Evernote 2013

I love Evernote and use it on a daily basis to store my bits and pieces. I hadn't thought of moving  old bits and pieces into the service.

Shoukd I make this a goal for 2013?

Holiday project: move all of your information to Evernote - News - PC & Tech Authority Mobile Edition

Boys' Toys

 In our backyard we have toys for the all the boys in the family. There's a log cabin for the small boys and a tractor for the old boys.

Boys' toys in the backyard

A Retrospective

This banner ad just appeared on a site I was visiting.

I wonder how many people will be tempted to book?

Hope is the last to die

On our recent visit to Poland we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. We asked our guide if she could recommend a good book to read about the camp and the experiences of someone who was incarcerated there.

She suggested "Hope is the last to die" by Halina Birenbaum who was 10 when the war in Europe broke out. The book was available in the bookshop at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum but unfortunately the museum was closed by the time we completed our tour. I tried to purchase a copy in Krakow and Warsaw and then in London without success so I listed purchase as a task on my return home.

I have just spent half an hour trying to find a reasonably priced copy of this book on the internet. A new copy can be purchased from the Museum but the only payment method is Paypal; I had an account but can't remember the details so this wasn't much use to me. There were secondhand copies available for prices of up to 80 British pounds at other sites. I finally purchased a secondhand copy through Amazon.co.uk for 15 pounds including postage.

Estimated delivery time is 2-6 weeks. Once I have read the book I may blog about it but I will certainly add and rate it in my online library at Librarything.

Hygiene Helper

One of the nifty inclusions in the public restrooms on The Seven Seas Mariner  (a ship on which we love to sail) was something that should be mandatory in all public bathrooms where one has to manually open a door after one has washed one's hands.

It was a paper tissue dispenser from which one could take a sheet of tissue to hold the door handle when exiting the restroom. Before the door self-closed one could dispose of the tissue into the pedal bin mounted  on the wall below the  dispenser.

Trip to Town

 BobBob and I accompanied our granddaughter on a journey to the Entertainment Centre in Sydney today to take in a show.

She was absolutely mesmerised by the Wiggles concert. BobBob and I enjoyed seeing the joy on the faces of the many children who were also enjoying the energetic and lively performance. 

Robert and Granddaughter

Harvey

On my recent cruise my habit was to have a Strawberry Daquiri after dinner while watching the show. After about 20 nights of daquiris I thought I needed a change. I told my waiter that I wanted a long refreshing drink, not too sweet, with perhaps a vodka base.

After a few minutes Veejay, the waiter, came back beaming "I have a Harvey Vallbanger for you" he said. I exclaimed "A Harvey Wallbanger - that's perfect - we used to drink those in the seventies." I enjoyed my reunion with Harvey so much that from that time on I changed my post dinner drink to a Harvey Wallbanger.

I was quite a trendsetter as I noticed after a few nights that more ladies on the ship were getting to know Harvey.

Now I am home I thought I would find a recipe for a Harvey Wallbanger so that Mr Geniaus could prepare one for me.

This is from About.com at http://cocktails.about.com/od/atozcocktailrecipes/r/hrvy_wlbngr_ckt.htm

This drink was created as one of those "all I got in the bar" drinks. Supposedly, the host of a party in the mid 60's had only vodka, orange juice andGalliano available. After a couple of these drinks a guest named Harvey was found to be banging his head against the wall and cursing the drink that caused him his misery. As such, the Harvey Wallbanger was born.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Yield: 1 Drink

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz vodka
• 1 1/2 oz orange juice
• 1/4 oz Galliano
• orange slice for garnish
• maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the vodka and orange juice into a collins glasswith ice cubes.
2. Add the Galliano.
3. Garnish with the orange slice and maraschino cherry. 

A New Twig

There's a new twig on our family tree and it's a princess. Welcome to our 11th grandchild.

