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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
I genuinely cannot think of a cruise ship without singing the theme tune to this!
ReplyDeleteWould LOVE to go on one, but MrGG just laughs uproariously whenever I mention them and says "Never in a million years..."
Mr LJ is exactly the same,Gary.
ReplyDeleteHe is worried about the people with whom he might have to share a table.
However I think we could actually be miserable and ask for a table for two..
My problem is that I am not particularly bothered about food and when one is on the high seas, it seems that eating and drinking seem to be what people do.
Also I think the Jane Macdonald programme about Cruise Ships some years ago didn’t do them any favours
I think that P tb Y is going to make me feel envious though when she reports back.
Bermuda sounds good to me .
Lots of fun, GG, so much to do, so much to see, so many thousands of miles all in one go without the usual inconvenience associated with travel these days!
ReplyDeleteIt's just All Those Other People....
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy Birthday, Lanjan ! 😊 Glad you had a good day.
ReplyDeleteHappy cruising, PtbY - it sounds like a fantastic trip, all that you'll see ! Look forward to hearing about the highlights on your return.( Having met you twice, puzzled that you're concerned about expanding waistline as you didn't look remotely overweight to me ! Still, am aware that we all regard trouser fit as the acid test, though even nearest & dearest don't notice anything )
Fingers crossed for your first ever cruise, AP, with that pesky knee. Can see both your point & Mr AP"s , but is there any painkiller that could help a little to tide you over ??
Many thanks to those who wished me well, & gave me a boost , you're so right, Stasia, it does make a positive difference, & it is what we do consistently on this blog. We are lucky ! Makes me think, though, of the many who don't have people who are close, or concerned friends, let alone
ReplyDeletevirtual ones. Not just thinking of war torn countries, but here in the West, too. The forgotten invisible ones.
AP, you understand my other problem so well !!
A 😀 update : had an interrupted but still the best sleep last night than I've had in over 3 weeks ! Such a good sign. The body is beginning to heal itself. It's been intense, but definitely moving in the right direction now, slowly but surely !
👍🛏💤
DeleteYay 🤗 👏🏻🤗 👏🏻 Carolyn!
DeleteGary I’m like Mr GG, I have been on three cruises to Alaska, Iceland, Norway and Alta to see the N lights. Have decided no more cruises as I spend most of the time on my back to avoid falling over, especially in rough seas. As my partner can’t fly we are limited, so I will take the boat to Spain and spend it all in bed reading.
ReplyDeleteNow the Queen Mary is a different 🚤 ship. Have been on her four times, intellectually stimulating, RSC, musicals, classical music, saunas, hydro pool gym, afternoon tea with dancing. Space for interest groups, LBGBT etc. The food is fantastic eat all day long , but It’s not a cruise more a destination boat.
PtbY. Have a great time, and certainly enjoy the food and places you will visit.
Stasia my “travelling” sister would agree she and my b-I-l have taken trips on all 3 of The Queens and would endorse all that you have written regarding the experience.
Delete
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Glad to hear you are on the turn, even if its minimal, those little steps soon add up.
If you are still having problems with constipation, you might like to try Lepicol (obtainable from Amazon ), its natural fibre, my GP recommended it as well as giving me a prescription, not available on the NHS, but it works for me with the full dose and no side effects ! unlike the medication
Thanks, Cowgirl. In the 'normal way' ( as far as IBS goes ! ) I have, with help from a holistic practitioner, arrived eventually at an effective, natural way of managing the condition, but this was something different, & needed more drastic attention. Well, it worked, am thankful to say.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, little steps add up
& the last 2 days there's been lots of little steps, with the shingles as well.
It is a always a problem, when so many helpful medications, can also give unwanted side-effects. These can be well managed, if it is a short-term situation.
ReplyDeleteThe difficulty arises when something to be taken long-term, really controls the medical condition, but has other effects. It is a question of how to balance this "good and bad".
My BP meds had to be changed 3×. to get a "concotion" which works well. I still get some side-effects from one, namely cold hands + feet. This is easily solved in the winter, wearing thick socks along with fur-lined slippers in the house and warm, comfy boots, for outside wear.
It is often, just getting the best possible balance, suitable to suit each individual with their medical problems.
Take Care - All who are having health problems, at the moment.
My philsosphy is:- as each day goes by, then there will be an improvement, no matter how slight....and do not hesitate to seek advice and ask for help, with the slightest worries or concerns.
Remember, that there is a lot of available help + advice, which is free. No one needs to suffer unneccesarily.
DeleteHaha Gary.....the love boat!!! I’m hoping that with a full two weeks together I don’t throw Mr PtbY over the balcony never mind it being a love boat. I’ve already told him that we won’t be coming home having found new best friends. I like to keep ourselves to ourselves!!!
ReplyDeletePtbY..Have a great trip, and just relax and enjoy. It sounds wonderful..
