Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[zqtchas]

10 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

I wonder if zqtchas and Mr. Silver have drunk the Shadow dry of Tiki? 😁

Not yet

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[mysty]

As promised here are the heavenly courses from our blind tasting dinner last night at Black Tartan.  We did the wine pairing so the descriptions of the offerings will become a tad less descriptive as I move through the courses.  🤣  Overall, my guesses were quite accurate.

 

1st - Charcuterie Plate with house-made sausage and pickled veg.....

 

2nd Gazpacho.......

 

3rd...Smoked salmon in pastry with beurre blanc.....

 

4th Venison carpaccio.....

 

5th Boar.....

 

 

6th Sorbet (this is where things get fuzzy).....it was served in a small bowl in a larger bowl which held dry ice so it was clouded in wisps of fog representing the gas leak the restaurant suffered at the beginning of their renovation.  But I don't remember the sorbet flavour......

 

7th Salted caramel gelato with a raspberry filled chocolate bomb.....

 

It was amazing!

Edited September 25, 2021 by mysty

[jpalbny]

Looks delicious Mysty! Glad you were able to enjoy it.

 

No big weekend plans. Weather looks OK so we'll maybe do a walk or hike somewhere. I have to change the water in both fish tanks so that will occupy a few hours. And I want to make a definitive inventory of the 12 Corsican wines that we have and try to get an idea of what foods they will go with. So we can plan some meals around them.

 

Then maybe dinner-dance in the wine cellar?

[Lois R]

Hi Mysty, glad you had such a great dinner.  I know you were very happy they were able to re-open.

[mysty]

For the curious there were 5 wine offerings and one cocktail with the meal.  The chef/owner likes to support local for the meal ingredients buying from local fruit and vegetable farmers and from local natural game meat farms (for the venison and boar).  He also likes to select wines from Ontario.  The 5 wines included 3 from Ontario and 1 each from Portugal and Western Australia.  In order corresponding to the dishes described above (note no wine or cocktail with the sorbet)......

 

Casa de Cello - Portugal
Quinta de San Joanne Terroir Mineral Branco 

 

KIN Vineyards - Carp, Ontario (about 25 minutes from our apartment)
KINdling Sparkling 

 

Pillitteri Estates Winery - Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
Carretto Dolce Riesling

 

Domaine Queylus - St  Anns, Ontario (Niagara Peninsula)
Pinot Noir

 

Omrah - Western Australia
Omrah Crossing Shiraz

 

The Black Tartan cocktail was served with the gelato and chocolate bomb.

[jillyf]

That meal looks wonderful Mysty.  We are back in lockdown and have had two takeaway meals delivered from our local cafe.  They are nice but I crave a meal like yours, with all the clues to make the night more interesting, (if that is possible). 
We were meant to have a quick week lockdown but feel it will be extended as there are new cases of covid in the community.  We had planned to visit our daughter for her 50th Birthday next week but that may not happen.  She is in a regional area where she can visit a restaurant so at least can celebrate with friends. 

Everyone is feeling very despondent, especially Melbourne people as they have had a much longer lockdown than regional areas and are seeing violent protests about anti lockdown occurring. 
Covid numbers are increasing so I’m not sure what will happen to "the path out of lockdown". 
People are finding it much harder to stick to the rules of no home visiting I think. 
We have booked at a 3 hat restaurant for my husband’s birthday in October and another in Melbourne for a family dinner in November!  Surely by then we will all be out of lockdown with most people double vaccinated! 🤞🤞🤞
 

[mysty]

13 minutes ago, jillyf said:

That meal looks wonderful Mysty.  We are back in lockdown and have had two takeaway meals delivered from our local cafe.  They are nice but I crave a meal like yours, with all the clues to make the night more interesting, (if that is possible). 
We were meant to have a quick week lockdown but feel it will be extended as there are new cases of covid in the community.  We had planned to visit our daughter for her 50th Birthday next week but that may not happen.  She is in a regional area where she can visit a restaurant so at least can celebrate with friends. 

Everyone is feeling very despondent, especially Melbourne people as they have had a much longer lockdown than regional areas and are seeing violent protests about anti lockdown occurring. 
Covid numbers are increasing so I’m not sure what will happen to "the path out of lockdown". 
People are finding it much harder to stick to the rules of no home visiting I think. 
We have booked at a 3 hat restaurant for my husband’s birthday in October and another in Melbourne for a family dinner in November!  Surely by then we will all be out of lockdown with most people double vaccinated! 🤞🤞🤞
 

 

I really wish there was another button available to register a response to a post beyond "like" , "thanks" and "haha ".  I extend my sympathy Jill.  And I do understand the despondency!  We went through multiple lockdowns and it was soul destroying.   If they attempted it again it would be pandemonium!  For some reason people's mental ability to cope is not being considered.   And yet everybody is supporting the concept of mental health.   Huge disconnect.  I hope you can weather the storm!  Good thoughts are with you! 🥰

[zqtchas]

Kire said he has plenty of Tiki. I told him I’ve heard that before. 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[MrToblerone]

We are in the same position as Jill over here in Auckland New Zealand,what was supposed to be short and sharp has gone on for weeks in lockdown ,its so hard on business owners and mental health,thankfully the rest of the country is operating mostly as normal.

