Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[Tothesunset]

Love to you and furry baby....have a good one 😊

Thanks. My parents arrived today so that they can dog-sit while we investigate South Africa from the Spirit. Qatar Airways have the privilege of getting us from LHR to CPT with a day in hand before boarding on 5 Jan.

 

Thought we'd give Qatar a go because only BA fly direct but there are 2 drawbacks in using BA. 1. Expensive. 2. Its BA.

 

See? My cynicism lasts the whole year out!

[MissSophia]

Thanks. My parents arrived today so that they can dog-sit while we investigate South Africa from the Spirit. Qatar Airways have the privilege of getting us from LHR to CPT with a day in hand before boarding on 5 Jan.

 

Thought we'd give Qatar a go because only BA fly direct but there are 2 drawbacks in using BA. 1. Expensive. 2. Its BA.

 

See? My cynicism lasts the whole year out!

 

Qatar had a thumbs up from friends who disembarked with us on Dec 20th.....love your cynicism....😉😊

[jpalbny]

Happy New Year to all!

 

Winding down the last few hours of 2017 here in Atlanta. It's been lots of fun, but we hardly scratched the surface I think.

 

Just an hour left for those of you on GMT. I'll raise a glass to all of you later. If I start now I'll never make it until midnight our time!

 

May 2018 bring all that you wish for.

 

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[jillyf]

Happy and Healthy 2018 from a long time lurker.

I feel as though I know many of you from following along.

 

We have flown Qatar twice and have been very happy with their service.

The last time was Melbourne to Dubai to meet Regent Voyager and Home from Capetown. The business class lounge in Doha is amazing. Worth a few hours stopover.

[Camillus112]

From somebody who's had almost a bottle of Champagne by herself at 6pm (my DH had the other one)... HAPPPPPY NEW YEAR Cooler friends!!

 

Jillyf, please join us in this thread. Lurking is good but sharing is much better. Cheers!!

[SonjaWinson]

From somebody who's had almost a bottle of Champagne by herself at 6pm (my DH had the other one)... HAPPPPPY NEW YEAR Cooler friends!!

 

Jillyf, please join us in this thread. Lurking is good but sharing is much better. Cheers!!

 

Oh, oh...almost an entire bottle? Looks like I have some catching up to do.

 

Happy New Year, everyone! Best wishes for a wonderful 2018!

 

Karen

[UKCruiseJeff]

 

 

 

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[spinnaker2]

Happy New Year all.

2018 will be so exciting.

Love and hugs to you all.

[Camillus112]

Lovely New Year to all!

 

Not the entire bottle, Karen, but felt like it. I hope all new year's wishes and resolutions may be embraced.

 

In Spanish, we have a saying shared among friends and family, rooted in religious traditions, but which has been secularized still embodying a powerful message... Bendiciones a todos! (Blessings to all)

[MissSophia]

G'Day All......sounds like much fun was had last eve on the dawn of a new year......l had my usual drop of Moet followed by the vodka and coke....managed to stay up until after midnight!

 

It's the calm after the storm here as the wind and rain recede...sure must have been a policemans dream last night with the heavy rain!

 

Roast chicken for luncheon today with leeks, peas and roasted potatoes....

 

Tomorrow l have to get working again with much to do...fear I've been very lazy over the festive season.....😉

 

Happy Day

😊

[MissSophia]

Oh....forgot to say a warm welcome to our lurker Jilly....do join in with the banter whenever you like....the cooler bar extends to all....😊

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Well, 2018 is here and has been over there for almost a day. We're starting with a blank slate. Let's see if we can write some magic on it! :)

 

I echo Miss S' welcome to Jilly. And a welcome back to Karen. Grab a stool and linger when the mood suits. Most of us do not bite. Those who sometimes have that tendency are kept on a very short leash. :)

 

Happy 2018 to all! Enjoy the first day of possibilities!

[Lois R]

Happy New Year from rainy/cold North Florida...........not as cold as the Northeast but I think it is about 42 outside:eek:

 

I actually watched the ball drop last night (was laying in bed).......LOL.........wishing all of you new friends a Happy and

Healthy 2018.

[MLeh]

Happy New Year to all.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

Thanks. My parents arrived today so that they can dog-sit while we investigate South Africa from the Spirit. Qatar Airways have the privilege of getting us from LHR to CPT with a day in hand before boarding on 5 Jan. Thought we'd give Qatar a go because only BA fly direct but there are 2 drawbacks in using BA. 1. Expensive. 2. Its BA. See? My cynicism lasts the whole year out!

 

For Tothesunset, enjoy your South Africa sailing, plus the flights with Qatar. As detailed below, two years ago, we did that sailing in this scenic area on the Silver Cloud. From the USA, we used Qatar Air and super loved their service, planes, the terminal in Doha, etc. Let me know any added questions on South Africa, Qatar, etc.

 

Yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!! In Virginia now, being busy with our grandsons, building Lego Star War sets, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting, dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 36,321 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

Here are two visuals relating to Qatar and our excellent experiences with them. First, is the Qatar airline symbol (Arabian oryx) on the tail of their 777 plane at Chicago O'Hare as we were getting ready to board as the evening sun is setting. The next visual is a sample in Doha from the premium lounge areas where drinks and food were plentiful and nice, plus having lots of classy areas for sitting and relaxing.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

May I just add my belated welcome again to Jilly to the others who have said so, and express the hope that she may join us and take advantage of the welcome extended too her. And best wishes to all those that have now complete the entry into 2018 over the pond. :)

 

I guess if I'm honest, I'm pleased to see the back of 2017, but I fear that I may feel that again at the end of 2018. You would think that as you get older, that should bring with it the benefit of another year's experience and possibly a bit of extra wisdom. But as I get older I seem to be going backwards and seem to move from being a person that can make adequate sense of the world around me - or so I thought at any given moment - to being a person who is completely and utterly defeated and confused by it all. I guess that supports the wider view that I hold that it makes no sense whatsoever in trying to make sense of life because that would imply that there is some master plan with a purpose for each of us. But truth is that there isn't. We are simply given the opportunity to be here for a short while and enjoy what fruits and experiences life provides for us and then we go, mostly to be forgotten in a generation or so. And whilst we have a degree of control over some of these things at some odd times, a lot of our lives is random and within the gift of the rest of the world's population by what they think and do.

