Absolutely Anything Else

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Lupa lake will be free entery for 3 days starting this coming Wed. No immunity card needed to enter.
I know the water is freezing this time f year there but I like the place overall.
Very deep clear water, not for weak swimmers as it's a bit wide in some areas and the step-off is sudden and very deep.
Also Balaton is immunity card free!
...
Went to his friends house to dry off , his mom never knew of his after school adventures.
If so she probably would of had a heart attack early.
I hardly hear of children doing these crazy things these days.

Sounds a bit cold at the lake.  Might be OK if wearing a wet suit.  Help with the buoyancy too.

Kids are still doing dangerous things except these days they film themselves or each other dicing with death.   And then they post it on Facebook.   So many people die taking selfies on the side of mountains.   Brings who new meanings to Darwin.

My friend in LA sent me this one about the US petrol/gas shortages.  Click here.  And people are being reminded not to petrol/gas into plastic bags.  Really?

Well, thank God they aren't drinking the petrol! Insane.
What's up with the education system???
My mistake, Lupa Lake is free from this comijng Wed. to next Wed. a full week.
It's far too chilly for me but it might be fun to meet up with friends and have aday of getting a bit of rays even if it's overcast.
I have no idea how deep the water is there but it seems like it is super deep, you step out about 15 to 20 feet and then drop off extreme. Just a good thing to know if you aren't a swimmer.
They do have a ,"kiddie" area that is roped off.
I like the place overall.The water is refreshing on a hot day and very clear, fish can be seen swimming along so if they can live we can relax a bit about the water quality.Hopefully!
Not very much shade to be found there however so having a base tan or sunscreen is a good idea.
Had hoped for a nice walking day but the weather was so off that we decided to stay in and cook, making goulash and finished some makos guba, first time I made it, was good. I usually go for the basic bread pudding instead.
My SIL, the teacher in S.Ca. had a knee replacement yesterday. Some sort of messed up mix up, she had no pain meds all night long.
Her doctor freaked out today at the stupid nurses but then again who knows could of been his mistake not to order meds with the night crew.
Poor thing, she got her meds today and I told her she looked like she was enjoying her, 'buzz" . I dislike the medical system so much either they are good or they really drop the ball.
I know when my step-dad was hit by a car while my parents were on their Harley, his night nurse wouldn't give him any pain meds, he had a broken nose and a broken and dislocated shouler. Dam nurses and some people call them,"heros"?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Lupa lake will be free entery for 3 days starting this coming Wed. No immunity card needed to enter.
I know the water is freezing this time f year there but I like the place overall.
Very deep clear water, not for weak swimmers as it's a bit wide in some areas and the step-off is sudden and very deep.
Also Balaton is immunity card free!
...
Went to his friends house to dry off , his mom never knew of his after school adventures.
If so she probably would of had a heart attack early.
I hardly hear of children doing these crazy things these days.

Sounds a bit cold at the lake.  Might be OK if wearing a wet suit.  Help with the buoyancy too.

Kids are still doing dangerous things except these days they film themselves or each other dicing with death.   And then they post it on Facebook.   So many people die taking selfies on the side of mountains.   Brings who new meanings to Darwin.

My friend in LA sent me this one about the US petrol/gas shortages.  Click here.  And people are being reminded not to petrol/gas into plastic bags.  Really?

Well, thank God they aren't drinking the petrol! Insane.
What's up with the education system???
My mistake, Lupa Lake is free from this comijng Wed. to next Wed. a full week.
It's far too chilly for me but it might be fun to meet up with friends and have aday of getting a bit of rays even if it's overcast.
I have no idea how deep the water is there but it seems like it is super deep, you step out about 15 to 20 feet and then drop off extreme. Just a good thing to know if you aren't a swimmer.
They do have a ,"kiddie" area that is roped off.
I like the place overall.The water is refreshing on a hot day and very clear, fish can be seen swimming along so if they can live we can relax a bit about the water quality.Hopefully!
Not very much shade to be found there however so having a base tan or sunscreen is a good idea.
Had hoped for a nice walking day but the weather was so off that we decided to stay in and cook, making goulash and finished some makos guba, first time I made it, was good. I usually go for the basic bread pudding instead.
My SIL, the teacher in S.Ca. had a knee replacement yesterday. Some sort of messed up mix up, she had no pain meds all night long.
Her doctor freaked out today at the stupid nurses but then again who knows could of been his mistake not to order meds with the night crew.
Poor thing, she got her meds today and I told her she looked like she was enjoying her, 'buzz" . I dislike the medical system so much either they are good or they really drop the ball.
I know when my step-dad was hit by a car while my parents were on their Harley, his night nurse wouldn't give him any pain meds, he had a broken nose and a broken and dislocated shouler. Dam nurses and some people call them,"heros"?

