Well, all is quiet this morning. I think that there could be quite a few sore heads after all the celebrations or commiserations of the games last night. As we sat in The Pantry eating breakfast Sam spotted a whale gliding through the water.

Today we visited Lifou. From the deck of the ship it looked amazing… in reality it did not disappoint. What an absolute jewel of a place. The waters were so crystal clear and such incredible colours. Just as we were about to board the tender to take us ashore I realised that I didn’t have my camera with me. What to do? Go back and get it and line up again or go ahead without it? Sam suggested that it may be good for me to do without it for a while… she doesn’t get it, does she? I decided to take her advice and to just enjoy the moment for what it was instead of seeing it through the lens of a camera. I have to admit that a couple of times during the nest few hours I was tempted to return to the ship to get it and it truly is a beautiful little place.

Sam went off happily to snorkel. I had a quick swim and then I found a lovely place back off the immediate beach under some palms to stretch out on my towel and have a lovely little meditation session. The birds were singing and flitting through treetops. What an idyllic setting. I had my book with me and between reading a few pages and looking out for Sam I occupied my time quite nicely. Eventually she came back in and yes, that person I saw right out there, further than anyone else had been her. The absolute delight was written all over her face… she had had a wonderful time and had seen some beautiful coral and interesting sea life. She decided that seeing as her head was pounding after just snorkelling that diving tomorrow is definitely out of the question.

We went for a stroll up through the little huts and checked out the markets. Everywhere we looked there were stalls offering hair braiding and massage. While Sam was buying us a coconut each I spotted a bbq with fish smoking on it. We decided that we would sample some local fare. Hmmm, not really our cup of tea… the coconut was beautiful, the rice with coconut sauce was pleasant, the fish was mediocre. There was a beautiful little kitten watching closely from across the table. As I continued to eat it snuck closer and closer. I offered it a small morsel of fish…whoosh… out came the claws as it swiped it from my fingers. Lucky it was a big enough piece that I didn’t get swiped myself. I put the food down on the ground for the kitten and no sooner than my plate hitting the ground did a dog swoop in and start guzzling it down. I put Sam’s plate over near the kitten and it proceeded to fill its tummy until it looked like a little grey ball.

As we made our way back to the tender the queue seemed to be getting longer and longer for boarding so Sam decided that she may as well have another swim. It is hard to drag her away from the water once she gets near it. A neck and shoulder massage kept me nicely occupied while she had another play in the water. I watched all the people wandering past with their hair neatly braided in rows. I wonder how many of them are prepared for the sunburn that they are in for down the now exposed rows of scalp…

Once back on board I enjoyed a lovely plate of salad and then we went off for a nana nap. Not long after getting comfortable there was an announcement from the captain that whales had been spotted near the boat. Sam was unwell enough that she didn’t bother to move. Of course, I grabbed my camera and made for the top deck… along with almost everyone aboard the ship. There was not a space available anywhere for me and my camera. Once the excitement died down the people started to move away. I was rewarded for my patience by several more sightings. A little far away to photograph however I still snapped away, in the hope that at least one of the shots would be worthwhile.

Dinner in The Waterfront this evening with a lovely couple from New Zealand for company. Once dinner was finished it was off to the spa for a Ladies Pamper evening… starting at 9pm! It was a lovely evening, starting with a body scrub exfoliation, moisturiser, hair treatments, face masks and exfoliation with 3 different saunas and a shower and then to finish off we had a glass of champagne while having a facial! Yes, we were well and truly ready for sleep by the time we were done.

Another day at sea done and dusted…

Woohoo, today we get to go ashore! Noumea, I am sure that many people are as excited to see you as Sam and I are. Once ashore we bought tickets for a tourist train ride to various sites. Standing in live waiting for the departure time there was a group of two families beside us. One young Mum was stating quite loudly, oblivious to those around her, that she didn’t want to have to sit with her children because she couldn’t stand to listen to their whinging. Honestly??? If you, their mother, found it difficult to put up with how do you think the rest of us feel? I’ve no doubt the children do indeed misbehave a little as the tantrum that you are throwing is the example they have of acceptable behaviour… We sneak quietly away from that row to the one at the rear of the carriage!

