Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

You just undid your whole argument by using Latin at the end. What kind of riff-raff does that? You must be a secret scone eater!

 

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Latin always confused me JP.

First we did "amo, amas, amat ........ " and then we did "moneo, mones, monet, ....." and so first we were taught about love and then given unspecific warnings and advice. It never worked.

It is also strange that a blind French artist who specialises in water lillies was named after a warning and which also proves that the correct pronounciation is Monet as in "bet" and not as in "mornay".:)

Would that make J a toff in Eastender's clothing? :)

I have always tried to bat above my station. :)

It's working! :)

My problem is in ‘food translation’. We have just moved from Yorkshire to Northumberland and the terminology is so different! I went to a bakers and asked for a plain white teacake and was presented with a fruit teacake. I am told there is no such thing as a ‘teacake ’ it is a bread bun? When one was shown to me it was minute .... apparently I need a large bread bun??

All I wanted to do was make a Bacon buttie ... but that particular title might be too much for the translator.

I also asked if they sold Sourdough Bread as my homemade efforts are not quite meeting the chefs expectations. They had never heard of it?

Engage sigh mode [emoji57]

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Greetings from the ‘no longer shrouded in dense fog’ west coast. I always feel a bit behind as everyone has had multiple meals by the time the sun rises here.

Our first day in the UK, we went to a pub for dinner, and had to ask what a ‘bap’ is that is served with their burgers. Turns out it is a bun. I already knew about biscuits versus cookies.

When I would visit my grandmother in Saskatchewan, the meal at noon was ‘dinner’, while the meal in the evening was ‘supper’. ‘Lunch’ was something that was served after a funeral by the Ladies’ Auxiliary at the church.

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Americans often seem confused by English! :)

Perhaps it is the Boston Britishness of Frazier but when some try to elevate themselves they sometimes use English in ways not intended. We have had many discussions on CC!

For a start you cannot have high tea in one of the SS lounges sitting on a sofa. High tea means sitting at a dining room table on dining chairs. That is where the word high originated. It also use to include a meal of some sort. So when northerners use the word "tea" they mean what others might call supper. Afternoon tea in homes however can be eaten on a sofa. Afternoon tea is always taken at any time between 4pm and 5pm. No earlier. No later. Except in hotels, when they will serve it at any time to milk it for as much cash as possible. High tea can be later. I often see people ask about high tea on these fora ........... :D

Another is the replacement by SS of stewards with butlers. This makes some customers feel more important but they are not and can never be butlers. Butlers have a single master or family. That is the whole point of them. On SS they are simply stewards dressed up as butlers to make gullible customers feel that they are getting something more than they are.

Batting above their station? :)

Good Morning All,

Heard from Sophia who is have a great time. She is reading The Cooler but is having difficulty posting so asked me to pass on her best wishes ....

India is fascinating so pleased I've been. We sail for Male this afternoon so hopefully some breeze will cool us down ! Last formal and Venetian tonight, invited to officers table but declined so it'll be La T for the 7 of us.

 

Have tried posting on the cooler but it just crashes so please say Hi to all from me. At least email is good!

 

Loved the scones! 👍 😊

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

Frigid today. Mysty, I wish you'd have kept that Arctic air up north!

Currently 18F/-7C with a high of only 22F/-5C. Yuck. Glad I work inside.

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Greetings Coolers! Yes indeed frigid today! Sorry JP, I lost my grip on the Jet Stream. Slipped through my frozen fingers! :(

Happy to hear that Miss S. enjoyed India! Thanks for playing the messenger J!

Have a great day all and stay warm!

I recently came across a beautiful poem written by Juan Villoro a Mexican writer and journalist. He has been well known among intellectual circles in Mexico, Latin America and Spain for years. He wrote the poem El puño en alto (The Raised Fist) after the recent earthquake in Mexico.

Here is the link to the original poem in Spanish:

http://www.reforma.com/aplicacioneslibre/preacceso/articulo/default.aspx?id=120530&urlredirect=http://www.reforma.com/aplicaciones/editoriales/editorial.aspx?id=120530

Here is the English translation version:

https://peterwdavies.com/2017/09/23/the-raised-fist-english-translation-of-el-puno-en-alto-by-juan-villoro/

Hello Coolers,

Trying to catch up on rest and chores after the flight experiences that seem to follow me.

Sorry I haven't read all posts but gleaned over. Glad you are all fine and travelers are enjoying.

Mysty, how sorry I am that I could not read the Spanish version since the link asks me to sign up and am done with more subscriptions. I did read the translation and it moved me and made me think how death can easily catch us so off guard...

I'm way behind in Christmas shopping and there's a snow storm today in my area. Not going out! DH has been buying bourbons recently and an inch or two will be my mid afternoon snack. I'll pay some bills, read a chapter or two of a Dean Koontz book, write a little, and walk the treadmill. Uff, already tired.

Well, for a start, I'd be wary of leaving the airport on your way back. Safe to say that there is no shortage of places to eat and if you were really keen to get down and dirty you could try some dim sum or eat at one of the many streetside restaurants on Temple Street (about 6 blocks or so North of the YMCA) while visiting the night market there. Beware, however, that authentic Cantonese food is nothing like Chinese food as we understand it in the West. I could never get on with it at all. I should add that it can get a bit chilly at night at that time of year and a light raincoat or umbrella if you are out and about would be wise. If you are lucky it will be bright blue skys and 20c. If you are unlikely it could get as low as 15c and be overcast, murky or raining. Jan/Feb is very unpredictable.

