Sunday 26^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

We decided to give this Captain two more chances to impress us!

First of all in the church service he was, unfortunately, his usual monotone self and when reminding us about the charities supported by the ship joked (again) about asking the congregation to make large contributions to his favourite charity – the one that looks after all the sailors’ girlfriends in every port… not funny – and wholly inappropriate…

Finally got our fifth song from Lee that we are going to sing at the big concert on 30^th and were disappointed that it wasn’t the promised Bohemian Rhapsody... There was an unannounced photo shoot of the choir which led to lots of protests that we weren’t dressed in our finery and requests that perhaps it could be postponed until the day of the concert. But when push came to shove, Nesta was the only one who stood her ground when the photo went ahead and refused to join the photograph. She was not a happy bunny…

We went to our final World Voyage cocktail party in the evening and listened to the Captain’s final speech. He included a few jokes but was once again underwhelming. He doesn’t circulate and chat with guests (he’s never even come near us!) and we both think that this is an increasingly important part of the job. Captain Wells managed to do it without diluting his professionalism.

We did manage a few additional drinks (but one red wine served to Ian was corked!) and then went into the restaurant to see Robert and Leo in what could well be our last meal in the restaurant.

Finally we went and drank, smoked and danced in G32 (the nightclub) with the gang – but left shortly after midnight.

The wind had now become a Force 7, near gale - and there is a moderate sea running (do you like my nautical terminology?!) but this ship is excellent. There was hardly any movement and we both had a good night’s sleep.

 

Thursday 23^rd April – Day at Sea.

We had a quiet morning as the lectures were underwhelming again. Adam did do another recital in the Royal Court, which we went to, and as a result choir was delayed.

As it was another formal evening (the 39^th of the voyage!) we decided to go and watch the Oscar nominated film Birdman starring Michael Keaton. Lewanne and Norah went to the earlier showing, however, and told us “it was absolute rubbish” so we didn’t bother.

This did lead to a “what are we going to do now” moment and after a few glasses of wine, Nesta decided she would dress up in all her colourful stuff and go to the African Ball in the Queens Room…Jerry (our room steward) didn’t recognise her and Wilfredo, from the next section, asked her if it was a pirate’s night!

We went to the Commodore Bar (very posh) for drinks with Gary and the girls in order to listen to Adam. He immediately started playing music from the Lion King, whilst many of the other guests looked down their noses at fellow passengers actually enjoying themselves!

 

Friday 24^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

Today is really hot and humid – with heavy downpours! Not ideal for the “crossing the equator” ceremony.

Nesta tried the South African Plastic Surgeon’s lecture about how plastic surgery could help protect the rhinoceros population of Africa – but she wasn’t impressed as all he was saying was what he wanted to do if he had permission and the money. (He currently has neither – so a bit of a waste of time!)

Fortunately the rain had stopped by the time we actually crossed the line. There weren’t as many “pollywogs” as there had been at the beginning of March when we crossed it previously but there were lots of passengers up on deck to watch. As we didn’t have our birds eye view from the Balmoral Suite we had to join the masses on deck 8 trying to get a glimpse of the gunging!

There was no choir practise as the singers were supposed to be rehearsing for their “Singers in Concert” performance – but as it happens, Emma (the new girl) was ill so their show was cancelled. This was a disappointment for us (as we had decided to go and see it) especially as the replacement show was “Stewart Gillies sings the songs of Frank Sinatra and Neil Diamond”…….

Luckily our new friends, Leanne and Ben, in the Clarendon Fine Arts Gallery (absolutely, my dear!) have put us on their list of clients so we now receive invites to their events. They are really nice people, not at all patronising about our lack of knowledge and not even disappointed by our lack of buying signals!

That explains why this evening we were discussing art and “what we liked” at a cheese and wine party surrounded by passengers who think nothing of spending a few thousand dollars on a painting!

Later on we managed to skype three of the kids – we now have more internet time so it was nice to actually be able to have a chat, rather than just touch base.

