@jgs56.bsky.social
Which will be 70 before long, unbelievably, I will just be signing out. Any rigmarole is too much!!!
December 10, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Get exposure to. I’m sure that I would be a lot stricter if they were my kids.

But I think the ban is pointless and foolish. As you say, they’ll find a way, and probably be more secretive about it. The opposite of building good parent child relationships.

Meanwhile, if they want me to prove my age
December 10, 2025 at 5:27 AM
2010, when comment sections and social media were not as foul as they became. We were lucky!

I heard Liam (8) begging unsuccessfully to be allowed on Roblox where “all his friends go” recently. But they do online gaming, I believe with strangers, sometimes with headphones on, so who knows what they
December 10, 2025 at 5:23 AM
I remember that, and few others like it. They just seemed pointless to me so I never did anything to encourage them, and the girls didn’t much care. They went on MySpace and Live Journal more than anything and we had the computer in the living room so it was pretty safe. All were past teen years by
December 10, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Doesn’t apply to me? Maybe I’m not using ´certain features’
December 10, 2025 at 12:21 AM
And everyone pretending that it wasn’t traumatic.

Not that we knew the word!
November 21, 2025 at 7:31 AM
They also arrived and departed from Pyrmont. I thought you lost the bunny at the zoo in Manchester, but then replacement rabbit is on a ribbon round your neck in photos there. Uncle Alwyn’s wedding - yes you were sick! Did the rest of you stay with the Bowerings? I’ve forgotten that. So traumatic…
November 21, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Yes, all that, but did we have Monopoly? I DO remember playing games but not which ones. Coconuts could have been Las Palmas or Cape Town. I still have dreams of Table Mountain!

NZ has been lovely: Auckland, then tour of North Island gardens, now South Island sightseeing. In Dunedin, home on Monday
November 21, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Melbourne was terrible, I didn’t get over that for 30 years!

The best part of the trip for me was that since it came immediately after UK school holidays I had more than 12 weeks off school. Destroyed my work ethic forever!!!
November 21, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Definitely Pyrmont, I remember that part clearly, it could have been the grandparents who came or went via Dock 13, I know we were there once at least. I did look up the SMH shipping news, but it hasn’t stuck in my memory. Then we were picked up by Mr Armstrong and his flashy girlfriend.
November 21, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Did it work? I don’t know, but I didn’t have to go to the school. I did used to take you to the nursery/creche, which we liked. I was very indignant about having to go to the children’s dining room at the age of 12!
November 21, 2025 at 4:52 AM
You were little! Mum was sick nearly all the time, in the cabin a lot. There was a ship’s school, I remember walking past the notice inviting parents to register their kids to attend and distracting Dad by pointing out some “flying fish” in the other direction.
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Corrections: our cabin had at least two portholes, it was cramped but not as much as others. We didn’t dock at the Overseas Terminal (completely rebuilt since 1968). We sailed under the Bridge (fantastic) and docked at Pyrmont (no 13 from memory) - see SMH shipping news archive if you want to check!
November 21, 2025 at 4:20 AM
The new ships are monstrous. We were thinking of a South Pacific cruise (Hawaii, Tahiti etc) but I hate the idea of thousands of tourists being disgorged and competing for fun in these quite small ports. No!
November 21, 2025 at 4:20 AM
It was the port visits we liked the most, but the boat part was OK too. Much more stable than the Fairstar, no seasickness, people walking the decks on Zimmer frames!
November 21, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Comment: nearly 13 years ago we cruised (enjoyably) to New Zealand (where I happen to be today) on the Carnival Spirit, which was huge in size compared to the good old Fairstar.
November 21, 2025 at 4:20 AM
A similar view from April last year, but we were allowed outside!
October 18, 2025 at 12:54 PM
AIOTM was one of my favourite things! Still miss it.
August 29, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Pneumonia is bad news, but it used to be worse news. Take it seriously anyway and don’t muck about if you feel worse! But I hope you soon feel better!!! ❤️‍🩹
July 23, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Pope Banana IV blesses you
May 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM