Yes, it’s that time of year! Time for the Northants Nutters to get together for Christmas. This year, we’re one down on our complement – Richard – had double-booked himself, so that left: Nicki, Geoff & Rhonda, Paul & Sue and us two. With sit-down planned for 12.30, Nicki arrived well ahead of the Nutter majority to lend a hand with preparations. In truth, Ann was already ahead of the game, with most of the veg prepared, the table laid, and the wine and fizz filling up the fridge! With me relegated to ‘music choices’, there was little more to do apart from enjoy the smugness that comes with being well-prepared!

With everyone on time, the first priority was (obviously) DRINKS together with a good natter.

Helpfully, everyone had done their bit on the food side – Rhonda on Mince Pies (and Christmas Crackers); Sue on Stuffings – two types – plus After-Dinner Mints, and finally Nicki and Rhonda on Desserts. With our responsibilities fulfilled, we all took our seats sporting novelty Christmas glasses to complete the Christmas ‘Nutty’ look

The bird of choice today (Ann excluded) featured the return of Roast Turkey. I think that’s about my THIRD Turkey meal in less than two weeks – and that suited me perfectly! Courtesy of M&S this year, we’d opted for a Boneless Crown to make the carving easier – and it didn’t disappoint!

Well, that was super-delicious!! We all agreed the main course had been a hit and even after my THIRD Turkey treat since the festive eating season began , I could have still eaten more!

Dessert followed, and with Nicki and Rhonda taking charge, you couldn’t really go wrong. And so, supported by a Christmas Pudding (Thanks, Mr. Sainsbury – we could tell the difference), and the girls’ Mince Pies AND Pavlova, we were spoilt for choice! As a final flourish, I even managed to flambé the Pudding without the need for a fire extinguisher!

With the phrase: ‘the diet starts in January’ echoing (albeit in our heads), most of us had a portion of everything!

After Lunch, what else, but Christmas games and a Mint of five!? With Ann’s ‘legendary’ 2024 Charade performance of ‘Squid Game’ still in our minds 12 months later, we entered into the spirit, using the Christmas Cracker suggestions as our subject matter. Actually, quality-wise, the cracker contents ‘punched well above their weight’, with plenty of variety and originality across three categories: ‘Who Are You?’/’Riddles’/Charades. But it’s fair to say, although the Riddles were mostly straightforward (“I am a ball, but don’t bounce” – answer: a snowball), the one that got us ALL scratching our heads was: “If your auntie’s brother is not your uncle, what relation is he to you?” (answer: “your dad”) – Yikes! That was a toughy!!

The “Who am I?” section proved slightly more challenging, where the choice of either acting it out or being questioned by our friends served perfectly to prepare us for the Charades Round that followed. But before the Charades, I re-ran an abbreviated version the Quiz from Trish’s Christmas Do last night, and we seemed to breeze through that! . Smart people, us Nutters!

Charades was, as expected, hilarious! One of those times where we laughed so much, it hurt – in a good way! As performers and when it came to guessing, collectively, us Nutters did very well – especially Nicki, who, in addition to her legendary ‘Galley Management’ skills, proved that you’d definitely want her on your next Pub Quiz team! . Ann’s unique interpretation of Donald Duck was to leave us entertained and in need of therapy in equal measure !

With the Charades over, a (very pleasant) surprise followed…

What a nice thought! Paul & Sue bought us all a very special gift each. A tree ornament with our names on it as our alter-egos. Brilliant and brilliantly original – thanks both!

‘Whoosh!’– that was the sound of the afternoon passing! After a brief discussion about where and how we might spend time together NEXT year – it was all over. At just after 5.30, we said our goodbyes, leaving us to simply empty the dishwasher (for the third time today) and polish off the ironing of the serviettes and tablecloth – Ahh, the life of being a retiree, it’s so varied!

By 5.30, it was all over for another year. We’d had a great time, the food was excellent, the Charades hurt our ribs, but most of all, it was great to be with our Nutty friends!

Just before 6.45, with the chores done, it was ‘feet up’ for a spot of TV – an episode of Foyle’s War and then for me, the highlight of the evening: the 1972 re-edit of the Doctor Who story: ‘The Sea Devils’ on BBC4. The new series: ‘The War Between the Land and Sea‘ on BBC 1 ‘from the world of Doctor Who’ can wait until tomorrow!

9.15pm: Night-night!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Christmas Nutters – 2025 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

The Northants Nutters (aka, Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda and us two, plus ‘Honorary Nutters: Richard and Nicki) are at Warner’s Holme Lacy House. Last time were here was in March 2020 – just prior to COVID – it was therefore good to be back under less threatening circumstances.

This is our last full day here. We’ve had a lot of fun, but Holme Lacy seems have lost some of its magic in those intervening years. Currently, I don’t think any of us are inspired enough for another return!

Day 1 Post is HERE.

Day 2 Post is HERE.

Good to see that if the forecast is accurate, we’ve got less rain and a warmer day than yesterday!

Welcome to Sunday! Axe-throwing is OFF (was it ever ON?) . The rest of Herefordshire can now rest easy knowing that my attention is now in the direction of Trivial Pursuits or Shuffleboard! . Staff members, Jack and Hannah are doing a great job this weekend, as they seem to running everything here – they sing too!!

8.02am: Ann, Sue and Nicki headed for the Pool whilst I nursed a slightly scratchy throat! (Uh-Oh!)

10.03am: For Breakfast, we were all back at the Market Kitchen – and the free-for-all that is ‘self service’! Or were we? Actually, no! The system seemed to be slightly confused as to exactly where the eight of us should be. The staff did their best to be helpful, but ‘computer said no’ thinking the 8 of us had somehow been reduced to 6, and where the table had been set accordingly! Doh! . Eventually they ended up re-locating us to the (slightly more sedate) Brasserie32.

There, the food was tasty and on time, but for some, the hot breakfast was anything but. We got there in the end, but buried deeply amongst the wide range of food options was a sense of confusion and communication challenges! (‘nuf said!)

11.00am: Today’s Trivia Quiz was hosted by Jack. Decisions, decisions! Should we ‘throw the game’ so that we’re not insulted by the prizes? (as experienced yesterday HERE) or play like our lives depended on it. We chose the latter, as we once again split into ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ for our teams.

Today there were about 30 teams all chasing the prize (a discounted hot drink and a slice of cake), where the topic was ‘General Knowledge’.

Fifteen questions followed, and just like yesterday’s challenge, in our team, we were confident with the majority of our answers, but there were a few, where guessing was the name of the game.

When the answers were declared, we’d scored a respectable ’10’, whilst the girls topped us with ’12’. Sadly, even 12 wasn’t good enough to win, where another team scored an impressive ’13’. Our team were thwarted by the following five questions*:_

• Who voiced ‘Woody’ in Toy Story?
• How many time-zones in Russia?
• According to a recent Film poll, who is the ultimate villain?
• In what year was Queen Elizabeth born?
• Name ALL the members of the ‘Jackson 5’
  
  *Answers on request

11.35am: It was games time and today, we chose Shuffle Board. Most of us (including me) had never played before, and it therefore turned out to be typically, a game of skill and luck. Not played before? Think of it as a table-top version of Curling where instead of ice there is a marble tabletop with a sprinkling of silicone-based powder.

This ‘powder’ was amazing stuff, where it gave the puck a somewhat unpredictable journey from one end of the board to the other. More often than not, the puck’s speed was too high, and we all learned to be much more gentle with the launch sequence. Even with just a gentle push, sent it hurtling towards the end of the playing area, benefiting from the lack of surface resistance. To add to the fun, it didn’t always travel in a straight line either! For many of us, it was a very enjoyable ‘new skill’. We let battle commence, and after a few rounds, the result was Boys 25, Girls 24 – a close match!!

Surely the most accurate shot must have gone to ‘Nutter Paul’, who managed to steer his puck over the maximum distance, where it therefore scored maximum points, balancing perfectly 50/50 on the edge of the playing area! Impressive!!

12.45pm: Time to battle the elements! Our daily walk was hosted by Jack and Hannah. It was at least a dry day, if a little windy and cold.

The walk lasted around 40 minutes as we took a gentle stroll around the grounds of Holme Lacy House.

It was good to be out in the fresh air, and our small group of around a dozen meant we were kept moving as Hannah continued to tell us about the history of this grand old property. Today’s factoid? Holme Lacy is the ONLY Warner’s property that’s leased.

2.30pm: It was games time again, and we returned to the old favourite that is Trivial Pursuits.

Our natural deadline for completion was around 4.15 (some of the Nutters wanted to see the Soccer and/or Rugby on TV). The two-hour Boys vs Girls battle commenced, where after two intensive games, the result was just as it should be – a draw!!

Snooze/Soccer and Rugby filled the remaining time, where our next ‘official’ engagement, where we’d all be together, was the daily pre-dinner drinks! Yes, it’s a tough life!

6.15pm: It was our turn to host, and after popping a few corks and taste-testing the crisps, we were ready!

7.45pm: Yes, more to eat! . Our (final) evening meal beckoned from a return to Brasserie32. This time, it all came together in that they knew we were coming AND they set the table for the right number of people!

With ice-cream to follow, the food certainly hit the mark tonight! The Service was sharper too, meaning we had more time to chat and make our way to tonight’s entertainment!

9.05pm: We headed off to the now-familiar Pavilion for tonight’s headline act – The Everly Brothers & Friends.

Again, a full house tonight and again, the Nutters were split across the room. We all found good seats where the now very familiar Hannah had been warming up the audience with her singing. Judging by the applause when the Band came on stage at just after 9.30, this felt like this was the performance that the majority of the audience had been waiting for all weekend. In front of us were the ‘Everly Brothers’ (obviously), ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Jerry Lee Lewis’, supported by their Drummer and Double Bass player. The Band itself were very well rehearsed and engaged the audience pretty much from the off. It was a full-on sound that more than filled the room, and their energy levels were off the scale – especially ‘Jerry’ who probably deserves a show all of his own.

I wouldn’t say I’m particularly a fan of this kind of music, but the Band’s enthusiasm, stagecraft, banter and most of all, musicianship was to be admired. We didn’t stay for the whole show (it was a generous TWO-hour affair), but what we saw was impressive, where one track followed another with hardly a pause. All-in-all, great stuff!

10.50pm: Well, that’s it for this, our latest Northants Nutters adventure. The disappointing and lack-lustre Holme Lacy Hotel didn’t stop us from having a great time together, where we’ve already come up with a few ideas on where we all get together next time.

All the photos and
none of my chat HERE

An early start on the road tomorrow after breakfast should get us back to Kettering by around 1pm. See you on the other side!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Warner Weekend 2025 – Return to Holme Lacy (Day 3) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

The Northants Nutters (aka, Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda and us two, plus ‘Honorary Nutters: Richard and Nicki) are here at Warner’s Holme Lacy House. Last time were here was in March 2020 – just prior to COVID – it was therefore good to be back under less threatening circumstances.

Welcome to Day 2! If you missed yesterday’s Post, it’s HERE.

We weren’t expecting miracles with the weather here today – the forecast was spot on! (unfortunately!)

7.03am: A later start for us, and we both slept well!

10.05am: Breakfast! Even I’m still feeling stuffed from last night, and so I ate lighter. Today we were in their Brasserie32, a more upmarket experience than the self-service Market Place. Although in the Brasserie there was a buffet of sorts (for cereals, juices – and playing ‘find the cereal bowls’), it was table service for any cooked choices. Nice!

11.00am: With the most important meal of the day sorted, it was time to exercise my little grey cell with ‘The Morning Trivia Quiz with Hannah’.

Today’s Quiz was 15 questions covering general knowledge. No group could be larger than four, so The Nutters split into two groups. It was a bit of a head-scratcher, and although we were confident of most of our answers, we fell short on four of the questions…

• When was the first email sent?
• How many sides has a Tetradecahedron?
• What is the other name for ‘Stinking Rose’?
• What was the original use for Play-Doh?
  
  *Answers on request!

So, with a score of 11 out of 15, how did we do? I’m pleased to report that we, the ‘Nutters II’ team, achieved the top score. What WASN’T so great was the prize! As I’ve commented before, Warner’s is ‘watching the pennies’ and is clearly on a cost-cutting exercise (well, they are here!) and our ‘prize’ was… wait for it… A hot drink and a slice of cake for (just) £6.95. Yes, you read that correctly! NOT £6.95 towards the cost, but the price we were expected to pay!! Apparently, the full cost is £10ish! We weren’t impressed!!

12.04pm: With our vouchers filed away (and unlikely to be used) it was time for our morning stroll!

Nicki located an information sheet just inside the main door of Holme Lacy House that outlined the short walk to a local Church – St Cuthbert’s!

It was a pleasant walk, but it didn’t take long for the weather to fulfil its promise. Drizzle turned to rain, but we plodded on, putting the world to rights whilst reflecting on the silliness of the Quiz Prize!

An interesting Church that also contained a history of the local Lords and Ladies who had lived in Herefordshire, courtesy of the Churches Conservation Trust.

1.32pm: Phew! That was a damp one! but we were all feeling somewhat righteous having braved the elements! Total distance covered? About 2½ miles.

2.00pm: Trivial Pursuit time! Boys v Girls!! Gosh! I haven’t played this for over 30 years!! . Not quite a suitable replacement for ‘Axe Throwing’ (that I was looking forward to, but had mysteriously been airbrushed from the today’s itinerary.