Sunday 25^th April – Day at Sea.

Today is Anzac Day (and the hundred year anniversary of Gallipoli) but even though there are hundreds of antipodean passengers still on board, there was not a dedicated service to commemorate all the people who died.

Today is the day of the World Voyage Charity Country Fayre!! As Nesta had signed up to be a helper, she couldn’t go to Michael (Lord) Howard’s lecture about his life in politics. Ian reported that it was interesting and well delivered with just the right amount of self-deprecating humour.

Because of choir practise at 2pm we couldn’t go to the opening ceremony (conducted by the Captain) and Nesta’s shift was 3pm to 5-30pm. She was part of the “human fruit machine”… This consisted of three guests sitting in a row (but partitioned off so they couldn’t see each other) picking up their choice of six pieces of fruit every time someone had paid $2 to shake a tambourine! (You had to be there!) If two or three pieces of fruit were the same the lucky contestant won prizes as wonderful as pencils and out of date t-shirts!!

Ian couldn’t take the extreme excitement so went back to the cabin to watch the football results coming in (of course, he wishes he hadn’t as, Tranmere Rovers got relegated from the football league for the first time in their history, just 14 years after they played in the League Cup Final)

At the end of the country fayre, Nesta was given (as a thank you for two and a half hours on the stall) a prize voucher which can be exchanged in the bookshop for a pencil! Perhaps, Cunard, for future reference - a personal thank you would be much better!

We ate again in Kings Court as the menu in the Britannia wasn’t to our taste and then managed to skype the other two kids – so we’re all up to date.

Only two more sea days until dry land!

 

Tuesday 21^st April 2015 – Day at Sea.

This is our first of seven sea days as we travel up the west coast of Africa. There was a surprisingly cool breeze today which caught out many of the white skinned “newbie Brits” By the end of the day there were lots of lobsters around! (Do people still not realise that the sun can burn even if there is a cool breeze??)

Nesta signed up to run a stall at the “country fayre” (or jumble sale as the lower classes call it!) Well – it was either do the fayre or go to the lectures…(and what a choice of lectures!) The first one was “how to not let your pets rule your life” and the second lecture was “the whys and wherefores of plastic surgery”

We made the effort to dress up for our last Britannia Grills reception (until our May voyage!) Even though most of our waiter friends have either got off or been moved to other bars (are Cunard trying to tell us something?) we still managed to drink more than our fair share of wine. We didn’t however queue up to have our picture taken with Kev (the Captain)

We did grace Robert with our presence in the restaurant (and even bought a bottle of Mullygrubber) but we decided to give the singers (and the film) a miss as none of it interested us. Perhaps we’re ready to come home!

We have been on so long that we now have hours of free internet time so if only we could find the kids in, we could skype them to our hearts content!

 

Wednesday 22^nd April 2015 – Day at Sea.

The weather is warming up - so now it’s too hot to sit in the sun!

Ian went to see the lecture by his new friend Michael Howard but Nesta wasn’t really interested in his subject matter (the first week of Churchill’s premiership) He spoke well, but it was a very similar presentation as the one made by Sir Max Hastings on sector two.

Nesta went to line dancing instead - but there were too many “yee hahs” for her liking so she left early!

Sam (Katherine’s Cunard Singer replacement) turned up at choir to help Lee. He needs all the help he can get – as he’s decided to do a difficult four part harmony version of “Rhythm of Life” as one of this leg’s songs!

After choir we attended our free wine tasting in the Britannia Restaurant. This time it was four different Australian wines including Mullygrubber!! (We obviously haven’t been drinking our predicted levels – so they have to get rid of it somehow!)

Ian seems to have picked up the lurgy again so he went to bed after the wine-tasting. Nesta went to the magic show (yet another “mentalist” – again very similar to the previous act) and then ate in Kings Court on her own. But she did bring Ian a little doggy bag back to the cabin!

 

Saturday 18^th April 2015 – Cape Town.

