Have a waffle with Carol

[Gisela Grell]

Dear Noe,

sorry to hear you lost your card. Hope you will have it back soon! And thanks a lot for the story around it. I love it.
I remember I lost my purse with all cards like bankcard, creditcard, ID card, drivers ID, insurance card and all that stuff. First I thought I had left it at the fuelstation and rushed back but nothing. Not in the car and nowhere. I had just picked 300 € from the machine. Sh***! I start letting all cards block and ask for replacement what cost a fortune.
Three days later the purse was back. Someone put it into my letterbox. All cards inside and all blocked Only the money was gone.
A more nice story happend to me on Malta. I went there with my ex husband (long time ago) and we rent a car and made some sightseeing. One place I took my little backpack and walked around. Then my ex husband gave me the camera to take some pictures. We went back to the car and drive along. The next stop I was missing my backpack... Well, the stop before I left the car with something in my hand (backpack) and entered the car also with something in my hand (camera), didn't recognize that something was missing. We searched the whole place asked at the hotels around and then went to the police to tell them my desaster. Big trouble and arguing about my stupidness... When we arrived at our hotel a lady from the counter rushed to us and told me that a lady found my bag. She left her phone number and we arranged a meeting the next day. When we came to the place the lady was standing there shaking my bag! She didn't even want a return for the service (don't know if this is the right description). And she was in a rush and hussled away in a minute.
Back home I wrote her a letter to thank her again and since then (1988) we are pen pales.

Ops, I'm waffeling... never thought I could do this in English

Cheers
Gisela

[GillMathews]

Majesty,Ma'am,Queenie? Not quite sure that just "Noe" cuts it anymore since you've been elevated to the ranks
Strange about the machine thing, My local supermarket hole in the wall insisted on telling me that there were no receits available even though I was not doing anything that required one We had a power cut last night so maybe that has put things on the wonk.I am busy doing all those last minute things before I go to Gatwick for an overnight stay after work on wed.By the time I have sorted everything here ,Mother, cat, cockatiels,leave house tidy and ready for my sister to stay some of my holiday time,I will neeeeed a break.
Hope you have a nice time in Tresco. I will be watching you all from a distant isle.
Gill (curtsy,several backward walking steps)
X X X X

[Carol Townsend]

Gill,
I won't let it change me, I promise!

Gisela,
Good waffling; that's a lovely story about your Maltese pen pal.
We went to Malta in 1999, and in as far as you can judge a country based on a seven day holiday, we liked Malta and the Maltese. Malta isn't scenic, but interesting, with potholes in the roads, un- touched building sites and laid - back people! Laid- back, that is except for when they're driving...
We went to a religious "festa" in a village one evening, and were watching the fireworks when a local man in front of us dropped his mobile phone without noticing, so my then ten year old son handed it to him. The man was so pleased he gave my son some money, and then went around telling people in the crowd! He was speaking in Maltese but his smile and gesticulations said it all.
My son bought a model boat; a "luzzu", with the money, which he still has on display in his room.
Love
Queen Noe
xxx

[Kevin Pallant]

Carol, many congratulations on reaching such lofty status but.....shouldn't it be Qun as there is no "e"??

[Linda P]

Queen Noe, I'm sure Tresco is beautiful, never been myself. though I do love Cornwall, just keep finding myself dragged back to Tobago each year. Seriously considering giving Tobago a miss next year and doing Cornwall and Disney Paris instead, heresy I know!

Linda

[Lisa Keith]

Well, Linda, if it makes you feel any better... I went to Orlando for my holidays this year... I admit it!!!

Well, where are you supposed to go for vacations when you live in Tobago?!?!! (I can just IMAGINE the sympathy I'm (not!) going to get for that comment!!!) It's for the kids!! (and by kids, I mean, of course, me!!!).

Lisa.

