28/06/2016

Have been at my holiday home since 23 June,am returning to London on Sunday 3 July. Every day is a wonderful day here.When the flat was being built I had one proviso only - that the kitchen/diner is placed on the side bathed from the morning til the evening in the sun. I love my second home. Nothing is yet how I would like it eventually to be. Curtains bellowing in a gentle breeze,heavy drapes with deep red flowers,large comfy sofas big enough to take an afternoon nap on,off white furniture. When my husband died, my dreams died with him. But slowly my life is changing. Tomorrow there is going to be an armchair delivered I had made to my own specifications. But today,today is a day of reflection. I had a neighbour once,a beautifully dressed attractive woman, 39 or so, involved with an Egyptian dentist of about the same age. Their nanny had told me how he would criticize her that she was fat.She wasn't,but she had a baby at 38,held a very demanding job that paid the mortgage and all the outgoings,and it was hard for her to regain the sylph -like pre-birth figure,having little time to go to the gym. After six years they sold the flat and left. A year later I had a note from her saying they had divorced. Criticism is soul destroying. I never ever ever want to find myself in a position like that. Never.

25/06/2016, Aftermath.

Having had a full day to consider the enormity of the decision the British public have made,for the first time in a long time I am so very,very proud to be British. Long,long time ago every time I set a foot on the British soil I said-THANK GOD FOR ENGLAND. Then over the years I watched with sadness how slowly the GREAT was disappearing into the darkness until Mr Blair and his governments closed the coffin. Human life had come to mean so very little under his watch. Even though the trough was always full for the politicians, the ordinary public did not matter. Mr Cameron gave hope. Nice, decent, a wonderful family man. But for a Prime Minister to be a great statesman he must have two things - a vision for his country and faith in his people. Mr Cameron, the man I like so very much as a human being,has neither. In the post war Britain,in the post war Europe, no-one can equal Maggie. She loved this country,she wanted the best for this country. She knew strong,prosperous Britain will make her people happy and generous. Jealousy and resentment forced her to go. Nothing men followed and they made this once GREAT Great Britain nothing of a country. Europe as a unity has become unworkable. It is utterly heart-breaking to see a boat after boat of the dispossessed fleeing the wars crossing the treacherous waters and landing on the shores of Europe. These people have to be looked after in sickness and in health,housed,fed, clothed,educated. Where are they supposed to go,to what country, when every country has more than enough problems with their own unfortunates? This is what Mr Cameron and the other leaders of the EU have failed to understand. They do not have to live next to the refugees who bring with them so many problems,politicians do not send their children to overcrowded classes,they do not have to wait for 6 hours to be seen in a hospital emergency room. I have a great regard for Mrs Merkel,no-one at the moment can touch her as a politician.  I hope she will accept the decision of the British people,show the world she bears no grudge,will not retaliate. The British people deserve and must be treated with respect.

Dermacol.

Several weeks ago I wrote about a Czech make-up brand called Dermacol. The name is little known outside the Czech republic,you can find some items in Vienna and in Germany, more in Slovakia, but not everything. I forgot to pick up my little bag of beautifiers at the security check in at Heathrow when I travelled to the lovely spa hotel Thermia Palace this spring and on my arrival in Piestany,Slovakia went in search of replacements. Of course you can buy there all the well known brands,but I wanted something LOCAL. Dermacol is the original make-up used in the film industry under the Communism,when access to the foreign cosmetics was non-existent. But what they had developed is worthy of an Oscar. I bought Caviar long stay make up and concealer in fair. I have a slight tan,but it is a perfect match. The make-up does an excellent job but for those who need or like an extra cover in parts,there is also in a separate top little compartment the concealer. Lancome have now developed something similar,three times as expensive,not as good. I had also bought a little tube of Matt Control corrector,No 2. [The retoucher by Charlotte Tilbury is very pleasant on the skin,but in comparison astronomically expensive]. And I am now running out of both-the make-up and the corrector! I am scraping the last bit out of a bottle, and I have never done that before. Normally half way through of anything my sister or a friend would ask if they could have it and I am always happy to hand it over. Not this time!

