Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[rosepark]

Morning Coolers, snowmageddon here, central London is in the midst of a blizzard. We may be doomed - it was nice knowing you all. Adieu.

Rp

[jpalbny]

Wow! And it's a beautiful morning here in upstate New York. No snow in sight, and a high of nearly 60F/15C predicted.

 

I'm hoping that the weather is mellow these next two weeks. Then we leave for Australia, and hopefully when we return it will be Spring for good. One can always hope!

 

PS. Would love to see pictures!

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi all.

 

It's very odd weather here in the UK. We were down to minus 7 here overnight which was quite low in a sheltered covered part of Southern England. We have had virtually no snow though a few miles away it is thick. I remember as a kid the snow in London in 1963 and that was extraordinary as it was coming down so thickly you couldn't see more than a few feet around you. It was really Dickensian and living at the area now called Barbican the whole of Smithfield was just magic.

 

JP so much looking forward to hearing your progress towards Oz ... and some more detail. I hope that you and Chris are OK apres-Ashley. Our pets become extremely close friends and their memories seem to stay disproportionately intensely with us often more so than even our human losses. So hope you are both keeping your spirits up.

 

We have warmed up here to zero, and I have made some beef meat pies with some cauliflower, onion and potato cheese and a boîte du vin rouge to keep the spirits up.

[spinnaker2]

Looked online and saw the amazing photos of the wall of snow approaching London, and then, it was over and sunny!

Some photos taken from the shard...where are you Les?

Tried to find photos of Rome as well...

Stay warm J.

Its blazing hot here, the orchids are blooming and thick yellow pine tree pollen is covering foliage and anything stationary.

[MBP&O2/O]

Weather is not good oop norph ......

Took the memsahib to work this morning. Snow and ice, roads were atrocious. Biggest problem was the wind blowing the settled snow causing reduced visibility.

Ma’am should have been working 8x8 days but the one night staff has just rung in saying it’s too bad for her to get in so Mrs B has to work through .... neither of us are impressed.

To add insult to injury, on Friday she is 8 x8 days again!

Hope it improves a bit as we have a holiday planned for next week [emoji3]

 

 

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[Tothesunset]

Snowmaggedon? Look, we're talking about 10cm or less. I bet you guys from Minnesota, Ontario, North Dakota etc must be wiping the tears of mirth from your eyes. And it could last nearly a week. That's right, sub-zero for nearly a week! Mind you, in summertime we occasionally get days when the temp reaches 30c and similar, scatalogical panic. In spite of its obsession with it, Britain just doesn't do weather.

[rosepark]

Oh don’t spoil all the fun TTS. It’s what we do best- make mountains out of snowballs. I know the proper snow brigade may shake their heads in wonderment at our idea of snowmageddon but they are geared up for it. We get a smidgeon every 7 years.

To be fair, it does sound like it’s going to be horrible in the North and Scotland.

Rp

[UKCruiseJeff]

I deeply resent it when others are snowed in and we're not. It is the only time that we get to totally surrender ourselves to fate and can give up the constant and irritating demands of having to make choices. The only choices are between which tin of soup to open and how much rum to put into the hot punch. :)

 

We had five minutes yesterday of snow and it stopped. Tommorow we have an appointment for our pneumonia jabs, and that is when the snow will probably imprison us.

[Tothesunset]

It's actually pretty wild here at the moment as the wind has caused severe drifts - some nearly a foot deep. I must say we live on a country lane that the bin lorry managed to get jammed on yesterday - the only road vehicle, so far, to have attempted the road - and came within an ace of disappearing into the 6 foot dyke that runs beside the road. Had a couple of tractors along so when the surface freezes it will be like corrugated iron!

[spinnaker2]

yikes, everything here is just wilting in the heat.

and i have discovered an infestation of drugstore beetles in the garage, they have eaten the corks from several bottles.

the perils of living in the south.

we need some cold!

[MBP&O2/O]

I hope it does clear up soon .... we are due to fly to LHR at the crack of dawn on Thursday ..... NCL airport seems to be coping at the moment .... minimal cancellations ... so it’s a case of fingers crossed.

