The rain is here

Well it rained overnight and in to this morning and the children went up to the Kids Club, Christopher is really enjoying it whilst Katherine is slowly adapting and Ethan is really not to sure and so would prefer to stay at home, The reason for this is the age groups they use on-site as Christopher who is approx. two years younger and so not in the same group so we can understand the problem of not being with either Katherine or Christopher.

On our part we had a nice delayed breakfast sitting outside of the hut and watching the world go by although it was not to warm but still I could sit there and do my usual round up of checking bank accounts, and writing the blog.

For a change today we have decided to to go to the pizza restaurant just down the road and I must say it was very good and the kids really enjoyed it although Christopher had spaghetti bolognaise whilst the rest of us enjoyed some nicely cooked pizza’s.

 What was nice is that the restaurant recognising we had three young children and one baby was very fast to provide the food to the table as by this time it was about 1.30 pm and they were all getting hungry. For desert Michael and Becky shared a chocolate profiterole and Tim the coffee gourmand and the kids polished off the ice creams. On the way walking back to the site we were overtaken by an ambulance, and police cars and also a fire engine with their siren blasting away. Umm must be something bad?

As we turned in to the road that leads to the camp site there was this motley crowd of fire and ambulance and two police cars blocking the road as it would appear that two English registered cars had a collision, only minor and no one appeared hurt which was good but why they needed so much emergency services I don't really know.

It was raining again but the family all went off to the the heated indoor pool for couple of hours and Katherine went on the slides again which she enjoys very much.

In the afternoon we helped Michael and Becky research their planned trip to Kuala Lumpur next Easter and then nearly fixed it only to find the travel agent raises the price by about £ 300 after we had agreed a lower price which was nasty, as it happens the bank rejected Becks card for some reason and so they were able to escape and do some more research tomorrow. We also helped Joanne and Tim with their plans to visit Hamburg later this year by investigating the various methods and now think they will fly EasyJet from Gatwick Airport. All this research took a couple of hours when I was also wanting to follow up on some update on the St Jean De Luz house where the sitting squatter will not move out. This is taking for ever and it now about four years since all this started.

We had a quiet evening by ourselves with a light evening snack and then watched the latest edition of ‘Plank of the Week’ which was good fun as usual.

Oh well and off to bed with tomorrow being Jennifer and Katherine’s joint Birthdays

Elton John is in town- I don’t think so

A fairly quiet morning with the family heading off in various directions. Joann and Tim went to the old part of town and spent some time wandering through the local market and buying some knick-knacks of green glass plate which was heart shaped and an old lighter on a small stand.

The weather was very kind to us today with quite a lot of sun with only a few clouds to break up the sky.For lunch we had some cheese specially imported from England, Ha and some biscuits as in the evening we are planning to get together for dinner and using up all the left overs from the previous evenings BBQ. We have pretty much moved from one Eurocamp ht to another for each evening mean and whilst the BBQ with Mady and Ken was held in our residence tonight's function would be held in Joanne and Tim's place.

However in the afternoon the family went to the swimming pool complex and Jennifer and I wandered later with the camera to take some photos of the family going down the various slides and/or splashing about in the indoor pool which is a bit like a sauna. They all had a great time and were little tired when they got back but as you know they never give up until the party’s over.

We had a nice dinner altogether with the kids anxious they do not miss the evening entertainment which is an Elton John Tribute Band. The whole bar area was quite packed so we found a nice warm spot in the bar from where we could hear the music and watch the event. He put on a good show playing he usual list of well known songs but after about an hour Jennifer and I left for a quiet period before we went to bed and leaving Tim and Joanne and the kids enjoying the show. Not sure what time the rest of the family got home but they were right down at the front sitting on the floor and really enjoying themselves.

I did take some photos and video which I will load on this blog once I get some decent Wi-Fi which does not cost fortune to use so will wait until we get to the Hotel later this week. The children have made friends with some young girls who have a home in Bristol and they have been having a great time running up and sown the road and playing all sorts of games. So all are having a good time.

