Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

 

Have a good day one and all and may the ailing and recovering continue to make progress.  Incidentally ChrisF's post raises an interesting question - who on ERs, apart from those separated from England by various oceans, is not going to Railex this weekend?

 

I'm not going.

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The bin wagons dawn chorus has been and gone, including the fortnightly glass and bottle which has the ability to waken the dead. Chris, I should be at Railex on Sunday but I don't know at what time. I'm planning to go via the A414, the M25 is not appealing at any time and on a sunny bank holiday weekend, forget it. On the subject of second homes one thing that annoys me is that the owners only pay half council tax. If you can afford a second home you can afford to pay the full council tax, after all you don't get only half the street lighting or half the roads repaired. (For that matter that only occurs where there are few if any second homes.)

[Purley Oaks]

who on ERs, apart from those separated from England by various oceans, is not going to Railex this weekend?

Me neither. In a different country, but one that is physically joined to England, though.

[Horsetan]

.....Chrisf, I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself at Cambridge though the thought of a bus journey after a beer festival would fill me with dread.....

 

He'll be alright. He always is.

 

Reminds me of the 2005 Great British Beer Festival at Olympia - the first one I ever attended. Went in at 10.30am when the doors opened. Spent practically the entire day glued to the European beer island, drinking mostly Belgian / German beers. Didn't come out again until closing time at 6pm. Had considerable difficulty walking - weaving was more like it - across the road to the Addison Road / District Line platform. Got home somehow and went to bed early. Woke the next day with a totally clear head; absolutely remarkable, and a very good feeling.

 

Still have the souvenir GBBF pint glass from that year.

 

Now I'm dealing with the Estate of a founder member of CAMRA. Serendipity.

[PhilJ W]

He'll be alright. He always is.

 

Reminds me of the 2005 Great British Beer Festival at Olympia - the first one I ever attended. Went in at 10.30am when the doors opened. Spent practically the entire day glued to the European beer island, drinking mostly Belgian / German beers. Didn't come out again until closing time at 6pm. Had considerable difficulty walking - weaving was more like it - across the road to the Addison Road / District Line platform. Got home somehow and went to bed early. Woke the next day with a totally clear head; absolutely remarkable, and a very good feeling.

 

Still have the souvenir GBBF pint glass from that year.

 

Now I'm dealing with the Estate of a founder member of CAMRA. Serendipity.

So it was you back in 2005.

[Tony_S]

We have checked out of the hotel but it is too early to check into the cruise terminal yet. So we are in the hotel bar drinking coffee for a while. I suspect a lot of the other people sitting around are potential cruise travellers too. A big American group arrived by coach this morning but they were all escorted away to a conference/function room.

Last time we went on a Cunard ship we saw lots of Americans boarding but didn't see them again until departure. Cunard have certain decks restricted to those travelling in more expensive cabins. Perhaps they remain there?

Tony

[trisonic]

Me neither. In a different country, but one that is physically joined to England, though.

 

I think I may go just to wind Mike up!

 

CVS, ah yes........................................................ Actually compared to other shysters my local is quite good. They ring my Dr., when a new prescription is needed and then let me know it’s ready and will even deliver to my home by a real CVS person in a car. The pricing strategy on non- prescription items is where the problem lies.

 

Best, Pete.

[chrisf]

He'll be alright. He always is.

 

Mostly, yes.  Some years ago a friend and I were at the Chappel BF and for some unaccountable reason kept missing the train to Marks Tey.  Eventually we managed to synchronise the draining of a glass with the advent of a train.  Do not ask how we managed to cross the footbridge at Marks Tey, navigate the catacombs at Liverpool Street between the GE station and the Circle Line, do likewise at Farringdon between the Circle Line and the Thameslink platforms and regain consciousness just as we were coming into Bedford because I cannot give a plausible answer other than auto pilot.

 

Yesterday was a bit different.   After my fifth half I felt a little queasy and did not have a sixth.  I blame the fish and chips in a cardboard box, which we had because my trusty companion wanted to eat then and not wait until we hit 'Spoons.  An all day brunch would have done me a power of good.

 

Chris

[Horsetan]

We have checked out of the hotel but it is too early to check into the cruise terminal yet. So we are in the hotel bar drinking coffee for a while. I suspect a lot of the other people sitting around are potential cruise travellers too. A big American group arrived by coach this morning but they were all escorted away to a conference/function room.

Last time we went on a Cunard ship we saw lots of Americans boarding but didn't see them again until departure. Cunard have certain decks restricted to those travelling in more expensive cabins. Perhaps they remain there?

 

On the Cunard Norway cruise (Southampton/Bergen/Andalsnes/Olden/Stavanger/Southampton), the upper two cabin decks (Decks 11 and 12) were for the first/Gold class passengers; they also had their own bar up there. Very exclusive.