Ive been enjoying reading all the posts on the Siversea forum including the Water Cooler and various trip reports to remind me of the wonderful cruises we have experienced on Silversea and hopefully will again .

I met Lois a few years ago on a cruise,think it was the last Spirit cruise before it was extended. Im sure we will have this sorted by the time your cruise is expected to start.

 

[mysty]

[mysty]

I'm beginning a campaign to counterbalance the negativity that is currently rife.  I have no more patience for it!  Life is too damn short!

 

 

Bring on the music please @QueSeraSera!

Edited September 26, 2021 by mysty

[mysty]

@frantic36  Thanks for your continued support dear lady! 🥰

[frantic36]

2 minutes ago, mysty said:

@frantic36  Thanks for your continued support dear lady! 🥰

 

I was going to say I thought I was perfect, or at least my husband tells me so 😁.

[Emtbsam]

We had a weekend long celebration of a milestone birthday with a few close friends and family (all double vaccinated).  Friday dinner’s highlight was a 2010 Penfold’s Grange and Saturday’s soirée involved copious amounts of Dom.  Don’t ask what we ate…it wasn’t as memorable.  It was wonderful to have a few days when we could forget about all of Bob’s upcoming medical challenges and just be in the moment.  One of yesterday’s highlights was a congratulatory phone call from Fernando in Greece and Norman in Ft. Lauderdale.  Tomorrow, we will be back to reality with x-rays and blood tests.

[QueSeraSera]

So, this video has 2 songs, the 2nd is my favorite.  American band (Lumineers) playing in Canada, everyone looks to be having a good time, hoping it fits the bill.

 

[mysty]

22 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

So, this video has 2 songs, the 2nd is my favorite.  American band (Lumineers) playing in Canada, everyone looks to be having a good time, hoping it fits the bill.

 

 

Que you are a gem!  Thank you!  It's perfect!

Edited September 26, 2021 by mysty

[QueSeraSera]

Is it just me, or - other married/committed men: does your DW or SO have to almost drag you to any given social event around town, next door, or in the city?  You feel miserable and hope for a blizzard or some reason to not have to go, but then, when you get there it (usually) ends up being fun!  Perhaps you feel a bit foolish about your previous attitude on the way home...but then act the same a week or a month later prior to the next such occasion.  Well, I confess.  Part of the reason I love cruising is I never feel this way on a cruise!

But nevertheless, this song and video made me laugh out loud at myself

 

[mysty]

8 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

Is it just me, or - other married/committed men: does your DW or SO have to almost drag you to any given social event around town, next door, or in the city?  You feel miserable and hope for a blizzard or some reason to not have to go, but then, when you get there it (usually) ends up being fun!  Perhaps you feel a bit foolish about your previous attitude on the way home...but then act the same a week or a month later prior to the next such occasion.  Well, I confess.  Part of the reason I love cruising is I never feel this way on a cruise!

But nevertheless, this song and video made me laugh out loud at myself

 

 

 

You know what Que?  It's very cool for a dude to admit discomfort in social situations!  Thanks for that!  Many women struggle with this on the arms of the men they are with and don't even suspect that this may be an issue for the men!  And great song to highlight that discomfort! 

[drron29]

20 hours ago, zqtchas said:

Kire said he has plenty of Tiki. I told him I’ve heard that before. 

Though if Rojaan was aboard 6 of those would be in our fridge.😁😉

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[spinnaker2]

Time to dust off, get an oil change and polish up a few vehicles in advance of upcoming holidays.

 

[highplanesdrifters]

17 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

So, this video has 2 songs, the 2nd is my favorite.  American band (Lumineers) playing in Canada, everyone looks to be having a good time, hoping it fits the bill.

Fabulous! I was not familiar  with this group.  Can't wait to see them live, but looks like they are in Europe first half of 2022.

 

16 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

Is it just me, or - other married/committed men: does your DW or SO have to almost drag you to any given social event around town, next door, or in the city?  You feel miserable and hope for a blizzard or some reason to not have to go, but then, when you get there it (usually) ends up being fun!  Perhaps you feel a bit foolish about your previous attitude on the way home...but then act the same a week or a month later prior to the next such occasion.  Well, I confess.  Part of the reason I love cruising is I never feel this way on a cruise!

But nevertheless, this song and video made me laugh out loud at myself

 

 

My SO and I have this same issue. We never really want to go when the time comes, but after, realize we had a great time. So we have come up with a 'safe word' to remind us that it's  going to be fun and stop our grumbling.  FYI, we still grumble, but it does help get us out the door. 

 

This does beg the question: Why do we not feel the same when cruising? I suspect it's  the mindset of the type of people we cruise with. In general they are gracious and have no time for drama and pettiness especially concerning the politics of the day.  Let's enjoy one another and how lucky we are to share these amazing experiences together attitude prevails.  The Cooler is a reflection of all this. Thanks Coolers!

 

[mysty]

Campaign Against Negativity - Day 2