We saw some lovely sites and Richard, our tour guide, was entertaining and informative. Noumea reminded me in many ways of Nadi, Fiji. The areas where the expats live are quite opulent with beautiful housing and many magnificent yachts and boats. In some of the original areas of town the beautiful old colonial buildings still survived.

On the drive through town we spotted a patisserie. Once deposited back at the terminal we decided to take a stroll back and sample some of their treats. After some pointing and sign language we ordered coffee and scrumptious sweet food. The street art was quite beautiful. Such talented people and what a lovely way to beautify an otherwise boring blank wall.

Back aboard the ship we decide it is time for lunch and then a swim. Watching a movie from the pool… such decadence. Oh and of course, a cocktail or two for me. Sam is not feeling so great, the diving trip is not looking so promising.

I have my choice of the NRL or AFL knockout finals. I decide that the Cats v Swans will be my choice. Sam goes off to bed and venture down to the Marquee. There is a magicians show on before the game. Very entertaining, with cards appearing inside the fly of mens trousers, or down the front of womens blouses. The footy game was rather interesting. Sitting among very vocal supporters of both teams became a little overwhelming… those refs really do get the blame for everything!!! I was a little out of place as I am not quite so passionate about my footy. It was lovely to see my nephew, Andrew Mackie play in yet another finals series with Geelong anyway, even though they were sorely beaten on the night.

The silence of the cabin was most welcome after the noise of the footy. Sleep will be very welcome.

Day 4 done and dusted….

At last we have some lovely sunshine. Intermittent clouds and still a cool wind but at least we can comfortable lap up some sunshine.

The ship has two swimming pools, one of which is for children and the other clearly marked ‘Adults Only’. The children’s pool is occupied almost the whole time with children playing boisterously, splashing, jumping and yelling. The adults pool is much quieter and less populated. One father was telling his children (and there were masses of them!) that even though it was signed Adults Only they could still use it if there were quiet… I know I sound like an old dragon but it was all I could do to bite my tongue.

Thank goodness we managed to find the ‘child free zone’ today! Some quiet time on lounges in the sun with no noise… heaven. I wonder, when we see birds flying above but there is no sight of land on any horizon just how far they fly in one day? Or are they resident ship birds…

It was my turn to toddle off to bingo today. Guess what? I won! $108 was a very nice little pickup. The entertainment crew who were calling the numbers were well versed in calls of number 1, the baby of the bunch; 5 ssssssss snakes alive; legs 11 though obviously bingo was not at the top of their choice of activities.

The waters are so beautiful, a lovely crystal clear turquoise or azure blue. Stunning. The staff aboard the ship are wonderful. They work such long hours and 99% of them are always smiling and polite and extremely helpful.

Sam and I are constantly being asked “Mother and daughter? Same face.” Very flattering to me, I am not quite sure how Sam feels about it. I have never considered there to be much similarity between us but apparently there is. Lucky me! I have no problem being told I look like my beautiful daughter.

There was not a lot going on today for us. Sam is starting to show signs of developing a cold which could effect her plans to dive on Sunday, we will see how it progresses.

Dinner at The Waterfront tonight.  It is nice to sit at a shared table and to hear others stories.  Of course there is always that one who complains about everything… I wonder how well these people eat at home?  After dinner we went off to see a stage hypnosis show.  What an absolute hoot.  I can fully understand now why people come to me very wary of what I might do to them in my hypnotherapy.  The poor gentleman who had a burning ring of fire every time Johnny Cash music played… the woman who lost her little dog and wandered through the audience calling “Viagra” and then “I just passed gas”.  The human seatbelts who through themselves over the person next to them every time the word ‘safety’ was mentioned… it was hilarious!

The cabin is so dark with no lights on, it is easy to lose track of time and sleep late. I must try to see a sunrise at some stage during the cruise.

Day 3 Done and dusted….

What a strange sensation it was to continuously wake during the night to the swaying of the ship. As there is no window in our room we have no idea of what time it may be without checking our phones. Sam has decided that she will attend a morning yoga session at 7.30. She is up and organised much earlier and takes a stroll out on deck. She sends me back a message saying it is drizzling, cold and windy. A great day to stay in bed for a little longer I think.