DeleteI love a holiday on water, but only in a relatively, very comfortable, small sailing vessel, where the number of fellow "ship-mates", are only about 34 maximum.
A very, very rainy Friday night, and so gloomy
ReplyDeleteMy puss-cat does not want to go out!
I am not sure, if any others watch "Corrie", but I will be watching tonight, with tissues to hand. It, no doubt, will bring back some sad memories of mine...
I have spent the entire day making my costume for the big Halloween Ball that we go to every year. I am going as an evil robot - 1000 LED lights have duly been attached to the silver "suit" I have created and a HUGE light-up staff has been constructed! Can't wait for tomorrow night...
ReplyDeleteGG Your next "Life Outside Ambridge" heading image?
DeleteIt sounds Wonderful.
Enjoy and tell us all about it, whenever you finally recover, Hic..
Don't get an electric shock! 😩⚡⚠️
What an absolutely miserable day! All I have managed to do today is stick a few bulbs in tubs for the garden. It is so dark, wet and cold. I’m dreading the clocks going back on Sat. night, I do wish they would stick to BST for the whole year, though I suppose that would make things worse our Scottish friends as it would be very dark in the mornings.....or have I got that wrong Gary?
ReplyDeleteYou did better than me! I managed a good supermarket shop at 10.00am, but it was already in rain, and it's just got worse, ever since.
DeleteNo way, could I do any outside work in the garden.
My car + trainers, are still, well covered in mud, after my zoo trip last Sunday,.The parking was so wet + squelchy, that I ended up in a very muddy spot, with the car skidding and difficult to steer..
I was in the overflow car-park as a busy Sunday.
DeleteWhat I can’t understand re British Summer time.
ReplyDeleteIf it would be too dark in the morning in the north of Scotland for children to get to school at 9:00am,why not have BST all year in England but in Scotland the children could start school at 10.00am instead of 9:00 am.?
Didn’t we once have BST all year and also was there a time when there was double BST?
Yes, we did, LanJan, a three-year trial period 1969/70/71, while we were living in London, and it was AWFUL. The evenings may have been lighter by one hour, but the winter weather was still too bad to make use of it and the mornings were terrible - it was often dark until almost midday and on dull days it didn't get light at all. We had lights burning all day and walking children to school in the morning was really dangerous because drivers had got up in the dark and were still too dozy to concentrate. I was relieved when it was over.
DeleteWe are in Dorset with the three dogs in a holiday cottage. We had a longer than anticipated journey as quite a few holdups. It is so difficult travelling east to west or vice versa. You just wonder why the main routes are so bad. The dogs are not sure what to make of it all but will no doubt settle! Weather not due to be kind so may just curl up with a book!
ReplyDeleteHave a smashing time Ev! I love a good curl up!!
DeleteIn my opinion the days of the Love Boat are long gone .now cruise ships are skyscrapers on water so impersonal.
ReplyDeleteI would much prefer a trip on the orient express.. the one from London to Venice passes through my town every week...it's beautiful.
That's on my to do list too Autumnleaves. Maybe one day...🍸🚂
DeleteOh, yes... nostalgic memories of last year's trip on the Indian Pacific..
DeleteAutumnleaves, I'm with you. I've never wanted to go on a cruise and cannot think of it other than hell on water. I do however enjoy ferry boats of all kinds.
ReplyDeleteI've never travelled or had holidays in the way that others on here write of, and do not expect to now. But if I were ever to go to NY I would want to go by Ocean Liner. Not to fly.
But best of all I would like to travel by train and would certainly like to do the Orient Express however truncated the trip might be now compared to former times.
Mrs P, our posts crossed - it's all about the journey!
DeleteAnd never the. Destination ?
Delete(in brackets..)
DeleteIn answer to some of the comments above about cruises:
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t want to go on one of those floating skyscrapers either!
Which is why we cruise with Fred Olsen who have 4 quite small ships
The advantage is that there are only a few hundred passengers on board, not thousands; their boats can get into small ports, along rivers, into narrow fiords and even cruise along narrow canals such as the Kiel and Corinth Canals which the giant ships could never do.
The clientele is mostly older folk, so no noisy rampaging children and there are plenty of activities to enjoy on days at sea.
The thing I really appreciate is being able to visit several really interesting cities and areas in one holiday without having to keep packing and unpacking because your bedroom comes with you! No checking in at airports or railway stations and no luggage restrictions.
I was very reluctant to go on our first cruise because I thought it would all be very posh people dressing up to the nines every night and I should feel out of place. But it wasn’t like that at all. The guests and staff were all extremely friendly and the atmosphere was informal. Plenty to do on days at sea- Chris Beardshaw gave very interesting talks about gardens on one cruise, an opera singer spoke about her career on another, there are art and craft classes, keep fit, an excellent library, films and evening entertainment. Plenty to enjoy between shore visits and wonderful places to explore like St Petersburg which was on our first cruise.
