Diabetes Challenge Update

Pages 1,2 and 3 below are the first of my 50 Bloggin' Days Diabetes Fundraising Challenge. Below that you will find some details about our visit to the the Eden Project. If you scroll down even further you will find more details about the challenge with dates and locations. So far I have raised £20 of my £1000 target, so there is a long way to go!!

50 Bloggin' Days: Day 3

The formal evening was really spectacular. Everyone looked so fantastic in their finery. It’s amazing how well we all scrub up!! The dinner menu of up to seven courses was delicious, and beautifully cooked. My Beef Wellington was a perfect ‘medium rare’ and extremely tender. Chris enjoyed a plate of very pleasant pheasant. Company at dinner was entertaining and animated, and many of us met up in Andersons between sittings. No doubt others will also tell how they spent their final evening on Aurora. Chris and I watched a very funny comedian and impressionist, then joined a syndicate team quiz in Vanderbilts, where our team came a very respectable second.
So before I leave this blog, here are a few thoughts about the ship.
This was my third cruise on Aurora, the first being the maiden cruise break in her very first year, and more recently a family 10 day Christmas cruise to the Canaries. That last cruise was our final family holiday with my late Mum, and I was left with some very special memories. I do confess a moment’s emotion about Mum as we boarded on Saturday, but this in no way altered my opinion of the ship. Aurora is a friendly, well designed and elegant cruise ship. I would happily cruise on her again. The changed arrangements for disembarkation were a real bonus and meant we could pack at our leisure and leave the ship at any time of our choosing up to 10.00 am.
Thank you so much to everyone for making this event such fun. I feel I have made a whole new circle of friends.

50 Bloggin'Days: Day 2

It is still bitterly cold. A few snow showers invaded the ship overnight, and we awoke in Zeebrugge to see the cranes and containers wearing a covering of white.
Zeebrugge means ‘Bruges on Sea’ and is a village on the coast of Belgium. It serves as both an international port and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.
The harbour was the site of the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918, when the British Royal Navy put the German inland naval base at Bruges out of action. Admiral Roger Keves planned and led the assault that stormed the German batteries and sank the ships in the harbour to block the entrance to the base for the last seven months of World War 1.
Later, Zeebrugge's harbour was the scene of disaster when in 1987 the MS Herald of Free Enterprise passenger ferry capsized killing 193 people.
P&O trips and DIY train journeys were also available to the picturesque town of Bruges, but having visited before, Chris and I chose to catch the shuttle bus into the nearby seaside town of Blankenberg. Apart from the sandy beach, there's a structure unique along the Belgian coast, a 350-m long pier, which was constructed in 1933. There is also an impressive esplanade and numerous little shops and cafes. As we walked up the main high street, we bumped into several other groups of Crowsnesters, well wrapped in warm coats and hats. Chris and I made it as far as the snowy beach, then turned around to rediscover the heated shuttle bus and the promise of lunch.


And now I have a confession, which will shock you. Yesterday evening Chris and I were late for dinner. We joined the Cruisekings champagne party at the originally agreed time of 6.00pm and were just about to head for 1st sitting at 6.30, when someone told us that P&O had brought the time forward. First sitting had started at 6.00. All those threads about ill-mannered guests arriving late for dinner, and this was how we chose to introduce ourselves to our table companions!
In our defence, a fair few people turned up at 6.30, but the new time was written in Horizon paper, so we should have read it properly. Thank you to Cruisekings for the wonderful champagne, and thank you to the table for your forgiveness as we tried to catch up on our dinner courses! I was wonderful to meet the entire group and make so many new friends.

50 Bloggin' Days: Day 1

It is bitterly cold. The weatherman promised snow and I had imagined large white flakes floating on to our cabin balcony. Instead we have occasional sleet, and the distant call of a pipe band from the quayside.
Yesterday, having arrived at the Southampton Hilton a day early, Chris and I caught the bus into the city centre to indulge in some shopping therapy at West Quay. The shopping centre was well organised and beautifully decorated for Christmas, but with temperatures hovering around 0 degrees and vast numbers of indecisive shoppers meandering through the aisles, we only stayed in town for a couple of hours. At first Chris had been extremely tolerant of my desire to shop, but I began to notice emerging signs of retail rage, so we kept the trip quite short. The ‘Blue Star’ bus system in Southampton is very good. It provides a very regular service, and it was easy to find the number 1 bus back to the Hotel. On our return, two white vans were delivering Christmas to the Hilton Hotel. They offloaded a selection of decorated trees which

were placed in the various lobbies and public spaces.
At 2.30, I headed to the reception desk to see if I could take a couple of pictures of members arriving with their suitcases. Too late! There in the lounge bar was an already established flock of crowsnesters indulging in their very own meet and greet, and beverages of varying strength. It was easy to recognise some people, but more difficult with others. All in all we were a very friendly bunch determined to enjoy our time together.

At about 6.30 we regrouped in the bar, groomed and polished in our finery, ready for our evening meal. The hotel had arranged long sociable tables on a raised area of the dining room from where we could look down on our

fellow, non-nesting, diners. The conversation flowed easily, and there was loads of laughter. The food was, perhaps a little corporate, but with Aurora in our sights, it mattered very little. At the end of our meal some’ disco’ed, some chatted, and we gradually dispersed to our hotel rooms to gather our energy for the morning.
We are now sailing towards the Solent for our very first Crow’s Nest Party Cruise. Champagne and canapés will be shared in an hour’s time. Goodbye, Southampton. See you on Monday.

