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

[Adawn47]

33 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Andy does seem to be a nice guy. I can understand why he got fed up with a very small minority of posters who occasionally upset others, including me with their overbearing comments.

 

I almost gave up but continue because most are genuinely nice people. 

I've had to pull away on a couple of occasions too Bob. There are/were the odd handful that can get a bit caustic and confrontational in their posts, and considering the stress we're all under, it got too much for me. I do wonder if they would have the same attitude if we were eye to eye. The genuinely nice people on here far out-number the self-opinionated, and so I step back, take a breath, and then rejoin my friends again. I honestly hope that's Andy's plan.

Avril

[grapau27]

40 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I've had to pull away on a couple of occasions too Bob. There are/were the odd handful that can get a bit caustic and confrontational in their posts, and considering the stress we're all under, it got too much for me. I do wonder if they would have the same attitude if we were eye to eye. The genuinely nice people on here far out-number the self-opinionated, and so I step back, take a breath, and then rejoin my friends again. I honestly hope that's Andy's plan.

Avril

I agree with you Avril.

Most of us have posted photos on various threads on here and would recognise most of the nice people we talk to on here if we were on a ship.

Graham.

Edited April 16, 2021 by grapau27

[P&O SUE]

On 4/15/2021 at 10:58 AM, SarahHben said:

I personally think Andrew would be heavily criticised if he went to the funeral dressed in any kind of uniform. 

 Yes there was talk that Navy people weren’t happy.

It’s a shame the others aren’t in uniform as it does look smart .Quite clever of the Queen just to say no one will then.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Jennizor said:

Lovely photo Graham, looks like you are on holiday. Enjoy your stroll and dream about cruises to come.m

Thank you.

The fair ground was open and there was plenty of kids running around.

We got a carton of chips each and sat in the sun sheltered from the wind.

[P&O SUE]

7 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Thank you.

The fair ground was open and there was plenty of kids running around.

We got a carton of chips each and sat in the sun sheltered from the wind.

 Must have felt almost ‘normal’ Graham 😊

[P&O SUE]

I’ve just seen there were 14 cases per 100,000 where I live last week, encouraging news .

[jeanlyon]

Yes, only 6 cases per 100K here in Devon.  However, suddenly an awful lot of people around and pubs serving outside, so just have to see what happens.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

 Must have felt almost ‘normal’ Graham 😊

It did.

There were big queues outside the beachfront bars waiting to get in.

The car parks are full too.

[P&O SUE]

38 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes, only 6 cases per 100K here in Devon.  However, suddenly an awful lot of people around and pubs serving outside, so just have to see what happens.

we just have to hope our vaccines will really help. It’s foreign travel that worries me, hope we don’t get new variants in!

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

Popped down to town earlier this morning and the invasion is well and truly underway. It was soooooo busy after the quiet winter and trying to maintain distances was really difficult. I just hope that we don’t see cases rising here in the next few weeks now that the border is open.

Are you suggesting that we English are all virus spreaders!!😇

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

I’ve just seen there were 14 cases per 100,000 where I live last week, encouraging news .

 

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes, only 6 cases per 100K here in Devon.  However, suddenly an awful lot of people around and pubs serving outside, so just have to see what happens.

As of today,  we have 98 cases per 100k, which I suppose is marginally better than last week at 100 per 100k.

Avril

Edited April 16, 2021 by Adawn47
spelling

[Ardennais]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Are you suggesting that we English are all virus spreaders!!😇

Ha! No, they come from South Wales too and from NE Wales. It happens every year, but this year there’s a lot of anxiety about. We have lots of open space here of course, but the shops are tiny. 

 

My brother had to go to Shrewsbury for dental treatment last Monday morning. There were 3 mile queues of vehicles heading towards Wales around the border area between Welshpool and Shrewsbury, lots of cars with touring caravans and luggage roof carriers. This was before 10am Monday - the first day of unrestricted travel! I suppose lots of people are desperate to visit second homes and caravans and I can’t blame them. But you’d think that they would wait a day or two! 

[brian1]

7 hours ago, Beckett said:

Four hours! I was in that salon for four hours yesterday getting highlights and a cut and blow dry. I came out looking better, younger even, feeling lighter of heart, lighter of funds due to the extortionate cost of said four hours, altogether a good day...........until I got to my car to find a ticket because I'd exceeded my time in the car park by 15 minutes. So I then drove home to find a brown envelope on the door mat. It was an invitation to claim my state pension in August. Reality kicked in very quickly I can tell you!

 

Have a great weekend everyone. Keep well and safe. Best wishes to all. Jane.x

Snap,my OH got her invite yesterday.She is 66 on the 9th Aug.A sore point cos it's 6 years too late.A few of her mates only a year or so older got theirs at 60.Got to draw the line somewhere though but a big gap.Cheers,Brian.

[Eddie99]

You do know that you can increase your pension substantially if you defer for a year or two - or even more if you want?  I’ll leave you to look up details but I do remember when it was my time to decide it was reckoned that I only had to live 18 months beyond my statutory pension date to firstly break even and then “win” from that point onwards

https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension

 

I expect everyone knows this but I’m sure I was unaware until very close to the actual pension date

 

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

we just have to hope our vaccines will really help. It’s foreign travel that worries me, hope we don’t get new variants in!