Good weather today so BBQ

We all slept well and Jennifer enjoyed our breakfast on the balcony whilst watching our two families doing the same. Late morning we walked down to the sear front to meet up with Mady and ken who had arrived and were planning to spend the night in a local hotel and we were able to sit in the sun whilst enjoying the view across the beach and also the bay or the gulf of Morbihan. After a couple of hours sitting in the sun we headed back to the glamping site for lunch and an afternoon of chat catching up our mutual lives since we last physically met last year.

After lunch we did a quick walk up to the swimming pools and games areas for Mady and Ken to see and there in the warm indoor pool were Michael, Becky, Tim and Joanne with the kids having a lovely time.

At around 4pm Mady and ken walked off site to the Hotel to check in and then later re-joined us for a sort of a BBQ dinner. The menu consisted of local sausages, chicken drum sticks and salmon baked in foil. The sausages were cooked on the BBQ as was the salmon packets but with chicken you must be sure its well cooked and also with not much room on the Barbie we decided to cook them in the oven. So with eight adults and four children crowded around the table we had a really great evening. To support the  bbq food we had salads and ready made pasta, and other stuff purchased from the local Super-U supermarket. With ample wine of three different colours and with some aspiring to a glass of Jack Daniels and the kids playing out in the local road with the girls from the opposite shed they also had a noisy ,fun packed evening.

Needless to say there was a considerable of clearing up to do before bed which we finally reached at around 11pm. An all round great day which was enjoyed by all.

Lets hope the weather holds up for tomorrow although rain is forecast for later in the week it seems…Damn.

Better weather today in Carnac

We slept a little longer than normal as rather tired from the travel and not sufficient sleep on the ferry mostly due to the creaking and vibrations which was not good and I have reported this to Brittany ferries, not sure what they can do but this ship is over 30 years old and needs replacing.

Anyway we had our breakfast and then noticed the family was already up and  active. We stayed around the accommodation today and Joanne and Tim went for a walk around the town and did some small shopping. For lunch somehow we all crowded around the table after the kids had their lunch and the adults enjoyed hot dogs in French baguette whilst I could not risk this and so had baguette and cheese. In the afternoon we took a walk down to the town which is very nice and what with the weather improving it was pleasant time, We bought some vegetables from a local shop and then discovered it was rather expensive and headed back to the Super U supermarket to finish the rest of the shopping whilst the editor returned for a quick zizz. The kids had been that morning in the Eurocamp Children's Club which they sort of enjoyed being the first time they have played with other children they did not know but it was a new experience for them all. The afternoon session had been cancelled as the current children were going to put on a show in the centre of the site which we went watched and they all seemed to have good time with the staff working hard to get them all doing the same thing.

I also had to go and complain about the state of the BBQ allocated to us it was filthy. And when it says you have to clean up after yourself in the mobile home and its left like this I don't think I should be the one to clean it so eventually they sent  someone over to clean it but missed out on the other BBQ’s which are in a similar estate. I think Eurocamp are having staffing problems and perhaps getting to big.

For dinner we all got together and had spaghetti bolognaise which was nice and then let the kids play for a while, and it was fun to watch Archie eating a banana and also melon which he enjoys however it did leave the floor and the high chair in a bit of a mess, but he really enjoyed it. Michael then gave Archie a bath which was nice to see and then off to bed they went .

For the rest of the evening Jennifer did some reading, whilst  I did the Blog and uploaded some photos.

The weather outlook for tomorrow has changed and it will be a 20 C temp with mixture of sun and clouds it would appear, lets hope that is correct. Tomorrow Noel’s sister and husband who live not to far away will come to visit, they will stay in Hotel overnight and so it will be nice to catch up.