 

Me, I slummed it in steerage - no balcony, only a porthole - but had the benefit of the 24-hour all-inclusive restaurant on Deck 9, ready if I had the munchies at 2.30 in the morning.....

Edited May 24, 2018 by Horsetan

[TheQ]

Me,  I'm..not..going, I have  to

A,  Get the sailing club Ready for the 3 Rivers Race.

B, Score lots of brownie points to replace those lost by A, and being out the whole of the following weekend at the race..

 

Meantime my odd measurement problem has been solved, a duff piece of test equipment that is supposed to supply 100uA at 10kHz, it was giving somewhat more than required...

[Tony_S]

As well as our ship, Cunard seem to have Queen Mary 2 in port today. I think that does transatlantic trips so perhaps that is the reason for the American groups this morning. We are on Deck 5 but do have a balcony. Once when we booked MiL onto a cruise she insisted on the cheapest interior cabin and tried to ask if there were any cheaper. This as for a longncruise from Vancouver to Miami. She complained when she returned that we had booked her in a cabin without a pothole. We had explained exactly what it was before booking. She just looked at the price. She did the same when she went with Aditi's sister, got a chest infection and thought it was 12 midday not 12 midnight. I don't think MiL could travel in a cabin with a balcony now but a porthole would be necessary. Actually she isn't well at moment but now has a personal alarm, carer callout and some other assistance. She resisted every item but relented when it was explained as stopping the rest of the family worrying. MiL's memory has deteriorated a lot since her last fall.

Tony

[Horsetan]

As well as our ship, Cunard seem to have Queen Mary 2 in port today. I think that does transatlantic trips so perhaps that is the reason for the American groups this morning. We are on Deck 5 but do have a balcony.....

 

Don't forget to dress for dinner.

 

I was on the QE, which seems to have had its cabins and staterooms renumbered since I travelled on it. The current deck plans show Deck 2 (Low) as being the one I was on.

 

Deck 9 is still the Lido 24-hour restaurant, all included in the cruise price. Having free ice-cream in the early hours of the morning was deeply satisfying. Less satisfying was the maritime internet facility room, which was very expensive!!

[BoD]

What's Railex?

[Ian Abel]

Last time I was in CVS, picking up a prescription, the receipt they gave me was just over  4 feet long.............

Whole swathes of Idaho are being deforested to feed the maw that is CVS. 

 

 

Alas the CVS pharmacy thing was lost on me until I read Pete's subsequent post abut the length of their till receipts. (however I ddi look them up online and they appear to be a right  bunch of shysters from whom I wouldn't buy an aspirin paracetamol (i'm not allowed to take aspirin because of my warfarin content).

Don't get me started.... TOO LATE  

We use Walgreens rather than CVS, simply convenience. We USED to use a local family run pharmacy (in the SAME location as the Walgreens) for years for the "obvious reasons" , but Walgreens bought them out, demolished the building and built one of their edifices in its place    they also took over all the customer pharmacy records AND it's the closest for us.

Both seem to be capable of serious amounts of paper usage, as much as anything, especially in the pharmacy department, as a result of the totally broken medical system here! One of the only two prescriptions I take ALWAYS sends me, BY SEPARATE SNAIL MAIL, a 4 PAGE explanation of what the drug is/side-effects etc., every !@$%!%@&$ time I renew it. I've asked/begged/THREATENED everyone who will listen OR accept an email or voice mail (never a REAL PERSON around) to STOP sending/wasting the paper. Apparently they can't do that by law, so trees are sacrificed instead.

 

Mike - CVS are no better/worse than the other options, most notably Walgreens as the largest, and BOTH companies are so competitive that generally, so long as there is space available (THANKFULLY NOT where our local Walgreens is, a 5 minute walk from the house) they'll actually BUILD NEXT TO EACH OTHER, as close as possible. It's STUPID and wasteful, that doesn't stop them. See the shot below of the next nearest CVS/Walgreens that is about 4 miles away. Space opened up on the retail area, Walgreens built, THEN about 9 months later CVS went up :(

 

This is quite common around the country, sadly. I could take almost identical pictures out here on Long Island and also pretty much everywhere else I go...

It's actually quite unique to find ONE and not find the other within about 1/2 mile!

[Ian Abel]

Morning all, BIN day, not for me as I'm not about to move the skips that serve as BINs for the hotel

 

Yesterday the drumpf visit within pi$$ing distance of the office was pretty much a non-event. Being in the middle of Long Island, during the business day, with schools still in session, there were just a smattering of protesters, maybe 40-50 and a similar amount of supporters. Plenty of media people and that was it. The road wasn't actually closed until 15 minutes before he arrived - a fleet of helicopters, well, two choppers and two Osprey - and was opened within 10 minutes of his departure.

EXCELLENT use of taxpayers money right, flew from DC to NY, helicopter parade to Long Island, lots of security/police, for a 45-55 minute conference/address, then the helicopters off to Manhattan to take him to a fund raiser. Bet that cost a bob or two!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

Nothing else to report for yesterday, beyond continuing the flurry of activity with additional reports requested.

