Final visit was to the National Trust Killerton. Marred a little by large numbers of dogs - sometimes running free - and the lack of Covid awareness. But a good day out all the same.

TSH shocked the waiter by asking for 4 (very small) bread rolls at breakfast. So much so that they brought them on 2 plates and handed one plate to Diva. He ate all 4 with cheese.

TSH and Diva will really miss the wide sea view from the Victoria and the sheltered balcony where they could sit in comfort at most times during the day and evening.

A final visit to family in the south for some rocket launching and then home for tea.

Looking forward to cruising next. 

It's just up the hill.

 

Spent a great day in Lyme Regis with family members. Visited the Dinosaur museum, which had lots of fossils. The 4 year old was able to give Diva a good definition of a fossil and query the dating on some of the exhibits (we are talking millions of years here). Lunch was at a pizza restaurant, followed by stone throwing (safely into the sea) and Cumbrian cairn building on the beach.

The day in Sidmouth was a bit more challenging - wet and windy and not very Covid-aware in general. Diva has spent so long being deprived of bricks and mortar shopping that she has forgotten the rules of queueing. She accidentally jumped a queue (so un-British!!), was refused service and left without the pasties, so lunch was very sparse indeed. 

The Victoria hotel is excellent - great food and service and very Covid-safe. One guest made the mistake of leaving his seat in the bar and forgetting his mask. A waiter was very quick and polite to explain the law to him.

TSH and Diva also had a good visit to the stunning gardens at Coleton Fishacre. They had excellent Cornish pasties for lunch. And on the way back, they saw a number of sleeping CRUISE SHIPS in the bay next to Torquay. Can't wait for their awakening.  

This whole region is much more hilly than they remembered. The walk from the Lyme Regis car park down to sea level seemed OK but the walk back in afternoon heat was a struggle. Ditto the walk from  the lower part of Coleton  Fishacre back to the Visitor Centre and the car park.

The one where the focus stopped

 It was to be the first night away from home since the return from being transported to Australia. The Focus was out of the garage and packed with all the luggage and many face masks and gloves. The house was secured and Diva sat hopefully in the passenger seat whilst TSH started the engine. Nothing but an error message. Repeat. Repeat. 

So Diva rang the AA. 15 minutes for them to answer the phone but then an engineer appeared within the hour and within another hour had been away to acquire the correct battery and had fitted it. They were both very grateful that this happened at home and not by the roadside. But they never made the booked Bents breakfast. 

The journey was hot and uncomfortable with many stretches of slow traffic. But the Victoria at Sidmouth was as clean and welcoming as ever. The young man who helped with the luggage asked if they had visited before. Diva said it was a few years ago and he said ruefully 'Nothing has changed'. 'Isn't that the whole point?' replied Diva. A passing guest remarked on the large volume of luggage (light for TSH and Diva). 'We are just here for dinner' replied TSH.

Dinner was excellent and wine on the balcony with the sea view rounded off the day. 

Addendum

At breakfast, Diva uttered words never before heard on a Silversea ship - 'Is there any butter?' There was but many other items are in very short supply.

In his farewell speech, the Captain said 'Welcome to Ithaca and the end of our Odyssey. Penelope is waiting'.

Arrivederci.

From the bottom of the world

Silver Spirit is docked in Darwen and entry procedures are starting. TSH and Diva have decent flights booked - Virgin to Perth, followed by Emirates Business to Dubai and Manchester. Still horrendous - 23 hours in the air plus layovers. Some guests have worse connections, economy all the way or no flights at all. Silversea put the top cruisers on this voyage - about 1500 days - on economy all the way. They are furious!!

Last night the crew put on a show - better than the usual entertainment! The guests were assured by the captain and the cruise director that they have had a great cruise!!

So TSH and Diva plod home wearily to empty supermarket shelves and probable isolation. But there is a turkey crown in the freezer, spare loo roll and an extra jar of olives. Wine stocks are low.

Without let or hindrance?

The Silver Spirit continues to sail into the Southern Hemisphere - the equator has now been crossed. Diva has worked out that the distance from Singapore to Darwen is almost the same as the distance from Singapore to London, where they would be obliged to take in British citizens eventually. The last lot of Britons taken to Australia against their will were left there forever.

It seems likely that there will be a quarantine period of at least a few days in Darwen. Hopefully on the Silver Spirit. Qatar airways have announced that some flights are cancelled - can the others be far behind? So it is unclear how TSH and Diva will be able to return to self-isolation in the UK.

The daily entertainment on the ship consists of a demonstration of towel folding, a Ceremony for Crossing the Equator which TSH and Diva did not want to cross and a demonstration of Australian cooking just to rub it in.

TSH and Diva attended a class on pizza making which is something that TSH is interested in. He learnt that he does not need to use strong flour, should use semolina flour when stretching the dough and it is best to prove the dough in the fridge.

Last night's meal in Indochine was excellent but there is no longer any salad and the display of fresh fruit at breakfast was tragic by Silversea standards. No-one is starving and levels of alcoholism are increasing steadily. Fortunately the 'Friends of Bill W' meet every day.

The crew on Silver Spirit are very uncertain about their future but are still being extremely professional in the way they are looking after the guests.

What next?

There are times in the day when the Captain makes routine announcements. Any announcement at another time is either bad news or grist for the mill of uncertainty. 14:50 is not a routine time.

14:50 - Captain announced that the Australian Government has just banned all cruise ships. There are, however 'special arrangements' for ships already en route there. This is the situation for the Silver Spirit. The guests are assured that the senior executive who failed to influence the Philippine authorities is currently abandoning the flesh-pots of Sydney and making his way to Darwen.

'Special arrangements' might mean quarantine. The hope is that this will be on the ship, that the 12 days for which there has been no contact with the outside world will count and that there will be a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Plenty of food, but nothing much fresh.

Activity on pool deck to keep guests happy - 'Building a Boat'. Could be useful for the breakout party. One guest has declared his favourite film to be 'Titanic'.

Pizza-making tuition later.