12/06/2016, COLUMBUS

will become the new flagship of Cruise & Maritime Voyages next year. At present it is a part of P & O Cruises,last year refitted and next April will also undergo refurbishment before being launched in June 2017. Reader Offers Ltd had a one page advertisement in yesterday's Daily Telegraph,the newspaper I admit I buy every Saturday for its wonderful travel pages, but,of course,read the lot except the Sport supplement. I should be more au fait with what is going on in the world of sport,but to my shame I just cannot muster the interest. DISCOVER CENTRAL AMERICA & CUBA.46 nights. Now, I know of Cruise & Maritime,but have never sailed with them. They do not have many cabins with balconies. And booking a cruise for longer than seven nights in a cabin without a balcony I would never do. The last sail on the lovely Queen Victoria was booked several days beforehand only, all they could offer me was a cabin with obstructed view.My feet were itching to travel,so I booked it, because the itinerary was perfect [ other than Vigo, but there is always a port or two one is not keen on, this is not the end of the world]. However it is unlikely I would ever do it again. I am familiar with Reader Offers Ltd,they had handled my booking on the Silversea Cloud cruise from The Tower of London to St Petersburg and Scandinavia and did a stellar job, even though there was a hick-up at the end of the cruise, when the pre-booked and paid for driver never turned up to pick me up and take me home. My complaint was handled in the most decent and professional way,and that is the way it should be. This is what separates the good travel agent from the not so good - how it handles and solves a complaint. So contrary to Planet Cruise,a firm, that had let me down very badly without any conscience,even though they are full of themselves at how many awards they have for this,that or the other. They lie and deny what they had promised and that is despicable. Iglu,another travel firm, had bought Planet Cruise just when I had the problem with them, I also wrote to the chairman of Iglu,who never even had the decency to respond. Who runs a business like that? I would never ever use Planet Cruise or Iglu again. So when I saw the itinerary yesterday - Amsterdam,Azores,Antigua,Tortola,Dominican Republic,Jamaica,Cuba,Mexico and many more other wonderful destinations, my heart jumped with joy. Immediately I looked up the ship on the internet, just 28 cabins with a balcony. I contacted the Reader Offers Ltd,they said they would check on the availability and phone back in five minutes and they did and I booked a cabin there and then and straight away phoned my sister and told her I would so very much like her to come with,but as it is 46 nights,it may be just too long for her,she may not be able to take such a long unpaid leave. She,like myself, adores cruising and would love to go and will do everything to be able to do so. But there is also her son's family to consider,they would find it very hard without her help,as her daughter-in-law works full time and this September will begin a two year study for a Masters degree. Luckily we have a year and a half to get organized and I will do everything possible to help. For me the date, 29 October,is absolutely perfect,it just could not be any better. By then I will be free,free.free to travel, travel,travel!

11/06.2016, Bird brain?

MY birds don't have bird brains,their heads are screwed on good and proper. When they see me come into the garden,they descend and flitter about,I can almost touch them. There used to be a tiny red-bellied one,the name of which I do not know, this year another similar found a home in the trees,with the red colour just a bit higher towards the neck and very recently two slightly bigger grey birds joined them. There are also two massive birds, so fat and heavy now, they have a great difficulty flying [they simply eat too much, scaring away anything and everything smaller other than the squirrels,those give the birds short shrift when they come for dinner and I can see now the two big bullies hovering in the neighbourhood, impatiently waiting their turn,never allowing any-one smaller to eat before them]. I love watching the little birds hopping on the ground doing what they like doing the best-looking for worms,even though they don't have to do that,I feed them so well. What I find absolutely enchanting is how little fear the small ones show when they are near me.

Good morning,Ludka,

said my lovely Toshiba when I opened it this morning.How wonderful. Good morning my little friend,good morning.

Here comes summer.............or does it?

I've ironed the shorts and short-sleeved tops and took out of the boxes summer sandals in anticipation of long hot sunny days and yesterday my heart did fill with joy at seeing the cloudless blue sky. But today..... where has it gone?

07/06/2016, I've been things and seen places,

said the wonderful Mae West. I've been places and done things,say I. Four or so weeks ago I planted three bulbs in a hanging basket,I never make a note of what I plant, I like to be surprised and wait in anticipation for what comes out of the pot,so to speak, akin to my cooking! At the same time I also planted seeds in two identical hanging baskets. Everything needed for the job came in the lovely pale violet oblong tins. Again I do not remember what will be blooming,all I know is, that it will be of a violet colour. The seeds have now come to life and are growing with the speed of lightning. No sign of life in the basket with the bulbs though. So in my infinite wisdom yesterday I decided to see why are, what appeared to be three very healthy bulbs from my trusted Marks and Spencer,stagnating. The gardeners among you may have guessed already. I planted them the wrong way up! There was life in the basket,I just didn't see it buried in compost. Two bulbs have recovered quite nicely,the third has not. So I phoned my sister,with a garden envied by all,to ask if there was anything I could do and she replied - pray. I have talked to the basket [well, if it is good enough for Prince Charles,it is good enough for me], feeling a bit of a Charlie. Time will tell if it did the trick. My sister laughingly told me about my god-son,her grandson,Adam,who had planted onions exactly like I did. He wanted to surprise her and proudly showed her his finished work. She didn't have the heart to tell him it was done the wrong way. When he and his brother went home,she replanted the lot. That is what I call a grandma. And that is what I call a grandson. Hard- working,helpful,and just seven last March.

