Snow Hill

Just back from a surprise afternoon tea, with family, all my siblings, children, grandchildren, step children and step grandchildren, the food was excellent, as was the sangria & Prosecco. All the windows in the venue were open, but boy was it hot, very much enjoyed by all those there, my wife has managed to keep it a secret since February, as have my children. Driving back the thermometer said 32C, got home a little cooler at 30C, now sitting in front of the fan. Looking out of window across the road to churchyard I can see a man sunbathing, he comes every other Sunday to “visit” his wife, usually with a strimmer to cut grass around grave. Today he has a chair and a cool box sitting next to the grave.

Arvia is designed for sunnier climates, primarily the Caribbean.

We were due to visit Monte Carlo on our cruise that never was in 2020 on the Oceana, which was cancelled due to pandemic, if I recall correctly the transfer to Monte Carlo was by tender, it might have had some to do with the Monaco Grand Prix being on whilst we were there. The port at Monte Carlo appears to be able to accommodate cruise ships up to 300m , however from this year it is limiting length up to 250m and passenger capacity up to 1250, which will exclude all the P&O fleet on size and passenger numbers from docking. http://www.ports-monaco.com/en/cruises.html Having been to VilleFranche whilst on a city break to Nice around 9 years ago, there is not a lot of room in port and I saw one cruise ship at tender.

We usually get our invite to book an appointment for flu vaccine around late August via our GP. Last year was very efficient the practice has multiple sites, it converted one to a flu/Covid vaccination site. Appointment for set time in through front door out via back, all very efficient using both practice nurses and a nurse practitioner through if 5 mins, appears they plan same process this year.

We should have called ar La Gomera on our Christmas Cruise in 2012, but was too windy to get in, plus the one docking position was occupied by a Saga ship that couldn’t get out, we hung around for an hour them moved in to next port of call of call Funchal. Not sure P&O could call at El Herrio as I think ship size is limited to either 1000 or 1500 passengers. The distance from Tenerife to the main island in Cape Verde is 1200 nautical miles, so it would take almost 3 days to get there, so unlikely to be included on a Europe based cruise, possible for a RoW or Caribbean cruise. Like the idea of Alexandria, not interested in visiting Israel, Istanbul is on list to visit at some point, my son has been there a few times and says you need at least a minimum of 3 days to do it justice. I would add Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus to the list of ports.

A lot is said of the itineraries that P&O offer, so which new places in Europe for example would you wish to go that P&O don’t currently offer? This assumes: 1. There is a port nearby with the capacity to handle cruise ships 2. There is shire and excursion capacity for the volumes of passengers

Have been thinking about solar panels ourselves over last few months, we face directly south no trees causing any shade, so ideal. We were hoping that as part of process to move to more sustainable energy there would be grants available to offset some of the cost as there are with heat pumps, but nothing other than a cut in VAT. So if we went down this route we would have to bear the full cost ourselves. We have insulated the house as much as possible cavity wall insulation on the extended part of the house, additional insulation in bathroom in the extension by using thermal panels rather than tiles. The older part of the house has external insulation which had a remarkable effect on reducing our heating bills after it was installed in 2016, also put an end to condensation problems. We qualified for a 90% grant towards for the cost of the external insulation from a fund administered by local authority. Our loft has the recommended depth of insulation, all the windows double glazed and replaced the upvc front and back doors with composite doors, new boiler installed, all lights are Led, we use the eco functions on washing machine and dishwasher, not a lot else we can do indoors to reduce energy costs.

Was a busy day yesterday finally got around to cutting the Ivy hedge back, has been too hot previous days, filled the green bin with the cuttings, jet washed the patio area with my new pressure washer bought on Prime Day for £79 instead of normal £179. It removed years of dirt and grime in 45 mins. I have the slabbed area outside the garage at bottom of garden to do next, but need a longer hose, Will buy a 25m one and connect together. Decided to walk to chemist yesterday, instead of driving, it’s around a 3.5km round trip past the the lake and through a wooded area, I noticed the level of the “lake” had dropped by around 15cm and that the stream flowing into it and out of it had completely dried up. I have lived here for over 30 years and this is only the second time this has happened. The lake was created in the mid 1800s initially for storing water pumped out of local mines by damning the stream to create a small lake. The lake is now well stocked with fish and bird life and surrounded by houses, but much of the greenery and wooded area has been retained and makes pleasant walking and recreational area. Last weekend noticed that the level of the River Severn was low, a friend who worked for Environment Agency, said it would be much lower if not topped up from storage reservoirs in Wales.

