User: rebecca94

Hi Emily

We are now sailing south - a day at sea but close enough to the coast to get a good signal.

It was good in the far north but as you can imagine very cold. Plenty of snow and ice and huge snow drifts. We had glimpses of the northern lights but I have seen better before. There was about 50% cloud cover.

Our cabins are very close but we are careful during you know what. The engine noise helps! Andrew has been disappointed at a few WHU scores recently and he misses the chance of seeing live action. They do screen live matches when World Cups are being played but nothing at the moment.

The seas are fairly good but the final few days between Norway and the North Sea can be choppy and some winds are forecast for the weekend! Bergen is the next port and it always seems to rain there. It must be Norway's Manchester!

I think we have had two formal dinners since I last posted. We had more casual evenings in the north as there were evening tours to see the lights. My usual dresses came out again - yes stockings - and cream flats. Andrew wore his suit and it soon came off for something more comfortable afterwards!

No Covid issues here and it is good that you are returning to something like normality at school. Hopefully with warmer weather coming up things will improve even more. The Ukraine situation is worrying. Our Baltic programmes have been altered to omit St Petersburg but numbers on those trips still seem OK. I think we might be on one in April.

I am pleased that Joel is enjoying his training. He seems to have made the right choice! We have a retired Methodist minister on board and have non-denominational services on Sundays.

Work outfit again today - I have a shore excursion talk on Bergen in an hour - but black skirt with stockings as I don't have to go outside.

I notice you had a black outfit yesterday (no red!) - you could have given my talk!

Stay safe

Rebecca

Dear Emily

Thank you for your good wishes and hello from Norway!

It is good to be on board again and also spending time with Andrew. Yes, we have had fun but I think the cabins have reasonable sound proofing!

The North Sea was not too bad - a bit of rolling but not enough to cause people discomfort. We have all noticed the drop in temperature though and I think it is the first snow I have seen this year.

Today we are in Tromso heading north. A bit cloudy for the northern lights at the moment but we will be all on the look out tonight.

I have dressed up three times so far - a variety of dresses with floral patterns, cream or white cardigans, opaque stockings and white sandals. My black stockings (although they are not actually called that on the packet) are likely to be worn next. Still looking for a red top.

Andrew wears his dark grey suit, white shirt and a tie - the tie soon comes off afterwards! We both went to see the entertainment show last night - a western musical theme. The trouble is the shows are repeated on future cruises so we can really only see them once!

Passenger numbers are down on previous years but that helps with social distancing in restaurants etc. A lot of people wear masks when moving around the ship. No Covid issues to date though thankfully.

I hope that you are still doing well at school with no serious Covid issues and that Joel's training is going well. Hopefully not too many funerals.

Your last outfit sounded great - I really must get something red soon.

Today still in work outfit at the moment - black blazer, white shirt, necktie and black trousers.

I will try to post in a few days if the signal is OK in North Cape

Best wishes

Rebecca

Hi Emily

I am glad that you and your parents were OK during the storms. It was a really wise decision to postpone the trip to North Devon as conditions were far worse than I imagined that they would be. I got through to the last "client" after I finished my post.

I stayed in for most of Friday. We were OK - just need a new fence post - but some large trees came down nearby and there was a large piece of garden equipment in the road. Fencing and roofing companies will be very busy.

I did see the steeple fall on the news. I have been to Wells several times so would have seen that church.

I can appreciate that you enjoyed a few days relaxing at home. I got a little bored after my somewhat longer time at home with not too much to do but two or three days would have been fine. Hopefully the remainder of the term will go well for you with Covid numbers falling. I am not sure if the relaxation of the precautions is premature though. Hopefully we will not regret it.

I am picking up Andrew early on Saturday and driving down to Southampton. We will break the journey as I don't like driving for long periods especially on motorways. We plan to arrive mid/late afternoon to settle in and prepare. We hopefully will have nearby cabins - plenty of you know what to catch up on!

I will have to prepare my work station but two days at sea before we reach Norway will give me time and there will also be shore excursion talks to sort out - although most will have itineraries similar to previous cruises.

My cases now need to be packed - most items washed and ironed. No chance to buy a clingy dress yet - but next shore leave in the UK! Clothes are very expensive in Norway. I hadn't appreciated that they were so useful in windy weather - ideal for on-deck!

For me - grey jumper, black trousers and trainers!

I will post next from Norway - when in one of the sea ports.

Take care

Rebecca

Hi Emily

A bit of an unusual situation this afternoon as we have had to postpone a trip to North Devon due to the severe weather warning! The area we were heading to (near Barnstaple) is in an area with a red alert - most unusual for the UK and the hotel is very close to the coast. As most of the "clients" are retired and many have sticks and walking aids it was deemed unwise to continue.

I had to help with phoning around and everyone I spoke to fully understood and they will get a voucher towards the cost of a future trip and a full refund.

I am looking forward to our cruise. It is a two week trip and Andrew and I will probably join the ship during the previous afternoon. I will now have a few extra days to prepare.

Cornwall was enjoyable although the weather could have been better on Sunday. We were at Lands End on that day and could not see the normal views due to the drizzle. We went to St Ives. Penzance, Falmouth and some "scenic drives" to Poldark country.

Yes I did dress up twice - including black stockings. My floral dresses will now be washed, ironed and packed for Norway. I may well look out for a clingy dress - I am sure Andrew will appreciate seeing me in one!

I am glad that you are enjoying your relaxing week. It is good to unwind. I think numbers are dropping here at last so hopefully there will be less disruption when you return next week.

I hope that the weather does not cause you any issues tomorrow. I will now be staying in as we have a lot of old trees near us!

I must finish here as I have one more "client" to ring.

Your outfit sounded really comfy - for me black skirt (old), opaque tights, blue jumper, black flats

I will post again before the cruise.

Stay safe - especially tomorrow

Rebecca

Hi Emily

I meant to post earlier but got distracted. I am on a long weekend coach trip tomorrow to Cornwall and have just finished packing.

The Mystery Tour went well. I knew it was Bournemouth but the "clients" didn't know until we were nearly there. I could here a lot of guessing going on. We went on a longer scenic route - New Forest, Winchester etc. It was rather short and you couldn't get to know people but fun.

Yes I did dress up on Saturday evening - floral dress with light blue background, white cardigan, black stockings, cream flats.

We are hoping to go on a cruise to Norway on 27th February. The ship is having a deep clean at the moment. Andrew is looking forward to travelling again. He was upset at the animal cruelty incident and was at the match where the player was booed. It will be good to work together again and be with each other - as you said a lot of catching up with you know what to do.

It is difficult to keep up with the regulations. Do you think the total relaxations are a little premature? Hopefully there will not be another spike in numbers but your attendances should be better without a need for so much isolation.

I hope that you enjoy half term. A great chance to relax if you are not going away and perhaps catch up on a few household chores. I think I managed to tidy and rearrange all my cupboards while I was on leave and reduced a lot of clutter.

I am dressed down at the moment waiting to see some TV and then an early night. Your clingy dresses are getting a lot of wear - they sound great!

Enjoy your break

Rebecca