I doubt any one is going to rush over to Lupa Lake in the middle of the week.  Especially in these temperatures.   Tomorrow it's going to be torrential rain.  Today was supposed to be terrible and yet I managed to get hot and sweaty riding my bike for 1h.  Obviously we cannot trust any forecast at all.

I always used to avoid swimming in old gravel workings.  Sometimes there are industrial machines left in the water one can get tangled up in.   Or underwater vegetation.   And yes, they can be really deep.   One of my nephews used to do diving training in old gravel pits.  They had old cars, pipes and stuff to dive through.   Diving inside sunken ships and caves is really dangerous.  Need special training for that.

Talking of cooking, we've got an ice cream machine and I've been experimenting with different flavours.  So far banana and raspberry with chocolate chip is quite good.   I don't use any sugar at all but I do use Stevia,  food colourings and flavourings.   I use Greek yoghurt and no sugar whipped cream for the milk part.   Not as creamy as shop bought so something isn't right.  I really need to know how to do soft scoop.  One article I read said to put vodka in it!  It didn't work at all.   Shame really that cukormentes ice cream isn't more available from the supermarkets.

Hope your SIL is OK.   I believe getting moving and physio is the key to getting mobility back.  I am sure I will be up for a hip replacement by the time I'm 70.

1430h Sunday 23 May 2021

Anyone experiencing a widespread power outage in Western Budapest? 

Mrs Fluffy said the nuclear station at Paks is experiencing some problems.  Don't know if it's related.

We had loss of at least 2 phases.  One remained on but has now gone off.  So we're dead in the water and on battery power/mobile Internet.

We're all on mobile Internet.

If you use a VPN this site Tubitv is very good, just like Netflix but FREE. You just need to set the VPN to the USA. They do have some adverts which are highly amusing.

SimCityAT wrote:

If you use a VPN this site Tubitv is very good, just like Netflix but FREE. You just need to set the VPN to the USA. They do have some adverts which are highly amusing.

Is that like Teletubbie TV?  In which case I'd fit right in!   In La-La Land already.

The problem with all these things is that it's just as easy to download.   Easy to watch Iplayer by VPN'ing into the UK to a relative's router and download from there.  Not that there's anything seriously worth watching.   

We also have Netflix which is one of my adult kid's account and we pay 20% of it.   Trouble is that new stuff is few and far between.  On the other hand,  I am watching a pretty interesting Spanish show on Netflix called The Innocent.   And there's a new movie Army of the Dead - zombies on a drizzly Sunday afternoon with a nice cosy cup of tea and some choc digestives.

I will run out of battery soon.   Typical Sunday BS.  It's raining heavily, no power and only 4G mobile Internet. Probably have to hibernate.  Oh, god forbid we have to talk to each other instead of doing stuff on our phones!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubi

If you plan to visit Austria you might wish to read this

Travel to Austria Available If Specific Conditions Are Met

What area are you in? We are north of lake Balaton and we didn't experience any PowerPoint problems.

No Lake Lupa for us until the weather and watr heats up.
I get so frozen in cold water that it just ruins the day.
My husband tells me I need a few more kilos and then the cold wouldn't bother me, no thanks not the solution for me.
My SIL is only in her late 50's, looks younger in her face.
Not sure how old she really is , both my bro's went for much older wives. 8 to 10 years their seniors.
Mama's boys?
She got a new knee and is suppose to get another one later on.
No power issues here in the heart of Budapest, so far at least.
Had some internet issues for months now, I seem to lose my signal allot.
On Friday we went to an outdoor farmers market and brought our old pay as you go cell phne. Boght a brand new 4 G phone months ago but it's so darn large it barely fits in your pocket s we haven't set it up for useage yet.
Just bought it because we at least wanted to be ready for the 21 century if we have to.
Well we usually don't even bring that old phone with us but since my eye surgery is coming up son we wanted to stay in contact with my doctor so lugged the phone with us t the market.
Got home and it was gone! Got lifted at the market, by some sticky fingered old lady? They are smooth operators! Didn't even notice anyone not,"social distancing".Must of happened while my husband was picking peppers?
It was in a side zipped shopping bag on his shoulder the entire time.
Had to let our phone carrier know and buy a new Sims card to put in another dinosoar phone.
We called our phone, it just rang out, jerks!!
Watched a interesting odd movie on Netflix. Called, "Coyote". About a HU guy who mves to the countryside in HU and his wonderful welcoming neighbors...Too true to life I think!
It has English subtitles so is watchable.
Weather is nice, we found some new/used ping-pong paddles at the market and will try them out soon.
We walked in the rain yesterday, hardly anyone out and about.
Didn't wear a mask and put on the brightest lipstick in my stock.Realized today that the no mask thing starts today... our bad!