I am now hooked on this type of holiday, which I never thought possible before.
Off to a family history conference today and the keynote speaker is Donny Osmond (teenage dreams...🥰)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazing! I do hope you manage to conduct yourself with a modicum of decorum Seasider... On a serious note, is he the keynote speaker in relation to him being a Mormon and the incredible genealogy they undertake?
DeleteMrs P 10.09 25th Oct
ReplyDeleteYour first two lines could have been written by me! I'd love to travel and see more of the world but more especially stay in a hotel, on a ship or somewhere where I did not have to do the cooking etc!!
The longest 'holiday' I really had was four days in Paris with a teaching colleague visiting art galleries twenty five years ago!
Won't go now of course because too expensive what with Single Person Supplement and all of my friends have partners. Being a single person has some advantages like doing things when I want but there are also many disadvantages!
Seasider.....hope you don’t get too giddy at your conference!😉
ReplyDeleteSpicy.....I’ve seen travel companies advertised that cater for just single travellers, don’t know how expensive they are though.
Gary.....we definitely need to see this suit as the next blog photo. It sounds amazing.
Re cruising, Mr Nuts and I have done 2, last year we did an astronomy cruise up the Norwegian coast to see the northern lights, we really enjoyed it, excellent lectures, lots of wonderful scenery, amazing light shows courtesy of Mother Nature. I don’t think we’d go for the floating holiday camp type of cruise, but river cruises or around the Mediterranean on a small ship with informative guides would definitely be considered. We also did a Nile cruise about 23 years ago which was incredible, but I’d be a bit wary of doing that these days.
ReplyDeleteKP - this year Fred Olsen’s ship Black Watch (their smallest one) cruised along the Corinth Canal for the first time, during a Greek Islands Cruise. I have seen the photos and it looked amazing. The passengers could reach out and actually touch the sides of this very deep canal as they went along. I should have loved to have done that as my Dad told me a lot about the canal which he had seen during his Royal Navy day’s in WW1 when he was serving in the Med. Sadly, that cruise got booked up very quickly, being a new itinerary, and was a bit too long and expensive for us, but I should love to do that in a year or two’s time. They also do short 5 or 7 day trips along the River Seine stopping at places like Monet’s garden at Giverney, or along thé Garonne to Bordeaux. I should think they would make a lovely short break and an ideal introduction to cruising.
DeleteOh gosh, I sound like an advert going on about FO cruises - wonder if they would pay me a retainer for spreading the word!! 🤑
We are all different.
ReplyDeleteMy chosen mode of transport is the railway but unlike Parsley,I found the trip on the Indian Pacific across miles of desert incredibly boring.
However travelling across Scotland by rail was fantastic.
I am odd in that I love the whole experience of flying.
My holiday starts when I leave home and the pleasure I get when nth aeroplane takes off is great.
All I need to do is relax, read ,eat ,drink and sleep.
Having never been on a Cruise I have been waiting for P tbY to give me a call to ask if I would like to tag along as luggage carrier.
I reckon she’ll have plenty of opportunity to eat some fabulous cakes and drink some fabulous cocktails.
Envious?
Who me?
Lanjan, I’ll bear you in mind if we ever go again. 👍😁
ReplyDeleteKp.....we were in Iceland on a “wait for the northern lights trip”. All we saw was a faint swirling of what looked like smoke......as if someone was having a garden fire. Froze, stood outside in the dark in December for 2 hours for that. I’m most jealous of anyone who’s seen the full monty of it.
Lanjan.....I too love flying, especially when in turbulence. Like riding a rollercoaster. Just don’t like all the other people on the plane.
England!!! 🏴🏴
ReplyDeletePtbY :10.56
ReplyDeletePtbY: 10.55
That happened to us too, on our so-called Northern Lights cruise last year. There was an announcement that the lights were visible and we all rushed up onto the top deck to see them. But all there was, exactly as you said, were wisps of white ‘smoke’ swirling around for a few minutes, no colours at all. But I looked at the screen of a nearby passenger who was filming and there were lots of beautiful greens, yellows and pinks!! He told me that you need a special programme on your camera or tablet that lets you film the lights in colour! What a pity our eyes didn’t have the correct software. 👀
PtbY(10.55)
ReplyDeleteI don't care for roller coasters but, like you, find the turbulance quite exciting, AND the whoosh of take off, even more, the dramatic bump on landing ! Used to find airports exciting, full of promise & anticipation, but now, with all the checks, & worrying about liquids etc., decidedly tedious.Not complaining, the checks are necessary, but ...
