddy Bear picnic with the grands, they have lots of "stuffies" that could attend!  Thanks for all of the great pictures today, that looks like a great place to visit.  The flowers are also very nice, we have Easter lillies that are blooming now.  My veggies seem to be doing well, just picked another cucumber!  There are a lot of small ones on the vines.  I'm happy to hear that Baby Murphy is stable and tasting some milk, that's great news!  Prayers and cheers for all that need them.  K

[marshhawk]

Furnando when he first came to us, post kitten, pre monster

 

 

 

[kochleffel]

Vivid account of some of the flooding in the Hudson Valley.

 

Ms. Dagaev looked outside. It was like a river had been diverted, running now through the middle of the four small buildings that are the Weyant Green Apartments in the village of Highland Falls. The water had grown deeper and faster as it flowed toward Highland Brook, feet away, and the Hudson River, downhill, and those little buildings were the last structures it would strike on the way.

Ms. Dagaev was unsteady on her feet on dry land. No way she could go out there.

 

I'm grateful that, between neighbors who rushed to help, and firefighters when they arrived, everyone got out safely.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/10/nyregion/new-york-highland-flooding-rescue.html