Oh dears its raining cats and dogs

Well the overnight was sort of ok but the ship was quite noisy with creaks and rattles and so a number of adults did not sleep well which was a shame only to wake up to initially to see a lovely sunrise for it to be covered in heavy rain a little later. We all met up for breakfast in the café for a croissant and tea as at 6.30 body time we don't usual eat a heart English breakfast and so this was enough for the day.The Cars were all in different places in the ship and so we got off at different times, and initially Joanne wanted us to wait to follow us after we had waited about half and hour an our she said she felt confident enough to go by herself. The rain chucked down most of the way from St Malo to Vannes where we had agreed to meet up at the big Leclerc Hypermarket for lunch and shopping .

By 11.30 we were all parked up and went to the Flunch restaurant for a bite to eat and then on with some food shopping. We bought some prawns and and also some very nice lamb chops, we hoped, for the evening meal. It was a bout a half an hour drive from Vannes to Carnac , again in the pouring rain which is not appreciated. We arrived and checked in and we have three mobile homes all next to ach other which is good and easy for the kids to play. We all did our unpacking and and then even though it was chucking it down we would do a trip around the site to see where everything is.

So at about 1630 we headed off to the swimming pool complex and there was a bar there and so we decided to all have a beer. From there back to the Mobile homes and it was planned for the kids to have their tea but the draw of the swimming pool was to much and so off they went.

On the other hand we opened a bottle of win and enjoyed some prawns we had purchased in Leclerc and then the lamb chops which were really very good and as Jen did the washing up I created three days of blogs . And still it rains and it now 20.47 and it carries on and we can ly hope it better tomorrow but the forecast for the next week is very poor which is a crying shame.

In the evening Jennifer read her book and Noel listened to some music  apart from writing this blog

Well today is the day

As  the car was pretty much packed there was not too much to do before we left apart from turn off all electrical stuff we will not need and include turning off the hot water system. So an easy morning and then we left home at about 1530 for this short journey down to Portsmouth. The weather up till that time had been really nice but as soon as we got to Portsmouth the heavens opened and it was really unpleasant. We checked and waited for our son and daughter and families to arrive before we all boarded the Brittany Ferries Bretagne to St Malo. It was about 8.30 by the time we all met and the children were getting tired but not giving up, and then  around 2145 we headed of the bedroom to sleep.

We have used Brittny ferries quite a few times but one a different route and vessel but this one was very noisy with creeks and rattles and Jenifer and the adults had a rough night although the kids seem to sleep quite well as they were nearly asleep when the they adjourned to their rooms for a restless night.

So tomorrow will be an interesting day as we leave St Malo for Carnac with the weather forecast looking pretty rubbish.

Time to pack and go

 Well we have a had few easy days to prepare for our travel to France insofar we could have left a day earlier if we wished, but not to be.

Its a mixed holiday with self catering, Hotels, staying with friends and all requiring different clothing and general stuff. Jennifer has packed up tea bags, sugar and few spices that we like along with bedding that we may also need and so by Tuesday night came along the car was pretty much full. I also used the time to phone family a friends to say au revoir as I always like to keep in touch. As usual their is some home stuff to do, check on paid bills, ad pay some as you will be away and then later in the day to get the car cleaned as it is pretty dirty. A couple of hours later the car was cleaned and so I could start packing it to see how it all went  inside, clearly I need a bigger car and I miss my old 4.5 litre Toyota Land Cruiser in which you could pack everything from the kitchen sink to bicycles when there would be tons of space but with the NX its all a bit of a squeeze but we made it.

Well tomorrow we leave home and should be interesting meeting up with the family at Portsmouth.

Last full day at sea

Well tomorrow morning at around 0730 the ship will arrive back in Dover and by 0830 is we hope to be able to collect the car and head off for home. But as for today it started with breakfast and we met our mate Ted Collins who was have some trouble with his flash unit on his Leica camera and then realising it must be the battery and o soon after he went back to his cabin to charge it up, probably see him later over lunch.