4.16pm: Three games in, and the winner was clear! The Boys won! All three (just saying! ), where our second game’s victory was achieved in record time – just 30 minutes! Ahh well, it’s the taking part, not the winning isn’t it? . Err, NO!

Time for a short rest before heading off to Paul & Sue’s room for tonight’s hosting.

6.30pm: Thanks for hosting, Paul & Sue! Champagne and nibbles – we’re getting a taste for this!

7.20pm: Off to Brasserie32 tonight for our evening meal. Helpfully, they’d offered to pull our table time from 7.45 – and that suited us perfectly!!

Really good, friendly service – so much a hallmark of Warner’s! . Well, at least that’s how it began. We even had a visit from ‘Dave’ part of the management team, to ensure we were satisfied. Sadly, it then all ‘fell off a cliff’ as all the waiting staff seemed to disappear!

9.30pm: We eventually got our just Desserts (with just our Desserts) and then sprinted off to The Pavilion for tonight’s headline act – The Simon & Garfunkel Story.

It was almost a full house and getting seats together was impossible (arriving later than planned didn’t help). Nicki and I stood at the back, nearest the Bar, giving us a clear view of the stage without the hassle of having to squeeze ourselves in amongst the hordes of our fellow guests. Later, this was to prove to be a really bad move for me personally! (do read on!) .

I wouldn’t say I’m S&G biggest fan, and consequently, some of their earlier compositions were lost on me. Overall though, it was a very well-rehearsed and solid sound and where the most important part – the harmonies – were spot on! Visually, they both (sort of) looked like the famous duo too. Personally, I thought the support Band (Bass, Lead and Drums), as accomplished as they were, didn’t add much to the overall sound mix and ‘Paul’s’ skills on the acoustic guitar were so good would have been enough to provide the instrumental support.

If tonight’s entertainment wasn’t memorable enough, Saturday was also the night when I was chatted up by a slightly inebriated fellow guest who desperately wanted to buy me a drink (poor deluded soul!). He, yes HE did try his best – three attempts – to get me to join him for a snifter, and I tried to give him all the signs that he’s definitely picked the wrong gender bloke. You’ve still got it Mr P, but tonight, I really wished I hadn’t!! . We parted with a short handshake, and he disappeared amongst the seated S&G fans!

With the limited leisure activities here, I’m really hoping he’s not a fellow axe-throwing enthusiast!

10.25pm: That’s it for another day! The food’s been great, and in some ways, it was good that we made our own entertainment. However, we all agreed that the cost-cutting measures across Warner’s was very obvious – and not in a good way!

Tomorrow, it’s probably more of the same: eat – drink – walk – play – eat – listen – avoid looking gay – drink – sleep! The headline act is ‘The Everly Brothers (and Friends)‘ where I’m probably not going to stand at the back! . See you Sunday!!!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Warner Weekend 2025 – Return to Holme Lacy (Day 2) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

With apologies to Dean Martin: “The weather outside is frightful, but heading away for the weekend is delightful!“. Time for the self-titled Northants Nutters (aka, Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda and us two, plus ‘Honorary Nutters: Richard and Nicki) to re-assemble and head for Warner’s Holme Lacy House.

The last time the Nutters were here was back in March 2020 – just prior to COVID – it was therefore good to be back under less threatening circumstances. We’re here for a long weekend, sampling everything that Warner’s has to offer – food, entertainment, outdoor ‘pursuits’ and maybe even some alcohol!

There’s plenty to keep us occupied including Crossbow Shooting, Pitch ‘n’ Putt, Rifles, Swimming, Trivia Quizzes, Tai Chi, Gym and much, much more! But if that all sounds a bit too energetic, there’s the vocal harmonies of ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story‘ as the headline act tomorrow night and ‘The Everly Brothers‘ on Sunday.

11.25am: We set off from a very cold Kettering at just before midday. The day hadn’t started well, as Ann headed for the local hotel’s swimming pool just before 6.30am for her daily workout – only to find it closed due to ‘high PH levels’. C’mon, who’s been weeing in the pool?

Next stop? Paul & Sue’s, so we could travel in one car all the way to Holme Lacy.

11.47am: We’re off!

1.35pm: Here we are at Strensham Services South, plugged in for a top up for EVie and a roll and coffee for us humans!

Welcome to Holme Lacy

Holme Lacy is a Grade I listed mansion, completed in 1674 and was reportedly visited by Charles II. Set in 20 acres of the Wye Valley, it looks and feels massive and is one of Herefordshire’s treasures. It’s now managed by Warner’s and offers mid-week/weekend breaks that are great value.

3.16pm: With check-in from 3pm, our arrival was what to be considered perfect timing! It had been a good journey except for the last 30-40 minutes, where the route consisted of minor back roads that twisted and turned to keep us on our toes. I don’t recall the route being this ‘adventurous’ last time! We were greeted at the Gatehouse and given all the necessary paperwork that would be our constant companion for the next few days.

Holme Lacy House is a sizeable pile and even though it was our second visit, the long corridors and the slightly haphazard signage kept things interesting and promoted a sense of mystery .

With the car parked and plugged in to their free EV charging, we headed for our room.

Hello room 308! . Like the House, itself, our room was a generous size with all we need for our short stay. The WiFi is good, making up for a flaky mobile signal, and it was good to see a TV aerial again after all these years!

4.30pm: With all the Nutters assembled, we met up at Reception, and then (purely by accident) drifted into the nearby Bar! . And there we stayed for the next hour catching up with everyone’s news and making plans for the weekend. It certainly looked like a packed programme where, since we were last here, they appear to have boosted the amount of entertainment – Think of it as like a Cruise but without the ship and the sea. I think we’re going to be busy!

5.45pm: After a convivial get-together and some initial planning in the Bar, we next agreed to meet at Geoff & Rhonda’s room for the now-familiar pre-dinner get-together.

7.40pm: Off to The Market Place for our evening meal. As is our style, we were later eating than many other guests here. Consequently, although we didn’t have a problem making our choices from the Buffet, it was clear that arriving early had its advantages!

We found our table for eight (after a bit of re-configuring) and settled down to some very tasty food!

9.02pm: With our evening meal over, we headed for The Pavilion Theatre. We were probably one of the last to arrive, where we invented a new pastime called ‘hunt the chair’. The result? The Nutters were distributed around the venue. The Resident Band, ‘The Symphonics’ kept us entertained up until the main act.

Lorna Adams was the headline act tonight. Well, she certainly had a powerful voice. It was probably a good job there were no windows, otherwise they may have been a casualty of tonight’s performance!

In her 60-minute performance, Lorna covered a vast range of musical styles, where some landed better than others. She certainly belted out the tunes – and for me, maybe that was the issue, as for once, it was good to be seated at the back. “Panis Angelicus” probably wasn’t an obvious track to kickstart the performance, but it certainly got most of the audience sitting up and paying attention! . From Cezar Franck, Puccini to Freddie Mercury via Meatloaf and Lady GaGa, the regular and rapid switching of musical genres was, for me, a tad confusing (but I am easily confused these days!). But it did certainly demonstrate Lorna’s vocal capabilities, and she never dropped a note throughout the fifteen-or-so numbers on her playlist. I’m probably being a bit over-critical, and the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy Lorna’s talents, even though the volume was most often around the 10.5 mark!

Lorna returned for a family-friendly encore – You’ll Never Walk Alone – before exiting stage left. By now, most of us were done, leaving Paul & Sue to fly the flag for the Nutters whilst the rest of us headed for the duvet!

10.50pm: That’s it for tonight. See you Saturday! There’s a new activity since we were last here – axe throwing! Got to try and have a go at that!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Warner Weekend 2025 – Return to Holme Lacy (Day 1) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

The good weather continues! So, it was a drive over to The Carrington Arms for an assembly of the Northants Nutters aka Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda, Rich & Nicki and us two.

I recall visiting this watering hole ‘back in the day’ when I was working. It was a central(ish) location to meet with my work colleagues arriving from all points of the compass. Today’s journey was slightly more challenging for many of us due to local road closures and some re-routing due to the pending construction of some 5000 houses! .

The Carrington Arms is NOT ‘just another Pub with steak on the menu’. It boasts its own separate steak counter serving locally raised Bedfordshire Beef! Vegetarians need not apply! . Somehow, we all managed to resist these ‘custom build’ meaty treats (available by the ounce, all types, all sizes and any thickness!) . I can only speak for my choices, but the Pie was packed with flavour and perfectly presented! (today’s Blog, sponsored by the letter ‘p’!) .

We tried, but the Desserts were just too tempting! Ann chose the Cheese, whilst the rest of us succumbed to the sweet stuff! The Tiramisu was popular and came in a jar! Delicious!!

Collectively, by the time it came to settle the bill, we all thought the meal had been one of the best we’d had in recent times.

The only thing left to do was to have an afternoon snooze head home! Wow! Great food, Great location and of course, great friends! Here’s to the next one!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Carrington Arms – Nutters Assemble! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It had been a busy day already – and it was only 7am! Ralph & Karen had slept over after helping us celebrate our Anniversary, yesterday. After a rather hurried breakfast at 9.30 and having said goodbye to them both, it was straight into final prep for today’s gathering!

Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda, Richard & Nicki plus us two all met at ours for this year’s Nutters’ Christmas Lunch. What with our recent holiday, we were a bit later with this than 2023 where then, it was our first Christmas Meal of 2023!

We had so much fun, I forgot to take any photos of us all – just the food! tom

As usual, Ann performed miracles on the menu front with more than a little help from Nicki playing to her strengths as ‘Galley Slave’ and keeping the kitchen ship-shape. The remaining Nutters all did their bit too, making it a real collaborative effort – stuffing (two types) courtesy of Sue, Mince Pies from Nicki and Cheese and Crackers from Rhonda!

We ate a lot, drank a lot and (most importantly) laughed a lot! We even had time for a Quiz as we fought off the obligatory ‘Sunday afternoon’ nap’. We made some key decisions about our ‘On Tour’ event for 2025, where, at this early stage, on the shortlist, is a return to Warners, possible their new one in Runnymede aka The Runnymede on Thames.

Phew! Events fizzled out just after 5 and after a frantic clear-up with the dishwasher on full-time duties, we finally put our feet up just after 6.30. Just time (before we crashed-out) to finish watching the latest Dalgliesh episode and with our eyes slowly closing, the slightly ‘not-sure-about-this-series-yet’ Return to Paradise – Episode 4.

We finally gave in to exhaustion just after 8pm! Party Animals ehh? Well, part-time Party Animals!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Nutters Reunited for Christmas! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Here we are, as part of the Northants Nutters group! It’s Day 10, our final day, and our third and final Sea Day as we head for Southampton. Not much to read today, as it’s more of a summary of this year’s adventure with the Northants Nutters.

Northants Nutters – Previous Tour Dates

Nutters 2019 – Our first Warner experience
Warner Weekend 2019 – Littlecote House Hotel
(March 2019)

Nutters 2020 – Our second visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2020 – Holme Lacy House
(March 2020)

Nutters 2021 – Our third visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2021 – Gunton Hall
(August 2021)

Nutters 2022 – Our fourth visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2022 – Alvaston Hall
(January 2022)

Nutters 2022 – …and then we went abroad…
we flew to Cyprus!!
Northants Nutters abroad
(November 2022)

Nutters 2023 – …and then to sea!
Northants Nutters at Sea
(August 2023)

Nutters 2024 – Missed a Post on this trip?
Day 1 – Setting Sail
Day 2 – Sea Day I
Day 3 – Santander, Spain
Day 4 – Sea Day II
Day 5 – Vigo, Spain
Day 6 – Lisbon, Portugal
Day 7 – Lisbon, Portugal
Day 8 – Leixoes, Portugal
Day 9 – La Coruna, Spain

8.25am: A later start for us today, and a quick look out of our window revealed that it’s a very grey day! Cold and misty too! Yuk! We skipped breakfast and began packing!

The Final Quiz

12.15pm: This was our final contribution to the various Quizzes around Ventura that we’ve been part of. It looked like a good turnout, but contributions soon evaporated once we got going and the audience realised there was going to be a need to DRAW!

With no sign of our original team captain, Jasmine nor her replacement during the previous round (her Mum). So, our latest appointment – Eamon – took charge of our half of the room.

Sharon was in charge of the opposing team and nominated Sally as their illustrator.

Round 3 – today’s final round – took the form of Pictionary based around famous films. With each team nominating someone to illustrate those films on the card. It was a tough one! . Our very own Nicki was a natural and did us proud, but the opposition’s nomination – Sally – was also pretty good, both armed with just a pen and a dry-wipe board… and their imagination!!

Our half were in the lead from the start and continued to hold off the opposition, in spite of their determination to win! In the end, the best team won… even though our Quiz-Master initially, was unable to add up, and announced Sharon’s side as the victors! . At this late stage, it was clearly not the ‘taking part’ – we really wanted to win!! After some noisy protestation from our side, numbers were checked and justice prevailed as we walked away the winners overall. To the victors, the spoils! – a(nother) bottle of wine from the Ventura’s cellars!

The Final Meal

6.32pm: Our final meal again, didn’t disappoint, although speaking personally, the pressure of a three-courser each night for 10 days, is beginning to take its toll – I’ll be pleased to get back to basics!

