exlondoner

They will sulk, however contented they have been in your absence. Perhaps tomorrow we can have sunrise with cats. 😀

I had always thought trifle was a dish made to use up leftovers, like stale cake. I loathe it, because I dislike custard. But is this Jubilee trifle actually all that nice?

How would they know?

I also wouldn't get hung up on ordering off menu. What with the menu of the day and the two alcs, there is usually more than one thing there to tempt. I don't think I have ever ordered completely off menu, but I do sometimes ask for something from another day's menu which I missed, because I had something else.

As a woman, I strongly suspect she knew too, but was trying to carry it off. Sorry, possibly not the best choice of phrase, but you know what I mean. 😀

Im sorry to sound po-faced, but I cannot for the life of me see what is funny about the possible embarrassment and distress of a fellow passenger who had done you no harm. Imagine how she must have felt.

According to the ONS, two new subvariants have arrived. Isn't that nice?

Well, that is very interesting. When we went on our Canary Isles/Lisbon cruise, Cunard looked at our passports at Soton for ID purposes, but nobody checked them after that. They weren't stamped in or out of the EU. So there is no evidence we spent five or six of our 90 days there. Very mysterious.

It seems a very strange approach, given how mainstream and fashionable ballroom dancing has become as a result of television.

Real champagne? We had a queue of welcoming staff when I last boarded (in April), one of whom directed us to our muster station. I must say I don't think I could handle a glass of anything and my boarding pass and my various bits of hand luggage.without spilling.

I loathe trifle of all sorts, but completely agree about their lasagne. Always worth turning up for.

For the Jubilee pud, they may not have the recipe, so I would bring a copy, and ask a few days in advance. Then I'm sure it won't be a problem. It can't be that difficult. I've never heard of white tomato soup, but from what you say, they would need lots of warning. There will,obviously be lots of to,atoms on board. Tournedos and Pav may well be menu items so easy to request.

I can only answer in general, I'm afraid, not give specific advise about the places you mention. I usually avoid tours, because I loathe being talked at, particularly in badly accented English. I much prefer to read a guidebook to find out what I want. Having said that, I have been on excellent tours, one curiously enough in Alesund, and one on prehistoric Orkney. But it is all down to the quality of the guide, which of course is something you can do nothing about. I would be very wary of paying $300, unless I had a lot of spare OBC. Also, I find a whole day tour pretty tiring, but perhaps others are more energetic.

There is live music in many of the bars in the evenings. And, improbable as it may sound, the watercolour classes, which I've never attended, are very popular and much praised.

When we were on QE in April, Cunard provided a decent mask for each of us in our cabin. Are they still doing so?

You may also be amazed how happy you are spending a considerable amount of time just staring at the endless variation of the passing sea. It is quite mesmerising.

If you read Safargirls blog, passengers seem to maskless and sitting at the bar is permitted. Me, I'd prefer they wore masks

That's a sure way to put your back out.

Clearly all this dieting has got you out of practice. 😀😀

I always enjoy being home, once I'm there. And I'm eternally grateful to the inventor of the automatic washing machine, so I don't even mind the washing. Hotpoint called an early range of their automatic machine the Liberator and it was a well chosen name.

Schengen visa?

There seem to be many different ways of organising packing in preparation for a cruise. The sad thing is that at the other end, except for those continuing a holiday, everyone does the same thing. They spend the last afternoon, shovelling everything in and hoping their suitcase will still shut.

I was thinking as well of passport/visa stuff and Covid hurdles.

I am flattered and enchanted that you think I might be a silky person. In fact I have very little money for clothes (it all goes to Cunard) and no interest in them, so the clothes I do possess tend to be pretty basic - though always appropriate. So, it's definitely not me. 😀😀

I think that, if I packed all the clothes I own, I could only fill three suitcases. Eight is astonishing. 😀