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Tomorrow?

[MBP&O2/O]

No thank goodness [emoji28]

 

 

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[jillyf]

My Venice webcam showed snow. How I would love to be there to see it.

Paris too!

We lived in England twice in the 70's ( so long ago) and wanted a white Christmas. It didn’t happen, but we did get a few flurries that lasted for a day or two.

It is getting cooler in the mornings here, and the trees are beginning to turn. It will be beautiful in a few weeks. Still lovely days to sit in the sun, and take long walks.

[Lois R]

Hi coolers:) I got a tin of chocolate chip cookies in the mail today! It was a gift from the car dealership. Nice touch.......I will take them in to the office tomorrow and share.

 

Spins, the kids went back to school today..........they said they went for 1/2 day.....I am sure it was on your local news all day.

They are amazing young people and hopefully the adults in this situation will bring some positive change.

[Camillus112]

I'm hopeful as you are, Lois... but quite disappointed with prior experiences. How are you doing with your arm? Will you be having a next try at the MRI or has the pain subsided?

[MLeh]

Snowdrifts up to a foot deep?

 

This Canadian just fell on the floor. (We’d call that a Skiff of snow)

 

Hope all survive.

 

 

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[Lois R]

I'm hopeful as you are, Lois... but quite disappointed with prior experiences. How are you doing with your arm? Will you be having a next try at the MRI or has the pain subsided?

 

Hi Cam, no news on the MRI........from what the Dr's office said, they have to get a "new authorization" from Blue Cross in order to process.....and go to a new facility. The arm is ok right now.....not a lot of pain and so maybe it is healing on its own?......it seems to be on and off.........not as much pain as a month ago..........thanks or asking.

[jpalbny]

Lois, glad you are feeling better. Hope it stays that way.

 

Is it really a snowdrift if it's only a foot deep? I guess so, if you are not used to it. Growing up in Central New York I wasn't impressed with a snowdrift unless I couldn't see over it.

 

Jillyf, your weather sounds lovely. We leave two weeks from today!!

 

Weather here is getting pretty tolerable, especially for February. The past few days have been warm enough to walk or run outside, which has been good for us, as I have been feeling like a total slug this winter. And it's staying light a little bit after we get home from work. Spring will eventually happen. But there is a bit of snow in the forecast for Friday...

 

Jeff, thanks for asking about how we are doing. It is honestly kind of miserable still. In my mind I know that we did the right thing and we didn't really have a choice other than letting her suffer and die on her own, which would have been pretty even worse. But it felt terrible driving her to the vet, and holding her while the injection went in. I still wonder if we could have done something more, even though it doesn't make any rational sense to think that way. Thankfully one of our friends is a vet tech at the office, and she came in on her day off to be with us.

 

And it's shockingly quiet around the house. You don't realize how much that cat was actually hanging around us, until she isn't there. Last night we had to toss her bottle of prednisone. It will get better with time, eventually. The last cat we had to euthanize was probably 7-8 years ago, and we left for a vacation that afternoon. So in a way, it hurt less. We don't leave for two more weeks so we're still coming home to a much emptier house every day.

 

Chris and I have been trying to amuse ourselves with funny Ashley stories. Here are our favorites: Once when she was young and we had friends over for dinner, I sliced a beautiful stuffed London broil steak and put it on the table to serve. When I turned my back to grab something else, she leapt on the table, grabbed a piece, and ran away with her kill. It was too funny. The piece of steak was nearly as big as she was! Another time, while we were in Budapest for a river cruise, I got a notification from the alarm company that the glass break detector had been triggered. I contacted the pet sitter who went to the house and discovered that Ashley had jumped on the kitchen counters, obviously looking for food, and knocked all of her cat food cans onto the floor. The crash must have been impressive!