Livia Kretsch wrote:

What area are you in? We are north of lake Balaton and we didn't experience any power problems.

We're next to Budapest.   Power company said it was local to us.  This has happened before and they seem to work on it regularly.  Probably coincidence that Paks reported problems.

One of the things you see here is the total lack of planning.  Lots of new houses added here but presumably they don't add capacity for power which overloads the substation.   

We also see poor road planning - build a shopping centre and do nothing about the area roads  They are building a Lidl here and I can see the roads being gummed up all around it.

SimCityAT wrote:

If you plan to visit Austria you might wish to read this

Travel to Austria Available If Specific Conditions Are Met

Good info.

If only the HU authorities had consulted with someone knowledgeable who could have told them the likely data required for the vaccination card to be acceptable elsewhere.  More  vaccine theatre - they'll have to issue new cards or allow a download for a paper version.  I doubt the Austrians are going to scan HU cards or accept them at face value.

That immunity card stuff really seems to be a huge issue for ex-pats without a Taj number.
Read prices for things are getting very high too, they want to make up for lost time.
Lake Lupa is really cleaned up, no old cars or machinery underwater. You can see fish swimming .
They held some European swimming meets there last week.
It's nice, showers, fod vendors, music over the PA and they have a "high end" area if you're will to pay extra.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

That immunity card stuff really seems to be a huge issue for ex-pats without a Taj number.
Read prices for things are getting very high too, they want to make up for lost time.
Lake Lupa is really cleaned up, no old cars or machinery underwater. You can see fish swimming .
They held some European swimming meets there last week.
It's nice, showers, fod vendors, music over the PA and they have a "high end" area if you're will to pay extra.

We've noticed the price of fuel has gone up considerably.  We went to Balaton on Saturday and I noticed a litre of 95 or diesel is past 400 HUF  and that's at cheap petrol/fuel places like Aldi.   If you are on the highway, it's closer to 470 HUF (but always has been a rip off on the autopalya).   Getting like German or Dutch fuel prices.

Overall I think things have gone up considerably in the past year or so. 

We like to pay in cash and we used to go to the ATM once a week and now we're going once every 5 days and that's even with an increase in using the debit cards.

Lupa Lake might be better by June.  It's still pretty cold out there now despite the sun and there's more rain to follow in the next week.

BTW, really watch out for ticks if you are in the forest.  Our dog always has ticks now despite having an anti-tick collar.   Really nasty little blighters those insects.   Big furry dog and they have plenty of places to hide.

My poor Doberman had ticks all the time when he was locked in his run in Honolulu with his 4 month long quarantine.
I became an expert in removing them.
Lucky he had short fur and it was easy to find them, nasty buggers.
I had his run moved about 4 times but they had grass between the runs and with the rain everyday and dogs near by who never got washed up it was nearly impossible to keep him rid of them.
There were at least 3,000 dogs and 2,000 cats in that pet prison.
The dollar is sinking in it's exchange rate, all good it was only worth 200 to one when we bought our flat.
Good times, bad times...If it sinks way down my husband may just sell out and gab his bucks while he can.
One moment I think we will live here forever and other times , you never know.
We try to never get too attached to peoople, places or things, not always easy but wise in the lng run.
I remember years back when we drove a big Audi in Hungary, the tank cost more then $100. to fill up and we were filling it up at least 6 times a month. We drove all over Hungary daily almost. Just a long 6 month vacation with no time to waste.
It did hurt everytime we pulled into the gas/petrol station though.

Here we go again, Austria will ban direct flights from the UK from 1st June. Others will follow suit from what I gather.

SimCityAT wrote:

Here we go again, Austria will ban direct flights from the UK from 1st June. Others will follow suit from what I gather.

Oh gawd...why?   Indian variant?

I'm sick of this.

