Colblimp Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 6 hours ago, MandyD said: I had my first cut the other day in 461 days....by the same woman who cut my hair as a kid. I didn't have to sit on the board to make me taller or anything this time. 😄 Oh my, that's a sod of a long time! I remember sitting on that board when I was a kid 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thyrsis Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Both the good things and bad things threads are trending haircut, or lack of, posts!! 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb photos Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 17 hours ago, MandyD said: I had my first cut the other day in 461 days....by the same woman who cut my hair as a kid. I didn't have to sit on the board to make me taller or anything this time. 😄 Sitting on a board across the barber chairs arm rests, I remember that well. Many moons ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 I just spent two incredible days on a wonderful island in the Great Barrier Reef. Heron Island, near Gladstone. We snorkelled over the reef amongst amazing fishes and reef sharks, a bit of an unsettling experience and a first for me. It's turtle hatching season and the little ones can be seen every day around 5pm when the sand is cooler. We saw a cute one crawl with great effort all the way from the nest to the water edge, it swam 2 metres, then SNAP, a shark got it... The noddies were nesting and were perfectly integrated with human activities. No fear. We saw spectacular displays of the males offering a leaf to the female for the nest. She only accepts one in a thousand... Women are hard to please wherever... And now let's select the keepers. 2,000+ images 😏 https://www.facebook.com/gen.froggie/posts/10222574413742702?notif_id=1616398560510099¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif https://www.facebook.com/gen.froggie/posts/10222578918135309?notif_id=1616468849715467¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Well done on the snorkelling Gen! You'll never look back 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 18 minutes ago, LSP said: Well done on the snorkelling Gen! You'll never look back Thank you Susan. The water is so warm, I have no excuse for not going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 On 17/03/2021 at 16:51, Allan Bell said: YIPPEE! My new replacement washer/dryer arrived today to replace my old broken machine. NOW! Go to the "bad thing that happened in your life today". Allan Following on from sending you to the "bad thing". This is an expecting a good thing to happen. They are bringing a new washer/dryer today of the correct size to fit the space and are going to install it to. Should be here between 11am and 3pm. Will be back after 3pm to let you know the outcome. Allan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 6 hours ago, Allan Bell said: Following on from sending you to the "bad thing". This is an expecting a good thing to happen. They are bringing a new washer/dryer today of the correct size to fit the space and are going to install it to. Should be here between 11am and 3pm. Will be back after 3pm to let you know the outcome. Allan They arrived with the correct machine at 10.50am and had it installed and running by 11am. Now to start washing AND drying some items. Allan 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 On 22/03/2021 at 22:25, gvallee said: I just spent two incredible days on a wonderful island in the Great Barrier Reef. Heron Island, near Gladstone. We snorkelled over the reef amongst amazing fishes and reef sharks, a bit of an unsettling experience and a first for me. It's turtle hatching season and the little ones can be seen every day around 5pm when the sand is cooler. We saw a cute one crawl with great effort all the way from the nest to the water edge, it swam 2 metres, then SNAP, a shark got it... The noddies were nesting and were perfectly integrated with human activities. No fear. We saw spectacular displays of the males offering a leaf to the female for the nest. She only accepts one in a thousand... Women are hard to please wherever... And now let's select the keepers. 2,000+ images 😏 https://www.facebook.com/gen.froggie/posts/10222574413742702?notif_id=1616398560510099¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif https://www.facebook.com/gen.froggie/posts/10222578918135309?notif_id=1616468849715467¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif Understand the noddie female. My husband once brought home the ugliest lamp I’d ever seen from a garage sale he’d stopped at. I rejected it for my nest, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 A few good things. With the imminent easing of lockdown we've arranged to meet with another couple to go for a walk and swap books next week. Nothing like as exciting as snorkeling in warm water, but grateful for small mercies ! According to the gurus the earliest safe time to plant spuds in this area is the second week in April, but I know from the collective experience of fellow allotment gardeners that late season blight is a greater peril than early season frost damage and that the sooner you plant the earlier you harvest. I have therefore started to plant the potatoes, only a couple of rows at a time. Another lesson learnt is to do things in stages, take it easy and spread the work. The weather forecast looks to be kindly, but the accuracy of long range prediction is far from perfect. We've harvested some kale and the spring cabbages aren't far away. Finally we've decided to explore the possibility of a staycation cruise. I'm not sure that I'm a cruise animal, but it sure beats having to drive to the remote shores of these islands on our overcrowded roads. We've no idea about destinations, starting point, or cost, so it could be a non starter, but worth exploration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 7 hours ago, Bryan said: a staycation cruise. AFAICS the