Eventually I decide it is time to take a stroll up on deck and have a cup of coffee and kick start my day. As I pushed open the door onto the deck it soon became apparent that I would not require coffee to wake me up as I struggled through the icy wind, very thankful that I had worn leggings under my dress as it was immediately lifted to waist height. Straight to the coffee I headed and then once I had my cup securely in my hand I head like a homing pigeon to a secluded little spot on deck where hopefully I am protected from the elements and settle in for some more people watching.

Once again the children are already splashing in the pool. Yes, it is heated but they spend as much time out of the water as in so I wonder how many sniffles will eventuate. Bored and shivering fathers stand around obviously wishing they were still tucked away in their cabins with Mum rather than out here.

The tables start to fill up around me, people dressed in a great variety of layers. Some apparently had no thought of it being cold once they left home, sitting with their beach towels wrapped securely around them. I watch as the brave, dedicated souls stride out on the deck above me. I am told that it is 6 laps around the deck for 1 kilometre and 10 laps for 1 mile. I am not sure how many miles one particularly gentleman walked but he would have a great tale to tell about how he battled the elements for a 5 km walk. I lost count of how many laps he did… to me he looked a little like a mouse on an exercise wheel… going, going, going and getting nowhere. I smiled as a tiny little older couple ventured out in their exercise gear, bracing against the wind. 10 steps later their coats are on. They make it half way around the deck before she convinces him that there is no point in paying all this money just to end up being blown over the edge and ending up as flotsam somewhere out there.

Sam joined me for breakfast and regaled me with stories of how difficult it is to maintain a one legged, outstretched pose while the ship is swaying back and forth. Maybe I can sneak into tomorrow mornings session with my camera.

Breakfast… soooooo much food! Bacon and scambled eggs for me… I won’t tell tales on Sam.

One thing is for certain, we will definitely not starve on this holiday.

The rest of our day was spent below deck. Duty free shopping is one way to fill in a cold and blustery day at sea. We missed the first Bingo session (my aunties would be dreadfully disappointed in me for this!)

Lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant at a table for 10 was quite entertaining. Of course, there was the obligatory one who disliked the food and complained about most everything so far but on the whole it was an enjoyable experience. The resident man hater who was cruising with a female friend kept us amused. Sadly she assumed that all women had the same sentiments as herself, I am sure that the two men at the table along with the rest of us females left feeling quite sympathetic towards her husband still at home in Victoria. I am also sure that said husband would be relishing the alone time!

Sam toddled off to bingo this afternoon, hopeful of bringing home the jackpot. I went in search of the The Orient Bar where a gathering of inspirational writers was to take place. After sitting for some time along with about 20 others we were informed that the even had been cancelled. I then spent a lovely hour and a half or so chatting with a very interesting couple from Minlaton in South Australia. Both retired, he now a writer and she a wonderful artist. Sam joined us after bingo, sadly she was one number off collecting the jackpot… ah well there is always tomorrow.

Dinner this evening at Salt Grill… Luke Mangan restaurant. What superb food and also wonderful service. Highly recommend this to anyone. Of course, it is always interesting going to places like this with a chef. Sam, on the other hand finds it rather frustrating to sit and listen to the commentary of the people at the table next to us. It is worth a giggle when the loudest and most opinionated of the group give his expert explanation of what the dishes are… I hope none of them actually ordered by his descriptions or they could have been dreadfully disappointed.

There was a comedy show on at 10.15 but by the time we rolled out of the Salt Grill we decided that bed was not such a bad place to be as we were too full to do anything but stretch out on our beds.

I was nicely tucked up in bed when Archie or Arwin (the cabin crew for our level) popped in very apologetically with our water package… I can now say I’ve had a man in my cabin at some stage during the cruise!

Sleep calls, lets hope that tomorrow is a nicer day weather wise…

Day 2 done and dusted….