OUR ROUTE AROUND UK

After breakfast we headed to Seabourn Square and noticed that shop was already open and after about 25 minutes had pretty much spent all of our on board credit. The lady totally the bill was getting rather confused and ended up trying to charge us for somebody's else stuff but she did correct it. We then decided to return to the cabin with our goodies and finish our ablutions with Jennifer reading and the undersigned keeping the blogs, banks account checks, monitoring email, in fact all the usual stuff.

We had lunch on the patio deck but it was quite windy as of course we were moving when in the past we have mostly been stopped over lunch time. Because it was so windy there were few passengers there, perhaps about 10/15 and presume the rest were in the restaurant or Colonnade. Following lunch we returned to the room and started packing our suitcases which will be collected this evening for us to reclaim tomorrow morning in Dover Harbour.

 So as we have to dress smartly tonight as we will be going the the Thomas Keller Chop House, reminiscent of the original New York Chophouse style..

 

It was a very nice dinner and Jennifer had the lobster and Noel the veal chop washed down with a couple of glasses of something.Following dinner we went to the Observatory bar as we did not fancy the show and wanted a quiet night as Jennifer is still suffering from her cold.

Upon returning the the room we finalised the suitcases and placed them outside the cabin door to await overnight collection.

Well that about it for this series of travel blog as tomorrow we get up and have a quick breakfast and be off the ship around 0830 collect the car and head off with a stop via Costco to pick up some basics and bbq stuff for Sunday as our daughter in law and grandchildren will be joining us.

Its been an enjoyable and interesting trip and you meet some really interesting people on these more expensive cruises and apart from Noel tummy issues and Jen’s cold all was well in the Groves camp. We will move down a groove for the next break will be in the caravan, what a comedown!!

Its Wednesday so must be Newcastle

The overnight sail from Edinburgh was peaceful and smooth and we pulled into the port at North Shields overlooking some very nice newish houses on a small boat marina.

Unfortunately Jennifer was not feeling to good as a result of having a cold with lots of coughing and so we cancelled our booked trip on the bus into Newcastle. Noel was also still having some issues down below caused we think due to a tough steak being swapped over rather quickly without following the NO GARLIC rules, well that's the only thing that we think it could have been. When cancelling the bus trip they said we would still have to pay buy they did in fact credit us which was good and kind. 

 

The Medical centre on board has limited stock and so Noel took a taxi downtown to a pharmacy to gather stocks, also to post the letter to my sister, and then back to the ship. Around 1pm Jennifer was feeling a little better and so we went up the the patio for lunch and sat with the elderly gentleman and his Chinese wife  who we had met the previous day. I had located some photos of the Hecny Transport Hong Kong guys with me as he also new these two brothers well. We then had a further general chat about Hong Kong. It became known that his wife Margaret Lui Collins was also an author and also quite religious and she had published a book some while ago called ‘GOD IS GOOD’ which she is hoping to have made in to a film as she had to dash of for a conference call on the subject. She asked about my religion which I explained I was an atheist and the reason for this is that religion has caused so many wars without the various religions working together and so that's my view but of course I respect other people right to a religion. I hope I did not upset her as in the past if you say you are an atheist to somebody quite religious they can get quite upset. Each to his own me thinks!

She has a website       www.victoryglory.com

In the afternoon Jen had a rest and Noel caught up with Blogs and photos but due limited internet capacity many Blog things re photos I cannot do ,so will do over the next few days once home. Then Noel also had a rest…

In the evening we were both feeling a little better and went for uneventful dinner in the main restaurant before returning to the room so Noel could watch the European Cup game between Manchester City and Real Madrid and what a cracker it was to. This was a brilliant game by Man City and in the first half they left RM looking lost, wonderful to see. However the bad news is that Man City host my team Chelsea at home and if Man city play like this again the scoreboard will not have enough noughts  on it.

Tomorrow, we must use up our ‘on board credit’ . What this is when they want to offer you a lower price to help fill the ship they don't like to offer a lower price directly but give you an amount which you can spend freely on board at the SPA or shops and so we have about £ 600 to spend before leaving the ship or you lose the money so Hey-Ho lets go shopping tomorrow..