Exactly, Carolyn. flying has become a nightmare for me ever since the first of my 4 replacement joints was installed. Airport staff seem to be incapable of understanding that their wretched security gate is screeching its head off because an innocent, grey-haired grandmother/great grandmother has replacement joints - oh, no, anyone who causes this kind of reaction must be a potential terrorist, using the joints as an excuse to smuggle weapons on board the plane. One woman got really angry with me because she couldn't detect anything on my person which was causing the alarm, and therefore couldn't prove that my operations were the cause. In the end I put her out of her misery by telling her that I actually carried the proof she needed on my anatomy, and offered to show her my scars. She panicked and let me go.
DeleteAs well as having been incredibly lucky with the NorthernLights I can vouch for the Orient Express. Mr Nuts and I traveled from Venice to London for his 50th birthday. Everyone seemed to be celebrating a major birthday or life event. It is very much pre-war luxury, very sumptuous but the sleeping compartments are small, with bunk beds and only a toilet and basin, no shower or bath. The cocktail bar and dining car were fantastic, the food was terrific and the scenery splendid. Definitely a once in a life time trip.
ReplyDeleteIn the “olden” days one was allowed to go into the. Cockpit.
ReplyDeleteOnce on my way to Australia I got chatting to a lady who was the wife of one of the pilots.
Before we got to Darwin a Flight stewardess came to me and asked if I would like to go to the cockpit to see the plane being landed and then when we took off again for Brisbane I could go and see the plane taking off.
I have also seen Greenland from the cockpit-not on the same trip.
Amazing.
PtbY - single personholiday companies.
ReplyDeleteYes I've researched them - they are expensive especially if one is a pensioner.
One very short break I did manage in recent years was with a Gloucester company that does cruises on the Severn out of Gloucester Docks.
Could only afford it by friend and self sharing a cabin and we cruised along the Gloucester Sharpness Canal. We both enjoyed it very much, apart from the fact that most of the other passengers were couples who automatically hooked up with other couples at table and we two single woman were matched at table with the two single men, both of them the kind of men to avoid at all costs elsewhere.
The hotel boat though was very comfortable and the food extremely good.
I would love to do the Severn trip, but cannot afford it on my own.
That short holiday helped to persuade me to move to this part of the UK.
I too love flying, and although I've never been on a transatlantic flight, I have on several occasions throughout my life had the good fortune to ' go up' on short flights in private planes.
ReplyDeleteAs far as airports are concerned they horrify me, but when in my youth a trip out to Heathrow of an evening to get a coffee and watch the aircraft was a frequent ' date'.
How times have changed.
Can anyone remember when London Airport became Heathrow ?
Apparently opened as an airport in 1946 - renamed Heathrow in 1966. ✈️
DeleteA few years ago we went to Canada and it included two days on the Rocky Mountaineer. We opted for the Gold Leaf class which since then has become far more expensive but it was so worth it as you travelled on the top deck and it had a dining area below that. The scenery was lovely too. I like to fly but dread the airport rigmarole!!
ReplyDeleteI have suddenly started to hate flying, but as others have so well said, it could be just be down to the airport rigmarole, and getting to the necessary airport.
ReplyDeleteAt one time, I didn't think twice about flying long-haul to go to and see, so many wonderful places. This included driving down to Heathrow, Stanstead, Gatwick airports, but now I much prefer just to be able to fly from Manchester, which is only a 30min taxi ride away.
I hope you all have stayed dry.
After 36hours of rain, it is now a glorious sunny evening with blue skies.
Dry. Miriam It has rained cats and dogs here for the last two days and it is still raining. I haven’t gone out for three days and am going stir crazy.
ReplyDeleteThe last time was to see Farmageddon and it was very good. Just the inane, don’t have to think too hard, sort of film.
MrsP. I couldn’t possibly give the ending away, except to say alls well that baas , woofs and grunts well, that includes the little alien. It’s 80 minutes of infantile regression, for humans of all ages.
Sounds ideal for me.
DeleteI love watching films with the kids, and I probably enjoy them far more, than they do!
Wallace and Gromit and the curse of the wererabbit is one of my top ten films. Sadly all of the wonderful actors are no longer with us..Peter Sallis, Liz Smith and Nicholas Smith or as I'll always remember as Mr Rumbold......and let's not forget our own Edward Kelsey. Thanks for the memories. 💔💔💔
DeleteSarnia (1.21pm), that is harrowing, I feel for you. Don,t have anything like that, but it always beeps when Mr C slarts to saunter through with his replacement knee. Luckily, it's always been obvious, so he's never been doubted. I had no idea this could happen.
ReplyDeletecarolyn. You prompted me to read back to sarnia’s comment.
Deletesarnia, reading your experiences sound like travelling in airports is a cumbersome ordeal, especially when you are treated so rudely.
Although grey haired ladies of a particular age can be feisty and dangerous. My Irish grandmother used to hide guns for the old IRA. She terrified me when I had to visit. She wasn’t a cuddly warm old lady. My grandfather was the opposite, his family disowned him when he married her. She came from a villiage called Crossmaglen, and according to a local saying, it has more thieves than honest men.