cruises aren't going anywhere. Just steaming around for days. Even the domestic ones. If you 've done it before, fine, otherwise you're just stuck in a big hotel. Tilbury to Oslo was tedious enough and that was less than 36 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAROL SAUNDERS Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 8 minutes ago, spacecadet said: AFAICS the cruises aren't going anywhere. Just steaming around for days. Even the domestic ones. If you 've done it before, fine, otherwise you're just stuck in a big hotel. Tilbury to Oslo was tedious enough and that was less than 36 hours. Absolutely correct, much as I like a cruise every now and then, I would not fancy just floating around in the UK not being able to get off at any ports, I believe they are calling them Seacations. Princess are definately doing them with a balcony about £500/£700 depending on 4 or 7 nights. I believe P & O are also doing them. However, although it's not for me I can understand others wanting a bit of escapism😉 Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 The trouble with that sort of ship in the US is that they play loud music and want you to have FUN. Quietly listening to the sounds of the sea is not possible. Paulette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 Cruises have never appealed to me. I prefer loose driving road trips where if I see something interesting, I follow my nose, with very loose destinations. I’m attracted to nature and the animals found within. So a lot of stops and exploring. My sister has gone on a couple of cruises and related them to me, and the idea of stopping in a port and having xx amount of time ashore or you are left behind doesn’t appeal. (I never liked timed tests, either!) It seemed more focused on food, what to wear for dinner, and who gets to dine with whom and what medicine to bring to fight off seasickness. I do realize some people love cruises. And I can understand Bryan’s not wanting to fight congested traffic. That would turn me off, too. Thank heaven for US wide open spaces once you discount the eastern seaboard. We always avoided the cities for the most part, thus the traffic congestion. Since moving, I no longer have a person to come in and take care of my parrot, and I lost my traveling companion. So I just ramble around my area these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 4 minutes ago, Sally R said: Paulette, your comment reminds me of a story I read a while ago about a guy who chose to travel for 5 weeks on a cargo ship with only some books to read and leaving all his digital devices at home to experience a digital detox. I just refound the article from ABC news https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-14/digital-detox-at-sea-changes-robert-hassans-life/11685666 So instead of all the distractions of a typical holiday cruise, he just had himself and the wide ocean. No one else spoke English on the ship and he read his books quickly. He started discovering things in his memory he had completely forgotten and he found his sleep patterns became more natural. To quote from the article: There he spent time "watching the sky changing, the sea changing, the colours changing, the stars coming out, the dawn coming up, the sun setting and all the different things in the unfamiliar space of the industrial ship". I actually really like this idea. While a typical cruise may be full of lights, music, dinners, shows, dressing up etc, his experience was the complete opposite and he could just become one with himself and the elements. How wonderful. He detoxed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Sally R said: Yes, it reminds me of being a kid, before the advent of all the digital devices we have now. We climbed trees, disappeared for hours exploring on our bikes, made and built things with our hands. It is a changed world and I think there is much to offer from detoxing and reconnecting with our surroundings and ourselves. In fact, as I type this, a boobook owl (the most common owl species around here) has just started the wind up noises before beginning his or her nightly 'boobook' call. The moonlight is beautiful outside, so I'm going to go out there and hang out with the owl and moon for a bit before heading to bed. Reminds me of my previous home. My next-door neighbors had a Koi pond, and we had a 20 acre field behind our fences. In the spring, beginning at dusk, toads would hang out in the pond calling to distant toads in a mating ritual. The din could be quite loud, but I often sat on my patio at night just listening to them. They reminded me of an old song I sometimes hear on an oldie station by Slim Whitman, “Indian Love Call”. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj4ptfthszvAhVCI6wKHTy9BbYQtwIwBXoECAUQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3B8jcKx8H_w&usg=AOvVaw1QSyOy7lxeM-Q_MUyMY3AG Edited March 25, 2021 by Betty LaRue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 5 hours ago, spacecadet said: AFAICS the cruises aren't going anywhere. Just steaming around for days. Even the domestic ones. If you 've done it before, fine, otherwise you're just stuck in a big hotel. Tilbury to Oslo was tedious enough and that was less than 36 hours. Ah that's useless. I had envisaged landing at a series of UK ports, and sailing overnight. Confess I find the cross channel ferry boring, but whale/dolphin watching on the Santander ferry crossing the Bay of Biscay was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thyrsis Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 3 hours ago, Bryan said: Ah that's useless. I had envisaged landing at a series of UK ports, and sailing overnight. Confess I find the cross channel ferry boring, but whale/dolphin watching on the Santander ferry crossing the Bay of Biscay was great. Must admit a cruise would be the last holiday I would go for. We always plan our own trips and itinerary, can’t imagine being shepherded around with loads of other