Appreciate these great added insights and suggestions/background for Hong Kong from our friend in the UK. Very helpful and highly interesting!!! We have a private guide lined up to use for one and a half days in Hong Kong. This will help us to be able to see and do more, plus understand what we are seeing, why it's important, etc. Keep up the nice sharing for these various tips and secrets related to Hong Kong. Lots of people have shared so much that is amazing about this town, its development, their top-notch public transit, etc.

Am surviving my kidney stone procedure from yesterday fairly well. No major pain and/or problems right now. BUT, such medical activities are never fun or exciting. Fortunately, I have met my health insurance minimums and am "good to go" to be fully covered for any added cost between now and June 30, 2018. BUT, I am happy to pass on the "honor" for any more kidney stones.

Overnight in Central Ohio, we got a nice blanketing of snow. Looks good and helps building the anticipation for the upcoming holiday season.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Panama Canal? Completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! Those visuals start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Frigid today. Mysty, I wish you'd have kept that Arctic air up north! Currently 18F/-7C with a high of only 22F/-5C. Yuck. Glad I work inside.

Yes, JP, it is getting too cold, too soon. It is not even, officially, winter, yet. What happened to Global Warming? You are correct to blame it on Mysty and those in Canada being too free in sharing that chilly weather. See our AccuWeather latest details and forecast for Central Ohio. Notice the "detail" about the "Real Feel" temperature being at 11F. And down to 14F tonight for this category of weather conditions. Yes, I am glad to be inside today and not needing to go outside, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 221,165 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Here is the latest for Central Ohio from AccuWeather.:

Cam...you don't need to subscribe to read the Spanish version link. Just hit the link and scroll up. For some crazy reason the link brings you to the bottom of the page. Head to the top and you will see the poem. :)

Good morning All ... from a cold Britain but with a lovely blazing fire and some armagnac.

I have been busy over the last day or two Clouding stuff. All piccies on Amazon Cloud and all MP3s uploaded to Amazon Music, which means a bit more simplicity and another layer of backup. It means that i don't have to keep stuff up to date at Seaside anymore or on our travels.

To that end I also bought a couple of the new Amazon Echo Shows which were on a special offer. They were reduced considerably, and I had jotted down a further discount code which they had withdrawn from the new page but hadn't deleted from their system so I managed to get the second one for £29 instead of £199. I also bought a Cozmo to play with .... should arrive tomorrow. I'm suprised they honoured the £29 as it is clearly a mistake, but they have.

I've been tempted into buying a couple of Anki Overdrive sets, even though I am suppose to be too old for toys ... and ordered a new Kindle for wifey even though she says she doesn't need a new one I think she will love it when it arrives.

Our country is in a right old mess with brexit and each day brings some new lower depth. And I see things are exciting over the other side of the big lake.

So pleased to have a month or two here with nothing to do. Such bliss. :)

Well, it's still not 9PM here and the storm abated until tomorrow. Just got off the treadmill 40 minutes and maybe not 40 ounces thinner...the bourbon with hummus and chips may have seen to that... DH wants to watch CNN now and why not? Mysty, thanks for your clarification; I'll enjoy the read tomorrow.

J...you love toys! No need to give them up if they give you pleasure! As you have said "life is too short". :)

The world seems to be imploding. I'm trying desperately to hang on to the last shreds of optimism. Hence my efforts to find light in the darkness to share with Coolers. Without bits of joy the darkness takes over!

Enjoy your toys!

Totally agree M.

We both now respect "the power of the spreadsheet" and it is daft not to self-indulge when one can. I didn't realise there were so many things I really needed until Amazon reduces their prices on something. And Amazon makes shopping so easy to buy things that use to be both a trek and expensive. You order it and it arrives the next day, and their customer service is wonderful.

So happy for you J! I love to hear enthusiasm and joy! Not enough of that lately! Please keep enthusing! It brings me vicarious joy!

That's sweet of you M ....; but you've also got bags to look forward to!

I think our trips to places like Vienna for us is always grounding. It wouldn't be possible to do the trip any better but it always has the effect of making us appreciate home. Wifey wouldn't be chuffed any other way. We're looking forward to our September trip but probably won't bother with a December one. It's exactly the same flights and suite but in the late summer rather than winter. The walks and eating outside is just lovely.

That's awesome J! And hopefully Myster's and my hopes will materialize. :) It is important to keep things in perspective and to appreciate the wonders that we have access to. So very many do not have that privilege. I just need to remind myself of that from time to time.

I guess all of life is about accommodating puzzlement and suprises. As you get older you understand that all that you thought you understood was not what it seemed and I think that as long as you accept and shrug then somehow you muddle through.

Today I was drinking armagnac and thinking, which in my case is always a positive combination, and I realised that even though wifey and I are polar opposites, I have never for a single moment had any regrets and still see her as exactly as when we first met. At all the critical moments in life when I contemplated doing what to most wifes would be extremely daft and very risky things she said "go for it" and supported me. When I gave up the company car, inflated salary, first class travel and the odd bit of private jet she said "do it" when my previous colleagues said I was genuinely mad. And when I needed help and was floundering on bits i couldn't handle, she provided that help, masterd it, and learned new skills. I was so proud to visit clients with my wife - a director in her own right - and who all adored her.

I guess that means je ne regrette rien.:)

And that says it all J! Mrs J sounds like an incredible woman! And you are blessed to be together as I think she would also agree. Myster is the saint in our relationship. I can be prickly, stubborn and annoying. He soldiers on with patience and a smile. I know that I am blessed!

You are. And he is learning to make you good food. And bread. What could be better. :)

As it's nearly 3 I might try an early night and listen to some Beeb until perhaps if I am blessed by the sleep fairy I might sleep! :)