Some concerns with the Variant that is about in India, unclear whether it can evade the vaccine or not, with a quarter of a million new cases in India yesterday a lot of people are calling for India to go on the Red List, both Pakistan & Bangladesh are and they have lower numbers. 

[Gettingwarmer]

29 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

You do know that you can increase your pension substantially if you defer for a year or two - or even more if you want?  I’ll leave you to look up details but I do remember when it was my time to decide it was reckoned that I only had to live 18 months beyond my statutory pension date to firstly break even and then “win” from that point onwards

https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension

 

I expect everyone knows this but I’m sure I was unaware until very close to the actual pension date

 

Under the new state pension it now takes  several years to make up the difference. 
https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensions-and-retirement/state-pension/deferring-your-state-pension-ahr9w8p0f87w

 

[brian1]

5 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Under the new state pension it now takes  several years to make up the difference. 
https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensions-and-retirement/state-pension/deferring-your-state-pension-ahr9w8p0f87w

 

To get an extra 500 quid a year you're losing out on almost 10000.I think she'll give that a miss,lol.

[Eddie99]

9 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Under the new state pension it now takes  several years to make up the difference. 
https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensions-and-retirement/state-pension/deferring-your-state-pension-ahr9w8p0f87w

 

Thanks.

i didn’t know there had been changes

Didn’t want anyone missing out!

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

Thanks.

i didn’t know there had been changes

Didn’t want anyone missing out!

In the past your advice would have been spot on, but I think the rules changed in the last 5 years or so, which made deferment totally uneconomic.

[Beckett]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

Snap,my OH got her invite yesterday.She is 66 on the 9th Aug.A sore point cos it's 6 years too late.A few of her mates only a year or so older got theirs at 60.Got to draw the line somewhere though but a big gap.Cheers,Brian.

Your OH is a day after me Brian - I'm 8th. It is still a sore point with me too.  I think we were just incredibly we were on the wrong side of that line.  Six years is a long time to wait.  Still, we're alive, hopefully well, and looking to the future.  I filled my application in immediately!  Jane.x

[Beckett]

7 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Your OH is a day after me Brian - I'm 8th. It is still a sore point with me too.  I think we were just incredibly we were on the wrong side of that line.  Six years is a long time to wait.  Still, we're alive, hopefully well, and looking to the future.  I filled my application in immediately!  Jane.x

Incredibly unlucky was what I meant to say.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

Snap,my OH got her invite yesterday.She is 66 on the 9th Aug.A sore point cos it's 6 years too late.A few of her mates only a year or so older got theirs at 60.Got to draw the line somewhere though but a big gap.Cheers,Brian.

Just to clarify, the last women who actually got their state  pension at age 60 were born on 5th April 1950. your wife’s friends would have to be about 5 years older than her if they got their SP at 60. 

Under the terms of the 1995 Pension Act,  the State Pension Age for women gradually stated to rise, with equality to be reached at age 65 in 2020

 

However, since then, there were the 2007 and 2011 Acts, which increased the SPA to 66 and speeded up the equality timetable. It is quite complicated, but was fully reported in the media. 
 

 

[pete14]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

Ha! No, they come from South Wales too and from NE Wales. It happens every year, but this year there’s a lot of anxiety about. We have lots of open space here of course, but the shops are tiny. 

 

My brother had to go to Shrewsbury for dental treatment last Monday morning. There were 3 mile queues of vehicles heading towards Wales around the border area between Welshpool and Shrewsbury, lots of cars with touring caravans and luggage roof carriers. This was before 10am Monday - the first day of unrestricted travel! I suppose lots of people are desperate to visit second homes and caravans and I can’t blame them. But you’d think that they would wait a day or two! 

I am joining the exodus to Wales tomorrow to receive the keys to our shiny new caravan, put all the pots and pans etc in it and spend a couple of night there. It came as a bit of a shock to learn that the bar with seating outside will be closed because lockdown of hospitality is being eased more slowly than in England. I wonder how many others did not realise that when they headed to the border this week. 🤔

[yorkshirephil]

Another lovely sunny day here in West Yorkshire, I have spent most of the day sat out reading, pottering in the garden, I even washed the car which isn't one of my favourite jobs these days. A real sense of spring in the air, watching the birds collecting materials for their nests, even the pesky midges and greenfly have come out to play. I am looking forward to seeing my daughter and family tomorrow, not seen them since before Christmas.

[Beckett]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

I am joining the exodus to Wales tomorrow to receive the keys to our shiny new caravan, put all the pots and pans etc in it and spend a couple of night there. It came as a bit of a shock to learn that the bar with seating outside will be closed because lockdown of hospitality is being eased more slowly than in England. I wonder how many others did not realise that when they headed to the border this week. 🤔

I bet you're really excited and quite right too. Have great weekend in your shiny new sometimes- home. Jane.x