The Final Show

8.30pm: ‘Centre Stage’ was the final performance tonight of ‘Headliners’ (the on-ship entertainment team). Tonight’s show promised ‘music from the big Musicals’ – and it certainly lived up to the hype. With lighting, special effects, choreography and vocals all top notch, it was a bit of a surprise when about five-minutes from the end, everything stopped – music, dancing and the curtain came down! Literally!!! A pre-recorded message was played encouraging us to ‘stay put’ (which the majority of the audience obeyed). This was followed by the Entertainments Manager appearing on-stage looking a bit flustered and announcing that they weren’t able to complete the performance due to an incident with a passenger (not the performers!). It was all very strange, and we never did get to find out specifically what happened.

The Final Drink

9.35pm: We decided to end this trip with a visit to the rather chilled-out Metropolis Bar on Deck 18. This had become our ‘go-to’ venue when seeking a quieter location in which to reflect on the day – or tonight, where we looked back on the whole Cruise. We all agreed that it had been a great trip and we began to think about how we might top this one NEXT time.

For us two, who’ve experienced Ventura before and more widely, P&O Cruises, this Cruise has left a big smile on our faces. The food has been better than expected; the Ports also impressed (especially La Coruna). The staff were as polite and professional as ever, and the entertainment, punched well above its weight (well, apart from the comedian!). All-in-all, a great time, where being able to spend it with a group of friends too, added an extra something.

10.35pm: Time to retire for the night. Some of us are using the ‘Express Checkout’ tomorrow morning, allowing us to get off between 7 and 8am (providing you can carry your own luggage) whilst others are taking the slightly later option.

Thanks again for all the reads of this daily blog – 402 views and counting!

Our Photo Reel is
HERE

Farewell Northants Nutters – until the next time!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 8th July (Day 10) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

7.25am: Here we are, as part of the Northants Nutters group! It’s Day 9 – our penultimate day – and we’ve just docked in La Coruna, northern Spain. Thanks for all the reads this holiday – over 350 so far!

We weren’t expecting to be here, but P&O tweaked the schedule a few days back because of the predicted weather conditions in Guernsey (our original final stop). As a result of the reshuffle of destinations, it’s now a formal night again tonight (our second one, since we boarded).

The last time the two of us were in La Coruna was almost 20 years ago (9 September, 2004) aboard another cruise ship – the Wind Surf.

Back then, miles away from home, we ran into a work colleague who happened to be on a Cruise too! They were aboard Queen Mary 2 that had moored next door. What a coincidence! .

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Setting Sail
Day 2 – Sea Day
Day 3 – Santander, Spain
Day 4 – Sea Day
Day 5 – Vigo, Spain
Day 6 – Lisbon, Portugal
Day 7 – Lisbon, Portugal
Day 8 – Leixoes, Portugal

Twenty years later, the Cruise Terminal area feels very different – it looks a lot larger than how we remember it back in 2004 (but maybe I’ve shrunk!) .

10.45am: All Nutters present and correct outside Costa! Ready? We’re off ashore!!

Again, the Ventura has been able to dock close to the town, so no faffing about in lifeboats, and as the weather isn’t super-hot, as our first activity we plan to take a wander into town and look around.

Around the Cruise Terminal

11.25am: This was already turning into a much warmer day that the forecast suggested – and that suited us perfectly! . Ann and I could now clearly see that the Terminal had benefited from a massive makeover since we were here in 2004 (and it looked all for the better for it, too!)

Castelo De San Antón

11.34am: Up ahead, we could see a Castle. Again, Ann and I didn’t recall it from last time, but there it was, and now open to the public. At a paltry 2.06€ for admission (cheaper for OAPs – just 1.03€!), we thought we’d take a look around. Geoff & Rhonda sat this one out as the rest of us Nutters headed for the ticket booth, not really knowing what to expect.

“At the end of the 16th century, Felipe II had San Anton Castle built on a small rocky island as a fortress for defending La Coruna Port.
As a result of many restoration projects, it took on its current appearance at the end of the 18th century.
It was also a prison until the middle of the 20th century. Since 1968 it has housed the Municipal Archaeological and History Museum”.

First impressions? It looked good! Spread across two levels, there was a fair bit to see. The ground floor consisted mainly of remains discovered during various archaeological and restoration projects, whilst the upper floor boasted some unrivalled views across the Port (more of that later).

For us, as interesting as the ground floor was, ‘up top’ had the wow factor! That was once we got up the staircase! . There seemed to be just a single (spiral) staircase to access the second floor, and we had to judge if people were already on their way down – as there wasn’t room for ‘two-way traffic’.

We got there eventually though! And it was most certainly worth the wait for the stunning vistas!

Wow!

It’s that time again!

11.45am: Ahh! 11.45 and it’s almost ‘beer o’clock’. We linked-up with Geoff & Rhonda and headed in the direction of the old town. Being a Sunday, we weren’t sure what would be open, but after about half a mile of walking, the path split into two, and we could see two Bars in the distance – one on each side. We chose the one on the right – San Francisco – for no reason at all and were soon seated and being served!

12.25pm: This was perfect! Out in the sunshine, sipping a cool beer and chatting with friends!

Wandering in Coruna

1.15pm: Suitably rehydrated, we decided to explore more of the old town. Geoff & Rhonda decided to go shopping and then head back to the Ventura followed shortly afterwards by Richard & Nicki, leaving the remaining half of the Nutters – Paul & Sue and Ann and me to see where the quiet streets took us. It certainly felt very/strangely relaxing just wandering about with no idea where the route would take us.

Well, we weren’t expecting that! Nestled amongst the narrow streets and houses was… a Convent – specifically: Convento de Santa Bárbara. We weren’t thinking of joining up, but it WAS open, and so we took a look inside. Originally built in the fifteenth century and expanded and improved in the eighteenth, the Poor Clare Mothers live here in a cloistered regime. Clearly a tough life in that the daily life consists of both work and prayer and a life of penance and contemplation. Their rules state that the Sisters shall fast at all times except on the Feast of the Nativity. Not strict enough? Their constitution explains that meat may not be used, even at Christmas. Bah, Humbug! doesn’t even begin to describe the conditions! Given their enthusiasm for fasting, and how much we, the Nutters have got through in the past 9 days, I don’t think we were prime recruits anyway!

A little further on, through a small space between two houses, we could see an impressive structure. This required further investigation and as we headed through the gap…

1.27pm: …we arrived in Pita Square. As every Spaniard probably knows, the Square is named after Maria Pita, a local heroine who played a pivotal role in defending the city against English invaders during May 1589.

Legend has it that after the Brits had seized control of most of the lower part of Coruna and after her husband was fatally wounded, Maria Pita snatched a spear from the English captain and killed him. The Captain was allegedly the brother of Admiral Francis Drake.

An impressive story that matched how impressed we four were with the look and feel of this Plaza. This is a beautiful Square lined on three sides with plenty of Bars, Restaurants and small shops. On the fourth side, facing away from the statue of Maria Pita was the equally impressive Coruna City Hall.

Heading through the gap to the left of City Hall revealed the Church of St George. It’s a Roman Catholic Church, constructed in 1906 in the Baroque style.

1.45pm: We left Paul & Sue to carry on exploring beautiful Coruna whilst we headed back to Ventura. On the walk back, we both agreed that this had not been the ‘La Coruna’ we remember – for all the right reasons! . The Cruise Terminal had been modernised, there seemed to be more places to eat and drink. It had been great fun wandering around the old town – and the better-than-expected-weather helped. We’re pretty sure that there is even more to explore here, and it’s therefore another destination we’d love to come back to in the future.

Back on the Ventura

2.05pm: Back in the room – time for a small nibble and a short siesta!

Nutters and Nibbles

5.30pm: It was around to Paul & Sue’s tonight (hosted by Richard & Nicki) as we prepared to say goodbye to La Coruna. Pre-dinner drinks and nibbles were the order of the day, where speaking personally, a special thanks to Richard & Nicki for helping me to rediscover ‘Mojitos’ – and their version of this classic cocktail using Spiced Rum. (Standing is so over-rated!)

Bay Tree Restaurant

6.40pm: It was back to the Bay Tree Restaurant tonight for our evening meal. Again, it didn’t disappoint, with even more Courses than usual! . Our Waiters: Agnelo and Jarold have really looked after us!

Evening Entertainment

8.30pm: After the meal we headed to Arena – the Ship’s Theatre – to see The Vinylettes, featuring the Greatest Hits of Soul and Motown. Supported by the Ship’s resident seven-piece orchestra, they were a tight trio and belted out over 20 hits without a break! Brilliant! The Northants Nutters even got a mention by the Group!

Late Night Quiz

10.30pm: Here we are for the late-night Quiz. We’ve done well during this Cruise and hopefully tonight, we’ll maintain the tradition! . By 11.30, it was all over, and we’d accrued a total score of 10, making us joint third. We’ve got a final Quiz tomorrow in the Exchange Bar, so that’s another opportunity to shine! (or not!)

11.55pm: It’s our final day on board tomorrow. Nighty-night!

Camera Reel so far
HERE

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 7th July (Day 9) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Day 8 – Saturday, 6th July

7.32am: Morning all! We’re with the Northants Nutters group aboard the good ship Ventura! It’s Day 8 and we’re just about to dock in Leixoes in Portugal.

Missed a Post?
Day 1 – Setting Sail (eventually!)
Day 2 – Sea Day 1
Day 3 – Santander, Spain
Day 4 – Sea Day 2
Day 5 – Vigo, Spain
Day 6 – Lisbon, Portugal
Day 7 – Lisbon, Portugal

Hold the front page! .
Just as we went to bed last night, we noticed that according to the daily newspaper, Guernsey is OFF due to predicted poor weather. Instead, we’re now heading for La Coruna on Day 9 and where Day 10 becomes our third, and final, Sea Day. It’s not ideal, but you can’t beat Mother Nature, especially at sea! . I can imagine the turmoil behind the scenes here as they re-arranged the on-board entertainment – and everything else – to fit around the new schedule!

The remaining days look like this…

8.32am: OK, back to the here and now. It’s a slightly cooler one forecast for today, and it’s also an earlier start for us as the Walking Tour begins sharp at 9am. Whoever said Cruising was about long lie-ins, needs to err, go on a Cruise! . After a quick breakfast in the Buffet, we prepared to disembark.

Apart from the Walking Tour, our only other plans are to meet up with the rest of the Nutters for the England v Switzerland soccer match later at 5pm. I’ve put aside an extra dose of BP tablets for that one!

About Oporto

I didn’t know much about Porto before the holiday – now I’m showing off…
The names Oporto and Porto are interchangeable – the former is the Brit version.
It’s Portugal’s second-largest city
Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) designed the Maria Pia Bridge
It’s famous for Port production
It has a famous bookshop where J. K. Rowling spent a lot of time
The Metro can take you to the beach (Matosinhos)

Walkies (2)

8.42am: This is our second organised Tour in as many days, as we joined the coach for P&O’s ‘Oporto on Foot’. It was clearly a popular choice and our transport filled up really quickly. We were hoping to run into Richard & Nicki, but with so many people on this one, they were on a separate coach. The half-hour (ish) coach journey would get us to the starting point in the City and pick us up after the walk finished around 1pm. After yesterday’s ‘moist one’, we were thankful of the earlier start and the slightly cooler temperatures here! .

9.22am: George introduced himself as our Tour Guide for today and also to Marsha who was our driver. After our almost traffic-free drive to the City, we left Marsha in charge of the Coach, and we all assembled, awaiting George’s commentary.

Architecturally speaking, there’s a lot to see here, and just like our Guide, Christina, yesterday, George knew all there was to know about this City and freely shared his knowledge.

Like everywhere else we’ve visited here in Portugal, the buildings were all very colourful and often highly decorated. Again, tiles feature heavily on many buildings and in the absence of those, there was always plenty of colour. I don’t think anyone could accuse the towns and cities we’ve seen so far of being drab! Even JK Rowling spent a lot of time here writing her Harry Potter novels (we saw the queue for it!!)

And if bright colours don’t do it for you, then the intricacy of much of the architecture is definitely worth a closer look!

10.00am: For a mix of the two, the local Railway Station – Sao Bento (St Benedict), that opened in 1916 is worth a look. With its mix of tiled artwork and vibrant coloured ceiling, it’ll definitely bring out the best in your photos!

10.31pm: A timely pit-stop at Jeronymo located inside the Station was spot on – George had timed in perfectly! If you are following in our footsteps, here are few points about Porto to note:

• Some of the pavements are cobbled – take care!
• Currently, the city is having major underground work done to extend the Metro. The small issue of the River Douor under the streets being diverted meant that there is a fair degree of disruption on the surface affecting the usual walking routes
• It’s a busy city and the mix of tourists and locals plus other visitors made the sidewalks very busy at times
• That was a yukky coffee!

10.55am: Talking of the Metro, this is a relatively recent innovation for Porto (the first lines opened in 2002) that makes it easy to get INTO and OUT OF the City. George had mentioned that for many locals, it had become prohibitively expensive to live in Porto – and the Metro made it easy for them to live elsewhere and travel in. Like some parts of the UK’s equivalent, outside of the City, the system runs ABOVE ground. Inside Porto’s Metro station, it was scrupulously clean, spacious and where the very clear mapping looked like it was easy to get around. Note that it’s a cashless system and uses a ‘charge-card’ system.