And so to bed

Edinburgh and the sun is shining

No real rush this morning but we wanted to take the shuttle to the local station and then take a train to Edinburgh but then found out that the shuttle was going to Dunfermline and so the next choice was taxi to the station and their was an American couple that had already ordered a cab and so we joined them but after a short discussion agreed to halves by taking the taxi directly to Edinburgh City centre. And so off we went with me in the front of the vehicle trying to hold a conversation with a Scottish gentleman with a strong accent and so I understood perhaps 40% and just nodded and said yes several times which kept him happy. Somehow we got on to politics which he said he had no interest in and that all this blarney about the Scots hating the Brits is all SNP and newspaper talk and he hates it.

 

However we also talked about football and we reached a good agreement on how bad Chelsea football club is these days. We don't think the driver new downtown Edinburgh to well as he dropped the American couple about 400 metres from where they wanted to be, ah well. However we found a Weatherspoon's pub and stopped for a cup of tea and a technical stop. before then walking further in to the centre to locate the open top tour bus which we intended to take  as Edinburgh is rather hilly and Noels knees are not in good shape for lots of walking. 

We picked up the tourist bus and it took us on a tour around the town with stops at the Castle, Government House and the various museums and it is quite busy with many cafe’s and bars looking quite busy particularly up by the castle. There did not appear to be many, if any, empty shops  which is always nice but we understand that this is actually the exception as many smaller towns are suffering with closed shops according to Trevor the Head Chef. Noel took quite a few photos but to upload them using the ship Wi-Fi would take forever and day and due to the file size may not be possible and so I decided to review and correct them when i get home later this week and then will add them back to the blog.

 

We decided to take a taxi back to the ship and located an Uber at a good price only to run into big traffic jams caused by road marking and then entrance to the Port/Cruise Terminal is not well signposted and so we got lost for about 15 minutes. Well I said Cruise terminal which actual rather a large tent with absolutely nothing in it, rather a misnomer.

I am a bit cross with myself after running around to get the letter to my sister printed and ready for posting we arrived back at the ship with it still in my bag, damn!! so will have to post in Newcastle tomorrow. Sorry Annette.

Having returned to the ship we went for a cup of tea and biccies in the lounge and Jen did some reading and Noel catching up with yesterdays blog and starting on todays. What I have learnt over the years that if you do not complete it at the time but leave it for a couple of days you forget stuff.

We went back the Colonnade for dinner with Noel watching what he ate as he has had some problems today and following dinner we went to see the comedian Steve Stephens again and puts on a good show and then back to the room for bed before 1030

Today we arrived in Invergordon gateway to Inverness

The usual early morning arrival in to the Invergordon inlet and there are day trips to Inverness if you are interested, but Jennifer and I prefer beautiful scenery rather than a town and so our day started with Jennifer visiting the on board SPA for a 50 minute massage and the she joined me in the Seabourn Square where I had been updating the blog etc at around 11.00. I think she may be ready for bed again soon as she looks very relaxed.

At one time we did think about taking a train ride but actually with the requirement to be back on the ship by around 16.00 otherwise it leaves without you I think our plan to relax on board is a good one. I started writing the travel blog back in 2004 as a trial whilst were touring China but when I retriered I thought it would be great to continue and so when visiting our friends last Friday in Norther Ireland the question was raised about what was the date that we last visited them in their home and very quickly we could find out. Its also very nice to look back and relive experiences and its a great catalogue of our life since I retired in 2005.

For lunch we went to the patio and were joined by an elderly American guy and where we had a long chat and he mentioned that he had lived in Hong Kong in the mid 1970’s working for a Bank. He lived their for about three years and during our discussions we discovered, yet again, that there were several people we both knew including the Lee Brothers of Hecny transport fame. It turned out that he was also a lawyer and now lives in San Francisco with a nice old 65 foot boat kept in the bay. He clearly likes to travel and recently stayed in the Hotel du Cap in Cap d’antibes which he reckons to be the best Hotel in the world and he stayed with his Chinese wife in the Savoy whilst waiting for the ship. A most interesting couple and hope we meet up with them again.

