Vict0riann

I'm so sorry, Terry, @smitty34877. Prayers for strength for you, and comfort for your DH.

I had the crab and artichoke dip which was fabulous on the Rotterdam 150th, so I’ll have that, thanks, and the lamb. I think I’ll be full then….

Looks like you bought them out already, if that's your stash!

Good morning, Dailyites, and Happy, labour-free Labour Day! I may do a bit of gardening today, anyway. We've been having light sprinkles of rain, too, which are very welcome. I need to plant grass in an area which used to be a flower bed, but we have put back into lawn. The deer have pretty well wiped out the dahlias that are not in the courtyard, but the two dahlias in the courtyard are running amok, and I plan to dig them out soon and that little area will go back to being my "vegetable bed" (18" by 5 feet). My cousin gave me a piece of my aunt's Fuchsia Magellanica, which the hummingbirds love, and it seems to have survived and is re-sprouting, so I'll put it in the dahlia bed and let it take over. I don't think the deer will eat it, although I remember as a child, sucking the sweetness from the flowers. And I have to move some peonies, I know they don't like it, but they'll just have to lump it! I'm sorry to hear of the problems, baby Murphy, @Crazy For Cats's DM, Jacqui's elbow, @smitty34877's DH and Tana, @marshhawk and her DH, I'll pray for them all while gardening! We have been to Sitka a few times, it is a favourite stop on the Alaska cruise. The other night at Happy Hour a neighbour said they had just done an Alaska cruise and she didn't think they would do another, and I asked her if it included Sitka and she said no, but when I told her about its Russian heritage, (her background is Russian), she said they would have to go again. My pictures in town are much like the ones already posted. Some bear pictures.

This is the list I have. It's pretty old, so I don't know if it's up to date, but it gives you an idea. The price will go down day by day, so if you can wait a couple of days after you get on board you will pay less.

Good morning, Dailyites! I see I've missed some birthdays and anniversaries, so Happy Celebrations to all those with a special day. Today is our 7th anniversary of being in this townhouse complex, we are very happy here, and glad we made that big move while we still could. If we were trying to do it now, I don't think we could! We were in Belem on the Prinsendam in 2019 on an Amazon cruise. It was not her last cruise, but we knew she was on the way out, so there were some sad moments, and even the Captain had tears in his eyes when he spoke about her. I don't know exactly where we were anchored, the sign just said Belem.. The square and the market near the dock A roll call member had organized some tours and we went to two parks in Belem and saw strange animals.. In town The skyline as we sailed away. It was an interesting stop, but very hot.

Good morning, Dailyites. I'm especially thinking of those in the path of the hurricane today! We have had a couple of days of dreary weather and sprinkles of rain. We also had thunder and lightning on Monday, many strikes over the island, which started 18 new fires. 16 are out of control, and they won't do anything about them, as they are not near habitation. One is under control and one has been extinguished. More rain, please. The birthday party on Monday was a success. The birthday boy was confused, but on his best behaviour, and managed to read some of his cards out loud. He seems smaller than he was, but healthy. His wife was a bit teary, it's hard to watch. There were 9 of us at the party, I really don't think he remembered any of us, even family, but he cracked a few jokes and seemed to enjoy the attention, and definitely the chocolate birthday cake. In reading the previous threads about Haifa, I came across Jacqui's meme, which seems to be appropriate to post again...

Good Monday morning, Dailyites and thank you, all, for the news of the day. I always check the fleet list and today I have been to all the ports the ships are at - that doesn't often happen! It is very sad about baby Murphy, I'll say a prayer for her and her family, also for Tana and Lou. Here, we're doing okay. Pat is golfing this morning, and we are due for a very rare thunderstorm - I told him to get off the golf course if it happens while he is playing. We need rain but not lightning! I must get cracking and do a little gardening while he is out. We have a birthday party to go to this afternoon, we are supposed to pick up the birthday boy at the home where he resides. He has Alzheimer's and occasionally gets violent, so I think I will make him sit in the back seat - I don't want him attacking the driver! I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing... And then, what if he doesn't want to go back to the care place?