people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAROL SAUNDERS Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Thyrsis said: Must admit a cruise would be the last holiday I would go for. We always plan our own trips and itinerary, can’t imagine being shepherded around with loads of other people! Of the cruises I've been on, I've never been shepherded around with loads of other people - maybe it's the ships group excursions you are referring to I'm not sure, but if so they aren't compulsory - whether that will change in the future who knows but if so, it wouldn't be for me either. I like planning my own excursions if I'm on a ship or itinerary if I'm not going on a cruise. If I do go on a cruise I'm also very choosy as to which ship I go on and lucky enough to be able to go any time of year - preferably not during the school holidays😄 I believe Royal Caribbean have also just announced they will be sailing hopefully from Cyrpus from July on Jewel of the Seas, visiting the Greek Isles - be interesting to see if this happens. I also think there are other ships doing Seacations in Singapore and one or two other places. Celebrity have also just announced Apex will be sailing out of Athens June 2021. Obviously all irrelevant in the UK if overseas travel is banned at present. Carol Edited March 25, 2021 by CAROL SAUNDERS wording Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 5 hours ago, Bryan said: Ah that's useless. I had envisaged landing at a series of UK ports, and sailing overnight. Confess I find the cross channel ferry boring, but whale/dolphin watching on the Santander ferry crossing the Bay of Biscay was great. Hah there's dolphin (and the odd whale) watching between Holland and Newcastle too. Last time we found out there's even a ranger on board counting all sorts of animals for a couple of months each year. She was happy for people (with or without binoculars) to keep her company and loved to talk about the different species. Out on her own up front in all sorts of weather can be quite dull if you're doing it full time. It's a kind of internship managed by one of the universities with Orcaweb I think. Lots of dolphins, but they are quite small. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWgkKwZaPHk wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 2 hours ago, wiskerke said: Hah there's dolphin (and the odd whale) watching between Holland and Newcastle too. Last time we found out there's even a ranger on board counting all sorts of animals for a couple of months each year. She was happy for people (with or without binoculars) to keep her company and loved to talk about the different species. Out on her own up front in all sorts of weather can be quite dull if you're doing it full time. It's a kind of internship managed by one of the universities with Orcaweb I think. Lots of dolphins, but they are quite small. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWgkKwZaPHk wim We've used that ferry several times Wim but not encountered the cetaceans, but confess that we've not looked. Had hoped to get across later this year but that is looking doubtful. There's always the risk of a degree of rock and roll crossing the North Sea on a relatively small ship, but so far no mal de mer ! On one occasion strong winds greatly delayed the docking at Ijmuiden and they required three tugs (normally unassisted) to enter the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 4 hours ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said: Of the cruises I've been on, I've never been shepherded around with loads of other people - maybe it's the ships group excursions you are referring to I'm not sure, but if so they aren't compulsory - whether that will change in the future who knows but if so, it wouldn't be for me either. I like planning my own excursions if I'm on a ship or itinerary if I'm not going on a cruise. If I do go on a cruise I'm also very choosy as to which ship I go on and lucky enough to be able to go any time of year - preferably not during the school holidays😄 I believe Royal Caribbean have also just announced they will be sailing hopefully from Cyrpus from July on Jewel of the Seas, visiting the Greek Isles - be interesting to see if this happens. I also think there are other ships doing Seacations in Singapore and one or two other places. Celebrity have also just announced Apex will be sailing out of Athens June 2021. Obviously all irrelevant in the UK if overseas travel is banned at present. Carol Yes we had envisaged taking our folding bikes and doing our own thing once ashore, but if the ship is not docking that becomes a tad difficult ! We once booked a weekend mini cruise on the aforementioned Newcastle to Ijmuiden ferry and took the bikes. They allowed us to take them on the transfer coach to Amsterdam from where we explored the countryside, which was great. One negative, a degree of drunkenness and yobbish behaviour from some of our fellow countrymen on board, not usually a problem on the regular ferry crossing, but bad enough to deter our repeating the weekend experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Standfast Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 My youngest son got his vaccination on wednesday. He developed a mild temperature but grinned as he said, "It's working!!!!" 😊 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 Well I am finally a homeowner again. After many years of renting, I went to settlement/closing this morning and the house I have been living in for years, is now mine (or really a bank's..til paid off). Feels good to not be a renter anymore!! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Lowe Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 Just had a text from GP surgery to book my 2nd Covid jab. Clicked on the link - all done within five minutes of getting the text. Booked for April 1st - I hope it's not an April Fools joke... 😎 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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