Just like Ambridge.
Indeed they can, Stasia, but hardly daft enough to draw attention to themselves by trying to walk through an electronic security gate with guns stuffed down their trousers (which are bound to be discovered), pretending to have replacement joints - which is what the security staff seem to think I'm doing! One of them rubbed my operated knees so hard I lost my balance and fell over.
DeleteReading all this, I now feel very tempted to have an Orient Express experience !
ReplyDeleteI never been on a cruise, but rather fancy a river one, such as my cousin did in Portugal.
Son & D-in-law have been on several, mixed quality, but haven''t suffered from unwelcome others too much. In fact, the made friends with an older couple on a Nice cruise, & kept up the friendship.a nice outcome ! I've met them, as they came to the wedding a year & more ago.a really agreeable pair, who travel a great deal.
'Nile' cruise & numerous missed words above. Sigh. Just about still makes sense.
DeleteI have also done a Nile cruise + really loved it. Even though it was many years ago, the boat was half empty, but I had a wonderful top deck cabin, a huge double, just for me, a single traveller (but it was costly).
ReplyDeleteI was "freaked out" though, to find armed guards on board, wearing body armour with automatic guns.
Better off at Butlins
DeleteThe nearest I got to a cruise was the Hurtigrute passenger ship that travels up the coast of Norway. We just spent 6 hours on it to the Lofoten islands up beyond the arctic circle. All we could see was mountains of ice and sea. It was midsummer so no Northern Lights which I long to see.
ReplyDeletePtbY, have a wonderful trip. Sounds amazing.
Gary, the conference was organised by Family Search, the family history wing of the Mormon church and yes, Donny was talking about his own research into his family.
I managed to contain myself even though he sang Moon River and Puppy Love...D💜O💜N💜N💜Y😍
😆 Get a grip, Seasider, get a grip ! Did you sing along ? He should have brought you on to the stage....
ReplyDeleteI want the next blog to be headed up by a picture of Gary in his flashing lights demon costume...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSeconded Carolyn!
DeleteCounting on it GG!
DeleteWhen we flew to Dubai back in January it was my first flight after getting my new hip. I was quite looking forward to going through the X-Ray machine and had my hospital card ready to flash at the guards.
ReplyDeleteBut to my surprise and disappointment nothing happened. No bleep or signal at all and I was just waved through!
What a disappointment AP 😉
DeleteFirst prize for my costume at the Ball last night! It was uncomfortable, boiling hot and I could hardly see a thing - but I had a great time. Everyone had made the effort and the venue looked amazing.
ReplyDeleteBut never again will I spend an entire evening with 6 battery packs stuffed into my pants....🎃🎃🎃
😁 That’s suffering for your art, Gary. By the way, any news yet about Archers Academics?
ReplyDeleteNot yet Seasider. They had said middle of last week for news but obviously not....
DeleteGoing back to cruising I heartily endorse Archerfile’s opinion of Fred Olsen. The ships are relatively small and the crew so friendly. Mostly Philippinos who in spite of lengthy times away from home and family are so cheerful and helpful. Mike, my husband was a Naval Architect and would never travel in the big ships knowing the dangers in a crisis situation. There is still a Fred Olsen several generations on and he occasionally travels on one of the ships to check standards are kept up. They have meet ups of the four ships sometimes so that you can look over the other ones amid a carnival atmosphere. We were on Balmoral for the first meet up in Bergen and the sight of the four in line in the early morning going into the port was very moving. Hopefully unlike other companies the line will stay in the family for personal service as opposed to money making being the priority!
ReplyDeleteI want first dibs on Hilda's ginger kitten, to replace the gorgeous ginger one I lost, many years ago. He did a Hilda, went out and was never seen again. I wanted to find his body, just to know the final outcome.
ReplyDeleteIf he/she is a Hilda "clone", then cats can be trained, with a lot of care, TLC + attention, if started young.
GG So glad you survived, without any electrical or battery, problems.
ReplyDeleteWell done - Ist prize - it was worth it though. 😥 🏆🥇
I have finally just changed the last "clock" to the new time.
ReplyDeleteThis was my cooker, as needed to find the instruction manual, to remind me how to do so
It was a delve into a drawer to find it. I suddenly thought of Alf + Eddie, routing through Joe's drawers.
Furniture only.
😂 😉
DeleteEv: 2.31
ReplyDeleteSo glad to know you are a Fred fan too. We had a lovely surprise yesterday. A call from the cruise company offering us a complimentary upgrade to a junior balcony suite on Deck 9 of Balmoral for our trip in three weeks time! We had booked a non- balcony cabin on deck 8, so this upgrade will be sheer luxury for us, at no extra cost. I suppose not too many people wanted to go cruising in November so they had some empty cabins and we were lucky enough to get one.