 

I guess that means that unless we are going to be disrespectful to the opportunity that nature has provided us by allowing us to simply experience "being here" then we have an obligation to that force to take full advantage of that time we are given and try and give a bit of joy to both ourselves and to those others that we can and avoid those things that cause disharmony.

 

So I guess that what we should hope for in 2018 is the absence of too much pain and a bit of fun and joy with no serious mishaps along the way.

 

:)

[Camillus112]

Dear Jeff, I'm totally with you in your last sentence... and to have fun and joy maybe we should be a little senseless... difficult to do at times...

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! Polar Vortex remains settled in. BRRRRR!

 

Today I stumbled on a piece of poetry by Anis Mojgani - a spoken word poet, visual artist and musician based in Portland, Oregon. Mojgani has been characterized as a "geek genius" with "fiercely hopeful word arias." I had originally read "Shake The Dust" about 7 years ago and had forgotten about it. I found it to be a very powerful ramble of thoughts and has shown up again in my sights at an opportune time.

 

To view Mojgani's performance of this piece here is a link to a YouTube video:

 

 

 

The poem "Shake The Dust" lyrics appear below:

 

This is for the fat girls.

This is for the little brothers.

This is for the school-yard wimps, this is for the childhood bullies who tormented them.

This is for the former prom queen, this is for the milk-crate ball players.

This is for the nighttime cereal eaters and for the retired, elderly Wal-Mart store front door greeters. Shake the dust.

This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them,

for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns,

for the men who have to hold down three jobs simply to hold up their children,

for the nighttime schoolers and the midnight bike riders who are trying to fly. Shake the dust.

This is for the two-year-olds who cannot be understood because they speak half-English and half-god. Shake the dust.

For the girls with the brothers who are going crazy,

for those gym class wall flowers and the twelve-year-olds afraid of taking public showers,

for the kid who’s always late to class because he forgets the combination to his lockers,

for the girl who loves somebody else. Shake the dust.

This is for the hard men, the hard men who want to love but know that it won’t come.

For the ones who are forgotten, the ones the amendments do not stand up for.

For the ones who are told to speak only when you are spoken to and then are never spoken to. Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself.

Do not let a moment go by that doesn’t remind you that your heart beats 900 times a day and that there are enough gallons of blood to make you an ocean.

Do not settle for letting these waves settle and the dust to collect in your veins.

This is for the celibate pedophile who keeps on struggling,

for the poetry teachers and for the people who go on vacations alone.

For the sweat that drips off of Mick Jaggers’ singing lips and for the shaking skirt on Tina Turner’s shaking hips, for the heavens and for the hells through which Tina has lived.

This is for the tired and for the dreamers and for those families who’ll never be like the Cleavers with perfectly made dinners and sons like Wally and the Beaver.

This is for the biggots,

this is for the sexists,

this is for the killers.

This is for the big house, pen-sentenced cats becoming redeemers and for the springtime that always shows up after the winters.

This? This is for you.

Make sure that by the time fisherman returns you are gone.

Because just like the days, I burn both ends and every time I write, every time I open my eyes I am cutting out a part of myself to give to you.

So shake the dust and take me with you when you do for none of this has never been for me.

All that pushes and pulls, pushes and pulls for you.

So grab this world by its clothespins and shake it out again and again and jump on top and take it for a spin and when you hop off shake it again for this is yours.

Make my words worth it, make this not just another poem that I write, not just another poem like just another night that sits heavy above us all.

Walk into it, breathe it in, let is crash through the halls of your arms at the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood pumping and pushing making you live, shaking the dust.

So when the world knocks at your front door, clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be in gratitude.

 

Have a great day all!

[Camillus112]

Thanks, Mysty, for Shake the Dust. Rambling thoughts, but well worth reading.

 

I am pretty busy packing since we leave for Barbados tomorrow. We have a fun group in the Roll Call and I am really looking forward to try Seabourn after more than five years.

 

Somebody keep my barstool warm at the Cooler!

[mysty]

Bon Voyage Cam! Safe travels and have an awesome sail! We'll keep your barstool dust and peanut-shell free!

[Tothesunset]

Just arrived at the Radisson Blu Heathrow. Not our favourite hotel but handy to park the car.

 

14.15 flight tomorrow via Doha to Cape Town to meet up with the Spirit on Friday. Just hoping this storm doesn't delay departure tomorrow - we only have a 2 hr layover at Doha. I guess if we miss that they will have to put us on the same flight the following day.

 

Glad we have a night in CPT otherwise I'd be getting very nervous!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Evening All.

 

Your a lady of letters M!

 

Safe travels Cams and TTS. TTS that is some hours for you .... nearly 19 hours! Only 11'ish on BA! :)

[mysty]

Safe travels TTS and Mrs TTS! Have a marvelous sail!

 

And thanks J (I think :)). As long as the letters in question are not C R A Z Y!

[Camillus112]

Mysty, you are so much fun!!

[mysty]

Thanks Cam! :) Fine line between fun and irritating. Hoping to stay on the fun side. My toes sometimes creep over the line though. At that point I need a good solid finger-wagging! :)