CoTT 2 House of Cards

[Marty]

1 minute ago, Albert1434 said:

Aloha All

Good afternoon, young Albert!

[Valkyrie]

2 hours ago, dughlas said:

So you're working on a short story.  Hope things are well with Cole and Randy. 

They're doing well.  Keeping busy.  

[Marty]

Good afternoon, all!

Hope you all have a good Monday.

It's currently piddling down here in Ireland, with the weather forecast promising floods, and the likelihood that the rain may not even stop until Wednesday.

https://www.thejournal.ie/rainfall-warning-ireland-5237313-Oct2020/

Added to which, it looks likely that later today the Government will impose new nationwide restrictions on travel and socialising, on foot of a recent surge in Covid-19 cases.  

https://www.thejournal.ie/new-restrictions-5237255-Oct2020/

I'm going to head out in the car shortly, and do some last minute shopping and stocking up, just in case I'm not allowed to for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I'll follow all necessary social distancing rules whilst I am out.

At this rate, it's beginning to look like Christmas might get cancelled this year...

Spoiler

 

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Marty
Tidying up

[Bucket1]

12 hours ago, Page Scrawler said:

Hey, Buckie. 

Hey Page

[Bucket1]

25 minutes ago, Marty said:

looks likely that later today the Government will impose new nationwide restrictions on travel and socialising

Keeping fingers crossed for you

[clochette]

1 hour ago, Marty said:

Good afternoon, all!

Hope you all have a good Monday.

It's currently piddling down here in Ireland, with the weather forecast promising floods, and the likelihood that the rain may not even stop until Wednesday.

https://www.thejournal.ie/rainfall-warning-ireland-5237313-Oct2020/

Added to which, it looks likely that later today the Government will impose new nationwide restrictions on travel and socialising, on foot of a recent surge in Covid-19 cases.  

https://www.thejournal.ie/new-restrictions-5237255-Oct2020/

I'm going to head out in the car shortly, and do some last minute shopping and stocking up, just in case I'm not allowed to for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I'll follow all necessary social distancing rules whilst I am out.

At this rate, it's beginning to look like Christmas might get cancelled this year...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

It's already happened here, kind of.

Since Saturday, nationwide, you can't be more than 6 people in your house, ideally you'll reduce you social circle to 6 people, you can't rent a place to have a party/wedding. 

Locally, the equivalent of US governors, took some more more restrictive measures such as face mask mandatory in every cities of 10 000 or more, bars closing at 10pm, no group of more than 6 people on the pavement,  4m² per person in shops. 

And there is a curfew in the big metropolitan cities (meaning the big cities and the tiny little towns surrounding them) that had an important rise of cases/hospital admissions in the last weeks (Lille,Paris, lyon, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse, Montpellier,  Rouen and Saint-Etienne) from 9pm to 6am. 

[clochette]

I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist/surgeon about having implants.  He did lot of exams, took measurements and pictures and explained very well.

I have another appointment in 2 weeks when he'll measure the space between my iris and cornea, where the implant will be, to check there's enough space. He couldn't do it today as I was on my own and it requires drops that will make me see blurry for half a day. 

He said the surgery will probably not happen before January as he won't be available all off December but then it could be go fast with barely 2 weeks between each eyes. 

[clochette]

I hope you're all having a nice start of the week

[Headstall]

2 hours ago, clochette said:

I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist/surgeon about having implants.  He did lot of exams, took measurements and pictures and explained very well.

I have another appointment in 2 weeks when he'll measure the space between my iris and cornea, where the implant will be, to check there's enough space. He couldn't do it today as I was on my own and it requires drops that will make me see blurry for half a day. 

He said the surgery will probably not happen before January as he won't be available all off December but then it could be go fast with barely 2 weeks between each eyes. 

  

[Headstall]

Happy Monday, all!  

[Headstall]

A new chapter of Sidewinder has posted...

 

[Marty]

2 hours ago, clochette said:

Since Saturday, nationwide, you can't be more than 6 people in your house

A similar restriction has been in place in parts of England since early in September. I video chatted with my niece over there on September 18th, as it was her eldest child's tenth birthday. They've four kids, which means there's already six people in the house. I said they were lucky they don't have five, as they'd probably have had to either sell one, or lock one in the garden shed otherwise.  

[Marty]

2 hours ago, clochette said:

I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist/surgeon about having implants.  He did lot of exams, took measurements and pictures and explained very well.

I have another appointment in 2 weeks when he'll measure the space between my iris and cornea, where the implant will be, to check there's enough space. He couldn't do it today as I was on my own and it requires drops that will make me see blurry for half a day. 

He said the surgery will probably not happen before January as he won't be available all off December but then it could be go fast with barely 2 weeks between each eyes. 

Fingers crossed all goes well for you, clo.

[clochette]

5 minutes ago, Marty said:

Fingers crossed all goes well for you, clo.

Apparently I'm a very good candidate 🤞

[dughlas]

5 hours ago, Marty said:

Good afternoon, all!

Hope you all have a good Monday.

