brian1

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

It's Hornchurch we are going to next month for my SIL's birthday.  Staying in Brentwood so trying Elizabeth Line. On the morning intend EL to Romford and use our bus passes on the old 370 to Hornchurch. I used to use the Devonshire Hotel there but it seems to have shut.  We're going Uber back but that's apparently about £29!

You were right ,it is closed,couldn't see the sign on the door unless you walk right up to it.At the end of our road there is the Railway hotel,a Innkeepers lodge pub/hotel.Probably not as quiet as the Devonshire though and no pets or racehorses cos the stairs are too narrow.

1 minute ago, SarahHben said:

We're back there next summer on a cruise with family and they're keen to go to Seville so we may well join them, but would happily just wander around Cadiz.

In Cadiz we walked from the cathedral square to the promenade and kept walking along the sea front, out onto the little peninsula that goes to a fort, then further along sea front to some gardens and then lots of little streets back to the cruise ship, a perfect day exploring.

Thanks,that's confirmed it for me.Anywhere a 2 hr drive away,we'd only do the ships tours anyway.Not worth it for a similar historical town.

11 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

I love Cadiz, my favourite port from our cruise last summer

We're going there with Celebrity over Christmas.On the itinerary it says Cadiz for Seville,but it's 2 hrs from Seville.Our daughter says Seville is lovely but I think we will stick local.

6 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

I hope you feel better soon Sue

+1,sorry Sue I should have replied earlier.I had Delhi belly 6 years ago,not good.

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It's Hornchurch we are going to next month for my SIL's birthday.  Staying in Brentwood so trying Elizabeth Line. On the morning intend EL to Romford and use our bus passes on the old 370 to Hornchurch. I used to use the Devonshire Hotel there but it seems to have shut.  We're going Uber back but that's apparently about £29!

It's a small world.248,252 and 193 also go to Hornchurch.We only live 300 yds from the Devonshire,it didn't look shut when we walked into town 2 hrs ago.Going to the gym at 1.30,I'll have a look and let you know.I love this thread.

25 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

If you go to Cambridge again the Anglian trains although slower are really cheap if you pick carefully.  I often do Cambridge to Chelmsford and can get a £7.00 single advance purchase- it probably went up a bit in March.  I then go on my next bit Chelmsford to Romford, and depending where I'm headed either Romford to Upminster and up to West Ham for jubilee to Waterloo or Upminster to Leigh on Sea.  Never paid more than £17 for the whole lot.

 

Trying the Elizabth Line to Brentwood next month but that's going to be £8.00 from Reading.

LOL,I realised that too late last week,didn't even bother to research trains from Liverpool st.Plus we only pay from zone 6 having a London freedom pass.We live 2 stops from Upminster in Hornchurch.My OH took her brother to Reading yesterday, just changing at Whitechapel, for a day out.That journey didn't cost a penny.

44 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I have a senior railcard and the National Express card too, they are great.  If you can buy singles on fixed services they are a great help.  Unfortunately I can't do that for all things because I'm connecting through several services which may or may not run to time and connect. A lot of my journeys involve crossing through London so I have to add in the perils of LU as well.  Going north it's much cheaper to go into London for the m mainline services than it is to use Crosscountry which can be extortionate.  The perils of living west I suppose!

I see your point,we're new at this game,lol.We're going to Northampton next thursday to see my new found aunt again.Only 50 mins and cheaper than the coach.When NE have to change coaches it works out dearer quite often.We learnt that last week going to Cambridge changing at STN.

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery from sickness and pain to all affected. 

 

Another warm sunny day, whisper it!  Catching the 9.50 train to London due to the fare difference.  £105.00 return on the o.20 or £47.50 on the 9.50! Goodness knows how much my old season ticket would cost now!

 

Hope everyone has a Beautiful Day!!!

We've just got a travel together rail card 30% off all journeys in UK for 30 quid.Individual cards are 30 quid each.We intend to use trains and coaches a lot more nowdays.Especially after just driving a "trans Atlantic" in 8 days.

3 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

A lovely sunny morning and already 14° here, predicted to go up to 19° later.

I saw a really funny thing in the road this morning, a small cat was chasing a sparrow up the road and the sparrow didn't  seem to be able to take off, a black bird swooped down, landing on the cat's back, the cat tried to shake the blackbird off but it clung on until the sparrow managed to get away.

Good but spooky,I remember the film "The birds"

3 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Same estate has had numerous instances of theft of garden ornaments such as plant pots, one incident last week when a homeowner challenged a woman who had taken a plant pot from garden at 1:00 am and was threatened with a screwdriver, fortunately other neighbours heard the commotion and managed to detain her until the police arrived.

Some people don't have a pot to p in.

2 hours ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

I went for my walk across the local fields and I was surprised how dry the footpaths are, ground cracking in some places! On the walk I heard a cuckoo for the first time in many years, a badger set that I haven’t noticed before and the farmer is busy ploughing ridges and planting potatoes. I’m glad that I can walk the various field footpaths again instead of road pavements.

Don't step on the cracks,it's unlucky.😉.

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Well those should definitely put a stop to anyone trying to drive along New Street.

Oh,they're traffic bollards.Do they rise and fall?

