Vict0riann

Good morning, Dailyites, and thank you to all for my daily news! I'd eat the pizza, but I don't know that I would make it.... So sorry, @Norseh2o, about the loss of your DM, I remember how difficult that time was. Not much good news from here, but we are muddling along. The reservoir has reached 82%, normally we are at 100% by the end of November. But of course the population is growing, and everyone uses water. We need a lot more rain. But the sun is shining! Go away, sunshine...

Bon voyage!🥂

If a ship has Tamarind, we always have our first dinner on board there., it's our favourite.

Happy Mew Year to all of us! And Happy Anniversary to @RMLincoln, and Happy Birthday to Sam. We visited Casablanca on the Maasdam on the Atlantic Adventurer - what a great cruise, 42 days out of and back to FLL I would love to do it again. We took a ship's tour to Marrakesh, and had a fancy lunch included at a big hotel. In those days I didn't know about food porn, so no pictures... We had a great roll call on that cruise too, everyone took turns organizing tours, so no one had to do it all. I organized a couple, Gibraltar and Taormina, I think. We had three vans full! Just a couple as we drove through Casablanca, and very interesting scenery on the way to Marrakesh. In Marrakesh we visited a number of palaces and the main square. Good luck to have storks nesting on your roof!

Happy New Year to all rabbits, and all the Dailyites! I don't know what we will eat today, and although we don't have sweet potatoes in the house, I did send the recipe to DD, as she has the air fryer in the garage. I have only been in Tokyo airport, but my parents honeymooned in Japan. I am hoping that the earthquakes in Japan do not foreshadow activity in all the Ring of Fire. We have had a few minor earthquakes around here in the past few weeks.

Just popping in quick to wish all a Happy New Year! See you in 2024.🧨

Pat lived in India as a child, and then worked there for many years (off and on; we lived in Virginia), and he loved the people. Calcutta was his favourite! I went with him twice to Calcutta, Delhi, etc., and I'm sorry to say that the developing world is not for me any more. In Calcutta, there is a divided highway from the airport into town. Both sides of the highway have two-way traffic, except where people have built shrines in the middle of the road. Just amazing! Even Naples is more orderly, and that's saying something.

A couple more notes about Port Blair. We had originally booked a HAL shorex, which was a tour of PB, then a ferry to another "resort" island, however that was cancelled a few days before we arrived as the ferry had sunk, with passengers. Eek! It could have been us. The other shorex that HAL put on was to the highlight of PB - the prison, We walked there, but did not enter. The prison

Good morning, Dailyites! I'm wishing for better things for all in 2024. And peace. Am I the only one, again, who has been to Port Blair? I don't recommend it. After our visit there on Volendam, we transited the Straits of Malacca, where we were warned of piracy in the area and what we should do if we were attacked. We were to go to our staterooms, and sit on the floor, leaning against an inside wall. There was special equipment put out on the decks to scare pirates away with loud noises, and crew patrolled the deck watching for approaching small boats. We took a shuttle into the town which was an adventure in itself. The sidewalks in the town were individually constructed by each shopowner and some were dirt, some wood, and some concrete. And some had steps up or down so it was complete chaos. Others on the ship took a cab to a resort far away from the town, and said the beach was lovely. But they were very late back to the ship (couldn't find transport), and caused great confusion. This was the only port where I have ever been physically searched (in a curtained booth, by a woman) before returning to the ship. I don't know what they thought I was going to take from their island! We had had a lot of difficulty getting Indian visas before the cruise, and I think everyone on the ship recommended HAL omit Port Blair from future cruises! Beach on the way into town Local transport The local ladies were colourful RNB might enjoy.... These were on the decks when we left, some sort of pirate deterrent

Good morning, Dailyites! Am I the only one who has visited Malacca? (On Volendam, in 2014 - 10 years ago!) We had 28 days in the Far East with DD, and Pat's DS and DBIL. It was an adventure. Transportation - but mainly we just walked around. DD found a tree to hug It was all very colourful, preparing for New Year celebrations. Very hot!

In early November there was a thread about Stockperks - I don't know if the information still holds true. I'm still thinking about it! Just hope HAL goes back to doing it themselves.

Good morning, Dailyites! Almost to the end of 2023...we made it! We usually do dry January, and I am looking forward to that, also a strict diet, as I need to lose a lot of weight! Pat is still losing, I'm still finding. We had word today that a childhood friend of Pat's in Ireland passed away yesterday. She had been in the hospital in Waterford for 10 weeks, they were just keeping her comfortable. So it's a sad day for Pat. I think he's emailing the family now, or maybe he'll telephone. I am not a soup lover, and I'm not crazy about tomatoes either, so minestrone is not for me. The only two soups I really do enjoy are split pea and ham, and (white) clam chowder. My ham bone is in the freezer waiting for me to find some split peas and get started. Pat would eat soup at every meal if he could, so he suffers with a wife like me! He has a lot of soups on the bhb's. I haven't called a friend today, but a friend in Ontario (actually we met them through Jacqui) called this morning to discuss a cruise to Hawaii, and we had a nice chat. Does that count? We have been to Dubrovnik twice, both times with @sailingdutchy, who is a great organizer of tours, so I imagine he will come up with photos. People are still touching the food! On Rotterdam in the Spring a lady was squeezing the rolls to pick the one she wanted as I waited; a server was watching too, and grabbed the tray as soon as she left. So I didn't get a roll. The weather here has been unseasonably warm. Going up to 12/13 (mid-50's in Fahrenheit) and my tender fuchsia is still trying to bloom. We are threatened with colder weather in the new year, and I will stash it away in the garage, but for now it can stay outside. We need a lot more rain, too, we are having dreary days, but just a few sprinkles.