Just when they say it's safe, they pull the rug out.
Just read the US has placed Japan on the do not travel list.
All good, there is always FB.
After the first 10 mins. of hugs and kisses we usally want to kick or son in the bottom because he always says something lam to us.
Will see him when we see him I guess.
Again, best to not be overly attached to anything these days including family ties.
In a strange mood, it's my deceased friend's BD today. Not my Lisa but Teri the "smart one".Well, actually all my friends were smart and got great grades in school, some even skipped levels.
Why they were my friend,I'll never know since I just got average grades but then again I was never in class!
Just a bit sad to read the comments from those who loved her and miss her today.
I used those tick collars on my Maxie dog when he was infested but they didn't really work well. Also used anti-tick shampo on him everyday for awhile, had to be careful though because it can dry out their skin plus all those chemicals aren't great either.
They sprayed the ground in quarantine fr ticks but it was useless.
I think they may have a anti-tick diet for dogs, forgot might be on google.
Once he was removed from his lockdown the tick issue went away even though he ran through cane fields everyday and was in all sort of high grass.
Could be spread from pet to pet, perhpas another dog  is visiting the same areas and it is spread by that means?

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Here we go again, Austria will ban direct flights from the UK from 1st June. Others will follow suit from what I gather.

Oh gawd...why?   Indian variant?

I'm sick of this.

Yep, 

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My poor Doberman had ticks all the time when he was locked in his run in Honolulu with his 4 month long quarantine.
I became an expert in removing them.
Lucky he had short fur and it was easy to find them, nasty buggers.
I had his run moved about 4 times but they had grass between the runs and with the rain everyday and dogs near by who never got washed up it was nearly impossible to keep him rid of them.
There were at least 3,000 dogs and 2,000 cats in that pet prison.
The dollar is sinking in it's exchange rate, all good it was only worth 200 to one when we bought our flat.
Good times, bad times...If it sinks way down my husband may just sell out and gab his bucks while he can.
One moment I think we will live here forever and other times , you never know.
We try to never get too attached to people, places or things, not always easy but wise in the lng run.
I remember years back when we drove a big Audi in Hungary, the tank cost more then $100. to fill up and we were filling it up at least 6 times a month. We drove all over Hungary daily almost. Just a long 6 month vacation with no time to waste.
It did hurt everytime we pulled into the gas/petrol station though.

Ticks really are a nasty thing.  What a life cycle!   Jump on any passing animal and suck it's blood and if infected itself, pass on diseases like Lyme Disease or Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE).  Really serious stuff. I've been vaccinated against TBE in the past - I was doing a lot of mountain biking and thought it a good idea.  I never renewed it and I had to argue for it - they seemed not to want to give it to me.  Why? I don't know.  Vet said very unlikely our dog would have Lyme Disease without us knowing about it - the symptoms are really obvious.

In these COVID times, I can see why would question the reason to leave here.  I thought house prices were going up, not down.  People put their money into property when the economy is failing and currency is losing value.  I am sure the economy here must be severely damaged because of COVID. It'll take years to come back.  Maybe the rising fuel prices is symptom.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Here we go again, Austria will ban direct flights from the UK from 1st June. Others will follow suit from what I gather.

Oh gawd...why?   Indian variant?

I'm sick of this.

Yep, 

Oh that's just ballcocks. 

Only last week, the UK was putting out news the vaccines were protecting against the Indian variant.

If that goes nuclear in the EU, then it'll take months to get back to some sembalence of normality. 

How very depressing!

It's when we exchange forints back into dollars that makes the difference for us. I'm not an expert but my husband always says if the dollar gets really low then  he is selling out and getting back his dollars, guess it is because we would have to pay to turn forints back into dollars and that's the savings if the rate is low.
My cousins husband was in hospital in the US with that Lyme disease.
He is a huge golfer, even used to travel to Scotland every year to play. Must be nice to be retired with funds and have no children to have to spend it on.
He was in for about one week.
Listening to ZZ Top right now, never saw them live. My cousin,Frank in Vegas had his BD 2 days ago. He and his wife in their mid to late 70's went to a ZZ Tp concert for his BD. Looks like Vegas is really opening up for business while other places are closing down.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oh gawd...why?   Indian variant?

I'm sick of this.

Yep, 

Oh that's just ballcocks. 

Only last week, the UK was putting out news the vaccines were protecting against the Indian variant.

If that goes nuclear in the EU, then it'll take months to get back to some sembalence of normality. 