When we woke up this morning we saw that the ship is parked under Table Mountain – although inside a container port! Have to say that the mountain isn’t as big or impressive as it appears in the photographs we have seen.

We learned that the wind had been too strong for the ship to get into the harbour on time yesterday morning and it meant that Gary, Jenny & Dianne were very stressed as they had booked a private safari with an 8am pick-up! Fortunately their taxi waited for them…

We decided on a quietish day so took the shuttle into the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. (Yes, Alfred, not Albert - as it was Queen Victoria’s son Alfred who put a lot of money into Cape Town) We went to the “hop on hop off” tour office and decided on the two and a half hour peninsular trip. (Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do the free wine tour part of the trip as the ship was leaving mid-afternoon and we all had to go through South African immigration again…)

The trip went around behind Table Mountain passed the Botanical Gardens to the better beaches and through the affluent suburbs – one of which is called Clifton! One stop we wouldn’t have got off – even if we had the time – was a walking tour through Imizamo Township.

After a coffee in the waterfront we got back on the ship where Ian was very nearly crashed into in Kings Court by a suitcase wielding Michael Howard (the celebrity guest speaker on this leg)

We attended the emergency drill again, as we had received a personal invite. Apparently maritime law states that passengers have to attend one every six weeks – but as they don’t take a register how would they know? We got there early (yes, we realise that if it happens for real we wouldn’t know when the alarm would go off) as it’s the only way we can get a seat! We sat right in front of Lee (the Muster Station Leader and also our choir master) who told us later he couldn’t look at our serious faces as he gave out the information - because he would have laughed.

We then went up to Deck 8 for the “sail away” where we discovered that Norah (who is the spitting image of June) and Alan are back on board. She had brought presents! Chocolate for Gary and handbag ashtrays for the girls. (Nesta’s has got “Two beers or not two beers” printed on it – what is she trying to say?) We enjoyed a couple of pints (two beers?) as we sailed out of Cape Town. This is a place we would come back to – always assuming the riots that followed our Durban departure and have now spread to Johannesburg spread no further.

As newbies always cause chaos in Kings Court we decided to have our meal in the Britannia Restaurant. We asked Robert for an umbrella as there was a “sneezer” and a “cougher” at the two tables on the level above us. Robert tried to be professional but had to walk away laughing when Nesta sat there with her napkin over her head…

 

Sunday 19^th April – Day at Sea.

Clocks went back again last night so we are on GMT + 1 – which means we are on the same time as the UK!

It was a sunny day but the southerly wind was cold. We decided to cancel our “leisurely” trip in Grand Canaria and go on the “free time at two different places” tour instead. Ian went down to the tours desk where he found himself behind his new friends Lord & Lady Howard!

Michael Howard was trying to book a trip to Swakopmund from Walvis Bay tomorrow - but was told it was full and he would have to go on a waiting list. When he said he had filled in a request form the previous evening the girl in the office basically called him a liar - as she had “processed all requests that have come in”. For a man who would have, after all, been Prime Minister if the Tories had won the 2005 General Election he didn’t come the “do you know who I am” and instead of getting his butler to arrange a trip, merely shrugged his shoulders and accepted that he had to go on a waiting list. Ian has never agreed with his politics but on the basis of his two meetings with him now thinks he’s a genuine person.

There was a church service led by the Captain but we couldn’t bear to listen to his boring monotone voice again – so gave it a miss.

In the afternoon we signed up again for the choir. As this is the last leg, we will be doing a full concert in the Royal Court Theatre so lots more people turned up hoping to get into the limelight! Let’s see if they can drag themselves off their sunbeds for rehearsals when the weather gets a bit warmer!

It was formal night tonight – but we decided to give the restaurant a miss (after being coughed and sneezed on last night) Ian ordered a steak from room service and Nesta brought fresh pasta down from the chef’s galley. We drank some of our own wine and had a nice evening.

 

Monday 20^th April 2015 – Walvis Bay, Namibia.