Good morning, Dailyites, and thanks for the birthday greetings! I just wish those days didn't come around so often. My treat today will be a haircut and lunch out. Yesterday, we took almost all of my cruise wear to a consignment shop. Strangely, I was very tired after, and needed a nap. Now I have to go shopping for replacements, haha. A high school classmate died a couple of days ago. Sad, she had been struggling with cancer for many years. And my cousin here told me she had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, so not the best week so far. And a neighbour collapsed while on a camping trip up the island, was hospitalized in Nanaimo, and was transferred to the hospital here yesterday by ambulance. The joys of living in "God's Waiting Room"! We were in Qaqortoq last year on the Viking Passage. It was such a wonderful cruise, I highly recommend it. And much less expensive than the VoV! You know there must be a lot of snow, when your front door is in the attic! a pretty wildflower there, I don't know what it is....

We also found that all the crew really appreciated a note to management that they had done a good job. In your Navigator app, there is a site "Connect" - if you click on that, up comes "Let Us Know" - there you can write a little note about how good a crew member was, and we have many times had a "thank you" from the crew member, as they are advised when they've have a compliment. Or you can ask for a paper comment card at the Front Desk, and do it that way.

Our skies are smoky, but we have the windows closed, and I don't smell a smoky smell. Please send us some rain from the East! I may have posted it before, but we had a swarm of bees land in our garden a few years ago. It was about the size and shape of a pair of trousers. The beekeeper who came to get them was very pleased with it. We told him he could cut the branch down that it was suspended from , so he managed to get it all into a couple of big buckets. Another year a smaller swarm landed and the beekeeper just vacuumed them into a special bucket. I haven't seen many bees this year - just a few bumble bees. I think it has been too dry for mosquitoes this year, although DD, who usually gardens later in the day, has complained of some bites. Our younger DD is our usual mosquito magnet, we always used to tell her we would set her up in a far corner of the garden while we had a lovely, mosquito-free dinner on the patio! Of course, we never followed through on that...

Good morning, all. Our skies are a little smoky this morning, but I don't smell smoke - yet. I'm sorry if I disturbed anyone yesterday by mentioning that we were told to think about what we would need to take if we had to evacuate, because I don't think there is any threat here, just that we were told to think about it. I appreciate @RMLincoln's list! I have no idea where we would evacuate to if there were fires north of us, we''re on the bottom tip of an island! We have a birthday party to go to today for a neighbour who is having a 100th birthday. @smitty34877, when my elderly aunt was in rehab and refused to eat, she was threatened with a feeding tube; she immediately changed her mind and started eating a little! She never did enjoy eating much after that, but she did her best and regained some strength. My favourite potato is a baked potato with lots of butter, and with an Irishman for a husband, we have potatoes often. I do prefer rice or chow mein!

I think there are "only!" about 6 fires on Vancouver island, with 2 out of control. But there were four fires set by people on the Malahat (nearby) a few days ago, which were put out fairly quickly, and it seems that there are fools around who think it is fun to start them! But on the news there was a report that this is expected to be a very bad weekend, and to be prepared for anything. It is sooo dry.

Good afternoon, Dailyites, and thanks for all the news. Eurodam is in Victoria today! Happy Birthday, @Mr. Boston, and many happy returns of the day! We were warned on the news last night to start thinking about what we might have to grab to take with us if there are fires nearby. Scary. And what is happening in the Okanagan and the NWT is just terrible. I will add some dahlia photos. Mine are terribly late this year, many are just starting to bud- I think they were visited by the deer earlier, but I have now put fences around them. But the white one has been blooming furiously since early July and is taking over the courtyard!

When we were on Rotterdam in the Spring, if we asked for crackers (in Pinnacle or CO), they usually managed to find some for us and presented them on a plate...

@VMax1700, I've been enjoying your Live From! I was wondering how you found the volume of the music in the World Stage when the classical group were playing? We usually find the sound much too loud, and referred a smaller venue. Most concerts in the WS, I keep my ears covered with my hands... Hope all goes smoothly in Edinburgh, and regards to Ellen.