How very depressing!

Austria imposes another landing ban for Great Britain
Due to the spread of the Indian variant of the corona virus, Austria has again imposed a landing ban for aircraft from Great Britain. As of June 1, aircraft from the United Kingdom will no longer be allowed to land in Austria, according to a regulation by the Ministry of Health published in the Federal Law Gazette on Monday. In addition, the UK will be on the list of virus variant areas from Tuesday.

As in the case of Brazil, India and South Africa, entry from the United Kingdom is only possible to a limited extent. In essence, only Austrian citizens and persons with residence or habitual abode in Austria are allowed to enter. Aircraft coming from South Africa and Brazil have not been allowed to land in Austria since January, and the ban was extended to India at the end of April.

Great Britain was also banned from landing between December and March because of the British virus variant. On March 21st, flights between the two countries resumed. Most recently, variant B.1.617.2, which was first discovered in India, had spread widely in Great Britain. The virus variant is considered to be particularly contagious and has played a major role in the fact that the number of infections in India has exploded in recent months.

SimCityAT wrote:

....
Austria imposes another landing ban for Great Britain
Due to the spread of the Indian variant of the corona virus, Austria has again imposed a landing ban for aircraft from Great Britain. As of June 1, aircraft from the United Kingdom will no longer be allowed to land in Austria, according to a regulation by the Ministry of Health published in the Federal Law Gazette on Monday. In addition, the UK will be on the list of virus variant areas from Tuesday.

As in the case of Brazil, India and South Africa, entry from the United Kingdom is only possible to a limited extent. In essence, only Austrian citizens and persons with residence or habitual abode in Austria are allowed to enter. Aircraft coming from South Africa and Brazil have not been allowed to land in Austria since January, and the ban was extended to India at the end of April.

Great Britain was also banned from landing between December and March because of the British virus variant. On March 21st, flights between the two countries resumed. Most recently, variant B.1.617.2, which was first discovered in India, had spread widely in Great Britain. The virus variant is considered to be particularly contagious and has played a major role in the fact that the number of infections in India has exploded in recent months.

Less of the Great then in Great Britain. Who calls it that anyway?  We all call it the UK.   I've never heard anyone call it Great Britain in normal conversation.  Obviously direct translation issues.

I just hope this doesn't go EU wide.  I was hoping to go to the UK end of June.  I was hoping the quarantine would be over then.

Soon you cannot fly anywhere without a test for this or that or if you are a journalist.

Latest from Sky News

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's when we exchange forints back into dollars that makes the difference for us. I'm not an expert but my husband always says if the dollar gets really low then  he is selling out and getting back his dollars, guess it is because we would have to pay to turn forints back into dollars and that's the savings if the rate is low.
My cousins husband was in hospital in the US with that Lyme disease.
He is a huge golfer, even used to travel to Scotland every year to play. Must be nice to be retired with funds and have no children to have to spend it on.
He was in for about one week.
Listening to ZZ Top right now, never saw them live. My cousin,Frank in Vegas had his BD 2 days ago. He and his wife in their mid to late 70's went to a ZZ Tp concert for his BD. Looks like Vegas is really opening up for business while other places are closing down.

Lyme Disease is easily cured but the knock effects can be severe.  Main thing is to stick to the forest paths and not walk around in the bush and if one does, always wear long pants, socks and boots.  I always check myself after a doggy walk.  Those little nasties get into weird places - usually near joints or folds.     

Perhaps your cousin's hubby was in the rough wearing shorts when he got bitten by a tick.

I wouldn't blame you for wanting to leaving here if things get worse.  I have asked myself recently what's the point in staying?  The kids are always complaining about it now.  School is full of mad people.  The teacher quality has plummeted.   And the politics are horrible. COVID has shown me what a bunch of corrupt clowns looks like when they are in power.   Years ago, I thought I would never had thought  of leaving but I have to say the past 5 years, it's been weighing more on my mind.  But where to go?  I am not that keen to return to the mothership.  Keep thinking about Spain so as to have nice weather.

ZZ Top - great band.  Used to be the only one without a beard was called Frank Beard (drummer) but I believe this is no longer true as now has a beard.   Vegas is such a weird place.  Anything is possible in that fantasy land.