We docked safely and attended our usual African immigration queue before getting on to our tour to Swakopmund (a German settlement dating back to when Namibia was called German South West Africa)

Walvis Bay was more affluent than we had expected (even though the tour guide said that there was 35% unemployment) We didn’t see much evidence of the townships that blight South Africa and the locals we came across appeared friendly!

We saw flamingos in the lagoon next to where the ship was parked and then went along the coast road to Swakopmund. We didn’t feel it was very Germanic (certainly not as quaint as Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills) but went to a crystal factory and a factory where weavers were making carpets before watching how shoes are made from the skins of zebra, springbok and crocodile… (Don’t worry Fi & Ellie – we didn’t buy any!) Nesta did buy a “Pumba” tee-shirt, though!

On the way back to the ship we stopped at Dune 7 (so named because it is seven miles from the sea, apparently) This is allegedly the third biggest sand dune in Africa and Nesta decided she would be an intrepid explorer and try to climb it. Unfortunately, we only had 15 minutes free time, so she had to admit defeat!

Back on the ship we went to the sail away party and then to the cinema to watch Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game” about Professor Alan Turing of Bletchley Park fame. We enjoyed the film even though we had German passengers behind us translating most of the dialogue!

We then called it a night. Our next stop is Las Palmas in Grand Canaria which is seven days away…

 

Tuesday 14^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

It is cool with intermittent rain today. We had a late breakfast and went up to the Atlantic room for a coffee. Here we heard a full account about how a gentleman passenger died yesterday during a tour to the Zulu village. – Very sad.

Our final rehearsal for the choir started half an hour early and we just about made the songs acceptable before our performance. Come back Catherine!!

We received the news that FW de Klerk (Nobel prize-winner and former President of South Africa) was joining the ship tomorrow in Port Elizabeth for a lecture followed by a Q&A session - before getting off again when we arrive in Cape Town. (Typical! We actually get off the ship in Port Elizabeth for our overland “Garden Route” safari, re-joining it in Cape Town. So, we’ll miss him!)

In the evening we went to see “The Equaliser” starring Denzel Washington. It was a remake of the Edward Woodward TV series and we didn’t think it was as good. Towards the end of the film the ship got a little “lumpy” so we decided to leave as Nesta wanted to “investigate” (i.e. have a cigarette!)

It was pouring down and the water in the swimming pools was cascading across the decks! In view of this, Nesta decided to go back to the cabin and have an early night – we do have to get up at 5-30am in the morning after all! (This is because the passengers doing overland tours have to go through South African immigration again … why?)

 

Wednesday 15^th April 2015 – Port Elizabeth for the Overland Garden Route.

The ship parked on time, and we got up and charged off at 6am to the Connexions Room for our immigration inspection as requested. When we got there we were informed by a shame-faced officer that the authorities had changed their minds! We could have had another two hours sleep!

We met up with the twelve other passengers going on the Garden Route, were taken to our luxury coach and we set out at 8-30am. Our guide is called Scott and our driver is Mohinder  

After a non-scheduled tour of Port Elizabeth (Scott had forgotten to bring water bottles, so we had to go to his house to pick them up) it was out on to the N2 highway. Our first stop was the Tsitsikamma National Park at the aptly named Storms River Mouth. We walked around the headland to the mouth of the river and saw some spectacular waves breaking over the rocks. It was colder than anticipated and also rained so we were soon back on the coach and heading down the coast to the seaside town of Plettenberg Bay.

We booked into the five-star hotel in time for a very nice three course lunch with panoramic views over the bay from the restaurant.

We had a huge room, complete with four poster bed, and a terrace which led to an infinity swimming pool 10 metres away. Unfortunately, it was a little cold for swimming but we did go for a walk to the nearby beaches. It felt a lot “safer” than in Durban – but we did see security guards everywhere.