[Tony G]

Phew... spent the whole weekend gardening (tough on the back but good for the soul) and yesterday I had to work so I have a lot of catching up to do. Never been to Cornwall, Tresco, Malta, Florida or EuroDisney. Don't have any credit cards to lose. I'm still a cash man. I suppose cash wiill be phased out all together one of these days but I like having money in my pocket. I admit to caving in about two years ago and getting a service card so that I could withdraw money from the 'hole in the wall', but I hate it. I particularly hate the electronic beeping noise that it emits, the frequency of which seems to connect with a part of my brain which makes me want to scream. I only got the service card because I got fed up with my local bank staff trying to persuade me to have 'stuff' that I didn't want every time I went in there to withdraw some money.

Following the thread about losing things... many, many, many years ago (when ATMs had not even been imagined) Janette and I had arrived in Meshed in Western Iran at 2.30 in the morning after an 20hour bus ride from Teheran. The following morning Janette discovered that she had lost her camera. She was very upset, not only did the film in the camera contain loads of photos we had taken, but the camera itself had also been a going-away present from her parents, (who hadn’t really wanted their 18 year-old little girl to go away in the first place). Unfortunately I didn’t help matters by, instead of being supportive, being unreasonably annoyed at her carelessness. I was absolutely convinced that we would never see it again. Anyway, I flagged down a taxi and we returned to the bus station where a very sympathetic employee listened to our story and sent out for glasses of tea. Out of all the buses he somehow tracked down the same one that we had travelled on from Teheran and invited us to take a look. We found the seats that we'd occupied the day before and, to our total amazement, there was the camera, on the floor, under the seat where it had fallen.

Just a waffle.

Tony

[Gisela Grell]

First of all my congratulations to the Queen! I'm really impressed but you really deserve your own status!

Nice story Tony and like Carol(noe) mentioned before we hope to hear some more of your stories. Looks like you had an interesting life.

Cheers
Gisela

[David Watkins]

Nice one Kevin!!!
Well done Qun Noe
David(aka Bude Cool Boy)

[Linda P]

Two days of sunshine in a row!!!! I almost declared summer today, I changed into 'cropped' trousers after work!!! We are not quite ready for the legs to totally emerge, well not in public, but at least this weather is a step in the right direction. Who knows, maybe my legs will see sunlight before I get to Tobago. Surely I'm not the only female on here with a phobia of showing bare legs before they get tanned! but how to get then tanned without showing them? I am not keen on sunbeds, have never yet found a fake tan that doesn't either look like I've been 'tango'ed or rub off on clothes, towels, bedding etc.
Have suggested to hubby that the easiest way around this would be to just move to Tobago and have year round sun, he is keen, if only it were that easy 'sigh'

Oh well, off to research what effect sitting in a bath of PG Tips for 3 hours will have on legs,
Night all

Linda

[Carol Townsend]

Dear Bude Cool Boy,
PLEASE! I'm begging you, please don't call me Qun Noe! It sounds like something out of Star Wars!

[Bill B]

Greetings to Her Royal Highness Noe and all her assorted serfs and peasants,

Wow, take off for a few days and it seems like the entire forum has gone bonkers. Congrats Noe on being elevated to royalty. Have a good time on your upcoming jaunt.

Bill yhaos (your humble and obedient servant) (no longer poyap)

P.S. I'll be posting replies on some of the other threads soon.

[Carol Townsend]

Good to see you back Bill!
I was worried that you wouldn't have time to read everything; so much has been going on, but I see you've made the time!
I like yhaos; how would you pronounce it? Yer-hay -os? Ee-hay -os? Yows?

Excellent waffling Linda, Gisela and Tony.
Bruv, I am lost for words(!) and full of admiration for you and Janette. Who else would say " I've never been to Cornwall, Disneyland etc but I 've been wandering round Afghanistan and Iran" as if it's something everyone does?
If you don't write your memoirs it will be a crime against Hippydom.

