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

[Snow Hill]

Doorbell rang just after 8:30 this morning I had not long got up to make a couple of cups of tea, looking at video alert on phone could see it was Royal Mail. I opened door and said I thought it was Sunday and you didn’t deliver in a Sunday, He said we do from late September as the Christmas rush starts and now more people shop online the amount of parcels rockets. He had been at work since 5:00 am and out on the round at 8 would finish delivering around 2 this afternoon. 

[grapau27]

It is 8°F and sunny here.

We got home this morning after 8 days in Orlando Florida where temperatures ranged between 30°C and 35°C.

[Eddie99]

Welcome back Grapau

Hope you’re not finding it too chilly 

[kalos]

5 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

It is 8°F and sunny here.

We got home this morning after 8 days in Orlando Florida where temperatures ranged between 30°C and 35°C.

 

Great to see you had a great time ,I said to Mrs K that I thought you were away .

She asked what makes you think that ?

Apart from the lack of McBreakfast's by the sea and posting late in the day ,nowt really 🤣

 

Great to have you back ,wrap up well and keep warm 🙂

[lincslady]

That food looks pretty good, Graham.  I would find 30 too hot - actually it has been quite pleasant round here until today; lovely blue sky but not very warm.

 

Do you do Disney things when  in Orlando?

[purplesea]

Have just spoken to my daughter, and she was saying that the temps have dropped at home to about 12c

We're heading off to the beach again this afternoon as it's hot. My phone is telling me is 30c, so it is more than likely hotter than that!

This is exceptional weather for this time of year in Sicily.

[kalos]

29 minutes ago, kalos said:

It is 8°F and sunny here.

We got home this morning

 

Where have you moved to ?  Cos by my reckoning that's -13 ,c  😲

 

Wrap up really well and take care 😉

[grapau27]

30 minutes ago, lincslady said:

That food looks pretty good, Graham.  I would find 30 too hot - actually it has been quite pleasant round here until today; lovely blue sky but not very warm.

 

Do you do Disney things when  in Orlando?

We used to but now with my knee and hip arthritis standing in long queues in 90°F was not an option.

Eating and shopping visiting Disney Celebration, Disney Springs, Disney Boardwalk and lying in the shade around our hotel pool was great.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2023 by grapau27

[Harry Peterson]

3 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

Good morning, bright but cold. I have just received an upgrade offer for our Jan cruise on Azure. We are in a suite, first time, and been offered a penthouse suite, minimum bid £660 each.. Not bothered but interesting because I understood offers were only sent to people who hsd booked direct, we booked through an agent.

Might be worth considering. The two aft penthouse suites on Azura and Ventura are extremely spacious and equally well located. Without a doubt, the best on the ship.

[Peanut006]

Hope you had a lovely holiday Graham and Pauline. I wondered if you were away as the nice food posts were missing

 

Michelle

[bobstheboy]

8 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Might be worth considering. The two aft penthouse suites on Azura and Ventura are extremely spacious and equally well located. Without a doubt, the best on the ship.

There's only two of us so don't need extra space. The money will go towards another winter cruise in March, if there are any bargains 😁

[Harry Peterson]

3 hours ago, lincslady said:

Exactly.  The first I knew was a letter from the Planners some 3 months after the application had been first thought of.  I thought it had all been done with malice aforethought, and my relative at the meeting said that it was just done with no idea of any consequences, i.e.by people in their thirties who should be more aware of how the world works.  I am now getting over the anxiety, but funnily enough feeling more angry, though mainly with the Planners.

 

I am sure you have all heard enough of this by now, so if you don't make more  comments on the topic, I will shut up!

Some of the smaller Lincolnshire District Councils have a certain partiality to brown envelopes, particularly in the planning authorities. Yours does seem to have done you proud, though, and I’m delighted for you. Good to have that worry out of the way. I know how much my wife was upset by a hideous unauthorised air conditioning unit half way up next door’s wall and the planning department was utterly useless. It’ll soon be invisible though after some quite extensive and careful planting! 

[mrsgoggins]

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

It is 8°F and sunny here.

We got home this morning after 8 days in Orlando Florida where temperatures ranged between 30°C and 35°C.

 

 

I know both resorts well Graham!  I'll be heading to Vero Beach, followed by Old Key West myself before the end of the year and am booked in at the Boardwalk next year.  Are you a member or just visiting?  We rarely visit the parks these days (but still have non-expiring tickets) but they are lovely places just to chill IMO, and we have friends not too far away.  Shame about the exchange rate though.

 

It's a few years since we've been to the Longhorn steakhouse - looks good.  You've brightened up my Sunday no end 💐

[Ardennais]

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

If  you read my original post, this one broke planning rules, so should never have gone through, as it would have if not for timely intervention.  And in this case, they do not need a room to work from home in, or more for any future children.    I fully appreciate that many people do need extra space, but not in this case, nor should planners be allowed to break their own laws.  Yes, there are many cases which for reasons of work or a large family could and should have some extra space - providing it does not affect neighbours as badly as this would have, and break the rules.

Of course. I had read your original post and understood that rules were broken. So I wasn’t disputing that at all, merely commenting that people sometimes need more space these days as they work from home. I can see why some find it cheaper and easier to extend rather than buying a larger house as somebody suggested. I also know from my teaching days how many families ‘merge’ these days and half or step-siblings often won’t share due to conflict etc. i quite see that this family broke the rules, but I can also understand why some can appear to be unthinking just because their own circumstances are quite challenging, 

[Snow Hill]

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

If  you read my original post, this one broke planning rules, so should never have gone through, as it would have if not for timely intervention.  And in this case, they do not need a room to work from home in, or more for any future children.    I fully appreciate that many people do need extra space, but not in this case, nor should planners be allowed to break their own laws.  Yes, there are many cases which for reasons of work or a large family could and should have some extra space - providing it does not affect neighbours as badly as this would have, and break the rules.

