Travelling, British Style...

What the heck does that mean, Travelling, British Style?

Well it is an expression that I have for the feeling I/we get when cruising on a British cruise ship as opposed to an American cruise ship. Both are experiences that Fellette and I enjoy. We have been on a variety of ships in our lives. From Oriana in 1970 to Amsterdam in 2008. The duration of the cruises have varied between three and 111 days. The nationalities have varied from Greek, British, German, Swiss, Russian, Norwegian, Italian and American. All have their charms, and good, and not so good features.

On the whole, I think that we have enjoyed our times on the British ships the most. This may be because of the people that we have met on those various ships. We have met some lovely people while travelling on ships, mostly British and American. And we also have a very close association with an Aussie couple that we met on a British ship. In reflection it appears that we meet and associate with people who are similar in make-up to ourselves, same ethnic background, speak English, good conversationalists, and just plain good folks!

We are looking forward to this trip because it is our first British ship since 2004. We have very fond memories of P & O ships. Our very first cruise was in 1970 on a P & O cruise to Hawaii from Vancouver. Our two oldest children, my mom and dad, sister and husband and two kids, my brother and his new bride plus some family friends were also on board. It was wonderful.

The 'British way' is somewhat more formal than American ships, and Fellette and I rather enjoy that because at home we do not have much of a chance to 'dress for dinner' etc. We thoroughly enjoy getting gussied up, going to dinner and chatting for a few hours then wander off to the theatre, show, dance or whatever.

It is certainly not for everybody, but for a few weeks this January we are certainly looking forward to all that goes with 'travelling, British style'.

There is also something very, very special about boarding a large cruise ship in Southampton, with it leaving on a world cruise that will take over 100 days, to exotic ports even if we can only enjoy it for 22 days this time. When the captain blows the ships horn just as they cast off, my spine tingles! Thank you Lord!

Oriana in 1970, Jeanette left, Craig right, my much younger wife, my Mom and Dad and the rest of the family there as well.

Adonia in 2004, with good friends, including Judy and Ian [front] who we are travelling with this time as well. Everybody at the table we met for the first time on Oriana [II] in 1999.

Is a 'Travel-Day' fun any more?

My sister was travelling today, from Vancouver to Maui, I heard from her at the airport. It was chaos beyond description, not only for her but thousands of others out there today. The carry-on regulations were changed, or should I say eliminated. Repacking on the airport floor does not make for a happy traveller. Pity people with small children!

Who to blame? And we have to have somebody to blame don't we? Terrorists, idiots, officials, there is no point, it is what it is, take it or leave it. Such is a trip to the airport today.

One never expects a great day on a 'travel day' any more. At one time it was an enjoyable part of your vacation. Those days are gone, forever. Once again a few rotters have spoiled it for the majority of law abiding people.

When 'going somewhere' one can at least look forward to the 'vacation' part of the trip. And, I suppose, 'coming home' can also be looked upon as a pleasant end to a lousy day of travel.

The airport routine is now a matter of holding your breath and just take whatever crap gets thrown at you. YOU are not in control basically from the time you walk into the airport until you walk out of it at the end of a gruelling day, or days in some cases.

However, who has any sympathy for someone going away for seven weeks no matter how bad the travel-day could be?

We [Fellette] has almost finished the packing while I concentrate on tying up loose ends for the build. Nine more sleeps.

The bags are about to be closed...

Here we go again...

Sunday, December 27.

Fellette and I and with good friends Ian and Judy from England are off on a somewhat convoluted trip to Maui in January and February.

On January 6 we fly from Vancouver to London, stay with our friends for a few days. On January 10 we sail from Southampton on the first leg of the P & O ship Arcadia's 2010 World Cruise. We disembark in San Francisco where we spend three nights. The journey takes 22 days. The ports in between are Madeira, Barbados, Aruba, cruising through the Panama Canal, Acapulco and Zihuantanejo, Mexico. That means that there are lots of sea days that we enjoy so much.

After San Francisco we rent a car and drive down to San Diego, taking five days to linger on the way down. Three nights in San Diego and then to Honolulu for four nights then off to our condo in Maui for 13 nights. Next is home with our guests for five nights. Then on March 4 our friends leave and we get back to the real world again.

I will be attempting to do a travel blog inasmuch as I am taking my computer. Travelling days are sometimes a challenge to get online and if one is not careful, it can foul up a trip if that person is too obsessive about it! But that won't happen will it Doug!

Between then and now I will likely be putting the odd posting on the travel blog.

Home Again, Home Again...

It is all over, now, back to the real world.

Two pictures tell the story of yesterday...

Angela, Alicia, Adrienne and Jeanette picked us up at Vancouver Airport after Ian and Judy dropped us off at Heathrow almost exactly 12 hours earlier.

Thanks for reading it folks.

Hope to do something in January that may be of interest to some of you.

The Fat Lady is Warming up to Sing...

There is a saying that "It isn't over till the fat lady sings!" Well, our trip isn't over till we land safely at home, but it sure feels like it here now as I write this. My lovely wife is in the bedroom packing up our suitcases.

