Wednesday 11/3/2015 Day 64, temperature outside 15C and that feels familiar!

We have travelled 21900 miles to date.  We are now on the East China Sea heading overnight to Shanghai, arriving 8 a.m., where we will spend all day, temp forecast to drop to 11C. The sea has been rough, the motion discomfort bags are out on all the decks and rumour has it that there’s been a lot of room service today. We’re ok thankfully, just the odd wave of nausea ;).  On the plus side colder seas seem to have brought us flying fish, frigate birds and big dolphins.  The birds like to lead the way from the front of the ship and are a joy to see. You have to be quick to see the dolphins once there’s been a sighting from the bridge.

There’s a shuttle bus into Shanghai city centre tomorrow then we’re sight seeing independently again, not touring with the ship.  This is only the second time I’ve been to Shanghai the first was with the China Britain Business group in the East Midlands it must have been 2007/8,  when I also went across the bridge to Ningbo.  The last time I visited I made time for a fabulous massage after presenting, so here’s hoping I can manage something similar tomorrow, if not definitely Hong Kong!

The winter coat’s and warm clothes are at the ready. The China immigration documents are promised to arrive today (a photocopy of our passport with a stamp).   China already feels different, not necessarily more strict than USA or Australia.  There’s been a recorded message on the telly in the cabin too regarding punishment for bringing illegal items into the country, and what the quarantine arrangements are for the one dog/cat we would be allowed to bring in with us.

Today there was no dancing and our normal deck walking aerobic activity went indoors to the gym – where we made use of treadmills, static bikes and arm bikes for just under an hour.  A really refreshing change and good to know that when the weather does turn there’s plenty we can do to keep fit.

And as for today’s sea day art class, the best hour of the day, this afternoon we have painted “man in turban squatting by fire”.   Both of us are more than happy with our offerings, and very happy with the technique we used to get highlights and creases into fabric. Khachik’s sleeve creases actually look 3D.  I have also been practising drawing eyes, which are getting a little bit more realistic, but still have the tendency towards a more juvenile style, but little bits of progress here and there are adding up.

 Today’s nautical tale explained the sinister meaning of “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” – this refers to the time when corporal punishment was given to sailors with the Cat o’ 9 tails for misdemeanours. (Flogging, yuk) We were told that the sailors used to take turns in administering the floggings or “scratches”.  In order to persuade the flogger to go easy, a person about to receive punishment would say “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” – I.e. don’t hurt me and I won’t hurt you.

We are back in the cabin now after a cracking dinner followed by tonight’s Palladium evening entertainer Jonathan Ainsworth, a young man from Coventry who played all manner of tunes on the piano – a bit of ragtime, Warsaw Concerto, You Raise Me up, Flight of the Bumble Bee, the Impossible Dream and others that might come back to me later.  He's on Facebook as The Flying Fingers of Jonathan Ainsworth and mentions his Arcadia performance on there.

So I will sign off for now, get an earlyish night ready for early breakfast in the morning and hopefully get wi-fi somewhere in Shanghai, or blog tomorrow evening. Bye for now.