Friday, 16 January 2015

Day 11 Friday 16th January – the first seagull for 5 days


The Caribbean islands are just one night away now, 200-ish miles. We have just seen the first seagull for 5 days. :) The sea is even deeper, I heard the captain say 5000m.  It is another shade of blue today, more royal blue, and stunning. Our direction is more south-westerly now so we can even lie in bed and watch the sunrise as our cabin is on the port side. Every morning we try to get a sunrise pic, soon we can compare the sunrise as well as the art work.

At breakfast we met a couple.  The common ground?  Just 3 questions to get there! Where are you from? Hampshire, but not always, originally North Manchester. Oh I have family in Middleton. That’s where my parents live. It soon moved on to football teams, Dutch surnames and this season’s disappointments. Enough said.

Today’s lunch was slightly different in that there was an ice carving demonstration on the very hot pool deck, followed by an open air barbecue and live easy listening entertainment. The factor 50 was out today, as we haven’t sat in the sun until today, generally just passed through it to eat indoors, or had the odd 10 minutes in the open air hot tub. Today we were in the midday sun for about an hour and both felt the need for sun block as we are getting into a more tropical climate. Just as an aside, on the subject of heat, my joints feel the best they have been since Rio, even my shoulder. This is such good news and all contributes to feeling well.  The two women pictured with the ice carving became regulars at art, On the left is Jane, on the right her sister-in-law who was recently widowed.





Every day we get a noon navigation brief, followed by an explanation of something nautical, e.g. the origin of expressions like “go the whole hog” (slaughtering and serving a whole hog roast for a special on-board guest) “turn a blind eye” (Nelson putting the telescope to his blind eye to report all was well ahead) and today no explanation but there’s a superstition that you shouldn’t sail out of port on a Friday, because no good ever comes of it.
 
I can’t break the tradition of describing the fruits of our art class! “Good work” our lovely teacher says professionally and with such dignity, without laughing. We completed the snowy landscape, a copy of Easa’s original painting. Khachik’s looks great.  I wasn’t happy with my result.  I felt the colours were too bright, but Easa always says something constructive and maintains that if it makes you happy that is all.

The dance lesson yesterday was revision of the Quick step with the addition of a lock step. Bleuuugggh. Resigned to the fact that if there isn’t a person calling out EVERY step, we might lose it.  We thought we were getting better, but when he left us to the Quick step unaided at the end there was so much crashing and stamping on toes we will be lucky to be allowed back.  Today is going to be the rumba.  Back later with that info.  Probably next blog will be from St Maarten.  We are now 4 hours behind GMT.


Signing off for now, feeling super fit and stretched x

No comments:

Post a Comment