Vict0riann

Happy Father's Day, and hope everyone is having a nice day. DD gave Pat a gift card for 5 car washes - mainly, I think, because her car needs a wash.... He'll be a good father and take it in next week, before the California cousins arrive on Wednesday. After hearing the Covid stories here (so sorry, Terri, hope you recover quickly), I have decided I should wear a mask in crowds for the next 11 days! I think there was one other person at church wearing a mask, but I also didn't hear any coughing, so that was good. After church, we usually go to breakfast with my cousin and her hubby, she had a fall last week, and is really, really, banged up. Nothing broken, fortunately (she spent most of the day at the hospital being x-rayed, etc., but her face is cut up and bruised, also her hands. Also 4 people at our exercise class fell, two broke hips, one broke her pelvis and one, the eldest at 91, is okay. Disaster zone here! I love eggplant, so would enjoy the meal, but we are having steaks and vegetable lasagna tonight. I will do the steaks, and not make Pat get the barbecue out. I think he is progressing toward needing that new valve, because he is tiring very quickly since he got back from England, plus it might be just a bit of jet lag. After seeing @sailingdutchy Tony's vegetable garden yesterday, I thought I would post mine - one tomato, 9 beans (my radishes were a failure, too) and a zucchini, plus some parsley. Oh, and my pot of 6 lettuces which are beginning to bolt! We are being threatened with funnel clouds - I wonder if they are tornados in Canadian - and as we drove home from breakfast, we saw this.

Good morning, Dailyites! Pat made it home safely last night, the flight was delayed, of course, so we got to bed after midnight, and he was up at 7, full of energy. My holiday is over! Cleaning lady comes today, so we are busy tidying up for her... Next week our visitors (the California cousins) arrive - I haven't even started thinking about what to feed them, how to entertain them, etc., my mind has been elsewhere. We have invited one set of local cousins to dinner one night, and I think we'll invite the other local cousins to join us at Butchart's for tea. But I am procrastinating. Can't seem to get in gear and get going. Prayers going out for Terri, Terry and Tana, Annie and Chuck (sorry I missed the birthday yesterday, hope the breakfast was good!), Jacqui, and all the others with worries. Definitely peony season here, too.

Just heard from the surgeon’s office. Surgery will be June 27. Pretty speedy, I think!

Good afternoon, I'm just back from the surgeon and hope he will get me in for a lumpectomy soon. The nurse will call in a day or two to organize (I hope). He did give me the option of lump and radiation or a full mastectomy, and I picked lump... He quizzed me on my stamp collection first, I think he was checking to see if I had all my wits about me! Anyway, I must have passed muster. Terry, I'm sorry Tana now has a stomach bug. And Terri, I'm sorry for your woes, too. Be very careful on your way home on Thursday. Pat gets home tomorrow. I think he will be glad it's over. His sister told him her hubby, (whom we love to bits) has been diagnosed with a form of dementia. So sad, but he looks quite cheerful in the pictures Pat has sent of the family gatherings. We have been to Kodiak a few times on the 14-day Alaska cruises. We have taken the shuttle into town and on the last one in '23, Pat got a last-minute spot on a whale-watching tour someone on the roll call had organized. He had a wonderful time, saw many whales bubble-feeding, etc., and came back very happy (but tired). But the town itself is very nice and the little harbour is full of sea lions and sea otters.

Afternoon here! I spent most of the morning being interviewed for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which I have been part of for over 10 years. Boy, am I aging! They want people to wear 2 monitors for a week to measure activity, but I declined. I'm not sure how things will be for the next few weeks. I forgot(!) that part of this in home interview includes memory tests, things like "all the animals you can list in 90 seconds" _ think I ran out after 30. Especially as my mind is elsewhere. Then, after lunch, DD and I went out to ReStore to donate some items, now DD has gone to Home Depot, and I get to put my feet up. We have been to Malta twice, once on Prinsendam (I think we met Tony and Martha on that cruise) and later on Koningsdam (also with T&M) We had DD with us on the first and DSIL and her hubby and also a cousin and her husband on the K. My pictures are many duplicates of Tony's and the others, but I'll add a few. Malta was acknowledged after the war by England and the US. The ferry to Gozo The natural bridge - don't step back (it collapsed after we left) and a bit of Maltese food porn .

Still here, it's Good Morning, Dailyites, although I know for some it's Good Afternoon! Interesting day, I would love the meal - I would eat rice every day. When I was a child in Manila I had ducks (and chickens, birds, fish, a cat and a dog). The ducks were Donald and Daisy of course, and Donald laid the eggs, so I think I misjudged there. Jacqui, I'm sorry you are feeling that the house and garden are getting to be too much for you. But, if you are going to make a move, it's best to do it while you still can! "Downsizing", selling stuff, donating, packing up all the things you have to have, all get harder and harder to do. And as long as Ivan has you, he'll be happy, with a fenced garden or not. He's a lucky boy! It is a big decision, though. How unfortunate that @Cruzin Terri's holiday is turning out to be not relaxing at all! I hope the rest of the vacation improves and there are no more problems. Yesterday I binge-watched Top Chef for most of the day, preparing for the finale on Eurodam on Wednesday. Oskar, the grandpup, was here for a visit a few days before Pat left for England. A real sweetie (both of them!)

Got the email from HAL today. Looks like I don't get Bravo on my TV listings, but it seems to be on the Food Network too., I looked on the 12th and the Top Chef is called "Set Sail" and it says "new", so I hope that's it. Eurodam is our favourite, or maybe a close runner-up to Nieuw Statendam now.

Good morning, Dailyites, and thanks for the daily news. Bon voyage to those about to sail! I, too, thought there should be a "not" in the quote of the day, but you never know... Actually, I had a call yesterday to move my appointment with the surgeon up to next Tuesday, the 11th instead of the 25th, so maybe it does work sometimes.. I would like the gribiche sauce, as I love capers and cornichons, but I really wonder how they would go with hard-boiled eggs as a topping for asparagus. I suppose it would end up something like a pickle relish, only French. DD makes a great egg salad sandwich which includes a pickle relish, so maybe something like that. Pat seems to be having a great time in England, his cousin's 96th birthday party went on for 7 hours yesterday, first they had lunch at DC's favourite restaurant, the French Table, and then continued at his home with cake and presents. I had no idea what to give him, so Pat organized a gift card beforehand at the French Table, and that seemed to go over well. Pat has been trying to send pictures, but evidently the hotel internet is too weak. Beautiful weather here, everything is growing furiously, and I am having to water. The reservoir is down to 93% and I worry about the summer.

Good morning, Dailyites, thanks for all the news. Prayers for Annie and Chuck, @Haljo1935, anbd the others suffering. A little good news here - DD went to the hospital to see the surgeon and check her humerus, he says the bone is healed and just to continue her exercises. She is still uncomfortable, but I guess it's muscles, tendons, etc. so she must keep trying to do things. And I had a call from the nurse to discuss what's going to happen to me. All very encouraging! We have been to Bermuda a few times, twice to King's Wharf, including this Spring with Tony and Martha on Nieuw Statendam. My pictures are like the others, but I do remember a guide telling us once that, because of the shortage of fresh water in Bermuda, every building must maintain a sparkling white roof and have ways to collect any rainwater that falls. Maybe @bennybear is going to have to suggest her city do the same! A few Bermudian (?) roofs - Even the port building Many years ago, Pat bought his blue hat in Hamilton, it has been his signature for a long time, and as he usually races on ahead of me, a lot of times it is his proof of presence! The hat is getting threadbare now after many washings, so we looked for one in the shops this time, but no luck. Maybe we'll have to stop travelling...

@0106, I can't help with the travel to Nyhavn from your dock, but we did enjoy the canal tour the most in Copenhagen, and I think the ticket was part of the HoHo ticket price (you could check on line. There was a stop at the Little Mermaid on the bus, so you might be able to board there and buy your ticket back to closer to the canal ride. We even saw a diving competition off one of the buildings on the canal tour. Eek!

Senior moment! I knew that... 🙄 My cousin's 10-year old Lab has been having urinary incontinence and she had to take him to the vet - who expressed his blocked anal glands, and now things seem to be better. I wonder if Blue has his anal glands; sometimes the vet will remove them when the animal is young.

Good morning, Dailyites, and thanks for the news! Pat leaves this afternoon, so today will be busy, but I just wanted to mention urinary crystals to @Sharon in AZ - as a reason for incontinence in cats - it can be terribly painful for them. I wonder if a new vet might not have checked that? Blue is a cat, right? In dogs it might be that their anal glands need expressing... (TMI?)

That was 11 years ago!

Good morning, Dailyites! What a good idea for supper - I had already taken a package of bacon out of the freezer and was wondering how to do the eggs. We have errands to do today and will take all the forms I had to fill out to the surgeon's office - that will also work as a dry run to know where to park on the 25th. Vanessa, I think you could put me on the rotation - I do still want prayers, but I think this is going to be a long, drawn-out business! We were in Molde in 2013 on Ryndam, with our younger DD. We had a lot of fun. It poured in town, even the Captain was calling it Mouldy! We went to an outdoor museum, which of course was closed for the day, so we just walked around, and then walked around in town. It must have been a formal night, because we had our picture taken.

Good morning, Dailyites! Pat has gone off to golf this morning, although we are expecting rain and it looks windy right now. He doesn't like golfing in the rain so I will expect him home if it starts. Yesterday it drizzled all day. My lettuce is starting to bolt and the radishes have stopped making nice big fruit, just mingy red roots. Annie, I do wish you could post some pictures of the kittens - you tell such lovely stories about them, I want to see them! Oh, oh, Terri, hope all goes smoothly with your travels. Terry, I think you and Tana are amazing. Jacqui, I'm sorry I missed your birthday, that was also Pat's 88th, hope you had a happy day, and that your foot is improving. Also Joy's foot - is it contagious? I haven't heard anything yet about surgery, but I see on my Health Gateway app that I am now an outpatient at the Cancer Centre - in Vancouver. I hope that is just a typo! Or maybe we'll do it all by zoom... Famous last words, I just had a call for a surgical consult on June 25, I guess it's here in Victoria!

Back from the doctor and haircut. There is a carcinoma, and the doctor is sending me to a surgeon - probably for just a lumpectomy, and see how it goes. Now the waiting begins! So relieved to be able to get a haircut without an appointment, I feel lightheaded without all that hair.

Good morning, Dailyites, I told Pat that you all wished him a happy birthday and he wondered how you knew. I said, Vanessa knows all! Hope Jacqui had a happy day yesterday. We had a nice few days in Bellingham, spent our limit, and now we are home again. I have my doctor's appointment this morning - I dreamt he told me there was nothing more they could do for me.... However, I did see the ultrasound results on line, and it suggests a malignancy, and then the report disappeared, so I imagine they want the doctor to inform me! Life is interesting as you get old. Pat is 88 today, and he is off to England on Tuesday to spend some time with his cousin who is having his 94th birthday next Thursday.

Good morning, Dailyites. Memorial Day weekend in the States always meant the Seattle cousins would come up for a visit. That ended a few years ago, but we miss them. Victoria is crowded with visitors for the Swiftsure sailing races this weekend, too. So we stay home! We are going to leave tomorrow for a few days in Bellingham, taking a long shopping list. There has been a lot going on here for the last few days, and I haven't been posting, but reading when I can and thinking of you all, my friends. I am waiting for the results of biopsies taken last week, so I wouldn't mind a prayer or two, myself! They said 5 days, and I keep checking my health app, just in case. Nothing yet, though. I have an appointment to see my doctor on Friday. We went through Glacier Alley on the Zaandam, too, but it was in 2017. My pictures are like those already posted. We saw the Brujo Glacier in all its glory. Or you could go to Alaska! El Brujo Glacier Alaska

La Goulette can be a bit iffy. We managed to dock once there on Prinsendam, but couldn't enter the sheltered area another time, on Eurodam. I have noticed that the Nieuw Statendam had La Goulette on an itinerary and I have a feeling it will be difficult for her, if they have not enlarged the entrance. What do you think?

Good morning, Dailyites, and a very Happy Birthday to Tana! Great news that Gerry's DH came through his surgery with flying colours. Very encouraging. Our youngest DD had a tiny red-eared slider in university, and of course it came home with her and was left with us. Dork loved raw hamburger "worms" and grew rapidly into a Big Mac-sized turtle. Eventually, DD took him to the National Zoo in Washington and hopefully he is still there with his friends.

Good morning, Dailyites, and thank you to all for the daily news. I'm praying for all those in need of my bit of intercession today, Gerry's DH, Tana, Jacqui, Pennie, et al. It poured all day yesterday, it looks a little bit nicer today, but still overcast. I'm lucky I took a picture of my first peony the day before, as it's probably water-logged by now! This is the peony that had two different colours of flowers last year, so I'll see what it will do this year. We have been to SD many times connected with cruises, and twice on driving trips. My DD cousin and her DH - also DD now, once took us to the Wild Animal Park, which is the most amazing place - the way every zoo should be. The enclosures for the animals are huge, we also had the good fortune to have a walk with a cheetah and her friend, a dog. It is out of town, but well worth a visit!

Yes, that was us, John! Thanks for doing all that research. How I wish I could remember it - my mother kept a lot of souvenirs of the trip and a diary. She said the Gripsholm was brightly lit all the way, and we were never attacked, although there were enemy submarines around.

Good morning, Dailyites. Thanks for the Fleet Report and all the daily news. Happy anniversary to the Chief and Mrs. Chief ! Prayers will be said for those needing them. My only news is that about half my scarlet runners have sprouted. I gave the remainder of the bean seeds to DS, so if the rest don’t appear in the next couple of days, I’ll have to buy some more. I used to grow a very pretty pink climbing bean that the hummingbirds loved, so I may look for those.

If a cruise is a sea voyage with multiple stops, I had my first cruise at the age of three, from Shanghai on a Japanese liner, the Teia Maru, via Hong Kong and Singapore to Mormagao (the port of Goa, which was neutral) where the prisoner exchange took place. We then boarded a Swedish Red Cross ship, the Gripsholm, and stopped in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and Rio, before arriving in New York. All this took 3 months, and after train rides cross country, my mother and I arrived in Victoria in time for Christmas, 1943.

Paul, when we were in Oranjestad in 2019, there was a free trolley that did a circuit of the town with a few stops (although I don't think we got off) It was an interesting ride, and you can count the blue horses!