06/06/2016, Two letters.

There was a lot of unsolicited mail and just two letters waiting for me when I got home Have I walked into the wrong house? Is the postal service on strike? Two letters! And they are just gas and electricity bills. Hurrah! I went to check on the birds. Feeding bowls empty. Everything gone. I had left enough food for two weeks at least. [I always leave a great deal of food should I, for some reason, be delayed coming back.] They must have had a party having invited the whole neighbourhood to eat! Well, "if the cat is away the mice will play." It was a glorious morning, warm,sunny. It was going to be a glorious afternoon. And it was.

05/06/2016, "Go naked to end teen pregnancies...say naturists."

Well, if as a teenager I had seen naked men and their hairy chests,pot bellies,flabby thighs,man boobs and socks clad feet in sandals,I would have stayed celibate all my life!

Saturday, 4 June 2016, the Cornish Bakery, Guernsey.

My very first time on the island. Immaculate,not a hair out of place,not a piece of paper on the pavement,hardly any cigarette butts. I walk around in astonishment. HSBC. I take some cash out of the machine.the bank notes must be the most beautiful notes in the world. HOTEL ChOCOLAT welcomes me a few doors along. They sell rum soaked raisins, absolutely my most favourite chocolates. Yes,it is us, you love us, and we are all yours,they smile. And they are! My local branch in Kensington High Street closed down several weeks ago and I miss it so. If you have the opportunity, try the raisins. They are divine. There is a newspaper shop,I get the Daily Mail,the Red magazine and go to find a coffee shop. The Cornish Bakery is simple, the cakes are few and quite plain, none of the fancy footwork here,as the name suggests, they serve predominantly Cornish pastry and sausage rolls. I ask for coffee with an extra shot and the lovely girl behind the counter knows what I am talking about! And the coffee is good,the sausage roll super,pain aux raisins not so much,but passable and from my corner table where I sit down with my Toshiba I can see the harbor and the tender boats ferrying the Queen Victoria passengers in and out of St Peter Port. Perfection. After a good hour in the Cornish Bakery I walked about again and slowly but surely it had begins to dawn on me that I had been here before! Very likely about three years ago while cruising for 12 days around the British Isles on an OCEANIA ship [it is a six star company]. I even remember the start date of the cruise-12 September. How could have I forgotten? Well, from every little port I buy myself a souvenir-it is either a bag,or some jewellery,a dress, a top,shoes, or something useful. And every time I look at it I remember the place I had got it from. But I am positive I had bought nothing in Guernsey, because I could not see a single boutique selling items different from what I can get in London. And I never buy anything just for the sake of buying. I do not buy useless trinkets. I wonder if my sister will think the same when we dock in St Peter Port in July,while we cruise for seven nights on Britannia. My sister loves clothes and adores shopping. I like to dress well and hate shopping.

03/06/2016, There are quite a lot of German travelers on the ship.

Some very obviously cruising for the very first time,like the young couple having breakfast opposite,she in high heels and a tight dress, he in lacquer shoes and sharply pressed trousers. I have seen them several times before and every time wonder where on earth he gets his abominable shirts from. She looks good, why doesn't she put her foot down? Or are they just at the beginning of their courtship and her criticism may be premature? Some,the older travelers, appear to be seasoned cruisers with the air of- don't mess with me,I know what I am doing- about them. And nowhere is it more obvious than in the Library. Loud,loud, and loud. But still they cannot beat the Brits in bad manners. Because no-one does bad manners better than the Brits. Lunchtime. Self service in Lido. I sit down at a small table next to another small table occupied by a middle aged couple. I smile, say bon appetit. She looks up without a word. Without a word. Just looks at me blankly. He doesn't even lift his head in my direction. Who does that? I have said it before and to my regret I will say it many times yet - there is no buffoon like the British buffoon.

03/06/2016, Have done it, my goodness, I have certainly done it!

What have I done, you may ask. I have connected my chromebook to the ship's internet! Wish I had thought of it at the start of the cruise,my life would have been so much easier,as the ship's computers,new and easy to navigate as they are, will not magically overcome GOOGLE's security worries. The precious expensive minutes wasted doing one security check up after another and having successfully navigated through the minefield, I am directed back to the beginning, yes,back to the very start of the process! I am not proficient enough in the matters of the internet usage to know how to avoid the rigmarole. One day I will learn. Until then I am happy I can at least be able to do the basic things so that I can enjoy sitting with my lovely little Toshiba.