Good morning, Dailyites! Thanks to all who post. I have found the last week or so, the minute I sit down to read, that DH has organized something we just have to do, and I'm on my way! Today he is golfing, so I have a little time on my own to read and post. He is just TOO energetic. I guess it's a good sign. Not the happiest of times in the world these days. Fires everywhere, so sad about Lahaina, and BC still has fires in the hundreds. This is going to be the hottest week of the summer, and I moved our round table with umbrella over to the flower bed to shade the dahlias I have planted in the courtyard. They have been so sad and droopy in the heat, but blooming madly. We also watched The Covenant the other night, and then The Courier last night, both movies did not improve my mood... And we've had a death in the family, the 95-year-old widow of a cousin passed away in Maryland. I forgot about the meteor shower, but I did say a prayer for you all at church yesterday. I need a cruise! (To somewhere cool...)

San Diego can be a bit of a mix-up. There is usually a pedestrian queue outside the port gate, and security there is checking documents and check-in times and holding people up. Last time we were in a taxi and we went straight in to the drop-off area. After handing over our suitcases we went directly into the departure "warehouse" and up to the priority lane. Check-in was quick, but then we had to go across the pier to our ship, which was docked on the other side. There was another queue there. I'm not sure what kind of assistance they were giving to passengers in wheelchairs.

Thanks so much. The prices are really high, even with a low A$! Here an inside is C$1,723 on the NS. I think I may suggest they wait to see if the price goes down.

Nice to see you here today, @erewhon, I have a favour to ask. There’s a 14 day cruise on Nieuw Statendam we suggested Pat’s sister and BIL join us on -Canary Islands on April 21 next year. It seems awfully expensive in Australian dollars. How does the NZ dollar compare? I wondered if you would mind looking it up there if your dollar is around the same as the A$. (Just a basic inside.). Here there’s a sale on - do you see sales there?

Good morning, Dailyites, and a big thank you to all the posters with weather news and health updates. We don't get a paper on Mondays, so I depend on you all for the news! And today is a holiday here, B.C. Day, so there probably won't be a paper tomorrow either. Lovely picture of no-longer-baby Camilla, and I'll be saying a prayer for Sam and baby Murphy today, as well as others suffering. Moussaka is one of my favourites, I used to make it frequently, as I love eggplant, but I haven't thought about it for a while. Maybe... (...but I think I'd use lamb.) Pat has gone to his first golf game in almost a year. I think I'll get him to have a nap this afternoon. He was going to share a cart with someone, so hopefully he won't be too worn out. He stood for 2 hours on Saturday scooping ice cream at the complex's Ice Cream Social, and was really tired after that. But he certainly is getting some energy back, bit by bit. We've had beautiful weather the last few days, in the low 70's, so I turned off the heat pumps and opened all the windows. I sprinkled some grass seed around last week, and it has sprouted happily. I have been reshaping and re-working one bed where I plan to change the plants, And we had a huge cleanup in one area of the complex which was covered in ivy and brambles. That was Thursday, and I'm still sore! This was part of the pile for the gardeners to take away. Now the sprinklers have to be sorted and then the area can be planted, maybe with ferns, as it is pretty dense woods. We were in Heraklion in 2016, the first time we met @sailingdutchy, I think. We were on Prinsendam with our DD, we always have a lot of fun with her, and we took a taxi to the Palace of Knossos and then came back to town to the museum and a wander to find a tasty lunch. Most of the palace is ruins, but they must have reconstructed parts, and the painted pillars are the attention-grabbers! In town, the obligatory cat picture ... The museum was very interesting.

Looking at Tony's pictures, I almost put that same top on today. Does anyone else look at old photos and think, OMG, I still have those clothes!

My father was in a prisoner of war camp in Shanghai on August 6,1945, they had no idea of what was happening. He said that a few days later, all the Japanese guards just disappeared, leaving the gate open. The prisoners stayed in the camp for another couple of weeks and were fed by the Swiss contingent in Shanghai, until it seemed safe to go home.

Back finally from our shopping and lunch, I see Tony filled in the blanks of our day in Bari, so I'll just add a few more pictures. We also had a stop in an olive oil factory as it was an excellent olive area. Really old trees! The picture is not good, because it was taken from the moving bus. Filling a tin of beautiful olive oil for me.