It's currently piddling down here in Ireland, with the weather forecast promising floods, and the likelihood that the rain may not even stop until Wednesday.

https://www.thejournal.ie/rainfall-warning-ireland-5237313-Oct2020/

Added to which, it looks likely that later today the Government will impose new nationwide restrictions on travel and socialising, on foot of a recent surge in Covid-19 cases.  

https://www.thejournal.ie/new-restrictions-5237255-Oct2020/

I'm going to head out in the car shortly, and do some last minute shopping and stocking up, just in case I'm not allowed to for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I'll follow all necessary social distancing rules whilst I am out.

At this rate, it's beginning to look like Christmas might get cancelled this year...

  Hide contents

 

 

I so wanted to laugh at the Santa cartoon but I'm sad and frustrated that everywhere we seem to going backwards.

[Marty]

In the early hours of the morning, exactly five years ago today, I met up at Dublin Airport with the fellow members of a team who were travelling to Peru for a five day trek along the Inca Trail, culminating with a visit to Machu Picchu (plus time spent exploring Lima and Cusco). We were to initially catch a flight to Amsterdam where, after a wait of several hours, we would take a twelve hour flight to Lima. (One of the girls missed the flight from Amsterdam and had to join us three days later. She apparently got confused over the time difference between mainland Europe and Ireland.)

I'd love to be able to do another trip like that again, but just at the moment I'm waiting for the Irish Government to finish its deliberations and announce its response to the current pandemic situation. I'm likely to hear, in the next hour or so, that, even if I am allowed to leave my own house and garden, I'll not be allowed to travel further than 3km (about 2 miles) from home, let alone fly off on a holiday thousands of miles from home...

Here's a photo I took of Machu Picchu itself:

Spoiler

And here's one of the party I travelled with:

Spoiler

And here's one of yours truly with the three local guides who looked after us every step of the way.

Spoiler

The guy on my right, Christian, was basically a life saver for me on the second day of the trek. We'd had a long walk out the day before and then camped overnight in icy conditions at almost 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, before getting up before the sun the following morning and trekking over a mountain pass of 4,400 meters (around 14,435 feet) and then facing a long steady descent of around 16 kilometers (10 miles) to our next campsite. I was definitely flagging toward the end of that day, but Christian stayed with me the whole of the way, even carrying my backpack for me, before phoning ahead and arranging for a horse to be sent out for me to ride the last few miles on.

_______________________________________

And finally, here's some coca plants being cultivated on one of the terraces on Machu Picchu.

Spoiler

Yes, it's perfectly legal in Peru. Leaves of it were even on offer in the foyer of the hotel we stayed at in Cusco alongside the teabags and coffee next to a kettle for making our own complimentary hot drinks. The hotel manager did strongly warn us, though, not to have any in our possession at the airport when we were leaving Peru (otherwise we might not be leaving for several years).  

Edited October 19, 2020 by Marty
Tidying up

[Marty]

Just now, dughlas said:

I so wanted to laugh at the Santa cartoon but I'm sad and frustrated that everywhere we seem to going backwards.

I've decided that it's best to try to see what little humour there may be, as well as feeling sad and frustrated.

Sometimes it seems to be the only way of trying to stay sane amongst all the insanity...

 

[Drew Espinosa]

Howdy y'all!  

[Page Scrawler]

6 minutes ago, Drew Espinosa said:

Howdy y'all!  

Hey, Drewpop!    How are things in Texas? 

[Drew Espinosa]

38 minutes ago, Page Scrawler said:

Hey, Drewpop!    How are things in Texas? 

Hey, Pagey!  Well, today, I voted!  And I won't say any more on that, as to not get in trouble, lol.

Edited October 19, 2020 by Drew Espinosa

[dughlas]

55 minutes ago, Drew Espinosa said:

Howdy y'all!  

Howdy Texy.

 

10 minutes ago, Drew Espinosa said:

Hey, Pagey!  Well, today, I voted!  And I won't say any more on that, as to not get in trouble, lol.

I didn't realize Emperor of Texas and the Universe was an elected position. I thought it was self-appointed. 

BTW, congrats on voting. I received confirmation today that my mail-in ballot was received by the County Elections Office.

[clochette]

Rescue team and police this time! I've never met my new upstairs neighbor except seing him once through the window but it's the second time in a month (and I've only been there like half the time) he'd needed assistance. This time I heard his girlfriend (?) saying she had managed to get the knife from him!!  it's a bit scary  I had heard him shout once or twice earlier but didn't thought much if it, he could have been playing video games for all I know, and I was focused on my crocheting and the tv was on. Now I'm kinda worried of what could happened to him one day if he doesnt have any friend with him when he's in a bad place...

Edited October 20, 2020 by clochette

[Marty]

2 hours ago, Drew Espinosa said:

Howdy y'all!  

Hey, Drew-Pi-Doo!  

[Albert1434]

A beach at Camps Bay, South Africa

[Albert1434]

Well I saw the doctor and I have sleep Apnea and so I will have a Cpac just like Willam Shatner 

I will also have 8 bottles of O2 for day time use!