The hotel had free internet so Ian updated the laptop whilst Nesta enjoyed a luxurious soak in the massive bath. Soon it was time for more food – this time a four course dinner – and then we decided to have a quiet night. (The weather had other ideas as we were woken up by a tremendous thunder clap followed by torrential rain. Glad we were on land, in this weather, rather than on board ship!)

 

Thursday 16^th April 2015 – Overland Garden Route and Safari.

During breakfast Colin Norton (one of the other passengers) saw on his tablet that the visit of the QM2 to Port Elizabeth was front page news in the local paper. Upon reading the story, however, we were shocked to learn that a second passenger has died - this time shortly after returning to the ship from a trip ashore.

From Plettenberg it was back on the N2 until we came to the Little Brak River turnoff. From there it was a thirty minute drive to the Botlierskop Game Reserve.

We were greeted to a glass of champagne on a terrace overlooking the reserve where we were given our itinerary. We noticed that it said “beverages extra” so brought this to the attention of the staff – as when we booked we were told there were to be complimentary beers and wines… After checking with the management we were informed that local beers and wines were indeed complimentary so we decided to take them up on it by ordering a very nice Shiraz to accompany lunch!

After lunch we were escorted to our tents (not the sort that Ian can remember from his time as a scout) these had air conditioning (which worked as a heater as well) a sunken bath, electric blankets, Wi-Fi and even an outdoor shower! (Fortunately it was a little too cold to try this out!) Each of the tents were in their own private area of land and the staff also laid on golf-carts to take the more elderly of our number to their tent. (Unfortunately, we were deemed fit enough not to need the golf-carts…)

At 3pm we met up for our first safari. We climbed aboard two Toyota Landcruisers and went in search of elephants. We found a family of four in one of the valleys and watched them for about 20 minutes. The Rangers (ours was called Marco) kept us informed of what was on the Reserve and what we were likely to see. Next it was off to the Rhinoceros compound. These animals are protected by law but poaching is such a menace (even on private reserves) that they have to be carefully monitored. Their horns are cut off to discourage attacks from poachers (one rhino horn is reputedly worth about two million rand), there are trackers in the bush 24 hours a day to keep an eye on them and, every two days, a helicopter flies over the park to count them! Even with all this monitoring, Marco said that it is likely that rhinos in the wild will become extinct in South Africa by the year 2025 - because in a country with 40% rural unemployment, someone is always going to take a chance to get rich… How sad.

We saw lots of different antelopes, wildebeest, ibis and zebras and were in time to see giraffes walking into the sunset as they made their way into a different valley for the night. Just as dusk approached, the trucks turned into bars and spirits, beers and wine were served! Ian had a couple of whiskies and Nesta vodka and tonic followed by an introduction to Amurulu (A bit like Baileys). It is made from the Murula fruit that grows on trees in the Reserve and which are actually the elephants’ favourite snack!

It was dark when we returned to our tents and there was just enough time to change for dinner. On the menu there was crocodile tails, ostrich and game sausages but we decided that we would stick with zebra and gemsbok steaks! All washed down, of course, with the complimentary wine…

We didn’t spend too much time talking after dinner as we had a 5-30am alarm call booked for our early morning safari!

 

Friday 17^th April 2015 – Overland Garden Route and Safari.

We woke before the alarm went off and had fun trying to find our clothes! Although the tent had electricity, lighting was limited to two bedside lights and down lighters in the bathroom – not enough to illuminate the sides of the tent where our suitcase was!

At 6-15am we were back on the trucks – all wrapped up against the cold – and were even given a hot water bottle each (in a zebra patterned cover) to help us all keep warm until the sun got up!

Marco drove us to the far side of the reserve where the lions live. There are three animals here, two lionesses who are sisters and a male called “Chris!” They were all rescued from a breeding programme and are living out their lives here. In the wild, cubs stay with the mother for at least two years, in which time they are taught how to be a lion. They then leave the family and fend for themselves. Lionesses usually produce cubs when they are six years old and then again when they’re eight and eleven. In captivity the cubs are taken from the mother at six months and bred repeatedly from the age of two. When they are too old they are sold to hunting companies who charge (mostly Japanese, Chinese and American) “hunters” mega bucks to shoot them!

