P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[majortom10]

Just now, Presto2 said:

Interesting - we have a Royal Doulton dinner set we were given as a wedding present. It is beautiful and was actually made in Stoke on Trent. Part of us doesn't want to use it but the other part thinks that it is just sitting there ..... think it is time to risk it getting broken ...

Think the majority of Stokies had a dinner set bought for as an engagement or wedding present from a local pottery. We had a Royal Doulton dinner set bought for our wedding in early 80s from my parents. Helped that my mother worked at Royal Doulton at the time and got staff discount and also if you picked your day carefully you could have a firsts instead of seconds for seconds price with staff discount was virtually price of paper plates 😁. 

[P&O SUE]

9 hours ago, indiana123 said:

Well that's a relief... both done our official tests for our Ambassador cruise on Sunday and both negative. We leave tomorrow to stay overnight at the PI.

 

This is  a strange  one as we have to pack layers and hat and scarves as it's Round Britain and it gets a bit nippy up there in Scotland and the Shetlands.

 

Normally we would be all sorted out and packed by now, but we aren't.  We dont know why.  Probably psychologically it could be something to do with covid or the fact that it isn't 'abroad',  Its very strange.

 

I wont be able to get off at some ports, which are tendered,   (taking my little buggy) but hey ho... i'll be on a ship with wine, books, chocs and good company.

 

No naughty steps while I'm gone.   Have fun😇

 

 

Have a lovely time, look forward to hearing all about it.

[Presto2]

12 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Think the majority of Stokies had a dinner set bought for as an engagement or wedding present from a local pottery. We had a Royal Doulton dinner set bought for our wedding in early 80s from my parents. Helped that my mother worked at Royal Doulton at the time and got staff discount and also if you picked your day carefully you could have a firsts instead of seconds for seconds price with staff discount was virtually price of paper plates 😁. 

Ours was the 1990s .. sad that so little is made in the City now. Tragic 

[Josy1953]

11 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Interesting - we have a Royal Doulton dinner set we were given as a wedding present. It is beautiful and was actually made in Stoke on Trent. Part of us doesn't want to use it but the other part thinks that it is just sitting there ..... think it is time to risk it getting broken ...

We have Doulton as our everyday crockery and over the years some pieces have been broken and replaced and the difference can be seen between the original and the newer pieces because I just take the plates that are at the top of the pile, they then go I to the dishwasher which is not kind even though they are supposed to be dishwasher safe.

[pete14]

3 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

We have Doulton as our everyday crockery and over the years some pieces have been broken and replaced and the difference can be seen between the original and the newer pieces because I just take the plates that are at the top of the pile, they then go I to the dishwasher which is not kind even though they are supposed to be dishwasher safe.

The other night, we were speculating about whether they have a special dishwasher for the Waterford glassware that doesn’t cause any damage (as a normal domestic dishwasher would) or is there some poor person on washing up duties carefully doing it by hand. ☹️

[Guest ccpm]

Lovely bright sunny but chilly day here. Got another 'task' completed for my cruise research, found that Lloyds chemist inside the Sainsbury's superstore on the outskirts of Kings Lyn, right alongside the A149, does the monitored LFTs. So I can book there as part of my travel day on the Friday. November dates being released in a couple of weeks and can just cancel if no longer required. That will be great as I will be around an hour into my journey so get tested at 9am, comfort stop and small breather all in one go.

[grapau27]

Good morning.

Currently 9°C and sunny with a high of 15°C forecast.

Hopefully a nice day to sit in the garden.

Wishing everyone a lovely bank holiday weekend.

[Dermotsgirl]

14 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Interesting - we have a Royal Doulton dinner set we were given as a wedding present. It is beautiful and was actually made in Stoke on Trent. Part of us doesn't want to use it but the other part thinks that it is just sitting there ..... think it is time to risk it getting broken ...

My mum and dad were given a Royal Doulton tea set as a wedding present, which they never used in case they broke it…….. now I’ve taken it over and don’t use it for the same reason. 
 

The tea set is now getting on for 70 years old…… perhaps I should finally start using it

[bobstheboy]

Am I the only one without a posh dinner/tea service  ?  😄😄😄😄

[Adawn47]

19 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Am I the only one without a posh dinner/tea service  ?  😄😄😄😄

No Bob, you're not.  I love the genuine old dishes from Victorian/Edwardian era, and have plenty of part sets that came down from my Gran and Mum. I also pick the odd one or two pieces up from antique fairs or Flea markets. I have quite a mish-mash of dishes, jugs serving plates and tureens etc, that I use every day. 

Avril

[bobstheboy]

3 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

No Bob, you're not.  I love the genuine old dishes from Victorian/Edwardian era, and have plenty of part sets that came down from my Gran and Mum. I also pick the odd one or two pieces up from antique fairs or Flea markets. I have quite a mish-mash of dishes, jugs serving plates and tureens etc, that I use every day. 

