The Daily for Wednesday Mar 24, 2021

[richwmn]

Today is National Cocktail Day, National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day, and International Day for Achievers

Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. - Ernest Holmes

Meal suggestion for today - Slow-Cooked Lemon Chicken

Drink of the Day - The Coquetier

Wine of the day - Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand - White

Port of the Day - Sydney Nova Scotia Canada

At Sea Mediterranian Sea
Volendam Destination Corfu GR eta 3/26

At Sea Pacific
Koningsdam Destination SPQ eta 3/26
Nieuw Amsterdam Destination La Paz MX eta 3/24
Westerdam Destination Long Beach eta 3/28

Brest FR
Eurodam Dry Dock
Oosterdam

Great Stirrup Cay
Nieuw Statendam Anchorage

La Paz MX
Noordam Anchorage
Zuiderdam Anchorage

Torquay UK
Zaandam Anchorage

 

 

[rafinmd]

Thank you for the Hump Day Daily, Rich.  I'll pass on the Cocktail and keep my chocolate and raisins separate, but salute International Day for Achievers.  Holmes is spot on.  I know I've been to Sydney once, I think on the Veendam.  The chicken sounds nice.  My alternative is Roasted and Raw Carrot Salad. Baked Rigatoni w/ Italian Sausage, and Ricotta Raspberry Tart, my final dinner on MS Prinsendam March 24, 2019.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/dishes24.jpg

 

Today's care list:

Have not heard from Gsel since September 20

myself facing cardiac surgery

NextOne DH in rehab and facing chemo

Cunnorl’s BIL hospitalized and declining

Boulder

New South Wales flooding

get well Cat Shepard

and Krazy Kruisers and Joe

 

Today's Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Occasional contributors including trivia addict

Teachers, school workers and at home surrogates

Front Line Health Care Workers

Garlictown in Maui

Jabs for VintageGeo and Lori

Elvis for Seasick Sailor

Real school for Cruising-along’s DGD

Dismomx5 settling in

Toots on Port Everglades webcam

and Sabine, HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

 

Roy

 

[Mary229]

Good Morning all from the rain soaked streets of New Orleans. I am here to visit my brother who was released from hospital yesterday.  We stopped on the way down to visit friends in Houma and got to witness the engineering marvel of pumps quickly removing flood waters.  I wish I had taken photos.  The streets went from a raging torrent to clear in 3 minutes.
 

I have been to Sydney many times and travelled to Nova Scotia by land and sea countless times.   We call that Cajun country north.  
 

Hope and comfort to those in need and congratulations to those that make our lives easy.  Special thanks to the pharmaceutical scientists who have created these new vaccines  

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Happy Hump Day.

Thanks for the Daily.

Not a fan of chocolate covered raisins, strange, I love chocolate but don't like that combo.

The dinner suggestion sounds good, chicken is on the menu,  so I'm waiting to see the recipe.

Looking forward to reading about the wine and drink of the day.

Mom got her first jab yesterday - Pfizer.  Everything worked out great. 🙂 In and out in half an hour and she has an appointment for her second shot (in July).   Don't know when DH and I will get our shots.

Sending prayers for all.

Stay safe.

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

We're looking at a mostly gray day here with some rain.  I have a hair appointment today and then, to celebrate full immunity, I am meeting some friends for lunch.  Haven't seen them since we had the chilly brunch on my front porch last November.  

 

I probably won't have the cocktail or the chocolate covered raisins, but I do enjoy both on occasion.  I think we are all achievers in our own way, although some achievements get more attention than others.  So, celebrate what you do best.  

 

I have been to Sydney several times, but usually do an excursion that takes us out of town.  We did do the Cabot Trail last time and I think I would like to return and do it on my own at my own pace and be able to do the whole trail.  

 

Today's meal sounds great.  There are lots of suggestions on how to tweak it.  Some report it is too dry.  A little more liquid should help with that.  

 

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/slow-cooked-lemon-chicken/

[KirkNC]

Happy Hump Day.  We are in for a nice sunny day today, a rarity this spring.

[smitty34877]

Good  morning and  thanks  for  the  Daily. It is  going  to  be  a  rainy  day  here but  it  remains  mild,in  the  high  fifties.I have  been  to  Sydney  twice and  looked  high  and  low  for a  picture  but  only  found one  of  DH  and  myself  in  the  Eurodam  dining  room  on  that  trip The  recipe  is  a  keeper today,thanks  Debbie.           Terry

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Daily, Rich!