When you read this we may even be home. We are scheduled to arrive at Vancouver, B.C., in Beautiful British Columbia at 6:35 PM, Monday August 24, Lord willing.

As usual at this time we have mixed emotions: Glad to be going home, but sad to leave. We have had a wonderful time, made better by true friends, great weather, many hilarious moments together, expanded horizons and unforgettable experiences.

In preparing for our departure from Ian and Judy's home, Ian and I have done a little photo sharing today, I thought that for my second-to-last blog, I would just bore you one more last time with a kaleidoscope of some shots that were taken in the last month.

Lawn Bowls and Disraeli Day...

Yep, another day of idleness and relaxation. First thing after breakfast was a little more gathering of flint gravel for the garden. Meanwhile, Fellette had found the shears again and was intent on whipping the vegetation down to what she thought was the right size. Ian seems to be quite content with her work as she has a good eye for it. She requires no direction or supervision.

Ian and I decided that we should have another go at lawn bowls just to prove to the other two opponents that the thrashing we gave them the other day was not a fluke. And yes, Doug was up to form, again. That is twice in my life for the game. Ian muttered something about 'well done', and my opponent said that he had finished offering advice to me. I think that is about all I will get in the way of acclamation from these English Gentlemen.

We were rained out before the game ended, but we were well away to another lop-sided victory. So much for my lawn bowling record, and career.

Meanwhile Fellette was also drenched in the time it took to get from the garden to the house, therefore all outside activity came to an end.

After lunch, the sun came out and Ian decided we needed some history lessons so we four trundled off to Hughenden Manor, the home of Benjamin Disraeli, the dashing Prime Minister in the middle 1800's.

He had an interesting life, which I will not even attempt to illustrate here, it was very complicated and almost bizaare. The home, or Manor as it is called, is merely a very large home, fully and lovingly furnished as it was, or just about, during Disraeli's political heydays.

Disraeli bought the home in 1848 as part of his plan to acquire the credibility to move up the 'greasy pole'. That is how he described the trappings and wherewithal necessary to be acceptable to the lofty position of Prime Minister of Britain.

He had married a wealthy widow, 12 years his senior, also to move up the 'pole'. They eventually became fiercely in love and she made him what he became: less a Dandy and more a statesman.

The home is quite liveable, large and grand but not ostentatious. There was no photography allowed inside, unfortunately, so, once again you will have to judge by the outside shots. Sorry for the absence of good photos, they do not properly convey the feel of the place, which is very homey, believe it or not.





Disraeli died in 1881; his older wife had predeceased him by some years. Years later many of his possessions were sold by Christies, the auctioneers. The Manor was turned over to the National Trust in 1947, and since then, the trust has tracked many of the goods sold and acquired most of them, about 80%, we were told.

During WWII the Manor was used as a map-making facility for the RAF. Printing presses were installed in the home and it was a somewhat high secret facility that was essential to the successful bombings of Germany. [If bombings can ever be called successful.] The manor was targeted by the German air force but never hit, however the nearby church was damaged.

This is one of many, many glorious Homes, Manor, Castles, Garden and Palaces that citizens have turned over to The National Trust to maintain and made available to the public.




Visiting these historic sites is a national pastime and a wonderful way to see a part of British history, with all it's good points and it's bad as well.

It was an interesting and varied day for us, and a nice way to wind down, prior to attempting to put all our possessions back into suitcases!

A Stay at Home Day...

After the long and hot day in Paris, we were all a bit lazy to start with. After breakfast, that dozy feeling soon went away and we got on with ticking off some of the tasks in the 'Job Jar'.

Fellette jumped right back into the pruning scenario, [after two trips across the adjacent pasture to pick blackberries]. They were inside a stinging nettle patch but with wellies [gumboots] and long pants that was no obstacle.





Meanwhile my objective for the day was to assemble the lawn bench that I had been picking away at in between other tasks and a lot of 'outings'. I love doing work like that, even if it means using unfamiliar tools, a bit more challenging, that is all.




In the finished photo of the bench you may notice my masterpiece of attaching a new piece of wood that replaced a rotted patch, bottom left of the back. I dare not tell you how long that took. I was so proud that I have enclosed a close-up of it. [I warned you that our trips are not all nail-biting high drama!]

Later Ian and I removed sod and dirt for a new area for the bench to sit on, rather than the lawn.



Doing that is not my favourite type of work. Besides being hard-packed undisturbed earth for the last 2000 years the soil is full of flint rocks. You heard me, flint, like the stone-age man used. After scrapping it out, we sifted it, to get some useable soil. Good soil is scarce here.

We even went to the neighbour's front garden to get some of his excess flint from his rose bed because we need good flint stones for the garden bench to sit on. [Nothing is easy.]


Nonetheless we had a fruitful day and we feel good about helping to improve the gardens, possibly in some small way compensating our hosts for our rather lengthy home-stay here.

Meanwhile on the kitchen front, we have likely gained more weight here, than on the ship, as I told you, our hostess loves to cook.

Three more sleeps and we board the Silver Bird to whisk us across the pole and to home!