Since we arrived, we’ve learned that you are never too far from a Church or Cathedral, and the theme continues here in Porto.

If you’re bored with the religious aspects, instead, there are always the spectacular views across the City! Any Port in a Storm, ehh? Geddit???

11.10am: …or the tiny back-streets revealing more of the more everyday scenes of Porto.

11.30am: For us, the most memorable part was when our Walk reached the water’s edge – The Douro River. At this point, George gave us 45 minutes of free time to simply wander about and soak up the scenery (there was a lot to soak up!)

12.01pm: Being Saturday and with the weather now even warmer, it certainly brought out the crowds. Finding a free table for a quick coffee was a real challenge, but we found one, nearer to the iron bridge

Yes, this was certainly a popular destination today, and we’re glad we arrived just before it seemed to explode with visitors!

12.15pm: Our coachload of intrepid wanderers returned to the pickup point and George was waiting for us. We took the short walk to the coach pickup point and were soon heading back to Ventura. It had been a great morning and all felt we’d got an even greater feel for Porto, thanks to George’s expansive knowledge. In thirty minutes, we’d be back on board…

12.31pm: …or would we? Clearly, to make us Brits feel more at home, the Tourist Board had laid on a good ol’ fashioned mega traffic-jam! It added around 15 minutes to the journey, making it about an hour before we got to the Cruise Terminal. There, the queue of cars was replaced by a queue of people! It seemed that trying to get around 200 passengers through just two security gates without any congestion was only ever going to be wishful thinking.

12.59pm: The slightly cooler temperature and less humidity certainly helped our endurance today. We didn’t cover quite as much distance as yesterday in Lisbon – but we both felt we’d seen a lot of Porto, feeling that this was another destination we’ll be returning to before too long.

1.10pm: Back in the room! Just time to enjoy a local delicacy (again!) of Pasteis De Nata (aka Custard Tarts) – cheers for treating us Richard & Nicki.

3.00pm: Feet up before the match!

C’mon England!

4.30pm: Have I got everything?

• A beer (in case we score!)
• Another beer (in case we don’t!)
• My Blood Pressure tablets

Yes, I’m ready!!

5.00pm: Someone on the planning side of things onboard Ventura was sufficiently optimistic to show the match in THREE locations around the ship. The Nutters settled for the Havana Lounge where Richard & Nicki had helpfully bagged an area that would accommodate us all with a good view of quite a few screens.

7.30pm: As expected, it was a stressful watch – into Extra Time and then finally, the dreaded penalties!!! But we got there in the end! Phew!

We ended the evening in the Buffet over a much lighter meal than we’ve got used to on previous nights. In my case, a real ‘dog’s dinner’ of Lamb, Chicken and Pizza.

Hardly ‘gourmet’, but it hit the mark!

Tomorrow…

A super-lazy day. We’re meeting at Costas for 10.45 and then taking the walk into La Caruna for a look around. We haven’t been there for around 20 years (9 September, 2004) and it’ll be interesting to see how much we recall and how much has changed.

9.30pm: A super-early one! Night all! . See you tomorrow!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 6th July (Day 8) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Here we are, as part of the Northants Nutters group! It’s Day 7, and we’re on our second (and final) day in Lisbon. We set sail later for Leixões in Portugal at around 5.30pm tonight.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Setting Sail (eventually!)
Day 2 – Sea Day 1
Day 3 – Santander, Spain
Day 4 – Sea Day 2
Day 5 – Vigo, Spain
Day 6 – Lisbon, Portugal

Day 7 – Friday, 5th July

6.45am: Morning all! Weather-wise, it’s ‘more of the same’ today – Sun, Sun and more Sun, with the hottest part of the day being the middle of the afternoon. It may be just a few degrees cooler than Thursday, but as we were to discover, there was a much more humid day waiting for us.

After last night’s banquet, we skipped breakfast – even I couldn’t stare at a sausage this morning!

Today’s itinerary was a super-relaxed one! Having spent most of my life slagging-off Cruise Excursions for their lack of value and general over-pricing, today we’re going on one! It’s a P&O’s organised walk called (imaginatively!) ‘Lisbon on Foot’ (how do they think of these names? ). It’s just us two – a Nutter-free day – until we all meet tonight at Paul and Sue’s to experience the Ventura sail under the famous 25th April Bridge as we head for our next stop – Leixões.

Walkies!

10.01am: On first glance at the above, I thought the name of our Guide was Pastel, but Pastel turned out to be a tart (of the traditional variety) – note to self: read the small print, Palmer! .

It was a popular tour with around 20 in the group. ‘Christina’ introduced herself as our Tour Guide. She was a local and therefore knew an awful lot about her home city. She was also very mindful of the increasing temperature and directed us into the shade at every opportunity, It might only have been 10am (ish), but it was already a few degrees north of the promised 23°C, according to the temperature on a nearby building!

The general direction of travel was UP and Christina pointed us to our final destination. From where we were standing it looked like a bit of a slog (especially given the increasing temperatures), but Christina had a cunning plan to get us some of the best views across Lisbon, without having to supply us with rope and oxygen! That plan was to ‘meander’ upwards, zig-zagging our way to the top.

10.15am: It didn’t take us long to appreciate that this Tour was the perfect complement to yesterday’s ‘race around the city by bus’. Some of the sites that we’d seen from a distance on the top deck, came more sharply into focus – quite literally!

It’s certainly a colourful City. Whereas other destinations might reach for the grey and darker hues to decorate their buildings, Lisbon is different and needs no excuse for slapping bright colours on things. Pinks, greens, blues, and yellows are a popular choice. Even the bougainvilleas seemed brighter than back home!

We learned that when the rebuilding of the Lisbon commenced (post-earthquake) it was agreed that wherever possible they’d try and mimic the older designs – and there’s plenty of evidence that this has been implemented in the sense that in many areas, it’s an ‘old’ new (or is that ‘new’ old?) city

10.45am: These were interesting. Tiles play a big part in external facias out here, but this was far more specific. The first: ‘The Battle for Lisbon’ and above: ‘Views of Lisbon’. Both are quite large (15 foot plus) and in really good condition.

The location – Miradoure de Santa Luzia – is also considered to be one of the best viewpoints in Lisbon – and from here, we got a clear view of Ventura.

11.15am: As we continued our zig-zagging, Christina took us to another superb viewing platform, next to the Zambeze Rooftop Bar.

Having now reached the highest point of our walk – Portas do Sol Viewpoint – it was time for descent! And not a moment too soon. It was now even hotter and although the frequent shady stops had helped, we were all thinking: How long before the promised stop for a drink and the legendary tart?

If yesterday’s Bus fiasco confirmed that the ROADS can get very congested in this capital city, then it was pretty similar as a pedestrian. If you’re not a fan of crowds, then best stay away during the Summer – there were people everywhere! . Clearly a popular destination especially in and around the Square.

11.35am: Descent before dissent as we were now officially ‘downtown’ and negotiating the crowds, hopefully getting even closer to our promised cuppa!

…whilst admiring the views from nearby Rossio Square.

11.50am: Yes, it all felt a very vibrant City, but we were all now in need of serious sustenance!

The restaurant, Cozinha da Estação was within easy reach and at last, we settled down a cold drink and the main event – a Pasel De Nata all round! For those who haven’t tried them, they’re like a custard tart with an optional sprinkling of cinnamon.

Yummy! It certainly got our tastebuds going, but they’re not to everyone’s taste, as the rest of our table demonstrated.

12.15pm: Next stop? The Railway Station. Christina explained its significance during WWII, where because of Portugal’s neutrality, it became a VERY popular destination for displaced citizens across Europe attempting to get to the USA.

12.35pm: We were now on the final lap of the Tour. Above is the Santa Justa Lift. The hills of Lisbon have always presented a problem for travel between the higher and lower streets and this technical marvel (for its age) solves the problem. Opened in 1901 by King Carlos there’s more information HERE.

12.55pm: Our final stop (and for me, the most visually impressive) was the Rua Augusta Arch. Built to commemorate the city’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake, it is constructed completely from stone. There is a lot of detail contained in the arch itself and a comprehensive interpretation is HERE.

Wow! It had been a very interesting Tour. Christina certainly knew her stuff – and didn’t mind sharing it! I think in the end, as good as it was, the humidity got the better of me, and I was pleased to be heading back the Ventura. My legs were also telling me, they felt like they’d been given a serious workout this morning!

They had! . Time for ‘feet up’ before joining the rest of the Nutters later for our ‘sail away’ under the 24th April Bridge.

Sail Away

5.55pm: We’re all round at Paul & Sue’s ready for departing Lisbon and heading for Leixões.

The Bay Tree Restaurant

6.35pm: Here we are again! Time for our evening meal with our fellow Nutters!

Great food and service again!

Evening Entertainment

8.30pm: Entitled ‘Paradise Rock’, it was billed as a ‘timeless tale of love and loss’. I enjoyed the familiar rock anthems and the singing and music together with the lighting and stage effects was flawless, but it somehow didn’t come together for me – and I’m not sure why! . OK, the dialogue was a bit cheesy in places, but the acting was good. Out of everything I’ve seen on-board so far, this felt like the weakest offering. Having said that, they were all toe-tapping tunes and it was a pretty full house. Maybe it’s just me!!

Tomorrow

It’s an early start tomorrow for us – we have to be off the Ship by about 8.45am! Ouch!! . We’ve got another morning walking tour, this time it’s around the streets of Aporto town. Catch you all tomorrow!

10.15pm: Nighty-night! See you Saturday, bright and early!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 5th July (Day 7) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Here we are aboard P&O’s Ventura, part of the Northants Nutters ‘on tour’ group aka Geoff & Rhonda, Paul & Sue, Richard & Nicki and us two! It’s now Day 6 of our 10-dayer where we’ve arrived in Lisbon, Portugal – and we’ve got a sleepover as we’re here for TWO days.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Setting Sail

Day 2 – Sea Day 1

Day 3 – Santander, Spain

Day 4 – Sea Day 2

Day 5 – Vigo, Spain

It looks like a great day ahead weather-wise! We’ve got plans for city tour and later tonight, we’re off to a highly-rated restaurant in the city – Alfama Cellar (more about them later).

10.45am: We, ‘Nutters 6’, met up at Costa onboard and discussed rough timings and then headed for midships and the gorgeous weather that Lisbon had on offer. Geoff & Rhonda left the Ship earlier as they’re elsewhere on an amphibious vehicle adventure! .

Hello Lisbon!

Neither of us recall much about our last visit to Lisbon (turns out it was 12th September, 2004) – it was the final day of our Windstar Cruise before disembarking and flying back to Heathrow – and I don’t think we explored the city at all.

By coincidence, today is also Liberty Day – a public holiday here in Portugal, so we’re expecting the capital city to be busy.

What are we doing in Lisbon? For us six, we followed the tried and tested (and somewhat comforting) ‘Red Bus Sightseeing Tour‘ option – what better way to get a feel for this (and any other) big city? At the time of writing there are a number of options – The RED or the BLUE Route. Online there’s talk of the PURPLE Route too as well as a GREEN one – signs of confusion yet to come? Read on! .

So, our most important decision of the day? Do we take the Red or the Blue? Or both? I’ve ignored the ‘Purple’ option as the online feedback wasn’t particularly good, and information about the Green route was sparse. Tickets started at around £23 and that (according to their website) gave us access to both routes within 12 months – or, as the staff, today, suggested: “today and tomorrow only”

Great value!

In the end, we chose the Red Route with thoughts that we might take the Blue Route afterwards. Each is around 80-90 minutes long, so we’d easily have time for both. In the end though, it didn’t matter, but I’ll leave that explanation for later!

11.02am: It all began so well: plenty of staff on hand to advise and provide free maps, a sparkly clean bus with comfy seats, an open air section upstairs with some shade up the front if needed and finally, proper, professionally produced commentary in a variety of languages – sounded and felt perfect!

11.10am: So far, so good. We’re on the official Sightseeing Bus and heading for the Red Route. As expected, the Bus was super-busy, but we got our choice of seats upstairs. After a short delay getting through the initial traffic jams, we hit the ‘sights’.

Lisbon is certainly a pretty city, where the brightly coloured buildings complemented by externally tiled affairs made it all very easy on the eye. It’s a real mix of buildings – in age, style and construction. Portugal’s capital also seems to sport more statues-per-square-metre than anywhere we’ve ever visited.

And amongst all the old architecture is many NEW buildings too – mostly a mix of commercial HQs and Hotels.

Stately looking constructions as well as large and more modern interpretations all seemed to get along very well – and for the shopaholics, there’s a broad mix on offer to cater for purses and wallets of every size – from small supermarkets and soft-drug suppliers () to super-shiny bling establishments for the super-rich.

There seems to plenty of open green spaces here too, close to the hustle and bustle of the shopping scene.

In spite of the major earthquake in 1755, where a resulting devastating fire pretty much destroyed everything and killed in excess of 40000 people plus a French occupation and then a tsunami; Lisbon has managed to completely rebuild itself. To our eyes, this city has bounced back… and some! . But unlike Vigo, yesterday, the traffic was manic – it’s a typical capital city, I guess! Full marks to our driver then, who managed to manoeuvre our bus around/in/out of some very tight spaces, avoiding important obstacles like other cars, the plethora of tuk-tuks (really!) and the all-important pedestrians!!