I just hope I shall be fit enough to enjoy it because my knee has been really painful for the past few days. I have a reoccurrence of a Baker’s cyst behind the knee which is causing a great deal of pain in my calf muscle, making movement and walking painful and difficult so I am using ice packs, elevation and rest to try and cure it before the cruise.
I am NOT going to miss out on our good fortune because of a wretched knee, so it better jolly well sort itself out pronto!!
What rotten timing.
ReplyDeleteEverything crossed for you, Archerphile ! Sorry about the pain, but you're doing all the right things to alleviate it & you have got 3 weeks to get into a better state. All the best.
Archerfile if knee not better be sure to take a stick or other walking aid. You may even be able to take a mobility scooter if you book it in beforehand but they do limit the number of these on board. I think you can now keep it in your cabin. There are lifts between decks as you know so at least you don’t have to tackle the stairs!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn -
ReplyDeleteWasn't it you who enjoyed the Bridget Riley exhibition.
Did you hear ' Profile' this evening ?
Twas I.....
DeleteI remembered in a flash of sleepless insight some hours ago, Gary ! Was it in Glasgow ? Edinburgh ? Don,'t think it was as long ago as NY.
DeleteIt was Edinburgh carolyn... And how the devil are you? At the end of your tether or seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? Big hug either way!
DeleteHaven't been to a recent Riley exhibition, Mrs P. ( didn't know there was one currently ) but was impressed by a retrospective of hers some years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up ! I'll listen to Profile tomorrow.
Have just finished “The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker” by Joanna Nell, a really insightful read into the process of dementia with many come alive characters along the way. I really enjoyed the book and can recommend. In spite of her illness, Mrs Henry Parker is remarkable in so many ways!
ReplyDeleteMrsP. I think I mentioned going to a B Riley exhibition a while back. D Hirst has very badly plagiarised her work.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I can believe that, Stasia ! The man is a fraud ( imo)
DeleteHug most welcome, Gary(8.34am) ! 🤗 To answer, sticking to tunnel image : certainly light there, but sometimes it's bright, other times further away....i.e, 'up & down' through the days.
ReplyDeleteHave come to the conclusion that shingles has a tedious moral objective to stop its victims becoming complacent. Honestly 😉
Anyway, going with the flow....
Keep on looking at that light Carolyn, you’ll get there. Try to stay positive, though I know it can be difficult on those bad days.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit sad this morning.
Our first proper frost of the winter and looking out of the window, all I see are my beloved dahlias all black and drooping! The grass is crispy white and birdbath water frozen solid.
What with the clocks going back at the weekend it feels like winter is truly starting.
I messaged son in Dubai about this, as he likes to keep in touch with the seasons back home, and he instantly messaged back - “Lucky you!” Apparently it is still very hot and humid there and he is struggling a bit with the conditions.
Have changed the heading photo for those who wanted to see my my costume from the Halloween Ball!
ReplyDeleteArcherphile 10.39
ReplyDeleteI too have a large bed of Dahlias for cutting that I grew from seed. Do you leave yours in the ground covered up or dig them up ? when I stored mine most of them rotted.
Cousin has just been for an overnight stay as she has been house hunting in Scotland. ( sorry to inflict her on you Gary ) . Her Land lady has finally taken the big step and has sold her house.
She did say how much more settled and calmer Misty was, which was good news as you don't see progress yourself in the same way. Just wish I could stop her chasing .
Gary you look FAB. what a lot of hard work though, Well done.
ReplyDeleteGary. Wow I’m impressed
ReplyDeleteGary, very impressive. Obvious that you didn’t just nip in to Asda and pick up a costume!! 🤣
ReplyDeleteGosh you don’t do things by halves,Gary.
ReplyDeleteWell done you.
We have fairly mild winters here in the south east ,Cowgirl but I have started covering tender plants and bulbs with a mixture of well rotted horse manure, leaf mould ,spent coffee grounds and tree bark
ReplyDelete-none of which costs me a penny.
I haven’t a clue whether it is doing any good but it makes me feel as if it is.
Heard someone scraping the frost off their car this morning.
I have still not brought into the garage my geraniums and there are still red tomatoes on the outdoor plants so they won’t be discarded yet.
I am with your son,Archerphile.
I don’t know how anyone can stand the oppressive heat in Dubai particularly in the summer months.
Cowgirl: 11.42
ReplyDeleteRe dahlias: for a couple of years, back when we had very hard winters, we dug up our dahlia tubers, dusted them with anti-fungal powder, wrapped them in newspaper and stored them in the cellar. Both years we found most of our carefully stored tubers had rotted away and had to start again from scratch!