 

Today - POE, heading back home on the 4PM flight, always nice to be heading back. This weekend is the "Memorial Day" 3-day weekend, so we'll be heading to the cabin on Saturday, more later.

 

17 and sunny driving in, 26 for the high here, supposed to be 32 and possible thunderstorms back home time I get there.

 

Have a suitable BIN day if that's on your schedule.

Edited May 24, 2018 by Ian Abel

[BoD]

 

Don't forget to dress for dinner.

 

Even better, don't forget to get dressed every time you leave the cabin.

[Tony_S]

Even better, don't forget to get dressed every time you leave the cabin.

Before we went on our first cruise in 2012 we were given many handy hints by Dd.

Ivan. We are having a snack in the Lido restaurant. Lifeboat drill soon I suppose.

[Happy Hippo]

Dear reader, (as Charles Dickens often started his serialised work) I am not sure why so many felt I was worthy of so many friendly/ supportive ratings: I was unaware any of you have ever met my mother!

 

However, the time has come for me to give my eagerly awaited review of the local tourist attraction here in Mevagissey.

 

I really do not know where it is best to begin, so I will just have to give a general overview from which one's own mind can be made up.

 

I shall start by stating that Gordon and Maggie Gravett had absolutely nothing to do with the scenery.

 

Chris Foren did not write the various captions and New Haven Neil (even on a bad day) could not have been responsible for the indoor/inside garden style set up.

 

Mike the Stationmaster would find some slight fault with the operations especially the haphazard deployment of the stop/go signs.

 

There was a complete mixture of prime movers and trailers; some improbable, others impossible.

 

So overall it is of no interest to the pedantic connoisseur, but for the child, it is full of fun.

 

Which is probably why the Obergrumpenfuhrer enjoyed it and I was not so enthused.

 

A quiz to do and plenty of buttons to press for those so inclined

[Horsetan]

.... Ivan. We are having a snack in the Lido restaurant.

It's open all hours and has something like three or four different sections, so each one comes on duty as the other clocks off. Drinks and ice cream are permanently available.

 

The Britannia restaurant is generally dinners-only, and you do have to dress formally for it. Likewise the bar on the upper deck.

 

They run ballroom dancing sessions, and casino training, so at least you can understand how to lose your shirt better.

 

Everything runs on Cunard's own charge card system, which you will be issued with. You cannot use your own debit or credit cards until you settle the bill at the end of the cruise before disembarking.

 

Lifeboat drill soon I suppose.

There wasn't one on my trip. Next time I go I'll bring my own immersion suit.

[Happy Hippo]

 

 

There wasn't one on my trip. Next time I go I'll bring my own immersion suit.

They won't do a lifeboat drill, but  are legally obliged to ensure you know how to get to your allocated muster station.

 

Simply put, there is no point in allocating a lifeboat if in the event of really having to get off in an inconvenient location, your lifeboat is not available for deployment:  ie If you have a severe list to starboard, the port side boats can't be lowered easily.

 

Personally, I'm loathe to get taken to a place to be mustered when there are limited options for a rapid exit: Especially when you see the state of some of your fellow passengers and their inability to move briskly or to comply with the simplest of commands.

 

If anything untoward was to happen on a cruise I was enjoying, I'd be topside pdq looking for something that will float. A couple of recliners lashed together is a good start

 

I'd also top up on booze and ice cream from the recently abandoned deck side nutritional venues.

 

After all, it would be a pity for it to go to waste.

[jamie92208]

Afternoon all from a now very sunny village.  Somebody must have put some money in the meter.   I have completed 3 trips to the container.   The last one of these included the remaining parts of the grandfather clock, namely the main casing which is about 6' high.   Shades of the antiques roadshow but it went horizontally in the Volvo.   Pallet 5 is now stacked but as the temperature inside the container was getting higher by the minute I'll probably wrap it tomorrow morning when it's cooler.   

 

The boss has not returned from her spa day yet so peace still reigns.

 

Tony and Aditi, I hope that you both really enjoy the cruise.

 

Jamie

[Horsetan]

....I'd also top up on booze and ice cream from the recently abandoned deck side nutritional venues.

 

After all, it would be a pity for it to go to waste.

There weren't any in operation on the QE; catering was strictly "indoors".

 

Number of passengers on the Cunard Norway shindig: about 2000. Crew: 1000. The only moans I had were not being allowed to have a go on one of the liner's three grand pianos and the p*ss-poor cabin shower, which was more of a dribble than a shower.

[Horsetan]

What's Railex?

They make sausage skins, apparently....

[Tony_S]

By lifeboat drill I did if course mean muster stations. Still amazes me after many cruises the proportion of those unable to follow simple instructions.

We have just started moving.

[BoD]

They make sausage skins, apparently....

The list of advantages makes interesting reading.

Or is it just my warped sense of humour.