WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 2018

Thanks Lindy as well look forward to your photos

Harelady - No, I'm not an O', but have Irish blood.  Family history says one of my great-grandfathers used to smuggle horses across the border.  And my two names are Patricia Kathleen, so I think I'm a bit Irish by osmosis!  My 'O' comes from my husband (who is no longer with us) - but doesn't have an '!

Lindy - those ships look ENORMOUS!  When I arrived at Tilbury for my first cruise in September I thought the ship I was about to board was enormous, but realised, when I saw some others in other ports, that it's really quite small.  As someone said, with 1,500 passengers you do have the chance of seeing the same person twice!  Looking forward to the next instalment.

PatO: The interesting thing about fire is that many trees and shrubs need fire to spur regermination (why is that flagged as a misspell?) (although obviously not on the scale associated with the recent drought-related wildfires).  When our local botanic garden burned up about 11 years ago, the folks in charge were surprised - and reassured - by the reappearance of seeds long dormant and forgotten that suddenly sprung back to life.

Harelady: So good to see you!  Please don't stay away so long.  :-)  I'm really glad you've got three grandkiddies that allow you to focus on the future.

Lindybird: I remember going to Paris "in the old days" and hearing just French songs sung in the streets and on the radio and was quite disheartened later to hear all UK/American pop stuff (Boy George was one).  So I feel the same way about modern architecture - who knows which city we're in anymore.....   Amazed by all the entertainment options (water slides, etc.) on these vessels. And yes, they are huge!

OG: Thinking of you and sending some of Diane's healing energy.

Off to sort out the day...

Hello all, back from our cruise with drama.  OH had a fall during our visit in Porto Delgado - wet - getting off coach at a pit stop to view a lake in a break in the weather - down the central steps, missed his footing and crashed down against side of stairwell on to the ground outside. Saw the doc on board the following day - broken clavicle. Was given options but decided to have it treated conservatively with pain killers and carry on.  As you can gather was pretty painful, struggled with the heat in the Caribbean - 30degrees, but somehow got through.   Enjoyed the cruise on the whole but I think we have decided that cruising is not for us, maybe 20 years ago but not now.  Still we have tried it.  Will post 1 0r 2 pics when sorted out at a later stage.

Lindybird - see that you are on another cruise, or have been, and really enjoy them.  Hope you had a great time this time around. Love the photos.

Annette - thanks for starting us off and for your pictures of Oregon and California, always lovely to see another country's scenery, such a shame about the wildfire destruction - hopefully vegetation will regrow before too long.

Harelady - lovely to hear from you and glad you are remembering all the good times and looking forward with your grandchildren in mind. Not easy for the first anniversary but it does get a little easier with time.

Hey Lynette: Welcome back and sorry the cruise turned out to be hazardous to your OH's health! Which port did you leave from?  Re wildfires, you'd be amazed how quickly the earth recovers from fire (when there's a decent amount of rain over the following year).  

Good Morning.  A bit dull and grey here, but dry at least.

Lynette  -Sorry to hear that your OH had the bad luck to suffer poor health on the cruise. You don't say how he was affected by the shingles he contracted before you left, I hope it didn't spoil things too much for you. How is he now?  My cruise pictures are from when we went at the end of September, which already seems ages ago.

Annette - Must say that when you showed us the sad pics of the trees and forests destroyed by fire, I was not too alarmed as I've seen programmes on tv describing how they can regenerate. AQ can probably assert to that, as I know it happens in Australia.

Have a good week, everyone!

By the way, please read the thread posted this morning by Mike, saying "Mrs T is Leaving"  - she will be sadly missed.

Lynette - So sorry to hear about your OH's fall.  Hope he is not in too much pain now.  I know they don't do very much for that sort of injury these days apart from painkillers and a sling, so hope the bones are knitting together well.  Also hope you were still able to enjoy most of your cruise.  Look forward to the photographs.

My OH has gone out, so I settled down to transfer some more of my holiday pics. However, the site which I use to downsize them has gone awol, which it seems to do from time to time, so I cannot do any just now.

Hoping to come back on later with descriptions of our adventures on the French Riviera!

YES!  I really am me - sitting at my own PC in the study!  I shan't sit here too long and risk cramps, but it's good to be back.  I have been to the dining table for all my meals this weekend - so much easier to swallow and digest.  Doc will phone tomorrow with advice to reduce and eventually get me off the morphine.

Sorry about ROSY's OH being ill and spending theatre night in hospital, and LYNETTE's suffering a broken shoulder on the cruise.  I hope he has had an Xray and second opinion since coming home, and is recovering.  Sounds as if the intended climax to the big celebratory year was somewhat disappointing - but only the one way to find out!

J's lift was off work at the end of last week, but was here to pick him up this morning.  Changes to his Christies brain scan appt seem to have stopped happening, so that is now all confirmed for travel after work Thursday, scan and consultation Friday and travel home Saturday; he will stay in touch through his two nights in hotel Thu and Fri.