2 hours ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

We haven’t had many completely dry days, I know because of factoring in when to mow the lawns, but we haven’t had the quantity of rain that some areas have had, I know because our son lives in Southampton and is always complaining about it☔️

Wooly hat and waterproofs yesterday,shorts and t shirt today.It will still be 3 days b4 the swamp at the end of my walk thru the fields drys out.We have seed drone attacks from our neighbours Sycamore and they instantly take root.The 2 30ft palm trees in our communal front garden in Italy seed every year and that is even worse.At least we don't have that problem now.

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

This is our latest brainwave, these are planters in Huddersfield town centre and are 40 feet high and cost over 1/4 of a million quid. 

 

OMG,they could at least turn them into mobile phone masts.More useful.

Wet and miserable here today.Just as I have started walking across the dry fields again to the gym.Got to walk in the lanes with all the idiot drivers not paying attention.Glad your Grandaughter's ok @kalos.

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

We have my sister-in-laws huntaway Vala staying with us over the weekend. She is a handful on the lead but well behaved overall. She is obsessed with our guinea pig Lulu who lives in our summer house. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Just hope she's not a Peruvian breed.

31 minutes ago, kalos said:

Sounds all alien to me this eyebrow malarkey .

If you go to one of those shops that do eyebrows and you get asked

"Can I help you ? " 

 If your not buying do you reply ..No thanks I'm just browsing 🙃

 

They sound popular though and if they are short on appointments

they could always offer to pencil you in at a later date .🙃

 

I still flinch and get flashbacks to when Mrs K  says ..

"Come here ,stay still , you've  got a long hair on your eyebrow "

When she's pulled it , what I reply is not suitable for this forum 

and unlike Jane I do not find it to be relaxing 😬

Hope your all having a good day 🙂

 

You've never fancied a back,sack and crack then Kalos.All the rage with Essex boys.Luckily, I'm too smooth to need one.

Just read that Ingar the lady captain we had on QE is now in charge of QA.She's OK, she waited in person with trays of fizz when our tour bus was 4 hrs late in Sri Lanka.

1 hour ago, Purdey16 said:

Well I’ve just been cheered up I received a parcel this morning all in a leather case , my flight tickets all the hotel pick up tickets and transfers and leather luggage tags !! and all the emergencies numbers I need to contact my travel agent, I thought all this stopped but it is our first fly cruise so maybe it’s normal for you all that do these , think I’m getting a bit excited now , just a bit confused on our luggage situation as going out with Qatar airways allowance just shows 25kg, but on return with British Airways it’s 23kg, 1 cabin bag, 1 handbag , 

that’s my worry for today, will I be allowed to take my cabin bag and hand bag on the Qatar flight or do I have to pay extra to take that on ?. 

Qatar,1 cabin bag max 7kg and also 1 personal item like handbag allowed.Just googled it.Brian.

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Oh dear, looks like I'm bringing it with me as I go east then!

Just put your foot down going thru Essex.

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Having seen all three in the flesh I'd say definitely better than HAL to look at, though seriously is any modern cruise ship anything other than a wedge of boxes? Compared with the Prima class or the Virgin ladies the QA and HAL ships look like throwbacks to a different era!

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and I personally think for a modern off plan ship she could have been far worse.  The Cunard hull in dark blue with red and white offers classier exteriors. QA looks the part which is important, as I say the real story will be her interiors which from the odd photos released do look very good. 

 

Moving away from tradition though I must confess to absolutely loving the pale blue of the Oasis class RCI ships.

 

 

Ones bum does look bigger in dark blue.

11 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Looks like they just added balconies and windows to a stack of containers, perhaps designed by AI. 😂

In collaboration with Lego.Don't worry me any more.I'm sure it's poshy la la and blingy inside.Par for the course now with design,same as cars all looking the same.

Looks like the wraparound bridge has 4 floors above it.Never seen that b4,correct me if I'm wrong.

5 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Iona - Olden today

Don't worry I'm sure you only look 30.

7 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Good afternoon all.

Well I think I may be having one of those days where it begins badly and gradually gets worse as the the day goes on😬

I got up this morning to another year closer to 80. Came downstairs to make a coffee and knocked the full jar all over the kitcken floor and worktop. Cleared it all up, opened a new jar and tried again, took it into the front room with me and opened my cards, so far so good🤞

Picked up my mobile to send thank you messages.......... No connection, tried again, still no joy. Rebooted it..... twice , still nothing. Everything else was working except EE network. My daughter's phone, also EE was fine.  The problem was with my mobile.

My children and grandchildren put together and bought me a new mobile for my birthday, and there-in lies the problem. My new phone needed a smaller sim card so one was ordered from EE and all my data transferred obviously......However....I was assured that I would be able to use my old mobile until my new sim arrived as I needed it to access my bank. Sim ordered yesterday, no network this morning. 🤬

Love the phone, now I just have wait for the sim, so I can pay the end of month bills. Good thing I did my Asda order yesterday morning😉

Oh well, at least I healthily made it to 77😊😁

Enjoy your day everyone whether on land or sea.x

From a very frustrated

Avril

 

Happy birthday sis,unforgivable for your bro to forget,bro.