Eglesbrech

7 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

I could lend you one of mine.   Craigleith.   She's currently on charter to Svitzer at Southampton / Fawley.   She's a mighty beast, well used to hauling the carriers in and out of Rosyth dockyard.

 

Did you take out the Queen Elizabeth carrier? We watched that.

Lovely sunny day here today. Yesterday was nice as well, I’m just hoping that the good weather extended south to Edinburgh so @Megabear2 could enjoy her adventures.

Forecast for a drenching tomorrow unfortunately.

If it moved it got washed today to take advantage of the good drying weather.

@gsmt47471015 there are so many of us in Scotland and North England who get fed up with the long journey South. You would think that one of the big cruise lines would look at that market and try to capture it, as the South is now saturated.

The only northern choices there seem to be are Fred and Ambassador, both small lines with older ships.

I hope you enjoy your first cruise with Fred. There are things you perhaps won’t like as much depending on who you have cruised with before but there will also be lots that you will hopefully really enjoy. An open mind is a good start.

2 hours ago, Priya2 said:

Thank you Eglesbrech. The FO board here is very quiet 🤫 

It used to be busier but there are now apparently several chat groups on other platforms and I think people tend to go there. Fred ships as smaller to start with so fewer people anyway.

23 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you.  He is checking now!  I've kept the booking for the pub as things are quite sparse time wise due to the concert.  Now trying yo find something better for Friday, Sunday and Monday before we head to the Highlands. I was hoping for some fish at least once.  

 

Sifting through stuff while here in Heathrow waiting to depart.  All the Scottish flights are very full, we've seen four go in the past 2 hours and no seats on any of them according to the announcements.  

 

All suggestions gratefully received!  

The places I tend to eat at in Edinburgh are in the New Town so not so handy for your concert but I have added links.
 

The pub will be absolutely fine, there is a great atmosphere in the Grassmarket and bookings can be hard to get at a weekend.

https://fhior.com

https://www.sixbynico.co.uk/

https://www.johnniewalker.com/media/15769/set-menu-with-bar-bites.pdf

https://www.dulse.co.uk/

There are lots of decent “chain” restaurants like Cafe Andeluse etc as well not too far a walk.  You will never starve.

On 7/10/2024 at 11:46 AM, Megabear2 said:

Just packed our bags for our Scottish adventure and totally at a loss what to take!  Looks like two dry days, the rest hovering between Cloudy with showers, drizzle and downpours.  Friday looks the best day and as I'm on my own that day (typical) as my husband is going across to Glasgow for a client visit I've booked myself a hire car to visit the Falkirk Wheel, Kelpies and Linlithgow which I didn't make last month from Queen Anne.  I hope Miss Google can help me get there okay or I might get very lost!

 

Flying out of Heathrow tomorrow - fingers crossed - BA just emailed to say the flight is now full due to people rebooking from the fiasco earlier in the week.  Couldn't even get seats together when I looked earlier in the week so we are stuck in rows 21 and 23 right near the back.  They've also asked we check our hand luggage free of charge so it sounds like it isn't going to be much fun! Our original flight changed a month back and this one is two hours later so it will fall into the interesting category.

 

Saturday is Edinburgh Castle Paul Weller day, forecast is damp and drizzle until 7.00pm, hopefully dry after that so fingers crossed.  I've been distracted so forgot to book anything for food but have just reserved somewhere called The White Hart for an early meal before the concert.  It claims to be the oldest pub in Edinburgh, but I've visited so many "oldest pubs" over the years I can't help but wonder!  The Scottish menu looks interesting though with plenty of Cullen skink and haggis, I just hope it is good as I'm in trouble for forgetting to organise food whilst in Edinburgh - I'm told rather sarcastically that if we can't find something tomorrow there's McDonalds on Queen Street ...

 

Hope everyone is on the mend, blood pressures are normalising and that England surprise us all and play like Brazil '70!  Have a great day all.

 

 

 

I hope you have a lovely time and the weather is kind to you (but bring waterproofs and sunscreen as you may need them both).

Just a word of warning for your husband. The rail timetable changed yesterday to an emergency timetable as drivers are on an overtime ban. The main line between Glasgow and Edinburgh is down to twice an hour and peak services are busy. If he had already checked times for his trip to Glasgow he may need to check again.