Believe it or not, there are ,"normals" living in Vegas.
Some off beat people as well but that makes it fun.
It was a bit of getting used to at my "social club" my different health clubs.
Was a memeber of 2 different ones with about 25 locations in town overall so I often drove to different gyms for a new class or to attend when I had time to run over.
They were nice places with swimming pools and tennis curts. I never had time to fully enjoy them though with working between workouts.
I also , silly me spent money on going to private yoga studios and community centers where some of my friends would teach once a week.
Long story but it was odd to have a former elephant lady, a former NYC Rockette, a former  cruise ship Broadway dancer and a dresser for the Strip shows teach you exercsie.
I thought I'd seen it all when inside a gym in New Mexico , part of the old Bible Belt, one of the instructors when pray and praise Jesus as she turned up the volume on her music.
Interesting to be around ,"charactors".
In Ca. they were mostly "airheads" teaching. One day the teacher came a bit late and was in a hurry. She had dog poop all over her shoes up on the stage. We told her about it, she just laughed and kept on jumping around. We told her it was OK to go clean her shoes as we would wait...Good grief.
Even once at the community center where my friend taught I got into a short conversation with the retired older gent who was taking our fees at the desk.
I mentioned Budapest to him and he let me knw he lived in Budapest for a few years when he worked for the CIA in the 1960's.
He wasn't kidding either.
Noticed over a dozen cars on the st. today with tickets.
Looks like some people allowed their yearly parking fees to slide, huge line outside of city hall too. Guess they wanted to get their immunity passes or pay for their parking today.
I wanted to see ZZ Top years ago with my older sister. She told me they weren't for me live in concert because the crowd was full of rough bikers and ,"chicks" taking their tops off...Makes me wonder why my sister knew that!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Believe it or not, there are ,"normals" living in Vegas.
Some off beat people as well but that makes it fun.
....
I mentioned Budapest to him and he let me knw he lived in Budapest for a few years when he worked for the CIA in the 1960's.
He wasn't kidding either.
Noticed over a dozen cars on the st. today with tickets.
Looks like some people allowed their yearly parking fees to slide, huge line outside of city hall too. Guess they wanted to get their immunity passes or pay for their parking today.
I wanted to see ZZ Top years ago with my older sister. She told me they weren't for me live in concert because the crowd was full of rough bikers and ,"chicks" taking their tops off...Makes me wonder why my sister knew that!

After being in Vegas I came to the conclusion there were all the punters going bonkers, the wannabe entertainers/whatever on the edge of showbiz and then there were the service workers keeping it all going.  People still need their dry cleaning done, teeth fixed and their cars serviced. 

People are weird anyway.  I generally like eccentricity so long as it's entertaining.  But being just plain nuts is harder to accept.  That's pretty bad to say any of that as it looks like I'm making light of mental illness. Not trying to do that.  I think some people live in different realities or just see things differently. As long as it's not harming anyone, then fine.

Did your sister think it was OK for her to go to see ZZ Top then?  I mean shenanigans in the audience were suitable for her but not you?  Please!  Strange really that bands like ZZ Top,  Stones are all now mainstream establishment now and not that edgy rock.  Imagine if the Sex Pistols were still going - they'd all be considered classic bands with doddery old punk rockers probably with no hair or stick on mohicans.

Mrs Fluffy, myself and my older kids landed in Calgary once for a holiday.  We got into a bus to take us to our RV and the driver was some British dude who said he was in the SAS but decided to live in Canada when he retired from the military.  Yeah, sure, we believe you.  People who were in the SAS don't usually talk about their time in "the regiment".   

If anyone was in the CIA here, they'd have been fluent in Russian and Hungarian.  You could of tested him! One of my US colleagues told me one of his contacts worked at a European embassy behind the iron curtain and his role was to just hang about in-country, go to cafes, listen in on and engage in casual conversations, read the newspapers, watch the TV and write reports about the current mood of the people.  I don't know what his actual job title was - perhaps cultural attache.  But sounds like cover for being a spy!

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

....
Austria imposes another landing ban for Great Britain
Due to the spread of the Indian variant of the corona virus, Austria has again imposed a landing ban for aircraft from Great Britain. As of June 1, aircraft from the United Kingdom will no longer be allowed to land in Austria, according to a regulation by the Ministry of Health published in the Federal Law Gazette on Monday. In addition, the UK will be on the list of virus variant areas from Tuesday.

As in the case of Brazil, India and South Africa, entry from the United Kingdom is only possible to a limited extent. In essence, only Austrian citizens and persons with residence or habitual abode in Austria are allowed to enter. Aircraft coming from South Africa and Brazil have not been allowed to land in Austria since January, and the ban was extended to India at the end of April.