I was a local councillor for 10 years, some of that time spent on planning committee, unfortunately wrong decisions can be made by officers, but sometimes they are mislead by the agents of the applicant who get creative with location plans, I have seen some interesting examples in my time.
 

Unfortunately officers don’t have the time for site visits for every application, which is why planning notices are issue to neighbours who can raise issue either direct to the planning office or via local councillor. In my time as a councillor probably around 30% of issues raised with me relating to planning, most could be resolved by conversations with the applicant (no brown envelopes involved), others would need to be called in for a fuller debate by the planning committee. 
 

To this day I still receive notices of planning applications in my area, as any local resident can, so I can be aware of what is happening in my area. 
 

I am glad your situation was resolved thanks to you local councillor get involved and someone with experience speaking on your behalf. 

[lincslady]

Harry - I am not sure whether you are referring to the staff in the Planning Department or the Planning Committee, but that thought did not cross my mind for more than about two minutes, months ago.  I would be pretty disappointed if there had been any exchanging of brown envelopes, and think it highly unlikely.

 

Snow Hill - this application had been hanging round for 6 months, so you may imagine how stressed I was.  In the end, we asked the Planners to please hurry up, which they (nearly) did, and although they by then knew full well that the rules were breached were going to approve without going to the Committee, as my Agent had done a correct  measured drawing of the angles involved.  And their professional Agent  had not submitted one, naturally, though asked to do so.    I would call that practically illegal, and it nearly happened.  I am a firm believer in justice, so am still pretty angry thinking about what could have been.  They all, including their top brass, were very much chastised by the Committee, and I hope will take more care in future.  Even on something as insignificant as this in the great scheme of things.  The officer who recommended it for approval had done  a site visit, coming into my house and looking through the window affected, and her only excuse as far as I am concerned is that she had only just started work for them, probably newly qualified, and I know they are under pressure to approve as many  which provide extra bedrooms as possible, to 'help with the housing crisis'.  She looked pretty crestfallen when she came round with Committee members just before the meeting, knowing what would happen.

 

Apologies for keeping on - though it may be of interest to any of you who might have to deal with something similar.  I really think we can leave there, now.

 

 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

 

I know both resorts well Graham!  I'll be heading to Vero Beach, followed by Old Key West myself before the end of the year and am booked in at the Boardwalk next year.  Are you a member or just visiting?  We rarely visit the parks these days (but still have non-expiring tickets) but they are lovely places just to chill IMO, and we have friends not too far away.  Shame about the exchange rate though.

 

It's a few years since we've been to the Longhorn steakhouse - looks good.  You've brightened up my Sunday no end 💐

We were visiting the boardwalk and had booked dinner in a restaurant on the Boardwalk.

[Eddie99]

What to expect from your TV detective drama

 

 

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Peanut006 said:

Hope you had a lovely holiday Graham and Pauline. I wondered if you were away as the nice food posts were missing

 

Michelle

A selection of steak and breakfast photos Michelle.

The food was delicious.

Edited October 15, 2023 by grapau27

[Purdey16]

I knew you were away Graham by all that broccoli you were having 😂 I’m very pleased you both had a lovely holiday in the sun , now let’s get back to our breakfast views please of bacon butties and se views 😎

[mrsgoggins]

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We were visiting the boardwalk and had booked dinner in a restaurant on the Boardwalk.

Any recommendations for other places you ate Graham?  We always have at least one meal at Carrabba’s, a lunch at a Cheesecake Factory (the lunchtime barbecue ranch salad - my favourite - has more than 1200 calories 😱), Miller’s Ale House and like to try the occasional new place, so suggestions would be welcome.

 

I hope you are managing to stay awake given that you flew back overnight.  I really dislike the flight back; it takes me days to recover. Next year we are sailing back, yeah!

[Harry Peterson]

44 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Harry - I am not sure whether you are referring to the staff in the Planning Department or the Planning Committee, but that thought did not cross my mind for more than about two minutes, months ago.  I would be pretty disappointed if there had been any exchanging of brown envelopes, and think it highly unlikely.

I’m sure that wasn’t the case, either with officers or councillors, in your situation. One of the Lincolnshire District Councils, however, cleared out its entire planning department almost overnight about 15 years ago after discovering inappropriate activity.

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

Any recommendations for other places you ate Graham?  We always have at least one meal at Carrabba’s, a lunch at a Cheesecake Factory (the lunchtime barbecue ranch salad - my favourite - has more than 1200 calories 😱), Miller’s Ale House and like to try the occasional new place, so suggestions would be welcome.

 

I hope you are managing to stay awake given that you flew back overnight.  I really dislike the flight back; it takes me days to recover. Next year we are sailing back, yeah!

We had our breakfast at Denny's and dinner at Longhorn steakhouse.

We had a coffee and banana loaf at Starbucks in Disney Celebration market place 

Edited October 15, 2023 by grapau27

[grapau27]

31 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

I knew you were away Graham by all that broccoli you were having 😂 I’m very pleased you both had a lovely holiday in the sun , now let’s get back to our breakfast views please of bacon butties and se views 😎

We have just had a snack at the beach.

[Purdey16]

Ohhhhh Denny’s graham we lived in there when we lived in Canada, I think I would be two tone Tessie now if we stayed.😂