Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Lanky Lad]

I have managed to arrange a food delivery for later today, something I think I will continue to do even after lockdown. There is a supermarket close enough to walk to for fresh meat and vegetables but I have got used to having heavy or bulky things delivered. 

 

A wet day today, but mild.  A little cooler tomorrow, but hopefully dry and maybe even sunny. 

[Camgirl]

1 hour ago, Lanky Lad said:

I have managed to arrange a food delivery for later today, something I think I will continue to do even after lockdown. There is a supermarket close enough to walk to for fresh meat and vegetables but I have got used to having heavy or bulky things delivered. 

 

A wet day today, but mild.  A little cooler tomorrow, but hopefully dry and maybe even sunny. 

I must admit, I agree. I think we will continue to get the bulky and heavy items delivered beyond the lockdown  as well.

 

We have been luckier than you with the weather though. It has been a beautiful day here today. 

 

We had our jabs yesterday, and all good so far. It makes me wonder if there is a tiny glimpse of a chance we might get on one of our two postponed cruises booked for this year. They are for October and December. I guess it will depend a lot on other countries accepting cruise ships in. Though I would quite happily go for a cruise with few or no ports. Especially if it was to a warmer area. First of all though, we will need our second jabs. I don't think anyone will let us in without the full dose of vaccine.

[navybankerteacher]

Bright sun and almost 50(F) -  time to get rid of some of the mounds of snow - and a good walk this afternoon.

 

My my grandson at college in upstate NY is finishing his 10 day isolation (in a lake front resort hotel) largely recovered from his minor COVID. 

 

CT has good control on infection rates - and widening vaccine scheduling—- very well managed at numerous sites.  Now over a week since our #2 Pfizer  shot,  the fatigue (the only noticeable side effect) has passed. 

[Underwatr]

On 2/14/2021 at 7:11 PM, Lanky Lad said:

Glad you seem to be on the mend.  A reminder that Covid is not the only nasty thing out there. 

After another week of not really making any progress I visited my doctor. It turns out to be pneumonia. The Dr. believes due to its persistence that it's bacterial rather than viral and I've been on an antibiotic since Monday. Making good progress if I don't forget to hydrate. I got another COVID test to rule out a false negative from last week's test.
In the meantime I had my second Pfizer shot more or less on schedule. Online sources said the biggest downside of getting the vaccine while under the weather is difficulty in determining the origin of any side effects. I was motivated to finish the vaccine course in as close to nominal timing as possible.

[Lanky Lad]

I am glad they have worked out what was wrong. Hopefully you will keep improving and soon be back to normal.

[Bigmike911]

We have exchanged the frigid weather of last week for a nice spring week, with gentle rain today. The highs have been in the 70's more like normal for this time of year. The work has begun to clear away the dead plants and citrus trees. It looks like all of the citrus bit the dust in the storm. Most of the Palms look pretty ratty too except the windmill and Bismarkia which came through unscathed. 

 

I was finally accepted for the County Vaccination list and am now fully registered waiting my turn. Hopefully soon. 

[Kynance]

It’s been the best day of the year so far,  weather-wise at least, here in west Berkshire. We had sunshine all day and it felt quite mild when out of the shade. There was hardly any wind either. I had a lovely day in the garden - I’d normally be doing our weekly shop today but my other half went instead, as he also had a visit booked to the chiropractor.  
 

I inspected my over-wintered agapanthus and decided to give any that were green or had signs of emerging leaves a little water and liquid feed, whilst leaving those which hadn’t yet stirred back to life, still dry. I also watered & fed the various pots of daffodils - we have plenty in the beds too but they don’t need so much attention. We have a good display of naturalised crocuses this year, though the flowers do not remain pristine for very long. I took quite a few photos, so am attaching one to this post to share a bit of spring cheer.  
 

Talking of cheer, I was mildly encouraged by the PM’s roadmap for England set out earlier this week - I just hope people remain sensible over the next few weeks and take up the offer of a jab when it comes their way.  My OH has had his first dose & I will be booking mine as soon as the letter of invitation drops through my door. 

 

[Host Hattie]

@Underwatr hope you're feeling better soon.

Cases still down and vaccinations up here.

It was a lovely sunny day today, the birds are singing and the flowers are out, it's starting to feel like Spring.

It's a big rugby weekend, England and Wales are playing, no crowd of course.

Have a good weekend everyone

[Bigmike911]

23 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

We have exchanged the frigid weather of last week for a nice spring week, with gentle rain today. The highs have been in the 70's more like normal for this time of year. The work has begun to clear away the dead plants and citrus trees. It looks like all of the citrus bit the dust in the storm. Most of the Palms look pretty ratty too except the windmill and Bismarkia which came through unscathed. 