Chris and the girls need to be fed every two weeks as they never learned how to hunt - but the sight of them roaming across the bush at dawn was awesome. Apparently lions only roar at sunrise and sunset and because we were there in time we got to hear their chorus! (Nesta also remembered to turn on the record button on the camera – so we have the proof!)

We left the enclosure and drove up a steep track to a plateau overlooking Mossel Bay for African Hot Chocolate amongst the zebras. African Hot Chocolate differs from the traditional drink in that Amurulu is used instead of milk! Although it was only 7-30am about half a dozen passengers decided to try this concoction and even the Rangers seemed impressed!

The African “Big Five” consists of Elephant, Water Buffalo, Lion, Rhinoceros and Leopard and it is only the Leopard which is missing from this Reserve. The Buffalo however are not too sociable and took a bit of finding. According to Marco they are more dangerous and unpredictable than lions and after mosquitos and hippos are the third biggest killers of humans. We eventually found a group but it was noticeable that Marco stayed in the truck to give his commentary!

Eventually we went back to the Lodge for a 9-30am breakfast after which it was back to the tent to pack, in time for an eleven o’clock check out.

The itinerary said that we would now walk to the Day Safari Lodge (where there is a souvenir shop) before another three course luncheon… None of us were hungry in the slightest - so Scott asked if a packed lunch could be made up which would enable us to have a few extra stops during the five hour journey to Cape Town.

One of these extra shops was at a “Bottle Shop” (off-licence) which was duly cleared out of their stocks of Amurulu!

The scenery was still spectacular, although different. We passed through the farming belt with their acres and acres of wheat and quinoa. There were also lots of farms with both beef and dairy cattle and sheep. It looked a bit like the M6 going through the Lake District at times. The next area was the apple growing belt (yes, Nesta did buy some cider!) and, before the range of mountains which protect Cape Town, finally a wine producing area.

We travelled through Sir Lowry’s Pass and stopped at the top to take pictures of the Cape Flats and the city in the distance. It was very windy but fortunately the wind was blowing in the right direction – Scott says there has been instances of cars being blown off the road here.

We safely descended and then drove through the townships on the outskirts of Cape Town. They are made up of metal shacks (which are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter) with plastic roofs secured by rocks – They were, however, were all connected to electricity cables and we noticed that most of them had satellite dishes! Social housing is being built but, as fast as a family can be rehoused, another one has moved into the original shack. There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer as there is not enough work to go round and yet migrants are still coming in from rural areas and even from abroad. (Incidentally we saw on the news that riots had occurred in Durban the day after we left - as black South Africans were protesting that their jobs were being taken by immigrants from Nigeria and Somalia)

After experiencing rush hour in Cape Town, we made it back to the ship at 6-30pm. We were welcomed back with a free glass of champagne in the Verve Clicquot Bar (One of our favourite waiters, Ryan, managed to produce a few more!) and we all said our goodbyes to Scott. What a great experience!

Strangely we didn’t feel like eating in the restaurant and as we had had three “full-on” days we decided that we would unpack and have an early night.

 

Sunday 12^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

Another sunny sea day which we spent quietly. Ian has a bit of a cold (finally succumbing to the Cunard Cough, which has been in evidence on the ship since day one).

We went to the church service at 11am, run by the deputy Captain. He was marginally more enthusiastic than the Captain last week – but only just

We spent the afternoon sitting out on our balcony. There was no choir practise (although we sorely need it!) because Lee has a concert tonight and, with a new singer, their need for rehearsals is greater than ours!

The concert was an hour of songs from the four singers backed by a 20 piece orchestra. It was an excellent show and we were pleased that we went!

 

Monday 13^th April – Durban, South Africa.