If it’s the one I’m thinking of in the Grassmarket then the White Hart is what it says on the tin, a pub with food. I’ve eaten in a few of the pubs down there and they are nice but just don’t expect a gourmet offerings, just decent hot food and good beer. The Grassmarket is indeed an old part of the city but some of the pubs can be, shall we say, aimed at American tourists. Handy for the Castle after.

Have a super break.

I’m sure you will enjoy your cruise.
 

While Fred ships are nothing like as plush and lack the facilities you will have enjoyed on Celebrity and Azamara they do have small ship charm.

They also offer some interesting guest speakers, more daytime activities etc. unfortunately you won’t find Celebriy,s fabulous ice martini bars 😀

We have done a few cruises on Fred and one of the joys is being so much closer to home when sailing from Rosyth (or even Newcastle). No 9 hour drive home from Southampton.

2 minutes ago, Beckett said:

I think I've got a new hero! Great goal Ollie. Who would have thought at the beginning of this tournament that we would be in the final. Yaaaaaay (again). Jane xx

I don’t tend to watch watch football  but just seen the 90th minute goal on the 10pm news. That was skilful.

2 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

A day out in Birmingham today for my birthday, lunch then a theatre trip to the Hippodrome to see Hamilton, which we thoroughly enjoyed, a very powerful musical which draws from various music genres. 
 

Back home now getting ready to watch England v Netherlands. 

We saw Hamilton earlier this year for the second time. It is an amazing show.

@indiana123  @lincslady

Good morning folks, I have also been up for hours and already have a venison casserole in the slow cooker and a loaf baked. If I’m awake I may as well do something useful.

I have have given up on fighting insomnia. The very early daybreak doesn’t help, 

It’s dry here at the moment but black clouds are threatening. Yesterday the rain poured down all day, so much for summer.

Have a good day all.

52 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

I think you can get vegan sushi.

Yes you can. The main requirements are rice, vinegar and miran. Raw fish is often added but it is not required for the dish to be “sushi” so vegetables or nori is also often used.

I would agree with @david63. The cost of the GPs letter could wipe out any gain from drinks packages. £40 sounds like a conservative estimate to me, it could be much more.

Had this been a US line or Cunard with high drinks prices and added % tip then it may have been worth the effort. P&Os drinks are still reasonably priced compared to other lines. 
 

3 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I think finally getting off my bum, doing a little exercise and stopping feeling  so sorry for myself did the trick.

One of my BP meds is Indapamide so I don't think a natural deuretic  would be wise.

My favourite tea is Chrysanthemum,but it's a pain to prepare. I tried looking for bags, but no joy.

Avril

They do the bud type in bags on amazon if you have an account.

I’m glad to you are feeling more positive and healthy.

25 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I'm now having a cup of @Eglesbrech's hibiscus tea, which is quite nice. A slightly sharp earthy flavour, but very refreshing.

You hadn’t even drunk the tea and it frightened your blood pressure down.😀 that’s excellent news re the healthy reading.

I’m a great believer in natural remedies (along side good old GP prescribed medication).

I take dandelion tea with me if we go to hot countries as I tend to swell a bit in the heat and it’s a fantastic (gentle) natural diuretic.

I also love matcha green tea but only drink the organic variety, ceremonial grade. I never liked it as it always had a residue until I found a modern gizmo for mixing which cuts out the faff and makes a cup with no glup left at the end. I have little Japanese cups to sip it from. It’s a once a day thing as it has a lot of caffeine but also a lot of healthy antioxidants.

The thing about all these teas is that they make you sit down and properly chill while sipping them. There is a mindfulness about it as an activity and I sometimes wonder if that has as much impact on my BP as the tea does. That said the hibiscus definitely knocked it down a bit, hope it does the same for you.

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

Thank you for that Eglesbrech, it's worth a try.

I've found some on Amazon. How often do you drink it?

Avril

Two or three cups a day for therapeutic levels. It’s nice chilled with ice as a cold drink too, quite sour like cranberry.

6 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

It doesn't have anything to do with the meds Graham, it's me. I'm so low at the moment and not sleeping very well.😕 Once, or if, summer arrives and I can spend more time in the garden I'll be fine. I'm loathe to increase my BP meds just for a  quick fix. This happens sometimes and always corrects itself eventually, I just have to be careful.🙂

Avril

 

Avril, I have been having some good BP results by taking hibiscus tea on a regular basis. It might be worth a try.