So far so good? Err…

Tick-tock! The Tour should have lasted no longer than 90 minutes but the traffic had been heavy and we put the overrun down to nothing more than congestion. Poor innocent fools! I think we were about 85 minutes in when we all came to the same conclusion – something wasn’t quite right. After 90 minutes, rather a penalty shoot-out, we played an equally stressful round of ‘Spot the Cruise Terminal’ (that was nowhere to be seen – in fact, we couldn’t even see the sea!). I should have taken more notice of the recorded commentary that I first heard earlier… about an hour ago… that was now replaying the same information. Surely that WASN’T a good sign?

It seems we weren’t the only ones who were more than slightly confused as to what was going on. Various discussions with fellow travellers revealed a confused state of affairs including the weirdest one of all, according to another couple from the Ventura – we would have to change buses!

That couldn’t possibly be right, could it? COULD IT???

It was correct! . By now, the Bus had parked in an area we’d seen before – Stop 1, Marques de Pombal – only this time, the company representative urged us all to get off and switch to the Bus parked next door.

If this journey had a theme tune, it would have been ‘Hotel California’. If it were a geometric shape – a triangle. Forget Bermuda, this was The Lisbon Triangle, where we seemed to have completely disappeared from the official listed route. Consulting the freely supplied map didn’t help much, as there was nothing there to suggest that a change of Bus was required. It was all very strange! .

Eventually, seated in our new transport, we took off at speed. A quick glance at the official map showed us that we were now on the Blue Route and heading in the right direction! Phew! It’s perhaps slightly ironic that (according to Encyclopedia Britannica) Lisbon was once considered: “a remote outpost on what was thought to be the farthest edge of the known world!” I know the feeling!

2.15pm: Three hours later, we arrived back at the Cruise Terminal – double the original estimated time! We still don’t know where it all went wrong, but, on a positive note, mile-for-mile, we certainly got our money’s worth today! . It could only have been funnier if our Driver was a descendant of Portugal’s “Henry the Navigator“.

That was an adventure! And like all adventures, a degree of unpredictability can keep you sharp. We must be some of the sharpest Nutters around!

Lisbon revisited?

Providing it’s not by Bus!!! Seriously though: We really liked Lisbon and feel a return visit is on the cards, where we can spend longer just looking around. The fantastic weather obviously helped, but it ticked a lot of boxes for us two…

• Plenty of old buildings
• A mix of architectural styles
• Plenty of green open spaces
• Old shops and new ones too!
• Museums & Art Galleries

2.30pm: We’re all ‘bussed-out’! Some of us found a Bar whilst others headed back to the Ventura to put their feet up. Holidays can be SO stressful!

7.15pm: We met at Costa before heading ashore to find a Taxi for our evening meal.

Evening Meal – “Alfama Cellar”

As we’re on an overnighter here in Lisbon, we thought it would be good to see the local area at night. We’d booked a table at nearby Alfama Cellar, a short walk away.

7.35pm: It wasn’t the largest of restaurants, but they were big on hospitality, where our hosts took time to answer all our questions to help us make our decisions about what to eat. Language wasn’t an issue and it’s the first eatery where the ‘wine list’ was literally the wines on display around the restaurant. . They were happy to let us try any that we thought we’d like.

Gosh! It was warm inside though. Even with the AC doing its best! I think we all lost half-a-stone before we’d even ordered (which was probably a good thing, given what was to come!)

Again, what the restaurant lacked in size, it was big elsewhere – TASTE. We all enjoyed our respective choices, and I’ll be the first to admit that even though I’m a serious chocoholic, I needed help with my Dessert. The photograph above doesn’t really do it justice, but tonight, size WAS everything, and fortunately, some of my fellow Nutters helped me out! . Thanks Nutters!

9.36pm: Wow! What a fantastic experience – especially for our tastebuds! The Restaurant had a very cosy feel about it and we were all made to feel very welcome. The bill was wallet-friendly too, working out at around £76 per couple – that included 3 bottles of wine, 5 beers, 6 bottles of water, 3 Starters, 8 Mains and 3 Desserts.

9.44pm: It was good to be outside, even though it was still very warm at around 30°C!. As we took the slow wander back to Ventura, I was wondering how the Election had panned-out at home… and then 2 seconds later, I’d forgotten all about it – they’ll be time enough for that later and ‘holiday mode’ had rightly kicked back in! Most important of all – what a beautiful evening to be out with a group of Nutters!!

10.30pm: Back on board, we all did our own thing. Whilst some returned to Quiz Night, a few of us headed for the Havana Lounge to enjoy Dean Richardson as Freddie Mercury.

Obviously, no filming allowed, so here’s ‘Freddie’ performing on P&O Azura around a year ago. For me, he didn’t look like Freddie Mercury or particularly sound like him, nor have his idol’s mannerisms, but what did shine through was his showmanship. And that carried the evening with 101% audience participation and support, I’d say he had us right where he wanted us! And with three shows under his belt tonight he was clearly very, VERY popular. It’s worth mentioning the musicians too – Pulse – who demonstrated their ability to mimic Queen’s back catalogue with immense precision! A good show and a perfect end to the evening.

Tomorrow

Friday is our second and final day in Lisbon. Ann and I have a walking tour booked tomorrow that’ll take most of the morning!

11.35pm: What a couple of lightweights – an early night! Nighty night! See you all tomorrow!

Meanwhile, back in reality-land!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 4th July (Day 6) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Morning everyone! . Thanks for all the reads so far! Here we are with our fellow Northants Nutters, halfway through our 10-day adventure aboard P&O’s Ventura. It’s Day 5, and we’re moored in the Port of Vigo, on the north-east coast of Spain until mid-afternoon.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Setting Sail (eventually!)

Day 2 – Sea Day 1

Day 3 – Santander, Spain

Day 4 – Sea Day 2

Vigo?

Vigo is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the Ria de Vigo, the southernmost of the Rías Baixas. It is the capital of the comarca of Vigo. The municipality, with an area of 109.06 km² (42.11 sq mi) and (in 2022) a population of 292,374 is the most populous municipality in Galicia. The area of the municipality includes the Cíes Islands, part of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. Once famous for its fishing industry, it is now better known for the Stellantis car factory that provides around 6000 local jobs.

Weather or not…

Actually, in spite of the above forecast, during the 8am tannoy announcement from the Bridge, they reminded us that it MIGHT hit 29°C later today and to make sure we were suitably protected. I took Ann!

9.30am: We all met at the now familiar on-board Costa before leaving the Ventura to take advantage of the good weather.

Just as previously at the Port in Santander, getting to the town in Vigo was super-simple. The Ventura had moored right next to the Cruise Terminal that was in turn in the centre of town. So, it was a just a short walk and we were where we need to be.

Vigotarians!

Thanks to some research by Rhonda, we made plans to head for the local Shopping Centre area to enjoy a 90-minute tour of the town via the Tourist Bus – and at just €7.50 each, it was great value. There’s no ‘red bus sightseeing tour’ here, so this was the next best thing! Cheers, Rhonda!

As the marketing material described it:-

“From open air, upper floor of the Vigo’s tourist bus you can discover some of the city’s most emblematic areas. Thanks to the commentary system, available in several languages, you’ll learn that Policarpo Sanz Street and García Barbón Street host most of Vigo’s museums and also who these personages were. The sightseeing tour stops at the best viewpoint over the Vigo estuary; you’ll discover the authentic city, its neighbourhoods like Coia, and it will also take you to the beautiful beaches of Vigo“.

More details HERE and even more HERE.

We’re on the Bus!

9.57am: It was certainly a popular choice! When we eventually found the bus-stop (as the photo shows, right opposite the Hotel Bahia de Vigo) it began to fill up quickly. There was no pre-booking facility, so it was a case of paying the driver as we boarded. By the time the Bus arrived at just before 10am, the queue was just beginning to outgrow the bus-shelter.

Given the gorgeous weather (the best since we began the Cruise) it was no surprise that the TOP deck was going to be popular. Luckily, The Nutters, were one of the first to board and by the time the Bus left at just before 10.20, the top-deck was full!

Unlike the Road-Train from earlier in the Cruise, the commentary via the headphones was perfectly audible AND we could control the volume – LUXURY! . We were soon on our way. We were last here PRE-blog days, so we’ve no idea exactly when it was (but we think at least 20 years!). As we began to soak up the view of the town, we remembered NOTHING of our previous visit – not a thing! Maybe that’s not unusual for ME, but for Ann not to recall anything must be a first!

The first thing we noticed – or rather, felt – was how hilly everywhere was here. So-much-so It reminded us of San Francisco!

It was also a busy town, but on the day we were here, not TOO busy. During the whole of the trip, we hardly got caught in any congestion at all and that made it an even more enjoyable experience as we cruised around the town without issue, but with a perfect view. I say ‘issue’ but there was that small matter of losing a passenger or two!

As we departed the castle walls after the first stop, one of our fellow travellers realised her husband was missing! Yes, really! . The Bus came to an immediate halt and after a few minutes, our left-behind traveller and his friend re-boarded – much to the merriment of the rest of us – and the embarrassment of a certain few!

With everyone back on board, we continued on our journey (keeping a very careful eye on our recently reunited passengers). I would say that Vigo doesn’t have a lot to see in terms of old buildings or shiny shops (if that’s your thing) but it was all very pleasant if you prefer just wandering around where it offers quite a few Bars and a large Park. But as previously mentioned, it is quite hilly. There’s an ‘old part’ to Vigo, but Ann and I have that on the list for next time!

There is quite a variety of fancy architecture and sculptures, and they’re worth a closer examination if you’re not whizzing by them at 50kph.

If you’re a beach-bunny though, the best is yet to come!

Vigo is very proud of its beaches. It offers close on 40. and has the highest number of ‘blue flags’ in Spain. You can read more about them HERE and the few that we saw looked absolutely gorgeous!!

11.57am: At just before midday, the Bus brought us back to pretty-much where we started. We all agreed that our next stop ought to be somewhere for a drink. A short walk later and closer to the water, we discovered Real Club Náutico – Vigo

12.15pm: We settled down in the corner where the semi-covered area offered some protection from the blazing Sun, and we were soon slurping our beers and coffees and reflecting on the bus tour. We all considered it to be exceptionally good value, given the distance covered and the (small) amount we paid. A ‘must do’ if you’re here! But if you’re following in our footsteps, note the following:-

• First Bus is 10am
• Next Bus is 12 noon, then 4.30, the 6.30pm
• Pay on-board – they take cash or card
• This is not your normal ‘hop-on-hop-off’. If you hop-off, you’ll wait about two hours for the next Bus
• There are only THREE stops where you can get off – Monte O Castro: 10 minutes/Pazo Quiñones de León: 5 minutes/Samil Beach: 6 minutes

Everything else you need to know is HERE.

12.55pm: Ann and I headed back to the Ventura, whilst the others explored more of Vigo at ground level.

12.50pm: With the weather being so good, it had been a very enjoyable experience getting a feel for Vigo.

Back on board, we grabbed a quick bite in the Buffet. Ann then found a spot on deck to soak up some rays, whilst I carried on catching up with my reading.

Sail Away

3.30pm: We’re on deck as we sail out of Vigo heading for Lisbon, 230 nautical miles away.

Nutters, Natters and Nibbles!

5.35pm: This was a real collaborative effort! Paul & Sue provided the balcony, Richard & Nicki, the nibbles, whilst Ann & I brought the fizz.

To Bay Tree Restaurant

Next stop? More food and drink!

6.40pm: If it’s 6.30 (ish) it must mean it’s time for first sitting – and our regular trip to Ventura’s Bay Tree Restaurant. Last night’s meal was the best so far, so let’s see if they can match it! . They did! . Most of us tried the Butter Chicken Curry which went down a treat!

Tonight’s Entertainment

8.30pm: Tonight’s treat at the Theatre was Showmaddymaddy and absolutely no prizes for guessing who they were a tribute to… . And if we thought they looked a little like Badness, who we’d seen a few nights ago, it was because it was the same six fellas! No problem with that, as Badness were fantastic!

An almost full-house again tonight, but unfortunately, the usual ‘no filming or recording of any sort’ rule applied, so here they are in concert around 10 months ago.

9.35pm: Just time to drop into the Havana Lounge to see the final 15 minutes of the Headliners Theatre Company vocalists performing ‘Hitzville USA’ – a tribute to Motown music, specifically, The Temptations and The Four Tops. Again, an excellent production and performance!

Late Night Quiz

10.30pm: We’d missed the Quiz last night, so this evening was an opportunity to make up for that! Geoff & Rhonda sat this out as they had an early start tomorrow in Lisbon, leaving Richard & Nicki, Paul & Sue, Ann and yours truly to fly the flag for the Northants Nutters. It was a great turnout and I counted upwards of 70 people taking part. We retained our alter-ego of ‘Table 16’ from the previous round and knuckled down a tough (but enjoyable) evening of stimulating our grey matter.

An hour later, it was all over, and with our QuizMaster struggling with a wayward PA system, ‘Team 3’ were announced as winners with 13/20 correct answers, whilst we weren’t too shabby with a total of 12! The winners received the statutory bottle of P&O wine. Reputations intact, we called it a night!