If a VPN was being used it would effectively cloak their location, so IP Address is not always tied to where someone is located.

You can find answers to various policies on alcohol here under FAQs https://www.pocruises.com/frequently-asked-questions.our-covid-19-protocols.when-should-I-have-the-pre-travel-PCR-when-going-on-a-Caribbean-cruise.summary

My sister is having a rough time with the virus, now into day 7 of suffering, was touch and go whether should would be admitted to hospital, but decided she would be better at home, has been given the Anti-Virals so hopefully she will improve soon. Her husband is 3 days behind her and is still feeling rough. This new strain is pretty brutal wouldn’t wish it on anyone, my wife is on Day 17, still has cough and no energy, we have cancelled our theatre trip for tomorrow as she currently doesn’t feel she has the confidence to be in crowded venues. Weather has been cooler today only 25 C, we had some rain this afternoon all 60 seconds worth. Just checked reservoir levels in ST Water region on their website, some are at 80% plus others below 50%. I installed a water butt 3 weeks ago, currently had around 20 cm in the bottom, which is shrinking day by day in the heat. Looking at forecast for next week, we appear to be reaching 35 C on Monday

Deleted, wrong thread

If they can’t be bothered to put prices on the flyer, then we just put the flyer in the recycling, which seems to be happening a lot lately. We unsubscribed from email marketing, seems we may have to do the same with the postal variety, we had 4 mail shots from them last week, which we would suggest is excessive.

Currently 29C here, but now cloudy, just received an Amber Extreme Heat warning for Sunday with temps expected to be in low 30s. A number of meteorologists are predicting that the U.K. highest temperature could well be snaked next week, currently 38.7C, it is predicted it could reach low 40s especially in South and East of England. Think I will go and buy a fridge to sit in!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, went for lunch at out favourite pub restaurant, I was expecting just to be the 2 of us, but I was surprised to see one of my sisters & my BiL there, my other sister should have been there but currently she and my other BiL are suffering with the 🦠, she is suffering quite badly with it. This afternoon had a visit from my son, DiL & 2 grandchildren and my daughter, we sat outside on the patio, it was rather hot, but was the safest option. Had some wonderful presents and a mystery break in September from my wife, no idea where we are going. First day of a new age decade got off to a flying start.

I’m saying nothing, as was put on naughty step last time I mentioned it

Azura was the first cruise we took with P&O in 2011, it seemed to us then to be a big ship. We next went on it in 2019 on a cruise in the Norwegian Fjords, it was starting to look dated then and need some TLC in some areas, the cabins were pleasant enough, although we had to get the balcony chairs changed as they were not safe to sit on. The TV didn’t work the first week, finally someone fixed it early in the second week. It sounds like nothing has been done to the ship since then

There is a bin cleaning service around here, we pay to have it cleaned once every 6 weeks

Last day of my 60s today, I shall mark it by trimming the hedge and getting some unwanted stuff down from loft!

Not only that but dentists are also trained to look out for signs of oral cancer, a former neighbour of ours was told by her dentist that she need to see her GP asap with his observations, fortunately it was spotted early and was treatable, had she not gone to the dentist then it may not have found until much later.

It restricts No of passengers on cruise ships to 5000 in port at once, from 2026 it is planned to only allow access to port to ships with Zero Emissions only. https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/flam-port-1361

My dentist said it gives a more accurate impression and is less intrusive for the patient. I have used 3D scanning on artefacts, but first time it has been used on me.

Will they be trialling cruises of 14 days or more, or are they just limiting it to 7 day cruises so the number of cases is lower?

Dentist visit today, which I was dreading, pre work for crown to be fitted on tooth I broke. I was fully expecting the dread rubbery stuff to go into my mouth for an impression, which happened with a previous crown some years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find I would be having a 3D scan of my mouth and the area around the tooth, I was able to watch the whole process as a 3D model of the left side of my mouth was taken. Temporary crown then fitted, new crown will be available by end of month. Was in at 2pm, worked completed by 2.25, home by 2.40.

Cruise companies may get away with washing their hands of responsibility on short cruises but on those longer cruises they could get seriously caught out if they have an outbreak, will the medical team and others be able to cope with say 300-400 passengers going down with the virus.