We're Off Again - Our 2019 Cruises

We're off again!

This time it's a long stint away from Australia and will take us to a number of places to which we have never been and a couple of revisits.

Determined not to leave too much of an inheritance for the kids when we take that journey from which nobody returns, we're getting in our last few trips abroad while our bodies still work sufficiently well to lug baggage about, drive hire cars, climb stairs, drink pina coladas, and do all the other things tourists usually do - aging tourists that is.

The first cruise aboard Princess Cruises Sapphire Princess leaves from Singapore and after 37 days, docks at Southampton, UK. The map above shows it's trek.

Sapphire Princess

It will be of particular interest to visit Dubai, UAE and Salalah, Oman again to see how they have changed since we lived nearby at Al Ain. But, would you believe it, it's over a decade since we left Al Ain?

Time seems to go faster as you get older (and hair grows where you don't need it)  - it's not fair.

Before we head off from Singapore, we're going to Bangkok, Thailand for a week to have a look around. Christina has been there before, but not Robin. 

Initially, we were contemplating getting some dental work done at Bangkok, but having spoken to a couple of dentists in Australia, we're thinking we'll get the work done locally when we return. Robin has had several visits to a periodontist and has been asked to wait three months before getting anything done so the periodontist can see whether his intervention has worked and what future work needs doing. So, it's probably pointless getting work done overseas beforehand after already investing so much.

After arriving at Southampton, we have about a month before we take cruise number two from Southampton around the British Isles. The map below shows the trek.

We'll tour the southern parts of England we never got to during our previous two visits before joining the cruise. This time it's on Princess Cruises Crown Princess for 12 days.

On return to Southampton we fly to Bangkok and will probably spend a few more days there before flying to Siem Reap in Cambodia.

A friend from Alice Springs has just recently established the Mango Villa Guest House at Siem Reap so it would be an opportune time to stay with him and visit the Angkor Wat temple complex which we have been keen to see. Then it will be back to Bangkok and head home direct to Adelaide via Singapore Airlines.

It's a hard life retirement, but Robin is always mindful of this verse from his favourite poet, Omar Khayyam (The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam):

Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,

Before we too into the Dust descend,

Dust into Dust, and under Dust to lie,

Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer; sans End!

Christmas 2018 was Wonderful

We had a wonderful Christmas Day at the Henry family.

Unfortunately, son Dale had work commitments and couldn't be with us, although we did message each other on and off during the day. Because Dale's hearing has deteriorated, he can't communicate using audio means like Skype or mobile phone.

Next year we expect he will have a cochlear implant fitted and are hoping that will help him participate better. Sometimes he simply gives up trying to communicate because it becomes too difficult trying to understand what people are saying.

Meredith and Tory were with us and we managed to throw together a nice meal of pork, chicken and vegetables with a follow-up trifle. Meredith and I downed a sensibly small amount of alcoholic beverages and in the evening watched some Netflix programs.

Tory never drank a drop because we had given him his new (second-hand) Ford Laser car and he just wanted to drive around burning up a tank full of petrol, as you would when you get your first car and you're sweet 17.

Tory's first drive in his new car

We never took any photos this year with the exception of the following two which are largely self-explanatory.

But I'll tell you anyway, it's a piece of pork and a chicken with some vegetables being roasted in our new Weber barbecue.

It often seems ridiculous cooking roasts for Christmas when it's 38 C or more and I wonder why we don't celebrate Christmas in July in Australia.

Would it make any real difference?

Some years we have cooked a roast on Christmas Eve and then had cold meat and salad for Christmas lunch and dinner.

This year we had waffles for breakfast with fruit and Canadian maple syrup and I was the guardian of the barbecue who sat patiently drinking a can of German beer and doing "stuff" on my laptop.

In education we call it multi-skilling.

Cheers, here's to multi-skilling.

Hope your Christmas was enjoyable and that we share many more between us.

Robin

Setting up the Back Yard

The Garden Team

One of the benefits of being the first owner of a house is that you have an opportunity to create a garden that suits you. 

We're getting our backyard set up with grass and trees. Recently, the Barossa Village gardening team installed our grass. You can see the team celebrating the end of the installation at right.

Christina and I installed a number of trees and still have a few more to go. The ground was very hard - packed clay - so digging holes was a challenge helped with a little liquid clay-breaker.

The team at work

We are watering the trees daily and they seem to be responding well enough.

We have a number of additional trees to install under the patio, but beforehand, the gardening team is going to increase the amount of soil around the patio concrete slab and the fences. When that's been done, hopefully soon, we'll put some additional trees between the patio and the back fence seen in the photo below (the trees to be planted are in the planter box), and then 80cm around the patio periphery will consist of some coloured small stone, maybe white and the two planter boxes and some pot plants will sit on the rock and brighten up the place.

I'm making a couple of bird feeders and a birdhouse at the Tanunda Men's Shed and when finished, will hang them on the external fences. There are thousands of birds in trees across the street, so when I begin providing lunch for free, some of them will probably call in here occasionally.

Patio-a work in progress

By Christmas Day, the patio should be all set up and looking great. I'll put some LED light strips around the top of the patio and a Merry Christmas sign visible from the street and all will be wonderful.

We plan to buy a new Weber Premium barbecue and spend as much time outdoors as possible.

I'm currently looking for some metal signage to install, you know, the aged stuff that you see around museums etc advertising oil, petrol, foods or simply displaying a smart saying. I already have a couple of number plates and with Christina's permission, will install them on one small wall. Then, of course, there is the 1940s Coca-Cola wall-mounted bottle opener my late uncle gave me - that will have to go somewhere. Maybe we won't have it all done by Christmas.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Robin