Tomorrow…

We arrive in Lisbon around 7am-ish. After breakfast, we’re going on one of the official sightseeing Bus Tours, whilst in the evening, we’re venturing out to a restaurant in the city.

11.45pm: The ship’s clocks went BACK an hour tonight – that was useful!!! . Nighty-night! See you tomorrow in Lisbon!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 3rd July (Day 5) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Here we are, as part of the Northants Nutters group on board P&O’s Ventura! It’s Day 4 (of 10) and it’s our second sea day. Tonight is another ‘formal’ night where most of us will be dressing up. Prepare for some ‘bling overload’ and ‘Bond Lookalikes’ later!

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Ship Ahoy! (eventually!)

Day 2 – Sea Day 1

Day 3 – Santander, Spain

Morning everyone! We’ve a lazy one today as it’s another ‘sea day’ as we head west from Santander to the north-west coast of Spain and Vigo, famous for its fishing industry. OK, Geography lesson over and back to the story… We all did our own thing for breakfast and agreed to meet up later.

10.15am: Whilst Ann found a quiet spot on deck, I made a big dent in my reading list that has been building up for weeks.

11.55am: We all began to gather early in The Exchange Bar to ensure we got a comfy seat – or even just a seat!

12.10pm: Nutters assembled.

12.15pm: We were here for the main event: The ongoing ‘Battle of the Exchange’ Quiz! As things turned out, it wasn’t quite as well-supported today compared with the first round a few days back, but you could feel the anticipation in the air despite the reduction in numbers. Once again, youthful Jasmine was our team captain – well, for most of it! Bizarrely, she disappeared about halfway through, leaving Mum to assume command! In the opposing corner was ‘Team Lydia’ except that Lydia didn’t show and was replaced by Sharon. Boy! It was getting complicated already – and that was before they began asking the questions! . Rumours of the Quiz being renamed ‘Battle of Herding Cats’ were grossly exaggerated. . Instead, I’ve suggested we have a round in the future called ‘Team Captains from the Past’.

Let battle commence – miaow! . (Sarcasm mode disengaged!!!)

Today’s round was about music and just as before, there was the option of ‘hard’, medium’ and ‘easy’ categories available for each question as dictated by the Team captains. The obsession of choosing ‘hard’ turned out to make it all VERY challenging, where, in most cases, ‘hard’ was always about ‘guess the year’. We persisted but it did feel like were weren’t quite at our best.

Consequently, when after the final question had been asked, we felt we hadn’t done very well this time, but by the end, the numbers told a different story. When the scores from today had been added up, we learned our fate: Team Jasmine (us!) – 165 points and Team Lydia Sharon – 105 points. Cumulatively, taking into account Round 1, sadly, a reversal of fortunes for us: Team Jasmine – 415 points and Team Lydia aka Sharon – 485 points. It was therefore all to play for at the third and final Round this coming Sunday. Ooo, the pressure! . Still, it’s NOT about the winning is it? (Answers via WhatApp, please!) .

Pre-Dinner Drinks

5.45pm: In a break with the tradition of Nibbles at a Nutters, instead, most of us met at The Red Bar to watch and listen to ‘pre-dinner melodies’ with Hannah Gerendus tinkling the ivories whilst we slowly sipped away! It was a great start to the evening activities where we even managed to avoid the Ship’s photographer (not easy – it takes skill and experience!). Instead, we got our Waiter to do the honours. “Scrubbed up well” sprang to mind.

Baytree Restaurant

6.35pm: Off to ‘our’ eatery for the Cruise – The Baytree Restaurant.

Tonight’s menu had a helping hand from top Chef, Marco Pierre White

For us, the best meal so far!

Theatre – “Magic Moments”

Tonight, the Ship’s Theatre Company: Headliners presented the life and music of Burt Bacharach (yes, it’s official – we’re OLD! ) and do you know what? It was SUPERB! It was amazing to realise how many tunes, together with Hal David, that he churned out – and for so many stars too, including Cilla Black, Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones and many others. This was such a professional production. The singing, the dancing, the choreography, the set, the lighting and the support graphics – everything – all worked seamlessly to give us a memorable production, easily as good as any West End show. A comprehensive list is HERE – how many can you hum?

…and finally

9.35pm: Last stop for us was a visit to Metropolis right at the top of the Ship on Deck 18 together with Geoff & Rhonda. A classy Bar area that was already very busy, but crucially, it was a quiet space to reflect on the evening. On other vessels, this has been at the FRONT, by design – what made this different was that it’s at the BACK of Ventura!

Tomorrow…

After we land in Vigo, after Breakfast, we’re off on a Tour organised by the Tourist Board, all thanks to some research by Rhonda. At a paltry €7.50 each, it compares very favourably with the excursions offered by P&O. The Tour lasts around 90 minutes and at the moment, the weather looks perfect for it.

10.35pm: After role-playing ‘Party Animals’ until almost midnight last night, this mind and body wasn’t built of strong enough stuff to manage another one within 24 hours . We chilled-out in the room briefly, before crashing-out! Yep! ‘Lightweights’ – that’s us! See you in the morning!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 2nd July (Day 4) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Morning all! It’s Monday, and here we are, aboard P&O’s Ventura, as part of the Northants Nutters group. It’s Day 3 and we’re here in Santander, Spain. .

The clocks went forward an hour last night, so at least one of us is a little bleary-eyed this morning!

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – Saturday 29th – Ship Ahoy!

Day 2 – Sunday 30th – Sea Day 1

Day 3 – Monday, 1st

7.15am: Yes, it all looked a little overcast and dull when we first peered through the window this morning!

9.10am: Our first stop today was the Buffet for breakfast. It was busy, but manageable. The food was piping hot and there were plenty of staff on hand to serve us.

10.25am: We had all agreed to meet up at the Costa on the ship to get our bearings and plan out our day. We knew of the Road Train – the Magdalena Train Experience – that took us to the Castle, but on our way out of breakfast, we also noticed a red sightseeing double-decker bus parking opposite the Ventura in the town. A quick message to them via their website confirmed they WEREN’T operating today (so obviously, the driver was lost or just getting ahead! ).

10.43am: It was simplicity itself to get into the town – we just walked off the ship straight into the Terminal. A few minutes later we were on the streets of Santander. As we disembarked, what amazed us was how many of our fellow travellers were rejoining the ship! We thought we were pretty quick off the mark, but some had already had breakfast and been into the town. The other thing that surprised us was the WEATHER! Our fellow travellers were soaked, and we could see as we headed for the gangplank – umbrellas were up!

There were no taxis immediately outside the Terminal – which was a little surprising – but we were advised to take the short walk in the direction of the main railway station. It only took a few minutes and there were plenty of taxis, as promised. The eight of us spread ourselves evenly across two vehicles, and we were soon on our way. The journey took around 15 minutes and cost us a total of (just) €6 per taxi! In our book, it was GREAT value.

11.15am: The Road-Train had arrived, and after a few bungled attempts by the staff to scan our tickets, we were all aboard – then things got noisy!

Really noisy!

REALLY, really noisy!

For reasons best known to the driver, the volume of the guided audio tour being piped through the carriage speakers was dialled up to 12 29, the sound was heavily distorted and in Spanish only! No problem, we thought, a quick word with the driver should put things right…

Sort of!

The solution? We were each handed headphones which we could plug into the consoles in front of us. So far, so normal! The good news? The headphones worked a treat, and we located the English Channel. The bad news? The Driver wouldn’t/couldn’t/didn’t turn off the Spanish commentary through the main speakers, so we couldn’t hear the English commentary anyway!

The next solution was even simpler (in theory, anyway!) – ask the driver to turn the volume down on the Spanish version. No such luck as we were told, in very broken English, that the volume couldn’t be adjusted! . So, our short ride was ruined because we literally couldn’t hear ourselves think. For once, it was an advantage if you wore a hearing aid, as turning the volume down, solved the problem – Well done Paul, the Nutter! It was all very disappointing, but we did have a laugh about it afterwards (for all of about three seconds!).

The views from the train weren’t particularly ‘amazing’ but I’ve captured a few above, just for the record.

11.40am: Twenty-five minutes later, we were back where we started – and temporarily totally deaf!

On the cultural front, the local area boasts a mini-aquatic-zoo housed in their Parque Marino de la Magdalena. Featuring penguins and sea-lions (minus the penguins), it’s worth a look around to pass the time.

It was all free, and the Park itself offered some stunning views out to sea.

…plus other amazing views…

12.06pm: With our wander around the Zoo and the Park, our next priority was a beverage of some sort. We headed off in the direction of – err, nowhere in particular – in search of any Bar or Café.

Our wanderings took into some stunning views, both out to sea and inwardly, taking in the local architecture. The increasingly improving weather helped make this a very pleasant experience, with the temperature just perfect for walking (at a gentle 20°C).

We found our Bar! - Balneario De La Concha.

It was quite unassuming from the street level, but on heading down via the stairs, we were soon seated with stunning views of the beach and further out to sea.

With a combo of beers and coffees, we all commented on how much we were enjoying the day so far and each other’s company. Our first impressions of Santander were all very positive – clean, tidy, easy to get around plus stunning beaches. Whilst enjoying the views, Richard tested our general knowledge with a few questions from last night’s Quiz (that most of us missed!) . Happy days!

1.25pm: That was enjoyable! Time though to make our way back in the direction of the good ship, Ventura.

Rather than attempt to find a taxi, we decided to try out the local buses. A short walk back up the hill on the opposite side of the road was a bus-stop – Luis Martίnez – near the Grand Hotel Victoria. A quick inspection of the timetable revealed that pretty much ANY Bus would get us back to the Cruise Port – and all for a paltry sum of €1.30 each. Ten minutes later, we were ‘all aboard’ the bus and after a brief ‘lost in translation’ moment, the Nutters and the Bus Driver were in perfect harmony – heading for ‘home’.

Ann and I left the rest of the Nutters to explore the town whilst we took a slow walk back to the Ventura. It really was the shortest of walks, taking no longer than 10 minutes.

After a quick freshen-up, we headed for the Laguna Pool and the ‘Flamenco demonstration’. We both assumed it was flamenco dancing, but based on the first ten minutes, it was flamenco-style SINGING – you probably know the sort of sound: like a cat being strangled! . Nope! Not for us and we retreated back to e330. We probably should have stayed longer, because on re-reading the in-cabin newspaper, it was a mixture of both.

Fizz and Nibbles!

5.30pm: It’s a Northants Nutters tradition that each couple take it in turn to host a pre-dinner ‘Fizz and Nibbles’ event. Tonight, it was Paul & Sue in c435. Well, that was a good start to the evening! Cheers, you two!

The Restaurant

6.35pm: It’s only Day 3 and we seem to have spent most of our time, eating, drinking and laughing! Tough life, ehh?!?!

Tonight’s Entertainment

The headline act tonight was ‘Badness’ a UK-based tribute act to Madness, Bad Manners and Ska.

8.30pm: Word had got around! Pretty much a full house tonight!

The Band didn’t disappoint! We may not all have been fans of the originals, but no-one could fault these guys for their professionalism, energy and musicianship. We two, enjoyed everything about them, and it was amazing how many tunes we knew word-for-word. One Step Beyond!!!!

More Music…

In complete contrast, we wandered along to The Tamarind Club for some old-style ‘big band’ music from the 40s courtesy of The Ventura Orchestra.

Sail Away!

10.05pm: Just time to head out on deck to see the Ventura up-anchor and sail out of Santander. Next stop, Vigo.

Late Night Quiz

10.29pm: What’s this? It’s almost 10.30, and we’re both still up!!! . Party Animals, us!!!! So, here we are at the late-night quiz. I estimated there must have been near to 70 people ready to test their little grey cells where this felt like a serious quiz for serious quizzers! Because there were eight of us (and the rules suggested a maximum of 6 per team) we formed two. With Richard, Geoff, Rhonda, Ann and yours truly in one team, and Sue, Nicki and Paul in the other, we were almost ready to go. But not before the others recruited some extra youth and wisdom onto their side by way of persuading some random guests to join them. Desperate measures or good strategic thinking? You decide!

It was a tough one, with 20 questions covering a wide range of topics. It helped our daily step-count too requiring us to write down the answer and then walk to the front of the room and hand over our guess calculated response Some groups did much better than others, where for me the ‘daftest’ answer of the evening was to the question: “When was the Battle of Britain?” – answer? “1066”.

I blame the Government!

11.40pm: With the final question posed and the ‘scores on the doors’ totalled up, both of our teams did well. We didn’t win, but we were in the top 3. The Northants Nutters are back on form!

Tomorrow…

It’s the second of our (three) sea days. Our next stop is Vigo in Spain on Wednesday.

11.56pm: It’s been a long one! Sleep well!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 1st July (Day 3) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Morning all! Here we are, as part of the Northants Nutters group! It’s Day 2 – Sunday – and a sea day aboard the good ship, Ventura. Our next stop? Santander, tomorrow. Today, for many, the highlight of the day will be the televised soccer match between England and Slovakia (more about that later!) – or should that read lowlight?

7.05am: We both slept well (a good sign for our first night on board!)

8.57am: Being a Sunday, I thought it would be quiet in the Restaurant at this time. Err, no! It was packed, and with a promised ’45 minute wait’ for a table for two, we joined a larger table with a view out to sea. A shame then that it was grey and raining!