The clocks went back yet again last night so we are now on GMT + 2 (BST + 1)

Here we are in South Africa! No problems clearing immigration and we were off on our trip to see the “Scenes of Durban” Our guide was a white woman in her sixties and throughout the tour she was making outrageously racist comments that, to her, were normal thinking and speaking patterns. There is 25% unemployment here, no social security, no public transport and interest rates of over 10% (and they wonder why there are muggings and a high crime rate)

It was an interesting tour – but it is a place that we don’t wish to come back to.

The ship was running a shuttle to the very far end of South Beach where there is a “safe” shopping mall and beach area. We were told it was safe to walk on the promenade but not to go further than 100 metres! After seeing the scores of homeless people sleeping rough during the morning tour – we heeded their advice!

Our first stop was to a hairdresser for a trim and then onto a bar on the beachfront where we watched the (mainly white) world go by. The South African rand is very low at the moment so the drinks and cigarettes were cheap (£1-25 for a packet of 20 Benson & Hedges – what a pity they didn’t stock Nesta’s brand!)

We got back to the ship at about 4pm and watched the “sail away” from deck six, aft. A flotilla of small craft escorted us out of the harbour and we waved to the hundreds of people lining the shores.

We had some cheese and biscuits (as we couldn’t face a full meal) and then sat chatting with the smokers until it was time to go and watch the late show with Jon Courtenay. We thought he was very funny again and really enjoyed his show.

By the time the show had finished and we got back to the cabin it was after midnight - which, on this ship, is very late indeed! It was like walking through the Marie Celeste

Friday 10^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

The weather was hot and sunny with quite a nice breeze so we sat in the sun for an hour before going to see a presentation by David Campese. Ian quite enjoyed it but Nesta took her book into the theatre and finished her “murder mystery” during the talk!

After choir rehearsal, we decided we would sit on our balcony and watch the sea go by. We ordered beef fajitas from room service and sat out until it was dark. (We did get some lovely sunset pictures, though)

Didn’t fancy any of the evening entertainment so went to the pub for a couple of pints, whilst putting in another mediocre quiz performance.

We then ate in the restaurant – as we had some wine to finish off - and then back to the cabin to try and stay awake long enough to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, as the clocks go back yet again tonight!

 

Saturday 11^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

We were invited by the Captain, Deputy Captain, Chief Engineer and Hotel Manager to join them for cocktails at 11am… We felt this was a bit early, as we hadn’t had breakfast, but we gave it a go! Ian managed a glass of champagne and Nesta excelled with a Bloody Mary and a Bucks Fizz!

We just had time for a bit of brunch before the last choir rehearsal prior to our performance…I know we’ve said it before but this time (without Katherine’s expertise) we are not ready – so who knows what the concert will sound like.

We collected our passports after the rehearsal, which we’ll need for the one-to-one South African immigration procedure, and then spent a quiet afternoon on our balcony before more free wine and cheese at a “fine arts” reception.

We’re not sure how our names got on their list although we do quite like a painting that is a “snip” at only $5000 (plus postage)!

When the wine ran out we headed up to the Winter gardens for another quiz. Once again, we were nowhere near winning so we shot through to watch “Jon Courtenay, The Comedy, The Show”… He was actually funny – although a lot of his surreal “British” type humour was lost on a large number of the audience.

Nothing else took our fancy – not even another “Roaring Twenties Ball” (yes, people do dress up for these things) and we didn’t even want any food - so it was back to the cabin where Ian watched day three of the US Masters and Nesta played Lego Harry Potter on her DS

Thursday 9^th April 2015 – Port Louis, Mauritius.

Happy Birthday Dee and Graeme.

The clocks went back another hour last night so we are now on GMT + 4 (BST + 3)

As the port authorities wouldn’t let the Captain turn the ship around in the harbour, he had to reverse the final one and a half miles before we could park. We weren’t intending to be watching - but the regular time changes have finally caught up with Nesta and she was up getting her first cup of tea at 5-30am!