Avril

Good for you. With a family and coming from a working class family, expensive china was never an option. Since those days I am too clumsy to be trusted with expensive breakables !  

[Presto2]

4 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Good for you. With a family and coming from a working class family, expensive china was never an option. Since those days I am too clumsy to be trusted with expensive breakables !  

Ours was a wedding present... 😉

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, bobstheboy said:

Am I the only one without a posh dinner/tea service  ?  😄😄😄😄

No. We don’t have anything for ‘best’. I don’t like fine china anyway and prefer chunkier pottery style. Our dinner plates are plain white from M&S or John Lewis and we can add to them/replace easily. 

[zap99]

43 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Good for you. With a family and coming from a working class family, expensive china was never an option. Since those days I am too clumsy to be trusted with expensive breakables !  

We have a posh dinner service and a posher canteen of cutlery. It won't get damaged as it never comes out of the cupboard.🤔

[Ardennais]

2 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We have a posh dinner service and a posher canteen of cutlery. It won't get damaged as it never comes out of the cupboard.🤔

Are you waiting for the Queen to pop over for lunch?! 

[bobstheboy]

9 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We have a posh dinner service and a posher canteen of cutlery. It won't get damaged as it never comes out of the cupboard.🤔

I just knew you would  😄

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, bobstheboy said:

Am I the only one without a posh dinner/tea service  ?  😄😄😄😄

It used to be a big thing back in the day. Certainly in the 70s and possibly the 80s, but I suspect it’s long disappeared as a ‘thing’.

 

Denby and Wedgwood oven to table ware was popular in the 70s - expensive, because it was invariably British made. Still available on eBay, like most things, as people die and their families sell off largely unused ‘best’ tea and dinner services.

 

Imports, Habitat and IKEA changed everything.  Cheap as chips now, nice designs too, and who needs the British made, hand painted Wedgwood we spent so much money on?

[lincslady]

Bought ourselves a lovely Coalport dinner service for our  probably 30th anniversary.  Hand wash only!  We didn't have a dishwasher at the time, and hardly used it.  It is languishing in a cupboard, and of course the younger generation don't want it because it won't go in the dishwasher.

 

Cheap crockery is often really attractive nowadays, even stuff from the likes of Morrisons - and of course dishwasher and microwave proof.  I would quite like to be starting again.

[zap99]

59 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Are you waiting for the Queen to pop over for lunch?! 

She can use the John Lewis white stuff.🤣

[bobstheboy]

True story.  My wife has just phoned me from Boundary Mill. Fine China dinner plates £2.50, tea plates £1.  6 of each our fine dinning service is complete. Nearly forgot 10% discount at the till.   😄😄

[Snow Hill]

3 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

Am I the only one without a posh dinner/tea service  ?  😄😄😄😄

No you aren’t, our crockery is either M&S or IKEA. 

[P&O SUE]

4 hours ago, Ardennais said:

Are you waiting for the Queen to pop over for lunch?! 

My mum had a ‘posh’ set that sat behind glass in her sideboard. She always said they were saving it for when the Queen came to tea!

 

I don’t have a posh set either! We now have plain white John Lewis and I consider that quite posh 😂

[Guest ccpm]

I have loads of fine china, my own wedding gifts (Coalport Ming Rose), inherited from in laws, Gran worked at the potteries so I got that when she passed at no-one else wanted it. When we had been married about 20+ years I had cupboards of the stuff. Husband took the decision to just use it. It got stuck in the dishwasher whether it said OK or not and it survived.If it gets  smashed and is not one of my favourites it just runs that service down. If its my service then quick nip on ebay for replacement. Get it out and use it or sell it on as no-one seems to want it would be my advice

[Presto2]

5 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

It used to be a big thing back in the day. Certainly in the 70s and possibly the 80s, but I suspect it’s long disappeared as a ‘thing’.

 

Denby and Wedgwood oven to table ware was popular in the 70s - expensive, because it was invariably British made. Still available on eBay, like most things, as people die and their families sell off largely unused ‘best’ tea and dinner services.

 

Imports, Habitat and IKEA changed everything.  Cheap as chips now, nice designs too, and who needs the British made, hand painted Wedgwood we spent so much money on?

I suppose it is when you see the way that the pottery industry and our area has been decimated by cheap imports that you see why having British made goods would not be a bad thing. The same for many British industries - sad.

[Harry Peterson]

27 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

I suppose it is when you see the way that the pottery industry and our area has been decimated by cheap imports that you see why having British made goods would not be a bad thing. The same for many British industries - sad.

Couldn’t agree more. Germany kept large parts of its manufacturing capability, while we took the short term easy route and closed ours down. And that’s why we’ve got such an appalling division in wealth between south and north.