After breakfast, we took a gentle stroll on deck. Fortunately, the rain had ceased, but it was blowing a gale. Ann managed to find a sheltered spot to soak up a few rays, whilst I found a sheltered spot for the morning aerobics class. No, I’d not had an epiphany, I was casually observing the daily class near the Atrium, whilst catching up with my reading!

As I sat soaking up my pages, the Atrium became busier and busier – in fact, I’d go as far as to say, based on the sheer number of people around generally, this is the busiest Cruise I’ve ever been on. Even if the Ventura WASN’T full (it probably was!), it certainly felt it! Hardly a spare seat anywhere inside!

Quiz time!

12.15pm: One thing, we, the Nutters have a great track record in – is Quizzes. So, with the might of the WHOLE Northants Nutters complement combining their brain cells, we felt lucky today! Picture the scene: The Exchange Bar, packed wall-to-wall, with just about enough seats to go around. The whole Bar was split into two teams – ‘Jasmine’ and ‘Lydia’ teams were formed and named after the Team Captains, where today was just the first round of three! Each team – probably with about 50 people in each – was asked a question and if they got it correct (after consulting their half of the Bar) points were awarded. If wrong, the question was offered to the other side. To make it more interesting (read ‘confusing’) before the questions were asked, the opposing team could choose whether the question was going to be ‘hard, ‘medium’ or ‘easy’. Do try and keep up!

Strangely, on every occasion, the ‘hard’ category was chosen! And those questions certainly lived up to their name!!! . “What famous nursery rhyme did Edison use during his experiments?”, “What’s the currency of Brazil?” and “Which Shakespearean play is The Lion King based on?” – just 3 of the 20… and the others were similarly challenging. . At this point, most of our half of the Bar had given up and returned to their drinks!

It was a tough one. In the end, our ‘team’ were runners-up (that’s the ‘polite version’ of course, as there were only TWO teams) so it wasn’t not a great result. Scores at the end of Round 1: Lydia – 380, Jasmine – 250. Round 2 is on Tuesday.

After the Quiz, we revised our plans for tonight and decided that we WOULDN’T dress up. Instead, we’re going to watch the football in its entirety and then head for the Buffet for a quick bite, followed by the Comedian, Jason Stampe and then the Theatre to see ‘On the Horizon’.

Most of us decided to grab a quick lunch, but it seemed the rest of the ship had the same idea, and the queues put a few of us off the idea. We therefore all went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up for the Bingo at 4.15pm.

Lunch

Geoff, Rhonda, Ann and I stuck within and queued, heading for a quick bite in the Saffron restaurant. We politely stood in-line for around 15 minutes. We were then given a pager, and after another 15 minutes, we were being shown to our table. We’re only on day 2 and I don’t recall EVER having to queue so much, and so often, on any other cruise we’ve been on – and it was beginning to become irritating.

1.40pm: We finally got a table in a very busy restaurant. The food may have been plain and simple, but given the wait-time, it went down a treat!

2.30pm: Time for a quick ‘feet up’ before heading for the Bingo.

The Bingo

Off to the Havana Lounge! We arrived early – and good job too, as it was already busy, but we located the rest of the Nutters and were soon settling down with dabbers in hand!

4.15pm: Going to the Bingo this afternoon was more strategic than financial! Nicki’s suggestion was that we should be part of the Bingo because it was in the same room as the football match that began straight after. Being there already, meant we wouldn’t have to fight for a seat! Genius! . There was also the added incentive of this being ‘Bigga Bingo’ with its ‘Mega Jackpot’ offering prizes to match, where the top prize was a whopping £5000. For some of us Nutters, it wasn’t our natural habitat, but it was impossible not to get caught up with the enthusiasm of many of the others there. Well, we weren’t there for the money, were we? Honest!!! – which was just as well really, as we didn’t win a bean. Oh well, at least we’ve got prime seats for the soccer!

The Football

5.00pm: It’s no secret that England’s performance this time in the Euros has been lack-lustre. Mind you, as a non-expert in these things, so has everyone other team! The England super-fans, showing incredibly short memories have the Coach, Gareth Southgate, once the hero of English Soccer Coaches, now portrayed as the Devil Incarnate, even though England sit at the top of their Group. Curious! . Anyway, as a somewhat part-time fan of the national game, we kept our space and were in prime position for the Nutters to see it on the big screen. Now all we needed was a win!

What a nail-biting match! . I don’t think anyone could have predicted who would score first, plus how the final score would play out! It was one of the most stressful soccer matches I’ve ever seen in my life (and I used to support Crystal Palace, back in the 70s). The second half, even more so – and extra time, almost unwatchable for this part-time punter! . England got there in the end, but was it skill or luck or fate? Maybe it doesn’t matter! . The Havana Lounge erupted as the final whistle blew, where some extra excitement was seen next to us where an over-enthusiastic fan, in his excitement, catapulted his pint all over the group in front (who were all dressed up in their finery!). Good job we won, ehh?!

Buffet Time

8.05pm: After a quick refresh back in our rooms, we all met up in the Buffet on Deck 15 for a nibble and an opportunity to calm our nerves after the soccer. The food here has been better than we remember from the Buffet and tonight was no exception. My Pork Curry and Ann’s Italian Meatballs was delicious, and there was a good range of Desserts and Cheese too! I’ve unkindly referred to the Buffet onboard cruise ships as ‘the troughery’ – but this was very different. Yummy!

Jason Stampe – Comedian

9.15pm: By the time we arrived back in the Havana Lounge, word had obviously got around and the place was, once again, pretty much at capacity. We grabbed the last table in the corner, where we unfortunately couldn’t see the stage. However, they had TV monitors positioned around the perimeter, giving us the perfect view of tonight’s comedian: Jason Stampe. None of us had heard of Jason, but the capacity crowd gave us hope that we were in for a good time.

Err, we WEREN’T!

Jason came across as a bit of a ‘cor blimey geezer’ type of guy as he reflected on parenthood and getting married (amongst many other domestic-based topics). Although his material was vaguely amusing, he certainly wasn’t laugh out loud (or, based on the audience reaction, laugh out at ANY volume!) . He just didn’t click with the majority of the audience, although there was occasionally, some polite laughter. Luckily, he was only on for around 30 minutes, but it felt longer! A real shame, as I’m sure in the past, he’s delivered to more appreciative audiences than us tonight.

Phew! What days! I think the soccer match exhausted most of us. Whilst Paul & Sue flew the flag for the Nutters, the rest of us decided to skip the late-night quiz and the Theatre and head for bed.

10.25pm: That’s it from us today. Tomorrow we dock in Santander, where the weather forecast suggests a whopping 19 degrees with light showers. See you then! Night-night!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 30th June (Day 2) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Welcome to Day 1. Here we are, aka The Northants Nutters group – and we’re all at sea!.

In fact, we’re building up quite a travel record together…

Northants Nutters® Tour Dates

Our first Warner experience
Warner Weekend 2019 – Littlecote House Hotel
(March 2019)

Our second visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2020 – Holme Lacy House
(March 2020)

Our third visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2021 – Gunton Hall
(August 2021)

Our fourth visit to Warner’s
Warner Weekend 2022 – Alvaston Hall
(January 2022)

…and then we went abroad…
we flew to Cyprus!!
Northants Nutters abroad
(November 2022)

…and then we were all at sea!
Northants Nutters at Sea
(August 2023)

Last year, in August, we decided to try cruising as a group for the very first time. We enjoyed it (and each other’s company) so much, that we agreed we’d do it all again! So, with the bookings made, here we all are aboard the good ship Ventura for a 10-day affair taking in Spain, Portugal… and Guernsey!

Unlike our last Cruise together where our cabins were all pretty close to each other, this time we’re all over the Ship! We’re on Deck 8 – Cabin e330 – with a partial view of a lifeboat. whilst half of the Nutters are a few decks above! Ah well, it’ll help with my daily step-count!

A few days before we left, P&O sent out an email informing us to all arrive TWO HOURS LATER than planned. All very mysterious, but it turned out to be ‘more of the same’ (from a few months back) where back then, Ventura required a ‘deep clean’ after a nasty outbreak of Norovirus! Oooo err! as they say! And no doubt, the full facts about this latest incident will emerge once we’re on board! . In fact, we didn’t have to wait that long as the ‘mystery’ was revealed, making the BBC News HERE.

It wasn’t quite what ‘unique cruise’ conjured up, but it was too late to turn back now!

Elsewhere, just to make things even more challenging, no-one had told our ‘meeters and greeters’ who were taking care of our car about the suggested later arrival – and they were closing at 3pm! We had been told not to get there until the revised time of 2.45pm (but that was a bit close for comfort in my book) so we ignored the official advice (like many others, as it would turn out) and left with plenty of time to spare.

9.30am: We’re off! It was a good journey overall, but we hit pockets of congestion along the route. All things considered, though, pretty uneventful – that made for a good start!

But things were about to change!

2.35pm: When we arrived to drop the car off, the car-park was absolutely manic, and all the staff we spoke to, appeared VERY stressed! . However, despite the volume of cars and people, we were soon ‘meeted’ and ‘greeted’ with ‘EVie’ taken care of in double-quick time.

At last, we were on our way to the Departure Terminal! Without doubt, this was the busiest we’d seen the Mayflower Terminal in many, many years, and it all looked a little disorganised and chaotic, with queues for dropping off luggage and more queues waiting outside for the doors to open (literally). Clearly, like us, a lot of people had ignored the ‘arrive two hours later’ email and all turned up around the same time.

2.45pm: After a few WhatsApps, we worked out that we were the first pair of Nutters to arrive with Paul & Sue closely behind, then Rich & Nicki and finally, Geoff & Rhonda. Queues, queues and more queues still seemed to be the order of the day – and whilst we waited, it brought out the best (and worst! Yes, ‘gobby Scots woman’, we’re looking at you!) of human nature whilst we all enjoyed ‘the outdoors’ a little earlier (and longer) than planned!

From dropping-off the car and getting on board took us just under an hour, but others weren’t so lucky. It wasn’t the greatest of starts to the break – but queueing is a national sport for us Brits, isn’t it?

3.40pm: With all the challenges now behind us, we were finally – officially – onboard. Whilst we waited for our fellow Nutters to join us, we headed for the Buffet for a quick nibble. Next stop? – our home for the next ten days – Cabin E330.

Jessica introduced herself as our Cabin Steward and explained the essentials – at last, after the fiasco of waiting to board, some order and calm had finally arrived!

By the time we were ALL on board, it was gone 5. We all agreed to meet up for our first evening meal, at 6.30pm, in the Baytree Restaurant.

6.30pm: It’s all go! Here we are in the Baytree Restaurant as we (eventually) set sail down the Solent out of Southampton, with a day at sea ahead of us before our first stop in Santander, Spain. The tannoy reminders for two guests (and then three) who clearly hadn’t checked-in properly (or had gone AWOL) – err, HOW? – became a constant reminder that even simple things can sometimes go wrong. I’m not sure whether they found them, but after about 30 minutes, the announcements fell silent, leaving us to enjoy our meal and head for sunnier climes.

The service was a tad slow (as it often is on ‘first night’) but we enjoyed our food, our serving staff were all smiles and politeness whilst, of course, it was good to all be together with our fellow Nutters after the initial chaos.

9.48pm: We ended our evening in the Bar (The Glass House) – one of eleven Bars onboard – where over cocktails and other beverages, we planned tomorrow’s activities. There’s the England match showing onboard tomorrow and for some of us, that’s a must-see, for others – a must avoid! Ventura feels busy, but there are plenty of staff too! Since we were last here in 2013, the Ventura has had at least one makeover, and looks all the better for it.

Ahh, a calm and relaxing end to the day (and after today’s shenanigans, just how it should be). Tomorrow, we have a day at sea, heading for Santander!

See you Sunday!

10.22pm: A late for us these days! Nighty-night!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea (2024) – 29th June (Day 1) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We headed off to Welford today – it was our first visit to The Wharf Inn.

We met up with fellow ‘Northants Nutters’ – Paul & Sue and Richard and Nicki – for lunch.

It was already buzzing when we arrived just before 1pm. After getting some drinks from the Bar we were shown to our table. It may not have been the most attractive Pub we’ve ever been to, but the food was to turn out to be delicious!

The portion sizes were probably the most memorable – especially for those who chose the Steak (Ann and Sue)!

Not only were the portions very generous, they all had a very ‘home-cooked’ feel about them (they were!). I was the only one to opt for a Dessert (and it didn’t last long!) . It turned into a very long lunch and we didn’t leave until just before 3.30pm – surely a good sign! In fact, by the time we paid the bill (just £50 per couple) we were the last to leave.

Another fine eatery to be added to our list!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post First Visit: The Wharf Inn, Welford appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Not quite, this is a Nutters’ Roast!

Good to see our fellow Nutters again – Geoff & Rhonda, Rich & Nicki and Paul & Sue – all together again in one place. The last time was on our Cruise back in August.

Today was also our first official festive lunch of 2023 – and what a lunch!!

Everyone contributed to the menu with Nicki/Rich providing Mince Pies, Paul/Sue, the Stuffing and Geoff/Rhonda, the Crackers. This left us two to fill in the gaps with a Turkey Crown with an impressive range of vegetables.