The finish line is in sight

We have been on a race through Europe, Britain and South America over the past nine+ weeks. I ambitiously thought I might post every day but touring and discovering got in the way. I will be posting more of my photos and  memories some time soon.

I am now sitting in Santiago airport in Chile wsiting to be called for the final leg of our journey.
We have been fortunate to have such a marvellous experience.

If you get a chance to travel...just do it.

Hell on Earth

10 December 2012

What a day we had on Ile Royale in the beautiful Iles Du Salut (one is Devil's Island), French Guyana, the site of a former French penal colony and the setting for the novel and film Papillon. It was a beautiful spot that in ways reminded us of Port Arthur.

There was no organised tour of this isolated spot with few inhabitants so we spent our time wandering around the site at our own pace.

That's Devil's Island over the water

Schoolgirl French came in handy in the small museum

Devil's Island

View from our ship

Better than most

 10 December 2012

In Santiago, Chile - part way home - 3 hours and one flight done. Only 16 hours and one more flight and we'll be home. This is by far the best American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge we have ever used - it is nearly as good as British Airways and Qantas!

AA Lounge, Santiago

Food Glorious Food

9 December 2012

Since we started travelling we have done a lot of eating and tried a few new things.

Polish Pork Cutlet

For our first meal we visited a restaurant in Warsaw's Old Town  where we feasted on a typical Polish Meal of Vegetable Soup,  Pork Cutlet (more like a schnitzel) with Fried Potatoes and Cabbage and Gelato in a waffle cup (not sure if this is too traditional but it tasted good).

Our last meal in Buenos Aires was in the restaurant of the Buenos Aires Sheraton where I had Sweet Potato Soup, Veal Parmagiana and Cruz Alta Brazilian Chardonnay.

Brazilian Booze

Merry Christmas from Buenos Aires

Father Christmas is waiting to hear from Argentinian children at Galerias Pacifico Shopping Mall in Buenos Aires.

Meanwhile, as the mall has free wifi, Robert has run back to the hotel to grab his phone and left me alone in a sea of sparkling shops. 

Last sleep

 5 December 2012

Thanks to the ship's crew for reminding us it's our last night on board Seven Seas Mariner. 

Is a swim in order?

I feel like diving off my balcony and swimming over to this island at Punta del Este, Uruguay

It's fruit - it's healthy!

 I don't treat myself to pancakes every morning on Seven Seas Mariner but this morning I needed a dose of fruit!

Strawberry pancakes

Culture on the high seas

1 December 2012

Boat Building Competition

Needlepoint, bridge, enrichment lectures,deck sports, trivia games, bingo and casino capers are some of the activities available to amuse guests while at sea.

Vocalists, instrumentalists, jugglers and stage productions provide evening entertainment.

Tonight we attended the fourth recital on board given by concert pianist, Panos Karan, an exceptionally talented young man. Even Mr Geniaus who is not a fan of classical music (and tonight it was a heavy Chopin program) enjoyed Panos' performances. A spot of culture doesn't go astray on the high seas.

I am looking forward to attending Panos' lecture tomorrow about Keys of Change a charity he founded in 2010 to promote and establish musical education and its benefits in remote areas around the world.

A clean state

30 November 2012

Today our ship pulled up off Porto Belo in the smallest Brazilian state, Santa Catarina.

We  were delivered by the ship's tender to Porto Belo one of three towns we visited. We noticed that the infrastructure in PB, Itapema and Cambirou was of a higher quality than we had seen anywhere else in Brazil. The towns were clean and the roads and footpaths were in good order; the beautiful beaches were also clean and I didn't notice the herds of wandering dogs that we had observed in other areas.

Dock in Porto Belo

Porto Belo Beach

Cambirou Beach - sea level

Cablecar guy

Rainforest transport

Cambirou Beach from on high

Rainforest traffic

In the rainforest

Rainforest inhabitant

Above the rainforest

Friendly Brazilian schoolgirls

From the forest to the beach

Brazilian Beach Belles

Christ came out in Cambirou