In the afternoon Jennifer did some necessary washing whilst did  few emails. Tonight we have planned to go to the Colonnade as although it’s Chinese food night, that would be good for Jen but I would order the basics. Jen enjoyed her food and Noel opted for some smoked salmon and prawn, which was great, and then a steak which was a New York strip and unfortunately it was B awful and they had to take it away and bring me a filet mignon instead which was fine.

After dinner we went to see the show and song and dance evening of mostly from stage shows and it was quite good and finished around 9.45 pm and so we had a nightcap in the observatory then back to bed as tomorrow go to Rosyth Port for a visit to Edinburgh.

Nite nite

        

We arrive in Scrabster

The usual early morning arrival in to Scrabster Harbour, we were told it was a Tender Location but actually we moored right inside the Harbour instead. We planned to have a quiet morning and so we took refuge in the Square for a while but Jennifer was booked to go on a trip to visit the ex Queen Mothers Castle, The Castle of Mey which she used from 1952 until 1996 when Her Majesty donated it to a trust. The castle is situated on the North Coast of Caithness about 15 Miles from Thurso and six miles from John o Groats ( the most Norther part of the United Kingdom.

So we had a early light lunch and then Jennifer left on the tour at about 13.00 Noels afternoon was to spend some more time in the square and then at 14.00 I returned to the cabin to watch Manchester City play Everton and the result would always be forgone conclusion with MC beating Everton by three goals to zero. Everton actually played some good football on the break but were let down by the final ball in front of goal, sounds a lot like Chelsea and more…

The game finished around 16.00 So a little cabin tidy to get rid of all the excess paperwork which we had accumulated.

Jennifer returned from the castle tour , see following history of same

The Castle of Mey was built by George, the 4th Earl of Caithness, for his second son William Sinclair. When visiting the family seat Girnigoe Castle in 1573, William was murdered by his older brother John, who had been imprisoned there for about six years by his cruel father.  John had been planning an escape but William found out about it and told their father.  John was in turn murdered and the castle went to the third son, George Sinclair, who founded the family of the Sinclairs of Mey and whose descendant succeeded to the Earldom in 1789. He changed the name of the castle to Barrogill Castle.

The castle then became the seat of the Earls of Caithness for the next one hundred years.

In 1819 the twelfth Earl commissioned the architect, William Burn, to make various ambitious alterations to the castle. This was when the grand entrance and the dining room were added. His son, Alexander, was responsible for erecting the monument, now known as Lady Fanny's seat as a tribute to his friend, Charles John Canning, who later became the first Viceroy of India.

George, the fifteenth Earl died at the age of 30; he had never married and having no children he left the castle to his friend F G Heathcote, on condition that he changed his name to Sinclair.  His widow eventually sold it to Captain F B Imbert-Terry, who subsequently sold it to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1952.Royal Ownership

In 1952, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother saw what was then known as Barrogill Castle while staying with Commander and Lady Doris Vyner at the House of the Northern Gate on Dunnet Head, a short distance to the west.  Despite its poor condition, Her Majesty purchased the castle that year and set about renovating and restoring both the castle and its gardens and parklands, which extended to about 30 acres. She also restored the castle's original name changing Barrogill Castle back to The Castle of Mey.

Her Majesty opened the gardens in aid of Scotland's Gardens Scheme on three days each year, a tradition which the trustees have been pleased to continue.

Apparently they were aloud inside part of the castle but were able to walk freely about the gardens which were beginning to to start looking nice but apparently most of the planting is designed to come in to bloom in a about a months time when the Queen Mother traditionally visited during this period.

We had a short rest and departed for the Colony which was serving Dover Sole which Noel enjoys and Jennifer had a Lamb shank which she really enjoyed. Following dinner we went to see the show and it was a British Comedian called Steve Stevens ( not to be confused with the American rock guitarist) . He was really good and he had the mostly American guests really laughing and applauding his trumpet and banjo playing his impressions of other well known singers. A really enjoyable evening .