Great Britain was also banned from landing between December and March because of the British virus variant. On March 21st, flights between the two countries resumed. Most recently, variant B.1.617.2, which was first discovered in India, had spread widely in Great Britain. The virus variant is considered to be particularly contagious and has played a major role in the fact that the number of infections in India has exploded in recent months.

Less of the Great then in Great Britain. Who calls it that anyway?  We all call it the UK.   I've never heard anyone call it Great Britain in normal conversation.  Obviously direct translation issues.

I just hope this doesn't go EU wide.  I was hoping to go to the UK end of June.  I was hoping the quarantine would be over then.

Soon you cannot fly anywhere without a test for this or that or if you are a journalist.

France is now considering tightening up controls, Germany has already got a ban in place.

SimCityAT wrote:

....
France is now considering tightening up controls, Germany has already got a ban in place.

France has implemented quarantine for arrivals from the UK.

That's UK to France tourism dead for 2021.

One has to wonder what the vaccine is for?

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

....
France is now considering tightening up controls, Germany has already got a ban in place.

France has implemented quarantine for arrivals from the UK.

That's UK to France tourism dead for 2021.

One has to wonder what the vaccine is for?

UK > Belgium as well - the ferry stopped months ago (still have Hull > Rotterdam though).

To answer your question.  Up until now, I've been pretty laid back with how this has been handled, but they are now at the end of the cul-de-sac.  Vaccination and boosters are sorted, so now there has to be a way ahead that is at least a bit better than before.  Offering green routes to the Falkland Islands will not cut it.  Local isolations will not be accepted, simply because it's in the same places as it was in Phase 1, people living there will not accept life imprisonment for the crime of being poor.

Cynic wrote:

...
UK > Belgium as well - the ferry stopped months ago (still have Hull > Rotterdam though).

To answer your question.  Up until now, I've been pretty laid back with how this has been handled, but they are now at the end of the cul-de-sac.  Vaccination and boosters are sorted, so now there has to be a way ahead that is at least a bit better than before.  Offering green routes to the Falkland Islands will not cut it.  Local isolations will not be accepted, simply because it's in the same places as it was in Phase 1, people living there will not accept life imprisonment for the crime of being poor.

Basically no way to drive from here to there.  The French quarantine will be blamed on Brexit.

I can see people just ignoring the government now.  Everyone has just about had enough of it. There will be push back. 

Falklands is definitely not going to work.  It's just taking the mickey.  I'd love to go all around those UK territories but not when I'm paying.  I could get a month in Benidorm for the price of a ticket to Port Stanley.  Not quite the same adventure - fewer penguins in Benidrom.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Cynic wrote:

...
UK > Belgium as well - the ferry stopped months ago (still have Hull > Rotterdam though).

To answer your question.  Up until now, I've been pretty laid back with how this has been handled, but they are now at the end of the cul-de-sac.  Vaccination and boosters are sorted, so now there has to be a way ahead that is at least a bit better than before.  Offering green routes to the Falkland Islands will not cut it.  Local isolations will not be accepted, simply because it's in the same places as it was in Phase 1, people living there will not accept life imprisonment for the crime of being poor.

Basically no way to drive from here to there.  The French quarantine will be blamed on Brexit.

I can see people just ignoring the government now.  Everyone has just about had enough of it. There will be push back. 

Falklands is definitely not going to work.  It's just taking the mickey.  I'd love to go all around those UK territories but not when I'm paying.  I could get a month in Benidorm for the price of a ticket to Port Stanley.  Not quite the same adventure - fewer penguins in Benidrom.

Anyone travelling to the UK from EUROPE via Tunnel in France right now they are checking every vehicle both French and UK customs.
Probably G7 related so only for a few weeks.
Maybe avoid taking anything that you think you shouldn't.

Great Brexit ah?

SimCityAT wrote:

....
Anyone travelling to the UK from EUROPE via Tunnel in France right now they are checking every vehicle both French and UK customs.
Probably G7 related so only for a few weeks.
Maybe avoid taking anything that you think you shouldn't.

Great Brexit ah?

G7?  Meh about that. 

But the area where the G7 is being held is really nice - Carbis Bay.   What a boost for their hotel/tourist trade!  Lucky them.

I think the bigger problem at EU ports is bringing stuff back to the EU from the mothership.