I have a sneaking feeling that Watkins "Bond" Bude Boy may have some stories to tell too, but he plays his cards very close to his chest...

Gill, how rude of me; I never said to have a wonderful holiday in that place beginning with T and ending in O! xxxxx
I'm going to make myself late for work!
Love
Noe
xxx

[Linda P]

Have just read the letter accompanying my tickets, and discovered that as of 1st May the economy baggage allowance for XL is 20kg! (ok I know that if I had read one of the threads on flights I would have known this ages ago ). How am I supposed to manage with only 20kg??????
Hubby doesn't see the problem with the reduced baggage allowance, after all he says 'how much can a pair of shorts and a pair of flip flops weigh?' - not much, but I intend to take more that one pair of shorts with me, then there is the co-ordinating flip flops to go with every conceivable outfit, the rest of the clothes, suitable footwear for the trek into the rainforest, suntan lotion, a gallon of aftersun, a gallon of conditioner (the sun and salt water are not good for my hair), the contents of a small chemists just in case of every conceivable illness, a couple of beach towels each (one might fall in the pool), the cool bag and a couple of ice packs (I'm not fond of warm picnics, unless that is how they are supposed to be served), snorkel and mask are essential, address book (so I can send lots of postcards to gloat), books (I can't just lay in the sun, usually get through at least six books during my holiday) and of course being English, I have to take teabags!! I'm just going to have to put more into Hubby's suitcase, he did say that 20kg allowance was plenty!

Linda
16 days

[Tony G]

Linda

So it's not just us that has to go through this... if I remember correctly Janette had an almost identical packing list to you when we went to Tobago in January. We have two suitcases - a small one for me and a bulging beast of a thing for her. But of course I always forget that, gentleman that I am, I am the one who ends up lugging her suitcase around. You women are so clever.

Tony

[Linda P]

Tony,
It is inbred in us, you cannot fight nature, men were traditionally the hunters, therefore had to travel light, women were the gatherers - therefore kept with them anything that may possibly be of use for any possible eventuality. Surely you also realise that whilst we were happy to accept equality, chivalry is also important to us, no gentleman would ever see his Wife struggle with a heavy case!

We are both well on track for losing the 'saddo' status

Linda

[Carol Townsend]

Bruv,
Never again will I call you a man of few words!
love
Sis
xxx

[Carol Townsend]

Linda,
On the subject of the 20kg luggage allowance, try going on the helicopter to Scilly; 15 kgs and no hand luggage! Mind you, our cottage is provided with soap and towels, which helps, and we only go for a week(sigh). You just have to wash your smalls and let the gentle Gulf Stream breeze dry them.
I like your hunter/gatherer theory; it makes sense, and like you, I take all the paracetamol and medical kit that the men would never think of!
Bruv, you are a gentleman. My old Man tends to forget that I am a foot shorter than him and half as strong, and can never understand when I say I can't take any more weight. "What's the matter with you woman? Surely that's not too heavy for you?" I am proud to say that I carry all my own stuff, plus the tickets, passports, documents and medical kit for all four of us, in a suitcase plus a backpack.
So there.
Night night
Noe

[Bill B]

Last trip to Tobago we stayed for twelve days and did it with carryons only (to avoid waiting to claim luggage and to clear customs faster). This included my snorkel gear and fins, two 1.75L bottles of gin and a laptop computer. It helped that Steph at Ali-Babas did a bag of laundry for us so only brought clothes for about 7 days (most of it Mary Lou's). Of course this was before the 3oz. one small baggie of liquids nonsense so now since we have to check at least one bag we aren't quite as careful with our packing.

Of course the fact that a man could care less whether or not he is seen wearing the same thing five or six times in a week does make it a lot easier for us to pack light

Bill yhaos (pronounced "Bacon & Eggs")

[Carol Townsend]

Bill yhaos (pronounced "Bacon & Eggs")

Eh?
Er, bearing in mind the difference in our accents, I think I get it!