And so to bed

A tour of the North part of Isle of Skye

This tour necessitated another early morning and we had to meet in the main room at 0830 and so we had a quick and small breakfast so that Noel is not affected by having the wrong thing.

We had to use the tender from the ship to Portreath and it was about a fifteen minute crossing where you arrive just on the outskirts of the town in a small harbour. On the hill overlooking the harbour was a Hotel where Jennifer stayed with her father some years ago on a private tour of Scotland. We were met by the tour guide who was a nice guy with a good sense of humour and he introduced himself as our tour guide for the day, this we discovered whilst waiting for the coach to arrive.. 

 

So we all got onboard and off we went and then out of nowhere a lady of Asian Origin introduced herself as the tour guide and what a complete and utter disaster she was to. Whether she was reading from a script but she was unable to pronounce the correct names of the Scottish Towns and names of important people and then kept duplicating what she was saying and then halfway though talk about something else. Not only that she kept this non stop talking  for about 100 minutes on our route around the Island and it was driving me crazy. I suppose its not her fault she was given this job but when you are supposed to be a tour of Scotland surely there should be someone is Scottish and can speak and and can pronounce the names correctly. Eventually the driver kept interrupting her to put her on the straight and narrow and she mostly ignored his advised and suggestions. She talked about the people who spoke in GARLIC , not Gaelic and the said a closed mine produced DYNAMITE and not  DIATOMITE. For those who are interested Diatomite comprises fossilised remains of diatoms; single-celled aquatic algae. It is a sedimentary deposit consisting almost entirely of silica. It is of low density and high porosity meaning it has high insulating and absorption properties. Whilst Dynamite blows things to pieces.

 

We also learnt a lot about new car parks and toilets that we cannot use??? really interesting stuff . T her German Gentleman a and another chap in the coach in front of us each time she started speaking put their fingers in their ears to reduce the amount of rubbish she was spurting

I am sure that the many American are now confused with the Scottish language after this debacle.  When we arrived at the first stop I was so cross and waited to be the last person of the bus and and approached the driver and said does the courier work for your company which was NO and I said this was worst commentary on any bus tour I have ever taken and he agreed and looked up to heaven. Immediately afterwards the lady approached me and told her the same that really with all the Scottish words, quite frankly a Scottish tour guide would be better due to the reasons I mentioned earlier. I said to her it was not her fault that she had an ASIAN or Chinese background and of course it would be difficult to say the works correctly, me as a Brit would have the same problem. I said I likened it to an Irishman leading a tour to China and unable to pronounce the words.

She became very upset and said he was BRITISH and I had been rude to her and that I was a racist, what I said I spent 15 years in Asia working the locals and no way was I anywhere near a racist. I said I would report this discussion which I did to once retuning the ship. The good news was once we re-joined the bus she stopped talking altogether, my German friends in front were delighted.

We finally returned to Portreath at 1245 and the town was packed with tourists with lots of local junk for sale at  extortionate prices I suspect. At this point they announced that the coach could not return to the port due to the traffic and parking problems so we could either walk downhill to the ship or wait for a shuttle which we did and then via the tender return to the ship.

We went straight to lunch as we were both hungry after a small and early breakfast and immediately after discussed the mornings events with the Guest relations officer who would pursue the matter further.

After lunch Noel watched some football on the TV and then up came a repeat of the Kings Coronation Concert at Windsor and then we went for dinner and met a nice Californian couple who now live in Hawaii , he was an ex nurse who works in surgery units. Clearly we are building a medical team here what with a Pathologist and now a Nurse, wow.

We decided not to see the show and went to the Observatory bar which is at the front of the ship and at 2140 it was still quite daylight, of course being lot further north than Byfleet makes a difference. And so to bed. Noel will stay on the ship tomorrow whilst Jennifer is off on a tour to the ex Queen Mothers castle.