Splice the mainbrace

We have a son in Sydney, 2 years ago my wife sent his Christmas present at about this time of year and it arrived 4 months later in the following March!

Only 6c and rainy here, at least the football is cheering me up. Now that we have fully functioning smart meters it’s alarming how much it costs even before any really cold weather, currently about £3.50 in electricity and £5 gas per day, and that’s with the heating turned down a degree or so from previous years and 5 of our 15 radiators turned off in unused rooms. I think that it was announced last week the oil dependant heating households would now get £200, I think it also applies to other fuels as well? For a few months now I can’t sign into this site on my old iPad but can on this newer iPad and my laptop.

Yes, finally we have sun.

Looking better just now

Well the forecast was wrong and another dull cloudy day here for the 4th day in a row. Mild though so saving on the heating!

We're near Nantwich and it has been cloudy all day here, again. ☹️ Forecast is showing sunny here tomorrow, I hope that is right as it's been 3 dull cloudy days here.

What footy is that?

I’ve just started watching the Odd Couple with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau on Sky, one of my favourite films. Love the scene with the Cuckoo sisters.

Where would they wear the dickie bow?

No first winter fuel payment for my wife this year, she missed the qualifying date by a few days!

My wife was born in September 1956 and got her first state pension payment last month.

Same here, I’ve opted into P&O email communications but only get booked cruise information not general information or notifications.

We travelled with P&O a month ago and had a mid afternoon check in time, we like you had stayed in Southampton the night before. We turned up at 11.30 and checked in. We did have to wait for an hour in the waiting area before security and boarding to let all of the priority boarding people board first.

The hotel sounds nice, do you park there for the duration of the cruise? We came back on Arcadia last Sunday and had a great time.

We have just come back from a 19 day cruise in Arcadia and there was no mask wearing requirement, virtually no passengers wore masks and staff was about 50/50. The same staff and passengers were around us every night in the Mdr so no people were missing due to illness. By the law of statistics there must have been some infections on board but wasn’t noticeable. I just wish that people had learnt from the past 3 years and if they have a cough would carry hankies rather than cough into hands!

Some areas of the ship are colder than others but I prefer being cool to hot. If I am cold I can put something on but if warm I can’t strip down to my briefs, we’ll I could but I would be given a warning!! We have our cabin thermostat on minimum which gives us about 21c.

I agree it has been a very enjoyable cruise, so far. Food has been good and plenty of service staff around. I have not been on P&O for 7 years and after reading some postings was not expecting much but have been pleasantly surprised. No mention of you know what but there must be some by law of statistics must be some. Neptune food bar is not open and pub does not serve pub grub (I’m not sure if it did before lockdown?) but gives a lack of options for lunch. Although our waitress in the mdr seems to think that the meal is a relay race and whips the plate out of your hand as you put your fork down, last night my wife had a prawn cocktail and she still had the brown bread in her hand and the plate was gone ! We have told her to slow down but can’t help herself it’s become a bit of a table amusement.

I can’t seem to get rid of the box from presto above!! Lovely day here in Rhodes today mid twenties and sunny, it’s a lovely town. We sail on to Crete overnight when we will have a full day on 4x4 trip exploring the island and sampling various delicacies (and feeding some goats)

Happy birthday to presto 2 and Brian, there are a few of us with birthdays within a few days of each other on here. A rather infantile family joke is calling brewers fayre, brewers droop! Have a good meal.

Just been announced that we will not be stopping in Mykonos as planned on Arcadia tomorrow due to forecast high winds. The plan is to make straight to Rhodes, which was our next stop , arriving tomorrow afternoon and staying overnight and the next day. We had an excursion booked for tomorrow but no great loss. Thank you everyone for my birthday wishes🥂🎂 Going to the Ocean Grill this evening fingers crossed it’s a good one .

It’s also my birthday today, we’re in Athens on the Arcadia cruise. My wife gets her first state pension paid into her account today, so a double celebration!

We’re still having a good time on Arcadia no complaints. Ship has around 1800 pax against a capacity of 2095 so quite full. In Sicily today then a day at sea and then Athens for my birthday, we have managed to book a table in the grill for my birthday and one other night but they book up quickly. Sindhu restaurant is not open. No sign of any quarantine area or any rumours of any outbreak, staff are about 50 50 wearing masks and virtually no passengers are.

Currently on Arcadia and have arrived in Malaga after a force 9 and 8 metre swell in southern bisca and Portuguese coast. Ship coped well most of the time but was difficult to walk around at times on Thursday. Some observations so far: We had to show our boarding card 8 or 9 times at various points during embarkation. We weren’t asked for the health declaration or proof of vaccination but was just asked if anything had changed since we completed the info online. The embarkation process was efficient in general from the QE2 terminal Plenty of staff around in the bar, restaurant etc. Food so far very good IMO in restaurant and buffet. No turndown service. Ship is in good condition, only tatty thing is of all things the surrounds to the light switches in the cabin. Very few wearing masks More coughing about the last day or so. Haven’t seen any sign of the disease, with rumours about quarantine etc, yet!! Have already had 2 black tie nights and was almost 100% if including lounge suit and tie I don’t know which bingo ball machine they use for restaurant table allocation we requested a table for 2 at launch 2 years ago and were allocated on a table for 6 and when we moved, without hassle , were placed next to a couple on a table for 2 who had requested an 8! We get on well so they have stayed on the 2 next to us. Plenty of room in our 2nd sitting but ship seems quite full, don’t know the numbers. The buffet is busy if you time it wrong and can struggle to find a table, but only at peak times. We went for the drinks package on the 2nd day after our restrained! first day on board cost £73! So for £39.95 each it is eye wateringly expensive but we haven’t got to keep thinking about the costs. If you buy £6.95 drinks 5.5 drinks a day is about break even. Its our first time on P&O since 2015 and after reading some reports was wondering what it would be like but so far so good!! At sea now for 2 days before Sicily , we’ll see how things progress or if the ‘coughs’ develop!

Like you we completed the health declaration and printed off this morning, we double checked that the NO boxes were selected. I think that's all of the pre-cruise actions done now. 12 months ago we had to also complete the locator form and drive through testing prior to boarding so at least there are less 'hoops' to go through this year, but still a nagging feeling 'have I done everything' and double checking the current rules.