Eden Project

The Eden Project was established as one of the landmark Millenium projects to mark the year 2000. The first turf was cut in 1998, and the project opened to the public in Spring 2001. In the official published guide it says ‘ Come here to remember our connection to nature and our dependence on it for all we need’.
The area consists of the two large iconic indoor biomes, which are joined by a central link with shops, cafes and information centres. There is also an extensive outdoor area, a stage, and a visitor centre (known as the ‘Core)’.

The area consists of the two large iconic indoor biomes, which are joined by a central link with shops, cafes and information centres. There is also an extensive outdoor area, a stage, and a visitor centre (known as the ‘Core)’.
We went there on one sunny Tuesday in late August 2010 as part of our Cornish holiday. Our family group consisted of Chris and myself, Chris’s elder son and his (28 weeks pregnant) daughter in law, and their 2 year old daughter. As a party we had a wide variety of interests and needs, but the Eden Project catered for us all brilliantly.

There were fantastic sculptures.

The amazing storyteller entranced us all with her very own version of the 'Billy Goats Gruff'

The environment was fantastic with wonderful floral displays and unusual vegetation.

Apart from the wonderful green environment and forward looking philosophy, two other things impressed me.

1. It felt like value for money. The shops and restaurants were reasonable and there were no hidden extras. The lift, land-train, storyteller and park and ride were included in the cost. Using our clubcard deals vouchers added to the value, but the Eden Project still benefitted.

2. The organisation was brilliant. Car parking was well directed, queues were minimal, and access was well thought out for all ages and mobility needs.

In summary, I highly recommend the Eden Project as a Scientific Project and a wonderful day-out!

Blog Dates

When I set up this challenge, one cruise was still to be booked. This has now been done so...these are the days to watch out for:

Days 1,2, 3
26th-28th November 2010: Crow's Nest Party Cruise across the Channel
Days 4-18
4th-21st October 2011: Cruising the Adriatic to Greece, Venice and Croatia
Days 19 - 50
15th April - 20th May 2012: Cruising the Far East and Alaska

Watch this space........

How to Donate

Donations can be made securely online straight to diabetesuk. I'm afraid you do have to fill in a short registration form, before you can contribute. Please don't let this put you off. It is for your security, and allows me to keep track of the total. If you go to http://www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/challenge/cruisingclaire you can click directly on the donate now link.
If you've got this far and are still reading my posts, then I thank you for your trouble!!
Yours gratefully
Claire

The Challenge

When Chris and I cruised with Princess in May, I wrote my first ever travel blog, which I uploaded onto the Crow's Nest site. It was only a week, but I really enjoyed the writing, and especially reading occasional comments from Crows Nest members who were kind enough to respond. I do admit, though, it took a big effort to write something every day of my holiday. So that's my challenge...to contribute to this blog every single day that I am cruising up to the end of May 2012.







I will start with the Crow's Nest Party Cruise on 26th November 2010 and finish when we fly back from Vancouver on 20th May 2012. I promise to do my best with photos and details of places visited. If you enjoy reading my blog, then please add a comment on this site or Crow's Nest, or register with google and become a 'follower'. Better still, follow this link to my challenge on Diabetes UK, and donate a fiver....or whatever!
http://www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/challenge/cruisingclaire
If you are feeling really generous, you don't have to wait until November, The challenge is all set up, you can donate now. My aim is to raise £1000 by the end of May 2012. I wonder if that's possible.



For anyone interested this is my itinerary:

Nov. 26th 2010 Hilton Hotel, Southampton (pre-cruise evening with Crow's Nesters)

Nov 27th Set sail Nov. 28th Zeebrugge Nov 29th Southampton



Sometime in 2011...another cruise, yet to be booked! (Now done: Oct 2011, Eastern Med and Adriatic, including Venice)



13th April 2012 Fly to Singapore 14th April Overnight in Singapore 15th April Set sail16/17th April At sea 18th April Laem Chabang 19th April At sea 20th April Phu My 21st April Nha Trang 22nd April At sea 23rd April Hong Kong 24/25th April At sea 26th April Shanghai 27th April At sea 28th April Nagasaki, Japan 29th April Busan 30th April At sea 1st May Xingang

2nd May Dalian 3rd May At sea 4th May Busan 5th May At sea 6th May Vladivostock, Russia 7th May Muroran, Japan 8/9th May At sea 10th May Cross international dateline

11/12/13th May At sea
14th May Seward, Alaska 15th May Hubbard Glacier 16th May Juneau, Alaska 17th May Ketchican, Alaska 18th May At sea 19th May Arrive Vancouver, Canada and fly home 2oth May Arrive UK

The Very First Post

This is just a test blog...checking out the system. Can I use different text styles and colours?

Can I upload photos?

Yes, it seems I can. This is me, having lost a stone in weight with the help of my 'lose to cruise' friends from Crows Nest.

The 50 days blogging haven't started yet, so bear with me, while I learn my craft. I've written a few blogs before on Crows Nest, but this is a bit more technical, new things to learn. I'm going to preview this now, and then publish my very first post. Fingers crossed that it will work.

Claire