This weather really is depressing, constant rain but it has to end sometime soon (or my feet will start to develop webs). I’ve been doing jigsaws which I usually reserve for Autumn and Winter as the garden is too wet to do much in.

We are just back from a brilliant weekend away. We went to see Dougie McLean in Perth for his 50th anniversary concert. The music was so uplifting that its manage to cheer me up no end (in spite of the rain!).
 

Book yourself something nice be that a meal, a massage or a concert. This too shall pass.

On 7/6/2024 at 12:12 AM, FangedRose said:

What a rude response to a genuine question.

Actually I read your question as being sarcastic as well as it is so blindingly obviously to everyone that P&O are not in any way responsible for the weather.

The problem on here with the written word is that the tone intended, a genuine question from your perspective, can be read differently.

57 minutes ago, tring said:

 

I think you have travelled on Balmoral a few times from ports near you.  Can I ask how you have found it, compared to pre covid cruises?  Not bothered about cutbacks, which are happening everywhere, but wondering if the ship has a different feel now, overall

Thank you for your detailed reply, much appreciated. We paid for a terrace cabin on Borealis and found much of the same issues as you (including the crew noise). I would not purchase one again. Too expensive for what you actually get in return and less space than an outside.

As far as Balmoral goes it was like a comfortable old shoe. Just the same as before covid with the same atmosphere, entertainment, food, service and indeed people!
 

The sailings from Rosyth are like a country house experience. We enjoyed the company of many people we had seen on previous Fred cruises from Scotland.

We always have second dinner so the evenings were full.

Last year we sailed on on 3 Fred ships and the one I grudged the most was the terrace balcony as we felt we did not get value for money (and that includes being locked down for 2 days with noro).

@yorkshirephil what an absolute cutie pie Hugo is.

9 minutes ago, zap99 said:

This is a happy thread isn't it.🤣

The clue is in the title Zap 😀
 

Happy and noro don’t tend to come in the same sentence unless it’s I’m happy I’m over noro/ I’m happy i didn’t get noro etc.

2 hours ago, Beckett said:

Anyone staying up to watch the results coming in?

Yes, I have the popcorn at the ready and will be having. Nap this afternoon to stay awake as it doesn’t get really interesting until about 2am.

1 hour ago, Snow Hill said:

Good morning,

 

A sunny morning here with a brisk wind and a temperature of 9C, is really July?

 

We have postal votes, haven’t changed it back after we applied a couple of years ago when we were due to be away during the local elections. We sent our votes off 2 weeks ago. 
 

Only saw 1 candidate during the whole campaign and he got our votes. Oddly 1 main party never sent us any electoral material or pushed any leaflets through the door, never happened before. 

No one ever comes near us, they stick to the main towns and don’t bother with smaller places.

One party has however bombarded us with leaflets through the post and we have had more from them all than ever before, most of it drivel from the whole lot of them, a plague on all their houses.

I suspect the boundary changes have made us more interesting than before.

We have a small, extremely tacky Christmas bauble that we purchased off a bath towel in front of ruined shop in the Caribbean many years ago. It has pride of place every year on our tree, it’s a clear plastic bauble with sand and tiny shells inside.

I moan constantly about our rotten, wet, cold weather here in Scotland however it has never (as yet) flattened towns and left whole communities homeless and hungry.

We paid a lot (well above the value) for the bauble to support people who had nothing left. I am humbled every year when I place it on the tree, one of the few things that reflect the true meaning.

5 hours ago, tring said:

as we were not happy with the last Fred cruise, roundtrip Caribbean last Nov/Dec. 

Can I ask what the issue was please as we are looking at one of the longer round trips. I,d appreciate any insights.

4 minutes ago, TigerB said:

And, now they are online, the prices have increased.

 

They did a Black Friday offer last year, which will be just right for your cruise, if they repeat it this year.  I paid £80 instead of £100 for the Birthday package, for our lass's 60th, which was in February.  The same package is now £110.

Note, you cannot also use your peninsular discount.

 

Also, you can only order online if it's for your own cabin. If you're ordering for another cabin you need to call.

You would think that if they were moving to online they would go the full way and make buying something for others simple as well. We bought several gifts for relatives on a RCI cruise and it was simple and easy online.

I wanted to take advantage of the Valentine offer to buy a Bon voyage package in February but couldn’t get through on the phone and eventually gave up, so at least next time I could do that.