I appreciate all the get well wishes, they worked!  I do not know anyone who had the 24 hour bug I had, so who knows where I picked it up. I try to be so careful with masks & wipes. Well, it appears to be behind me now. And NO, Gerry & Laura, I did not kill the germs with wine! 
 

Not a raisin fan, so I am happy to hand mine over to someone else. Summer this is your day - does each Country have a National Cocktail? Achievers unite!

 

Roy, thank you for keeping our lists & the mention. You can take me off. I am about to enjoy my first cup of coffee! Woo hoo! Morning Dailyites & my Sisters!  Profound quote. The meal sounds great. Love the name of today’s cocktail. I am going to take it easy today. Maybe I will putter in the garden.  I also owe Bindi a loooong walk. 
 

Prayers to all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone!
 

*************

This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has great ratings for all released vintages! I found numerous online distributors with prices starting at $13.89. This is going on my list. 
Note: feijoa is an evergreen shrub or small tree with edible fruit resembling guava.

Winemaker Notes

#73 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2020

Enticing aromas of grapefruit, feijoa, bell pepper and a hint of orange zest. Mouth filling and vibrant with flavours of citrus, green herbs and tropical fruits. The mid palate is rich and textured while retaining fine acidity and elegance overall.

2019 has the ripeness and structure to promote in ageing ability. Fruit will be at its most vibrant in the first 2 years but expect this vintage to retain its freshness until at least 2024. The palate richness and complex characters should become more apparent as cellaring progresses.

WS90 Wine Spectator: Ruby grapefruit, passionfruit and green apple flavors are vibrant and expressive on a juicy frame. The fruit flavors show terrific transparency, with a touch of green tea peeking through the long finish. Drink now.

WW89 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com: The 2019 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc is nicely layered on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of earthy notes, dried herbs, and fragrant spices. 

[cat shepard]

[Petunia1950]

I can confirm the accuracy of the Holmes quote.  In the days when I was working in an office full of people, if I happened to be wearing sun glasses when I had reason to glare at someone behind the supposed protection of dark glasses, the "evil eye" would reflect back and my eyes would start to twitch.  True story.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Daily Report.

[1ANGELCAT]

Good morning and thanks for the update.

It’s going to be a rainy day here but not to cold. A good day to clean the closet. 
    Today is also National Cheesesteak Day.  I’ll celebrate at lunchtime.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[rafinmd]

18 minutes ago, Petunia1950 said:

I can confirm the accuracy of the Holmes quote.  In the days when I was working in an office full of people, if I happened to be wearing sun glasses when I had reason to glare at someone behind the supposed protection of dark glasses, the "evil eye" would reflect back and my eyes would start to twitch.  True story.

Welcome to the Daily.

 

Roy

[Roger88]

4 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Good morning and thanks for the update.

It’s going to be a rainy day here but not to cold. A good day to clean the closet. 
    Today is also National Cheesesteak Day.  I’ll celebrate at lunchtime.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

 

I doubt that it wont be cold lol I just checked the weather in my weather app on the phone and it says that it will be freezing, there will be rain as well 

[happywandering]

How can you not love Sydney when they greet you with bagpipes?

[kazu]

Thanks for the Daily, Rich and our morning smile 🙂 

 

Interesting combination of days.  Pretty sure a number will be celebrating National Cocktail Day and probably chocolate covered raisins too!

 

 

Love the quote by Holmes.

 

Meal suggestion is a good one.  We have left over chicken from last night so we may well just have it again.  Anyone else tired of concocting meals?

 

 

The drink of the day’s name is intriguing.  That wine sounds like a keeper @cat shepard, for sure.  Thanks for the descriptions and so glad to hear you are feeling better.

 

Cape Breton is a great spot to visit.  Wonderful people and beautiful scenery.  To me, it’s a spot to be visited on a land trip - the Cabot Trail can’t be done in one day and @dfishit’s definitely worth the time to do.  

 

Prayers for everyone on Roy’s Care list & for those that need them and a 🥂 to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

Have a good hump day, everyone.

 

 

Stay safe and please don’t forget your masks 😷 

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning All, thanks for the daily report.  I have enjoyed my visits to Sydney.  It’s a beautiful place to visit.  On one of our visits I bought locally made placemats for my cats.  They are of better quality than something bought online.  The proceeds went to a local rescue which was a plus.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my close to home Grandeur of the Seas B2B.  On March 24, 2015 we were at Sea from Baltimore to Cozumel on the second leg.