 

I was finally accepted for the County Vaccination list and am now fully registered waiting my turn. Hopefully soon. 

This morning I got an email from my useless Medicare Advantage provider. They announced that they had received 1100 doses  for 138,000 of their eligible members, and I was invited to register. Then I discovered that the information they wanted was not on my membership card. I called and found out it was available on line. (Communication has not ever been one of their strong points) But I muddled through and got registered with them as well. So now it's wait. Eventually. 

 

On the positive side, The long term friend who I have have cared for since his cancer diagnosis nearly two years ago will receive his second Dose from MD Anderson Cancer Center Tomorrow.  He also had his four in a row CT scans on Thursday and everything came back fine. So, that is one less worry for him and me to deal with. 

[naturelovergirl]

Since our typical travel and work are still affected so significantly by the pandemic, we continue to enjoy the outdoors and nature as our socially distant escape. We still plan and dream for the future when life can return to some normalcy- but we still actively try to keep life good in the now.

Here is a lovely pic from our bike ride through a nature preserve today in Central Florida.

 

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, Kynance said:

 

...

 My OH has had his first dose & I will be booking mine as soon as the letter of invitation drops through my door. 

 

 

Will that be via owl ... like Harry Potter’s acceptance letter from Hogwart’s?

[Kynance]

18 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Will that be via owl ... like Harry Potter’s acceptance letter from Hogwart’s?

Not unless the Royal Mail swaps its posties & red vans for a delivery service with lower carbon emissions! 
 

I know some people have had problems with postal deliveries right through the pandemic but I have to say ours has remained consistent & reliable, even during December. An owl might be more fun though... 😀

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Kynance said:

Not unless the Royal Mail swaps its posties & red vans for a delivery service with lower carbon emissions! 
 

I know some people have had problems with postal deliveries right through the pandemic but I have to say ours has remained consistent & reliable, even during December. An owl might be more fun though... 😀

After our recent experiences with U S Postal Service, I am eager to explore other options -  I understand owls do not demand excessive retirement programs, and that they are usually satisfied with a steady supply of field mice; all while providing “green” delivery.

[LewiLewi]

On 2/26/2021 at 1:58 PM, Kynance said:

It’s been the best day of the year so far,  weather-wise at least, here in west Berkshire. We had sunshine all day and it felt quite mild when out of the shade. There was hardly any wind either. I had a lovely day in the garden - I’d normally be doing our weekly shop today but my other half went instead, as he also had a visit booked to the chiropractor.  
 

I inspected my over-wintered agapanthus and decided to give any that were green or had signs of emerging leaves a little water and liquid feed, whilst leaving those which hadn’t yet stirred back to life, still dry. I also watered & fed the various pots of daffodils - we have plenty in the beds too but they don’t need so much attention. We have a good display of naturalised crocuses this year, though the flowers do not remain pristine for very long. I took quite a few photos, so am attaching one to this post to share a bit of spring cheer.  
 

Talking of cheer, I was mildly encouraged by the PM’s roadmap for England set out earlier this week - I just hope people remain sensible over the next few weeks and take up the offer of a jab when it comes their way.  My OH has had his first dose & I will be booking mine as soon as the letter of invitation drops through my door. 

 

Gorgeous photo. Our orchids are beginning to bloom now. I will post a photo in a week or two when they are all open.

[LewiLewi]

On 2/26/2021 at 5:32 PM, naturelovergirl said:

Since our typical travel and work are still affected so significantly by the pandemic, we continue to enjoy the outdoors and nature as our socially distant escape. We still plan and dream for the future when life can return to some normalcy- but we still actively try to keep life good in the now.

Here is a lovely pic from our bike ride through a nature preserve today in Central Florida.

 

Beautiful photo. We also have many species of birds on our lake in southern Florida.

[LewiLewi]

We have actually booked our first cruise since the pandemic began. It is not until Nov. of this year, but it really gives us something to look forward to. Our last cruise was Feb. 2020 and we got home before all of the shutdowns and problems began.

[Lanky Lad]

A lovely sunny day here, not hot but nice enough to have spent the afternoon in the garden getting it ready for spring.  Next job is to get the garden shredder out noisy but quite fun.

 

I have been looking for a bench since last year, it matched the patio set I bought in the first lockdown. It's finally in stock and being delivered today. This will be useful as we will be allowed to meet others outside first, so more seating was needed.