So now we put chicken-wire cages around the plants (we have made lots of these to protect plants from rabbits) and fill them with raked up leaves, leaf mould or compost, anything really to put a blanket over them. They seem to survive OK like this and we have only lost one or two plants.
Some of ours have survived for several years like this.
Gary - Wow! That’s really going the extra mile! Just wondering how you managed to eat and drink though? Hope there was no risk of electrocuting yourself! 💥 👻 💥
ReplyDeleteGG - WOW!!
ReplyDeleteYikes Gary that’s some costume! Never mind the eating and drinking what about the 🚾 😂
ReplyDeleteFeel for you Carolyn have heard from a friend how awful shingles are and certainly does take time to recover.
I have had ear and throat checked out this morning and although uncomfortable will pass. However during obs irregular pulse reared head again so an ECG & Dr Fri. Seems a number of us are under the weather at the moment. Archerphile do hope your knee will be much better for your trip as you will want to explore your destinations. Be sure to take your pretty stick 🤗
Thoughts to all others still recuperating 🥰
Fantastic, Gary ! You deserve to be 1st across ALL UK 2019 hallow'en events ! 😊 What stoicism alongside scarily authentic costume .- don't know how you stood it for a whole evening.
ReplyDeleteGosh, yes, some of us are in the wars. Thinking of you both, Lady R & Archerphile, hoping the latter gets some relief from pain before the cruise, & that that your irregular pulse settles soon, Lady R. Not at all forgetting Spicycushion, of course, hoping that there are fewer set backs, more good days now ?
Best wishes to anyone else who is feeling rough. There were a couple of yukky colds as well.
Gary, I cannot remember what you are/ were supposed to be, but whatever it was, it is most spectacular.
ReplyDeleteAnd well done for winning first prize, deserved for all the effort put into it.
Sorry to hear of yet more health problems surfacing and hope Lady R has negative results on Friday when having EEG.
Hope all other continuing conditions are at least improving a little, including Spiceycushion and Carolyn.
News of Lady. We have just returned from an hour and half walk on the common with the dog walkers and six other dogs plus the many others we encountered on the walk.
Lady now sees herself as part of the pack and was very taken by Basil a Springer who she was very anxious to play with. Later in the walk we encountered Betty who Lady felt the need to bark incessantly at, but did not lunge at. Eventually the barking stopped and than ran and played together. She is learning fast now, that she can be relaxed around other dogs and does not need to be aggressive to put her point across if she is unsure, telling them to keep a distance until she is ready is enough.
Yesterday we were out on the common for almost two hours and not once did she charge at or bark at any dog, and. She met about fifteen and said hello and moved on.
We are making progress.
The first frost of the autumn and winter, this morning. When I woke up, (I am still on "old time") everywhere was white and cars iced up.
ReplyDeleteI went into town this morning, as I needed to buy buttons for all the knits I am doing, for the newest youngsters in my family, although one is still pending. Of course I came out with yet another pattern + yarn.
I have one grand-niece, now 8 yrs, along with 5 grand-nephews (3 months to 5yrs).
I am so enjoying knitting for a girl again, as my 2nd grand-niece is due on Jan.8th 2020.
I have just finished, this afternoon, the aran jacket I have been knitting for the youngest boy, hence the need for buttons. I wore knee-length warm boots, with a padded jacket, as although very sunny, it was very chilly..and colder tomorrow.
The town, 25 miles away, where a niece + her family live, flooded over the weekend. They are not near the river, so are OK.
GG.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that brilliant photo.
Well Done, You.
You are a far braver person, than I am!
What a costume and I am in awe that you thought of the design AND actually manufactured it .
ReplyDelete😀👏👏👏🏆
✔✔✔✔👏👏
DeleteWow Gary. Amazing costume. Well deserving of first prize.
ReplyDeleteOnly 9.00pm and my car already has ice on it. It will be a cold one tonight. Off for a hot bath, then bed, with pusscat snuggled up beside me. She likes to keep warm also, we're mutual hot water bottles!
ReplyDeleteSleep well and keep warm + cosy.
😴 🐈 🛌 🤗
DeleteBaby it's cold outside! Up far too early, but did have an extraordinarily early night last night.
ReplyDelete2 things to report...
Got ourselves a telescope yesterday so that we can spy on the moon! Looking forward to some more clear evenings.
And will fulfill a very longstanding ambition this evening - off to see "The Mousetrap"! Susan Penhaligon is starring in a production at the Theatre Royal. (Not heard her name for a long time. I recall her being massively famous when I were a lad.) So looking forward to it, as I have studiously avoided ever finding out who did it! No spoilers please.....😁
Gary, loved the mousetrap. Would go see it again. Don’t worry....you are sworn to secrecy when it ends. Something like .....if you reveal who did it you’ll be hunted down and killed!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely evening.
Message for Gary G from the International Space Station.
ReplyDeleteFab costume, you certainly lit up the night sky.