At last the long awaited day has arrived. Check the time on my phone… it’s 5.30am. I don’t need to be awake for another 20 minutes or so but in view of the fact that my sister, who only finished a late shift at around 11pm last night is in the room next door, I switch off the alarm so that it doesn’t wake her at 5.50am. Of course, this means that I now cant doze in case I go back to sleep!

After what seems like an eternity my clock creeps to 5.45. Okay, lets do this. Up, dressed and organised… what to do now while I wait for the rest of the household? Recheck that I have my passport… not that it would make much difference as if I don’t it is still 3.5 hours away at Port Augusta.

Eventually we are off to the airport. Put suitcase on the scale and of course it heavy, extract the laptop, which is an absolute essential of any trip I do. Fortunately Sam, my daughter and traveling companion has an almost empty backpack so it fits in there no problems. It is easy to see that Sam has experienced 5 months of backpacking through South and Central America. Just a glance at the difference in our luggage makes that very obvious. Her essentials are far more realistic than mine… they really are the essentials not the ‘oh I might need that…’ kind of essential.

The flight from Adelaide to Sydney was helped along by a very healthy tailwind, assisting us to arrive in Sydney 15 minutes before our expected arrival time. At least the sun is shining here even though it is still relatively cool. Upon arrival at the terminal it became apparent the vast number of people who would be sharing our cruise with us. People milling around everywhere. P&O representative handing out health questionnaires and customs declarations to be completed. Not one person mentioned what was actually required of us from that point. Eventually the crowd thinned enough for us to work out that we needed to line up for check in. I moved through the line quite quickly until I came to a lovely lady who informed me that I had been given the incorrect health questionnaire form and I would need to complete a new one prior to moving through the check in line. Back out to the milling crowd and complete the form ensure that Sam acquired the correct one and then back in the line again. Eventually we were through the check in process and then through customs. “Are you carrying in excess of $10,000 cash today, madam?” I wish!

At last we are on the ship. With great anticipation we wander through the corridors looking for our allotted accommodation. Of course, we are at the far end of the ship but then that is not a bad thing because it will be one way of ensuring daily exercise. We open the door and step inside a tiny cabin. Sam looks at me dismayed. “This is it, Mum. This is home for the next 10 days, it is going to drive us crazy.” It has everything it needs, 2 singles a comfy sitting chair, a desk and chair, a little table, a tv, a bedside cupboard with a lamp which is attached to the centre of the cupboard (we decided that it was a man who attached it as it is dead centre in the middle reducing the usable space to almost nothing). There is a bathroom with hand basin, shower and toilet and a closet and chest of drawers and a safe. Even a little fridge. Everything we could need!

We decided then that it was time to go and sample the all you can eat area… hmmm unanimous decision, we’ll not be spending a lot of time in our tiny cabin. The choice of foods is quite extensive and delicious. After making the required booking at the Salt Grill restaurant we settle in for what I am sure will be the first of many cocktails. Time to settle in to one of my favourite past times… people watching. There are folks in all shapes and sizes, races and creeds, all ages… folks dressed up to the nines and others already in kick back holiday mode. It is getting cooler as the afternoon progresses. Once the compulsory safety briefing/induction is completed we settle back in for another cocktail and the ‘Sail Away’ party. Sailing out of Sydney Harbour under the Harbour Bridge was lovely.

We decided once we were under way that we would explore a little and find out where things were situated. To one who has never cruised before walking around a ship in motion is rather like being drunk without the dizzying effects of alcohol. Maybe I won’t need to drink much at all this holiday, maybe all I’ll need to do is go for a walk occasionally!

After exploring for a while and locating most things that we wanted to know about and some that we didn’t we decided it was dinner time… back to the Pantry… all you can eat. Oh, this could be dangerous! A delicious dinner was quickly followed by returning to our cabin to settle in to bed for night. It was much too windy and cold up on the deck to stay out and both of us are rather weary.

A rather interesting night it is as the ship rolls with the ocean. I seem to spend a lot of time thinking how great it is that I am not feeling sea sick… maybe I should just go to sleep. Sam seems to have managed that quite well since putting her earplugs in after complaining that my tapping away at my keyboard is disturbing her.

Day 1 done and dusted…