[Host Hattie]

2 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

We have actually booked our first cruise since the pandemic began. It is not until Nov. of this year, but it really gives us something to look forward to. Our last cruise was Feb. 2020 and we got home before all of the shutdowns and problems began.

How exciting, we haven't booked anything yet. We had 2 cruises cancelled for May and we're in the process of buying a house in Pembrokeshire.

We've got time off work towards the end of March but I'm not expecting that we'll be able to travel much by then.

[erniebernie]

Goodmorning all from a lovely sunny morning here in Kirwee Christchurch NZ expected temp today is 27c .We are in our level 2 lockdown which means we have to sign in and out of shops,buisnesses etc and fewer people at gatherings  and lots of concerts and sports game cancelled... BUT Auckland is in level 3 which means go home stay home! Shops shut except for supermarkets and chemists  all because some moron who was feeling unwell (rest of his family in isolation due to positive covid results) went to work,the gym, university and several other places to meet people. That unknow person is not very popular in NZ:). Our daughter and Grandson had just returned home from Auckland when lockdown went into force. They are now feeling unwell so have had their nasty test and are  awaiting results in isolation. Fingers crossed. 

[Lanky Lad]

1 hour ago, erniebernie said:

Goodmorning all from a lovely sunny morning here in Kirwee Christchurch NZ expected temp today is 27c .We are in our level 2 lockdown which means we have to sign in and out of shops,buisnesses etc and fewer people at gatherings  and lots of concerts and sports game cancelled... BUT Auckland is in level 3 which means go home stay home! Shops shut except for supermarkets and chemists  all because some moron who was feeling unwell (rest of his family in isolation due to positive covid results) went to work,the gym, university and several other places to meet people. That unknow person is not very popular in NZ:). Our daughter and Grandson had just returned home from Auckland when lockdown went into force. They are now feeling unwell so have had their nasty test and are  awaiting results in isolation. Fingers crossed. 

I hop your daughter and grandson are ok.  Lets just hope no-one gets seriously ill as a result of that person's selfishness.

[Bigmike911]

Today Thundershowers over night. 8 am my gardener arrived. I  had him cut back 7 citrus trees in pots. Tomorrow, I expect to receive six new Citrus trees, I have also ordered Elephant ears and Caladiums for the fernery, which is currently looking grim, but you cannot kill ferns if you try.

 

I also ordered an Australian Tree Fern to replace a good size one which didn't make it. And I decided once again to plant a Gunnera Manicata at the back of the fernery. I had one before that I lost in the freeze 8 years ago, and didn't replant it. The common name is Dinosaur ears as they are huge and can be quite spetacular.

 

I will be looking for Mexican Heather, a Gardenia and some Azaleas for the retreat. The big Azaleas in pots on the pool deck came through flying colors, the ones in ground in the retreat didn't.

 

The leaves of the Texas Wax Myrtles next to the living room have dropped, but the volunteer at the edge of the pool deck is green. The leaves on the Pyracantha which are usually evergreen have also dropped. I am hopeful they all will re-bloom. I noticed that a potted oak in my oak nursery is showing small green buds so there is hope.  

 

So there will be much to keep me occupied until I get my vaccine, and long there after. 

[navybankerteacher]

Stupid March - trying to live up to its image of coming in like a lion — will have us close to 0(F) by sunrise.  At least the rains of the past few days have removed all but the occasional mounds of (now starting to look a bit grey) snow.

[naturelovergirl]

All of our family members 65+ in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida have now had their first vaccine... most have now gotten their second as well. This is good news for all of us.
In Florida, we hear in the news that the supply is increasing... especially now that the Johnson & Johnson one-shot has been approved to use as well as Pfizer and Moderna. This bodes well to the hope that more of the population of the state can get their vaccines as soon as possible. It will be interesting to see how the rollout will go.

Orlando opened a FEMA mass vaccination site today- as well as some mobile sites to get into places that have not had easy access for the citizens- so hopefully that will help.

(There are also planned big FEMA sites for Hillsborough County, Miami, Duval, as well as Orange (Orlando)... these cover some of our large metropolitain areas of Tampa, South FL, Jacksonville, and Orlando where more vaccinations to the population would be very helpful.)

 

Best of all of you as we navigate all of this- so that we may eventually return to our "normal" (or more normal) lives.

 

 

[Host Hattie]

Mr HH had his first injection yesterday, he had a sore arm but no other side effects.

[Lanky Lad]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Mr HH had his first injection yesterday, he had a sore arm but no other side effects.

Great news HH.  My mum is waiting for the call to get her second dose. Hopefully I will get my first shot in the next few weeks.