Spotted a massive glow in the dark whilst whilst doing repairs to the satellite.
Hope you didn’t get too hot.
The ISS Astronauts.
Stasia......nice one Kiddo 🤣
ReplyDeleteGary 6.20
ReplyDeleteI remember Susan Penhaligon from years back. Did she play Demelza in the original TV series of Poldark, opposite Robin Ellis? She had beautiful blonde hair I remember.
I really envy you going to see The Mousetrap, something I have always wanted to do as an ardent Christie fan. Unfortunately, my other half has no interest at all in theatre and will only leave the house in the evening for a classical concert!
Susan Penhaligon - “Bouquet of barbed wire” really risqué!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy tonight GG.
Angharad Rheese was the original Demelza in the seventies Poldark.
ReplyDeleteShe died young.
Sorry - just checked my facts and discovered that Angharad R did not die young.
DeleteAlways thought she died soon after she and Christopher Cazenove split.
Wrong !
GG If, or rather, when you speak at the Archers Academics, you obviously have a suitable outfit to wear.
ReplyDeleteI reckon if you wore a wreath or something on your head it would make a lovely Dickensian Spirit of Christmas past for December parties as well.
ReplyDeleteAbove comment meant for Gary!
DeleteGary as Janice suggested you are definitely Christmas Past(Kenneth More in one of the films of A Christmas Carol)
ReplyDeleteI make Christmas Wreaths -I use hazel twigs and honeysuckle stems -wind them round while they are still green with poppy heads, holly ,greenery and other bits and pieces.
A long flowing robe and you would really look the part.
It may not go with your chosen subject though.
Lan Jan and Archerphile Thank you for your advice re my Dahlias. I use straw in my hen house so will put that on to cover them and then use up my redundant tunnel cloches. I have bought another packet of seeds for sowing in the new year so if all fails I will still have some, though I am proposing to extend the bed.
ReplyDeleteAfter three days of frost, my begonias in both my hanging basket and window box, lillies in pots in the back garden, are now looking very bedraggled.
ReplyDeleteAt least I can finally get rid of them all, and prune roses at same time, but far too late for re-planting with bulbs, pansies etc. Still this is not a worry.
Sadly lawns are now overgrown, but have been far too wet + long to cut.
I don’t think it is too late for you to plant winter flowering pansies,Miriam and you can certainly plant bulbs.
ReplyDeleteYou live in the west- warm ,wet ,in Winter area.
Give it a go .
The fuchsia plants are still in flower and I plan to take cuttings too .
Must get on with it.
We live in the soft south east and the geraniums are still outside-as are my tomatoes which I am still collecting daily.
However pride goes before a fall and if I don’t put the geraniums in the garage soon I may be too late.
I have had them for many years and would hate to lose them now.
Blog is very quiet considering the colder weather - only a handful of posts. Maybe lots of exciting happenings for some keeping them busy 🤔
ReplyDeleteIt has been quite quiet of late hasn't it? Will open a couple of new ones tomorrow and see if everyone is a bit chattier then Lady R. 👄
DeleteI am just watching the BBC news, concerning the Grenfall Tragedy. It is so upsetting and heartfelt and still brings tears to my eyes...perhaps even more so now.
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, I thought I had finished a knit, a little cardi, for the newest babe due in January, only to find that I had knitted the both the 2 fronts in a larger size! Need to re-knit them both, but this is not a problem as there is no rush.
Every year, when there is a new family babe born, I buy a china christmas tree bauble, which has their name and date of birth written on the back, with a red ribbon to hang it on the tree.
The two baubles, for this years new grand nephews, arrived today. It is early but one has to go to OZ, but family are moving in November/early December. I am just waiting to hear where I will be sending it - the current address, or a new one, not yet known, nor when.
Had a wonderful day in Niagara. Chickened out of going on a boat. Mr PtbY did and thought it was brilliant. Paid to go behind the falls. Managed to do that although frightened to death. View was crap. Waste of money.
ReplyDeleteHad a pedicure in the hotel spa overlooking the falls. Went for dinner at a local Italian recommended by pedicurist. Best fettuccini with cream and mushrooms I’ve ever had. Definitely pays to ask a local where they would eat.
Was very surprised to go round the corner from our hotel to find a street which looked like Blackpool/Scarborough sea front!!!!
Horrendous. Only passed through it tonight on way to Italian. Suppose everywhere tourist spot has to have its tacky area......THIS STREET IS IT!
Train to New York tomorrow.
Enjoy yourselves.😎👍
DeleteOoo, you do have some super holidays PtbY!
DeleteAlways wanted to see Niagara but Mr A went without me 😖
Looking forward to hearing more about your travels, have fun, keep safe.
😃 Nice chatty news coming in today - looking forward to next instalments!
ReplyDeleteHow is your knee Archerphile? (and any updates from other “patients”?)