Another pointless thread

Checked in at Basildon. All OK until I was informed no evening meal at 17:45 due to "some serious issue" and restaurant will be closed at 17:00.

I may get a meal delivered to my room if I walk across and speak to the manager....

I was told "you can eat it inside but must be out by 17:00 (then 16:15). Aye luv, no worries there!

Walked into the restaurant expecting people to be finishing their meals, ready to leave etc.

EMPTY!!!

I have never been the only person eating in a restaurant until today. TOWIE.

Steak, chips, a pint and a big smile and a bigger thank you.

Apparently all back to normal tomorrow. Asked what the issue was....no one was prepared (allowed) to say. Fine by me.

Let's hope the issue isn't salmonella in the kitchen...

Steve

One or two pensions!

I had a lot (over 20!) of jobs and some came with pension plans but others didn't, and so I was contracted in and then out, and then in and then out, and then.....!

Finished up with a reduced level State Pension and a mixture of 7 different Final Salary Scheme and Defined Contributions pension plans - took me over a year to finally sort all those out and get them paid!

We only have 5 different pensions.

They send you to all the best places don't they K10D! Glad you managed to eat anyway.

Further to your hunt for food... We go into full lockdwon from midnight. Hotels are allowed to remain open but must not serve any food or drink to their guests. Most Dutch hotels don't even have a kettle/coffee maker in the room so you cant even make yourself a cup of something warming.
Went out to get birdfood, which we needed today, before the ful expent of the lockdown was announced. Queues everywhere, people rushing to get Christmas stuff I guess.
Allowed two visitors a day, and three on Christmas Day, but we aren't supposed to travel.
Schools closing again, which is not surprising as the bulk of new infections are in 10-20 year olds, but a real headache again for parents.

No sign of the vaccine being approved here - EMA doesn't intend to meet until after Christmas, much to Germany's chagrin - BioNTech is of course German.

There's wasn't actually a problem there as I was past 65 and still working on a very lucrative, if hard work and "challenging", contract job at the time - but, and OH, I had forgotten to include several private/defined contributions pensions that had to be amalgamated into the single scheme that now pays me for all that "lot" !

Basildon going into tier 3 at 00:01 Wednesday so no hot breakfast. I brought cereal, and milk (powered cool box is now standard travel kit) so I'm covered for Wednesday morning. So tonight & tomorrow will be covered in the pub/restaurant.

Apparently there's a new mutation of CV 19 down here is the South which spreads faster/easier but they don't expect it to affect the jab negatively.

Once the roll is exposed, rewind and process............

Once the card is full, format and start again...........

Currently in the reformat mode here.
We;ve had a couple of varieties of the virus floating around for a while.
Vaccine? What's that?

Keep safe everyone, especially those travelling for work!

Found a bottle from Tintagel Brewery at the back of the fridge, only 15 months past it's best-before date, it still tastes ok but then anything would after the day I’ve had.

15 months is nothing, my mother-in-law used to pass beers that were several years out of date to me and, yes, I drank them.

The ones that were OK that is, I only had to throw a few away. Bless her, she'd appologise saying she'd found them in a cupboard.

It's funny how little things remind you of those no longer with us.

Christmas next week so I'll clear tne beers out over the next few weeks and see how old they are...

Christmas shopping today in Stratford upon Avon and I came across a local gin distillery - they do gin tasting river cruises on the Avon, so cannot wait to sign up!

Mrs L has been bottling redcurrant gin today. I was required to sample it, which I duly did (reluctantly, of course :wink. Another vintage year. And the colour is stunning!

Steve

I bottled the damson vodka last night. In theory, it'll be better if I wait a year before drinking it.

I opened the shed door to find a rat sat in top of the boxes. I'm not sure who was the most surprised.

Needless to say, I bottled it and closed the door. Whatever I needed from the shed can wait.

With all the talk of "bottling redcurrant gin" and "bottled the damson vodka" I completely got the wrong end of the stick with "I bottled it". Now I can't get the picture out of my head