Oskar in his crown.

Good morning, Dailyites! We survived yesterday! I'm stiff and sore today, as I spent most of the day on my feet. Just glad it's over. Remembering the days when we would have 20 or more for Christmas dinner, now I have difficulty organizing for six..I guess I'm getting old. Oskar got a new toy for Christmas, and ate all his (steak) dinner. He is getting to be a picky eater, too, but always enjoys a bit of rare steak.. He tolerated a crown from one of the Christmas crackers. I don't seen to be able to add the photo on my laptop, will have to do it from my phone,

Good morning Dailyites, and I hope everyone has a happy day, Christmas or otherwise. And Happy Birthday to Gerry! We will be six tonight (with 2 vegans) so I have a busy day ahead of me, and I'd better get on with things. See you tomorrow...

Happy Christmas Eve, Dailyites! I am sort of following Jacqui';s recipe, but I bought the cruit fake, and I'm brousing it with dandy. Having a great time!

Good morning, Dailyites, Thank you, Jacqui ,for stepping in for Rich, and thanks also to the F & B ladies, and all who post. Saying prayers for those who need them! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... we had the neighbours in last night, and I'm happy I have enough leftovers, nuts, etc., to hold on to until Christmas and I can put them out again! That is, if we don't have a nibble between now and then. We are having another really foggy morning, you'd think we were in San Francisco! We were in Avalon in March of 2022, on Koningsdam. We went ashore with a neighbour and just wandered. Next time I think it would be a good idea to rent a golf buggy, to see a little more. It is quite a small town, but probably stretches out if you have transportation. Heading back to the tenders and "home away from home".

Made it in time! Looks like she has Starlink on the sports deck.

We just get surf, and after our discount, I usually figure it costs about $10 a day, so it would go down about $10 each day we wait to buy it... (something like that).

The problem might be that now you can't find a comparable tour - HAL has chartered them all!

Good morning, all. I was going to go grocery shopping this morning, but have put it off until tomorrow, as today is the day i do my nursing duties, and then we have a coffee date with friends, and Pat has an EKG this afternoon at the hospital. I didn't sleep well last night, and am slow getting started. We are entertaining tomorrow, so it will be a rush tomorrow, too. I have been thinking of you all, just never seem to find the time to post. Dreary and grey here, but no flakes to appreciate, and we appreciate that! I have three sets of cousins who are twins, only one set are identical. Pat had an aunt and uncle, twins. So they are around there somewhere. I think it would be neat to be a twin. We went to Quimper/Kemper with Jacqui on a visit to Brest, so all we saw of Brest was as we returned to the port. In Quimper they make Faience pottery, and I bought the number of our house there in a tile. We have pictures like Tony's, and we had lunch in the market, where they made beautiful crepes while we watched. Pottery shop My tile Crepes and beautiful artichokes in the market Returning to Brest port

Bon voyage!

Good evening, Dailyites, we had a busy day today, so I am just here now, although I think I read the first page this morning. Hope things are progressing as they should for everyone, and I will include you all in my prayers tonight as I lie awake! All the chatter about honey-baked hams had my mouth watering, so I had to go out and get a ham. When we first lived in Virginia, you used to have to buy a whole Virginia ham, they were wonderful ! But they were coated in salt and very highly flavoured, so they needed to be soaked for a long time (I think I did it in the bathtub) and eventually, ( skinned?), baked and then baked again with a topping of brown sugar and mustard. Then the spiral-sliced honey-baked hams appeared. The first outlet was halfway to Richmond (we lived in Falls Church), but it was worth every gallon of gas. You had to call the outlet at a certain time, and they gave you a time and weight you could buy. But what deliciousness. And the outlet was only open around Christmastime. Good memories. Here you can find spiral-sliced, but not honey-baked. I just got a regular ham, it was pretty good. Tomorrow we will take it apart, save some for Christmas and freeze portions for future meals. And I'll freeze the bone for the time being, too..

Chairs on Rotterdam are comfy - like the ones on Koningsdam. Only NS has the ones that make you sit up straight! Rotterdam has a different setup altogether, as it was designed as CO, not the America's Test Kitchen.

Yup, that's the way it has worked out. Now, if HAL will reimburse us our Covid expenses, we'll pretty well break even.... (But that's another story.)