 

 

Roy

[StLouisCruisers]

A good group of days today so I will try to achieve something special today beyond my usual daily activities.  If I had some chocolate covered raisins I'd eat some.  Those are called Raisinets aren't they?  I don't generally drink cocktails since I prefer wine but I'll let DH know and maybe he can fix himself a gin and tonic.

 

I cheered when I heard @Mary229talking about the New Orleans pumps taking care of the flooding streets there.  What a blessing that is!

 

I'm glad to hear @cat shepardis feeling so much better today and that Bindi will get a long walk in celebration.  

 

My DS and DDIL are receiving their first Covid vaccines today.  They are 46-47 years old so I'm glad to hear that the distribution is moving so quickly now that supplies are increasing.  They tell me their son will be eligible in April after his 16th birthday but I'm not sure if he will get it right away or not.  

 

We visited today's port of Sydney, Nova Scotia in October, 2018 on the Rotterdam on our Canada/New England/Atlantic Coast cruise.  It began in Montreal and ended in Tampa.  The day before Sydney we had to miss Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island due to wind gusts up to 86 mph.  That was a major disappointment to us.  I was really looking forward to that port.  But we were grateful to make our stop in Sydney.  The weather was sunny and cold with brisk winds but we dressed warmly and headed off the ship for our exploration of this new port  (for us).

 

 

The famous Big Fiddle, a welcoming monument on the dock.  There is a market located nearby for vendors and craftsmen in the area to sell their wares.

 

We first stopped in at the St. Patrick's Church Museum which had cool timber framing inside.

 

Then down the street was this unique building which I believe is a store now.

 

We spied this duck boat called Harbour Hopper taking people on rides around the area.  For some reason that does not appeal to me.  I'm a little wary of them.

 

 

Then there is this monument overlooking the water.  It recognizes wartime contributions of the merchant navy.

 

On our way back to the ship we ran across this man who wanted to show off his 1968 hand painted Cadillac.  He said it had only 26,000 miles on it and got 1 mile per gallon of gasoline.  No wonder it only had 26,000 miles on the odometer!  You can't afford the gas to drive it anywhere.

 

We enjoyed our time in Sydney walking around the town.  All in all, a very nice day!

 

[superoma]

We stopped in Sydney on our Canada New England cruise in 2008 on the maasdam. We explored Sydney on our own, had tea a a local church where they were also having a craft sale. Really enjoyed the day. The bagpipes (I think they piped us out) and the huge fiddle also stick in my mind. Not sure where these digital pictures reside now.  We had hoped to do a land trip to the east coast in 2015 to drive the Cabot trail but DH had a surgery rescheduled and we couldn’t go. Jacqui and another CC member had been quite helpful with things to do in New Brunswick. Sadly, this trip has been postponed again in 2020 and now 2021 due to Covid and 2022 is slated for a Germany so the Cabot  trail waits, as does Newfoundland.

Edited March 24, 2021 by superoma
Added ship

[ClippyJoe]

Kazu, I agree with you. If I hear one more family member ask "What's for dinner  ?" and then look at me, as if I'm the French Chef ,.....

[highscar]

Love the Cabot Trail.  But don’t do it in a motor home.  You will burn out your brakes.   That has happened to friends. On the down side. 

[summer slope]

Quick post of the cocktail.  This was a hard one to find.

The Coquetier:

Le Coquetier cocktail

A cocktail served in an egg shell? Yes. This is what you will encounter if you travel to Berlin to the Pret A Diner bar. The origin of this cocktail theme is known to be an invention of Antoine Amédée Peychaud, the creator of the bitter Peychaud Bitters. At the time, he used to serve his healing cocktails in egg shells.

 

This cocktail is made with rum, chocolate and cinnamon.

 

[mamaofami]

Good morning everyone. I’ll take chocolate any way I can get it, but prefer it over nuts than raisins.  Love that it’s national achievers day. I’m hoping my grandson working in LA will achieve what he’s looking for in LA today. I e put him in touch with my first cousin who is very famous in the film and tv industry. Presently, my grandson is working as an assistant to a talent agent at a well known company, but is looking for a new job. Fingers crossed that he gets it.

 

We’ve been in Sydney twice  on our New England cruises. I recognized that fiddle immediately.

 

Nothing special planned for this dreary day here.

 

Stay safe everyone.

 

Carol