Friday,3 June 2016,at sea en route to St.Peter Port,Guernsey.

The day is dull and grey,it is unlikely the weather will improve in the next few hours The ship provides activities to suit every age and taste. As every morning there are numerous fitness classes in the gym,two chairobics sessions during the day,fitness body sculpt boot camp late afternoon [this is for the very devoted only] and a gentle sundown stretch at 6. You can line dance, fence,knit, do needlework,even make a hat for tonight's Royal Ascot. [Yes, it is another formal attire tonight ]. There is something on the agenda called FRIENDS OF DOROTHY and FRIENDS OF BILL W,but I have absolutely no idea what it is and have absolutely no intention of finding out. As I am writing a fruit and vegetable carving demonstration is taking place in the Grand Lobby,a feast for the eye,always very popular. And as I am writing am sitting by the window in the most glorious Library,[to me the nicest place to sit on this ship], surpassed only by that on the Queen Mary,I can see people walking by the window,some hurriedly,some taking a more leisurely stroll,clockwise or anti-clockwise,at times almost bumping into each other.I may go and join them but it looks rather windy,may have to go up to my cabin and put on something warm. How I love this life.

Dinner in the Britannia restaurant on 2 June,2016.

Prawn and salmon cake - the best starter to date. Utterly delicious,with a smothering of chilli sauce. Perfection. Chicken consomme equally commendable. Tender,succulent venison could have been served at any banquet for the Queen of England. The parsnip a bit too strong for the delicate dish,liked by some, but not by me. Orange pound cake as light as a feather and scrumptious. And for the first time I had some cheese,too. But not for the last, It will be on my plate tonight and tomorrow evening.

Roly-Poly.

When I saw it on the lunch menu yesterday,my heart jumped with joy. Oh, what anticipation,oh,what disappointment. Hard, tasteless dough with a smattering of jam, smothered with awful smelling and tasting custard. Quite unpalatable. Too much roly and not enough poly.

03/06/2016, Jazz.

A band played last night almost by the door to the Britannia restaurant.After dinner I stopped,sat down and listened. Jazz gladdens my heart more than any other music does.

02/06/2016, VIGO.

You walk the streets and soon become aware that nothing makes sense here. As if put together by a blindfolded child. No character, no history,just sad old age. The old is old and ugly and awful,the new is even uglier and more awful. The port terminal is shocking,dreadful,it  matches the rest of this unloved city. In front of the terminal there are two statues of people marching into the building. How fitting. If the residents could,I am sure they would all want to run away from here. Unfortunately Vigo has one of the best natural ports in Europe,so many ships dock here and I know I will come many times yet, hoping against hope the city will grow on me,knowing only too well I leave as disappointed as after every previous visit. To me this gormless city is the ugliest city in Europe.

02/06/2016, WONDERFUL OPORTO.

I love it and wish we had stayed overnight in the port,as sometimes the ships do.Parts of Oporto are quite run down,paint peeling on so many buildings,old and new. I have heard a lot of people say how awful it is letting this lovely city go to rack and ruin.But to me there is great beauty in the shabbiness. The clothes waving in the wind on the clothes lines and on some strange contraptions hanging out of the windows .That to me is life. There are beautifully designed buildings,simple,stylish,elegant, in very exclusive parts where the rich and famous live, but nothing can compare with centuries old houses,they breathe joy and life,and sorrow and death,the natural order of things. I love you, OPORTO, I love you in all your shabby, grey, lived in glory.

01/06/2016, Frog legs.

Jeremy Paxman may not think much of the French language, I may not think much of the French people,but the FROG LEGS are a different French matter  altogether. Had them for the very first time ever. Had I not known what they were, would have thought I was served anaemic chicken.A la Provencale,they were deliciose, Then a raw spinach salad needing nothing more than a few slices of uncooked mushrooms,red onion and a drop of blue cheese dressing. Where are the cooks hiding a vegetable garden? Veal scallopini a la Milanese as soft as a Hungarian feather down. The only disappointment was fruit Pavlova,probably loved by all,but not by me, for me it was the lesser of the five evils of the moussey variety. Would an apple and cranberry strudel have had thumbs up? I will never know now. Still,the kitchen produces meal after meal so delicious,I never stop marvelling how they manage to do it, feeding well over 2000 passengers and 1000 employees. I cook for one and in comparison....