I'm seriously depleted on PG Tips and HP Sauce reserves.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

....
Anyone travelling to the UK from EUROPE via Tunnel in France right now they are checking every vehicle both French and UK customs.
Probably G7 related so only for a few weeks.
Maybe avoid taking anything that you think you shouldn't.

Great Brexit ah?

G7?  Meh about that. 

But the area where the G7 is being held is really nice - Carbis Bay.   What a boost for their hotel/tourist trade!  Lucky them.

I think the bigger problem at EU ports is bringing stuff back to the EU from the mothership.

I'm seriously depleted on PG Tips and HP Sauce reserves.

I only copied it from someone.... Woken up at 3am by some bloody bird(s). Lawnmower after I fixed the starter cord. The wheel has fallen off. After they said it will be dry for 3 days we have rain. FFS

SimCityAT wrote:

...
I only copied it from someone.... Woken up at 3am by some bloody bird(s). Lawnmower after I fixed the starter cord. The wheel has fallen off. After they said it will be dry for 3 days we have rain. FFS

We've got an electric mower.  The wheels fall off that all the time.  So much so I've now tried glueing them on using Loctite/thread locker.   I've watched my neighbours mowing their lawns and their wheels fall off too.

I woke up 0530 because my back hurts as it often does.  It was so sunny I thought I'd get up.  My erector spinae muscles seem to be the problem. 

Have to get up anyway as the kids have to get off to school.   They've got about 3 weeks left before the summer holidays.

Less of the Great then in Great Britain. Who calls it that anyway?  We all call it the UK.   I've never heard anyone call it Great Britain in normal conversation.  Obviously direct translation issues.

At infants school it was called great Britain and the atlas pages were pink. Seemed weird even then .

anns wrote:

Less of the Great then in Great Britain. Who calls it that anyway?  We all call it the UK.   I've never heard anyone call it Great Britain in normal conversation.  Obviously direct translation issues.

At infants school it was called great Britain and the atlas pages were pink. Seemed weird even then .

Best to use the quote button and there are always italics.   

Old school geography and history books maybe but not now.  I had a text book that referred to Rep. Ireland as the Free State.  I also remember phone books with Dublin having a UK telephone area code!

I often hear (from non-UK people) asking why it's called Great thinking it means wonderful or super but of course it's not that at all.   

They don't think about Brittany - as in Lesser Britain. 

Maybe we should be asking for it back - like the Spanish do over Gibraltar.

Funny, Great Britian and the United States, not united one bit.
I will not say anything about the UK being great or not, IDK and I'd never dis a country without knowing anything about it.
I swear, if you travel the 4 directions you get a totally different vibe in each direction, Hawaii, well that's another topic, sometimes the only thing US about Hawaii is the flag flying outside the post office.
Never been to Alaska, another outer planet I suppose.
I once cut a ladies hair and asked where she was from. She said, "Alaska".
I told her I hear it was easy to find a husband up there.


She replied,"Yes, the odds are good but the goods are odd".
Had my second eyeball done up yesterday.
A bit different then the first time around, I now have a blood shot eye and a blue and blue area under my eye and it sort of really hurts if I try to look close at anything.
Was told it's because they gave me a steriod shot this time. No more details then that.
Nice to have 2 clear eyes even if for right now my brain has to get used to seeing again. I am sort of walking like I sway today but it should be good very soon.
Just in time for summer, a few weeks of using drops and perhaps I can swim if I keep my eye dry.
More long lines starting up outside the hospital today for shots.
Had an anti-body test before they rolled me into surgery, that one does hurt, I dare even a grown man not to tear up with that test.
My husband said I'm now banned from needing doctors again for a long time.
Had no plans on driving or visiting outside of Hungary at least not until fall.
This summer is going to be nice, have to think positive.
I can understand people wanting to see family outside of Hungary and having to deal with the issues of not being able to go freely.
I too miss my son but if it's in the cards.I'll see him when I'm suppose to.
I can't even imagine when my husband escaped Hungary thinking he could never go home again ever or see his mother again.Took him 7 years but it did happen.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....

I once cut a ladies hair and asked where she was from. She said, "Alaska".
I told her I hear it was easy to find a husband up there.

...

Haha, Alaskan philosophy.  Very nice. 

I watch a lot of these Alaskan wilderness TV shows where people do these land rush things or gold mining or living off the land etc.   Some of them seem just plain loons but others seem to genuinely want to get away from the hustle and bustle and get a simpler existence. 

I kind of admire them for their can do and get up and go.