Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2017 19:29:30 GMT
Anybody doing anything special?
Family, barbecue and booze at home, here.
Christmas is a short lasting holiday here - no Boxing Day you see.
Whatever, have a good one.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2017 19:58:34 GMT
Flying tomorrow evening to Tel Aviv overnight, arriving 0330, then driving down to Eilat on the Red Sea for a few days of winter sunshine.
Ordered a seven seat rental car; wonder what I'll get. Hope for an S-Max probably get an Outlander.
Bets wishes to you all. Stay safe and warm.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Dec 23, 2017 20:48:31 GMT
Best wishes to all. I'm hoping Christmas day is quiet. Boxing day is also my wife's birthday so off to the proms in the afternoon.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 24, 2017 19:16:01 GMT
Quiet is good. I reckon one way to tell you're grown up is when you start to enjoy Boxing Day more than the 25th, but whatever you're doing and whoever you're with, I hope it all goes well. π
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Dec 24, 2017 22:04:05 GMT
Organists don't have such a thing as a quiet Christmas. 5 carol services done - now just midnight and Christmas morning to go....then hit the bottle and prepare for a second wave of chokldren / grandchildren.
Have a great time everyone.
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 25, 2017 12:36:10 GMT
It was Christmas day in the harem, The eunuchs were standing around And hundreds of beautiful women Were stretched out on the ground. Then in walked the bold, bad Sultan And gazed on his marbled halls Saying βWhat do you want for Christmas boys?β And the eunuchs answered..........
In the middle of cooking Christmas Dinner at the moment, and only halfway through a bottle of Gewurtztraminer....
The Organist at midnight communion was exactly as predicted previously.
Kids using the place like a Travelodge (other budget accommodation is available)
Merry Christmas all.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 27, 2017 8:22:28 GMT
Organists don't have such a thing as a quiet Christmas. I've always enjoyed Silent Night. ππ Anyone got a travel tale for us? (No need for a film, thanks Sven. π΅) I've been battling the inevitable Christmas cold, so I've not been any further than Tesco yesterday evening, in search of next year's pudding. And today I'm back at work; penalty for changing jobs mid-year is that the leave allowance all went on the summer holiday. No need to commute beyond the front room, fortunately, from where I can watch the snow falling on the under-used CLS.
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 27, 2017 8:50:37 GMT
I've always enjoyed Silent Night. ππ ....I've been chillin' to ....not an organ in sight earshot. (Other Jan Garbarek is available, but most isn't quite as restful).
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 27, 2017 11:20:39 GMT
Nice
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 5:56:49 GMT
Travel tale... well. Nothing exciting.
We landed in Tel Aviv at 0325 and having sorted out the rental car and refreshments, were on our way to Eilat by 0500. Espadrille drove initially, intending to hand over when the roads got single carriageway and twisty. However it was getting light, I was dozing so she continued until after 0800, when I took over for the last 40 km. The total journey is 338km and only about 100km is dual carriageway.
She sleeps like a log and falls asleep easily even on aeroplanes so was in a better position than me to start the drive. Have now realised that I am getting to the age where long distance late night driving without a snooze before is risky. Don't want to cause another Selby rail crash.
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Post by dixinormus on Dec 29, 2017 3:49:59 GMT
Wouldn't want to be driving to Eilat in the dead of night. Pitch black IIRC, and not (m)any service stations to stop at!
Presumably you'll take a day trip run to the Dead Sea whilst you are in that region? Go for a float, before the sea dries up entirely?!
I sat by the hotel pool there once (a delapidated Sheraton?) and watched the digital thermometer click over to 50 degs C one afternoon... couldn't put my pint down, it was warming up too rapidly!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2017 16:21:48 GMT
Its a long way from Eilat to the Dead Sea - over half way back up to Jerusalem. So easier to go from Jerusalem. Went a few years ago and did the obligatory float whilst reading a newspaper and drinking. Might go again later this year.
It is a dark and sometimes twisty drive down to Eilat, but the roads are better than perviously, with good warnings about tight curves and enough traffic even at the dead of night to have a good idea where the road is going; up to say two or three miles ahead (sometimes up to seven or eight miles one one very long straight stretch). Don't need to worry about winter weather so no need to pack blankets, flasks of hot tea and snow shovels in the desert!
I am back in the central area now and reading about the bad weather over the UK. A Manchester United fan who lives here, asked me about the poor weather and my reply was "the weather in Trafford has been particularly poor, down to -15!"
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 30, 2017 18:12:50 GMT
..was due at a family "major" birthday last night in the middle of deepest, darkest Northumberland (it really doesn't get much more remote). A Ceilidh was arranged in the village hall, with a large number of invitees (and all the locals for miles around, who inevitably invite themselves!) Not the most convenient place for accommodating long-distance travellers given a night of drinking and a late finish. All the available accommodation in the area was block-booked, but still a bit short.
Our plan was to go in the motorcaravan motorhome campervan and stay just down the road, where we'd begged ourselves a pitch with a hook-up. Of course, having had little snow for the Winter so far, yesterday was scheduled locally for 8+ hours of heavy snow, and, though cold is not an issue (ample heating capacity), conducting a 3.5T van down narrow, hilly, stone-walled lanes with snow and ice, miles away from anywhere, was not an endearing proposition.
Couldn't disappoint SWMBO, however (her side of the family ;-) ) so I resolved to set off later than we would have and take the car instead, returning afterwards at around 11pm. (I'm fighting man 'flu at the moment, so the lack of drinking was no great issue).
As it happens, the snow wasn't quite as bad as predicted, and had stopped falling at our destination due to our later start, so a bit of care over the last 25 miles saw us get there. Duly left to return home just before 11pm, and the 180 miles back took us 3hrs 10 minutes, nearly all on cruise other than that first 25, now less snowy, miles.
We could just about have got away with the 'van, but would have been "sweating" a bit over the final section.
As it happens, the A68 (part of which I could have used, but avoided) was closed due to snow and ice on the section we would have used, and only 5 miles away from the lanes we were using - someone failed to get to the "do" via that route.
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