…all helped along with some homemade Cranberry Sauce, and a ‘few’ bottles of the red and white grape to wash it all down.

Dessert followed (as it very often does here!) in the shape of Ann’s Peach Melba Trifle, Nicki’s Mince Pies and an ASDA Luxury Christmas Pudding. Safe to say, we didn’t have to save any space in the fridge for leftovers!

Some things don’t change and even the premium feel of the M&S Crackers yielded the same ‘unique style’ of Christmas hats and the corniest of Christmas jokes – but that’s all part of Christmas isn’t it? However, in addition, each one contained three subjects to act out in a game of Charades. Ahh, Charades… another Christmas staple, was to follow!

Quite apart from the excellent food, the most important part of today was that we had all got back together! Even though some of us are retired, it’s still a challenge to get us all in the same room at the same time – and that’s what made it extra special today!

As an extra treat, Nicki had made us all some individual ‘tree presents’ – Yummy! Cheers Nicki. . Fully stuffed, we headed to the Lounge for that obligatory game of Charades, courtesy of Geoff & Rhonda’s M&S Crackers.

They were surprisingly difficult to communicate (or maybe we were just out of practice?). We all took turns doing our best to impart three subjects each, in turn. An hour later, we were still laughing at our collective performances where Rich, had been amazing at guessing the answer from the smallest (and sometimes confusing) of clues! .

We even got time to begin discussions about the next Northants Nutters Getaway in 2024. Co-ordinating diaries was, as expected, tricky, but we did eventually find a date that worked for us all next year. It looks like another short Cruise!

With Richard and Nicki taking turns in the kitchen, by the time everyone headed for home, there wasn’t much to clear up – cheers guys, that was a real bonus!

Merry Christmas Nutters!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Nut Roast? appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Monday 14th August

Morning all!

Whoosh! That’s passed very quickly! It’s our final day (Day 5) where, for the past five days, the Northants Nutters® have been ‘all at sea’ courtesy of P&O and the good ship, Aurora!

We’ve taken in Hamburg and Zeebrugge along the way and the weather has, overall, been very kind to us.

7.14am: After an overnight sail, we’re now docked in Zeebrugge.

The Journey so far…

Day 1 – Departing Southampton
Day 2 – All at Sea
Day 3 – Liking Lübeck (and Hamburg!)
Day 4 – Sedate Sunday

Our plan today is to travel to the town of Bruges using the train rather than use one of P&O’s excursion packages. For a start, it would be cheaper; second, we could fit around our own timings. But first, we had to get from the Zeebrugge Docks to the nearest railway station – Blankenberge. Why so challenging? The Dock Authorities don’t allow members of the public to wander around the Dock area, so the first leg was to jump on board the free shuttle-bus – so far, so cheap! .

Next, we boarded the 9.53 for the very short 11-minute journey from Blankenberge to Bruges. Best of all, it was also super cheap today! Why? Luckily for us, today was ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ and so the total ticket price for the eight of us was a very wallet-friendly 28 Euros… and that was for a RETURN ticket! That worked out to be around £3.03 each, there and back!! . Fantastic value, especially as P&O charged £40 per person just to get you to Bruges (and £71 if you wanted the guided tour on top). We were quids in already! . Word to the wise though – the trains are only one per hour, there and the same back, so watch your timings!

Bruges!

The city of Bruges (pop. c117000) is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the North‘ because of its canal system – and the canals were on our list!

We really couldn’t have picked a better day for it weather-wise – it was glorious, even warmer at 10am than the forecast suggested. After exiting the Station, We took the 25-minute walk towards the centre of town, having already planned to take a boat trip around the canal system FIRST simply to beat the hoards of fellow passengers that were to follow later.

It proved to be a smart move, as we only queued for around 15 minutes AND we had the luxury of being able to sit down undercover, keeping us cool for most of the waiting period. There are quite a few companies operating boat tours, and we picked this one simply because it was the first we saw.

9.45am: All aboard! Tickets were a reasonable 12 Euros each, and we were soon on our way.

The commentary was in English and considering it wasn’t our skipper’s first language, he made it humorous and educational.

It really was the perfect day for our river trip!!

We all agreed that it had been a great experience, and where the stunning architecture will be a lasting memory. The whole trip lasted just under half-an-hour and was worth every cent!

10.35am: Our next stop (briefly!) was a quick look around the market stalls near to where we picked up the boat. Everything – and anything – you didn’t think you needed was on offer! (well, nearly!). From car-horns to kettles, fudge to fridge magnets, there was something for everyone (or, no-one!)

10.40am: Next, the short walk to the Market Square. It was already beginning to get busy, and this was before 11am! Time for some light refreshments, but first we needed to find space for 8 of us, preferably outside, but with some shade.

The Brasserie De Vier Winden suited our requirements perfectly, and we were soon looking through their extensive menu, including a comprehensive wine list (of course!)

…and as the saying goes: “When in Rome…”, it would have been rude, whilst in Belgium, NOT to try the Waffles.

So we did! In a word… ‘Yummy’… in two words: ‘Yummy, Yummy!’.

11.45am: As we got closer to midday, it was now busier and hotter, so we decided to make the most of our short stay – by splitting up (not permanently!) . We agreed to meet up again in two hours after doing our own thing. That would then give us just enough time to walk back to the Station and catch the 14.55. Ann and I decided to spend that time just wandering around the immediate area and admiring the local architecture.

Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity of looking around the famous cathedral – Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, having arrived at 12.55 – and where it was closing at 1pm for an hour! . There was so much to see here, and the small sample of photos above don’t really do this beautiful town justice.

2.05pm: We all met up near the Burger King where we unanimously felt that Bruges is one of those places that deserves a return visit – and I’m sure we’ll be doing that before too long. We were ‘on the clock’ and sadly, it was time for the walk back to the Station. What could possibly go wrong? . Ooops! Let’s say we took the scenic route, but we still arrived back at Bruges Station with around 10 minutes to spare. Phew!

4.02pm: We were back in our room just after 4pm. We all felt a little tired, but the timings had worked out well, and we’d all had a great day. So, just time for a cuppa and a short snooze before the evening events.

Pre-Dinner Drinkies

6.00pm: For the final time this break, it was time for our daily pre-dinner drinkies. Paul and Sue hosted tonight. We were spoilt again – crisps too!

Our Final Evening Meal

6.55pm: It was a return to the Medina Restaurant tonight. The service was a little sluggish, but generally, the food went down well all around. What slowed things down was the reintroduction of that old P&O tradition of thanking the Chefs and Waiters for all their hard work during our Cruise. It was well deserved of course, but we’d arrived earlier than usual, in order to get to the evening entertainment a little earlier.

Tonight’s Entertainment

8.30pm: Tonight, it was a return visit by Josh Adams. He sang more tonight, although finding the funny bones in ALL of the Nutters was still a step too far. For us two, we felt that his performance was much more polished than previously and he certainly had a lot more of the audience ‘with him’ judging by the volume of laughter. Ironically, I still think his singing voice was his stronger talent.

9.25pm: After the entertainment, we headed for a final ‘shandy’ in the Crow’s Nest.

The (Final) Syndicate Quiz

10.30pm: This is turning into a really popular event – it was pretty much full by the time we arrived! Ignoring the rules and forming a team of EIGHT (they suggest a maximum of SIX) just shows how edgy we can get as the Nutters! . It didn’t help us much though, and we finished quite a way down the board! It wasn’t our strongest performance tonight, but still, it’s only a game, ehh?*

*No, it’s not!

On a happier note, Ann and I learned that in our absence LAST NIGHT, the Northants Nutters® actually won the Syndicate Quiz! So, it’s probably best to finish on a high!

That’s it for this holiday!
This is the Northants Nutters® signing off for this, their first sea-born adventure!
Next stop? Home!!

Thanks for all your comments.
For just the Photo-Reel and none of my chat
CLICK HERE

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea – Day 5 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Sunday 13th August

What you may have missed…
Thursday 10th: Day 1 – Leaving Southampton
Friday 11th: Day 2 – All at Sea
Saturday 12th: Day 3 – Loving Lübeck (and Hamburg!)

Phew! A busy one yesterday, where, as a result, ONE of us, is feeling a bit tender this morning! (clue: it’s NOT Ann).

It’s now Day 4 and The Northants Nutters are still ‘all at sea’ courtesy of P&O on the good ship Aurora! It’s a five-nighter, taking in Hamburg and Zeebrugge.

Up anchor was just after 5.30am this morning, and we’re now sailing along the Elbe heading for our next stop – Zeebrugge.

After last night’s credible performance by the Nutters at the Syndicate Quiz, we were looking forward to a new challenge in the shape of another of the Aurora’s Jukebox Hero Quizzes later this afternoon. OK, we didn’t win last night, but we were up there in the top three, thanks to our combined ‘Nutty’ talents.

Until then, we’re all doing our own thing at our own pace – just how it should be! It is Sunday after all!

Lazy Breakfast

9.26am: A quick hour-or-so writing before Ann and I headed for the Horizon Restaurant aka ‘the Buffet’ aka ‘The Troughery’. The latter description is probably a little unkind, but maybe it’s our timing, because it’s always a bit of a stampede whenever we go there. Still, at least you can get pretty much anything you want to eat! As expected then, even for a sedate Sunday morning, it was pretty busy, and where a vacant table for two, took some finding.

We found one! And whilst we tucked into our first meal of the day, we enjoyed some very pleasant shoreside scenes as we sailed along the Elbe (but I’d left my camera phone in our room, so no pics!!!). Doh!

Good to see the ‘Body Sculpting Boot Camp’ is still available!!

Lazy Lunch

Well, that’s a first! The Horizon Restaurant WASN’T heaving with starving souls eager to pile on a few more kilos!!! . Time for a lazy lunch including some ‘brain food’ prior to our next event. (Steak & Mushroom Pie IS brain food isn’t it?)

The Afternoon Quiz – ‘Jukebox Hero’

2.00pm: Here we go! .

Perhaps not quite as busy as our first visit, earlier in the Cruise, but it still attracted quite a few. Boy! It was tough! They also brought in a new rule about ‘maximum 6’ for team sizes, so Richard & Nicki were forced to sit this one out. Twenty questions later, in spite of the difficulty, there were three teams who gained top marks (in the 30s). The quiz-master decided to put it to the vote as to whether the high scorers should be subject to a tie-breaker or instead, perform a dance-off to determine the ultimate winner. Whether it was the (non-winning) audience getting their revenge or a genuine preference, the vote went in favour of the latter and the three teams quickly nominated their ‘lucky team member’ who’d represent them.

The dance moves began! Based on the energy on display and his sheer agility, there was clearly only one winner (by some margin!) as judged by the loud cheers from the audience. Kevin was duly declared the victor (In an inspiration for ‘Dad Dancers’ everywhere, he was the oldest of the three by some margin!) .

Then, after a quick pint and a natter with Richard & Nicki, it was back to the room for me and a short siesta.

Our turn to host…

6.15pm: All round to ours tonight for pre-dinner drinkies, where we polished off a bottle of champers and a zero-alcohol Cava – Freixenet. Nicki provided the nibbles, setting us up perfectly for the evening ahead!

Freestyle Dining

7.05pm: Our second night of dining ‘freestyle’ – turn up at any time! The service was great but the food, for some of us, didn’t quite hit the mark tonight.

Entertainment

Tonight, we headed for Carmen’s and the Headliner’s Theatre Company presentation of ‘Up All Night’. The title sounded like a Carry-on film (ooo err Matron!), so we weren’t sure what to expect! ‘Headliners’ are the in-house performers and singers and we’d seen them earlier on the Cruise (where some of us had been very underwhelmed). Tonight’s production, I’m happy to say, was SUPERB! Excellent choreography, a coherent storyline (lurvvvvv! ) and recognisable tunes (by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Black-eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Lewis Capaldi and others). It was all delivered ‘in the round’ where the performance felt as a whole, much more ‘together’ both visually and aurally than their first appearance.

Additionally, they used a hologram and the rear of the performance of an Irish Band, complete with fiddle, piano and flute, that perfectly fitted around the actors’ movements and songs. In fact, many of us did a ‘double-take’ attempting to work out if they were real or not! It was so well co-ordinated and something that I’ve never seen before, anywhere in the world. A great innovation that added an extra dimension to it all! Alas, photography was expressly forbidden in any shape or form, so I didn’t snap anything for fear of getting thrown overboard! . All-in-all, a very enjoyable performance!!!

9.46pm: Our final stop for the evening was Busker Agustin Kafka in the Champion’s Bar. This was another talent we’d not heard of, but the clue was in the name – he IS a busker and often found performing in central London. His speciality was acoustic covers of well-known pop songs. We were only there for a few of them, but for me, his rendition of Careless Whisper was amazing! . In 2017, at the age of 21, he left his home town in Argentina and moved to the UK to pursue his music career. Plenty more information about his meteoric rise online here.

10.15pm: Time for us two to call it a night! As has become customary, we left the remaining Nutters to ‘keep the flag flying’. An early start tomorrow!

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow, after we dock in Zeebrugge, we’re heading for Brugge. Because of the train connections, we’re leaving the Ship as soon as we can, around 9am, in order to connect with the local trains (1 an hour!!!).Sleep well!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Northants Nutters at Sea – Day 4 appeared first on Steve's Blog.