 

So those memories will continue to make us smile, while the unpleasant ones from last weekend will fade. And we'll go to Australia in two weeks. Life is good. We are lucky.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi JP,

 

I don't think you ever get over it. You may recall we discussed this issue some time ago when Spins lost Bromley. We had two Cocker Spaniels born on the same day to different mums. When Bob was my dog and Ben wasn't and I lost Bob - we had to have him put down, and Ben then looked up at me and he seemed to understand that Bob was gone and I needed looking after. On the day Bob was taken to the vet, Ben for the first time came and sat in my lap and licked my face and just stared at me as if he knew. Ben, looked at me come back through the front door and looked for Bob, who of course wasn't there. I sat on the floor with Bob's lead and Ben, for the very first time , came over sat in my lap, stared at my face and licked me all over and simply lay in my lap. He never really then left it. It was as though he knew that I'd just lost Bob and he decided to adopt me. From then on he filled Bob's space and looked after me. He ceased to be my daughters and my wife's dog .. but he most definitely decided he needed to look after me.He adopted me and we became very close. Ben after a further couple of years developed cancer and the vet said you can put him down now or I can give him a month or two more with some magic drugs the only problem being that it would cost you around £1k per month ...

 

Wifey and I established that the drug wouldn't upset him and we were fortunate to be able to do so. He immediately bucked up and seemed renewed and we had five more precious months with us and towards the end me having to carry him in my arms everywhere with people giving me very strange looks and him licking my face as we progressed. The final day did eventually come when he looked up at me and I knew he was saying, "enough is enough now ... thanks ... but .... now is the time"

 

It is an extraordinarily noble and loving thing to sacrifice the easy way out and do nothing than to show real love by having that terrible pain of euthanising and curtailing that siffering. I hope it get's easier in time and the good memories dull those few horrible ones at the end. I think they are still with us in spirit. :)

[Emtbsam]

JP - I'm so sorry to hear about Ashley. It brings tears to my eyes remembering how it felt when we had to take Mr. Manors to the vet back in 2014. Chloe, our 18 year old cat came out of her shell once she was the only cat and has turned into a really wonderful and loving companion. Maybe yours will do the same.

 

I hope in time you will have only happy memories. For now, I hope it helps to know that others care and understand.

 

V

[rosepark]

JP, keep hold of those happy memories but give yourself time to grieve. When our first cat died, and OH wept, I was so glad I was with a man who could cry at the death of a beloved pet.

Watching our little cat coming to terms with the snow (ok, I know it is only a dusting by normal peoples' standards) was so funny. She stepped onto it, got quite a shock and withdrew hastily, shaking her paws oh so daintily. Then another attempt when she decided to taste it and that was more of a shock, especially as the white stuff stuck to her whiskers. And the final indignity was when she went up the steps and the snow got to her tummy. YIKES!!

 

And finally

 

 

Rp

[MissSophia]

Hi To All.......it's a very very cold and blustery day here in Wales on St Davids Day....the worst forecast is in for tomorrow with many areas on red alert.....just hoping the kids will be able to get down to Hampshire for the fathers funeral on Monday.

 

JP l feel your pain missing Ashley.....my beloved old boy died on my birthday just after I lost DH and l was devasted...and still miss him.

 

Safe travels to all......😊

[spinnaker2]

JP,

You did the right thing for your beloved cat.

She told you it was time for her and you listened.

The space she occupied in your life will not be filled soon, she was a part of your family for so long.

Let her memories surround you and bring some comfort as you recall all the good times and happiness you shared.

[Mudhen]

Good Morning, Coolers,

Not too much to report from our neck of the woods. We head out today to Elizabeth's and Bob's in Newport. We're taking the plunge and looking at some properties closer to them in the Newport area. I view this project with excitement (something new!) and with some terror (leaving an area I've lived in for 45 years AND packing up 45 years worth of stuff...OMG! Anyway, we'll see what Rhode Island has to offer us!

Still thinking of you, JP. Less than a year ago, our Snitchy's mom needed to go over the Rainbow Bridge. Although she was our breeders dog, Mascara and I had a special relationship....she was my special little friend who always ran to snuggle with me when I was around....Even tho she wasn't mine, it didn't matter. I was with her when it was time to go.....It will take some time to recover.

In the meantime, have a good day everyone.