Clearing immigration was easier than elsewhere and soon we were off on our bus (i.e. not a coach). It did have basic air conditioning but had a faulty clutch which meant the driver could only use two gears. It was fun roaring along at about 40 mph with trucks, busses and all the other coaches zooming past us. There are fields and fields of sugar cane on Mauritius, which is a very green island. Obviously the mountain roads were no good for our bus, so we took the long way across the island. Eventually, though, we arrived at the Long Beach complex. It was very attractive and there was (thankfully) a fresh, cooling breeze. We enjoyed a couple of complimentary soft drinks and a good lunch as part of our trip. Nesta swam in the Indian Ocean and it was so hot that even Ian went into the beautiful Infinity Pool. (Yes, Rebecca, he did have waterproof sun cream on!)

All too soon it was time to return to the ship. We sat on deck 7 and enjoyed the “sail away” and then went into the Chef’s galley for a very nice pasta.

In the evening we gave the entertainment a go… This time it was “Airbourne” an American husband and wife juggling act… They are obviously used to American audiences as their jokes were very American orientated and were received, unfortunately, in near silence by the mainly Australian and British passengers. They also (coincidentally) did almost exactly the same act as the previous juggler who was on board on the first leg - but with one difference…the previous juggler caught everything! These poor unfortunates dropped the ball/club at least four times during their 45 minute show. Still, it made us laugh!

Three more sea days lay ahead now until we arrive in South Africa!

Tuesday 7^th April – Day at Sea.

We are now at GMT + 5 (BST + 4)

It is a hot, sunny day and the sea is calm… We went to a cooking demonstration in the Grand Lobby at 11am – which was entertaining - and then went on deck to sit (in the shade) and watch the world go by. Nesta went into the Kings Court and made cheese and ham rolls and brought them out on deck so we could have a picnic (some of the other passengers didn’t half give us some strange looks but we’re on our hols!)

There is a cocktail party tonight (to which we weren’t invited) and we were going to gate-crash but the film we went to see in the afternoon (Noah, starring Russell Crowe) wasn’t just bad – it was too long - so we couldn’t make the party…

Instead, we went up to the Winter Gardens to support Lee (our choir master) who was giving his first solo show. He was quite good!

We eventually went into the restaurant for dinner and Garry, Jenny, Dianne and some German man they had picked up somewhere arrived late from the cocktail party and were extremely raucous on the table behind us!

 

Wednesday 8^th April 2015 – Day at Sea.

Editor’s note:

We hope you’re still reading these posts – but we can only tell if you are from the comments you make – so please feel free to comment!

Good news – the tropical cyclone that was heading for Mauritius has changed direction and we are therefore promised more warm days and only moderate seas…

We actually sat in the sun this morning (from 8am to 9am!!) until it got too hot - so we then made ourselves comfortable on our balcony.

We decided to have a cinema day. We watched “Chef” starring, amongst others Robert Downie Jr and Dustin Hoffman. It was funny and enjoyable but watching all the food being cooked made us hungry so we went for lunch at 3pm!

We spent the rest of the afternoon back on our balcony until 8pm when we went to see “Paddington” with Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters. – It, too, was a good, funny “feel good” film and we enjoyed it.

We weren’t feeling hungry so didn’t have dinner but had a drink in our cabin instead and an early night – early start tomorrow!

 

Sunday 5^th April – Easter Sunday - Day at Sea.

Happy Easter everybody!

Our first stop was the Royal Court Theatre at 9-30am for communion with the Rev. Goodheart. It was an uplifting service, so we decided to go to the Captain’s Sunday service as well. He hasn’t actually done a service since he got on at Darwin and now we know why! No joy of Easter (or life, for that matter) in his voice – it all seemed a bit of a chore. Come back Capt. Chris!!

Not saying Nesta has been on too long – but she decided to go to the 1pm origami class (yes, really) She made some Easter chicks! - then it was off to support Adam in his first solo show. The theatre was packed and his hour long show was brilliant. He is such a talented pianist – but he admitted that he has never been able to read music properly; he plays it all by ear and memory!

In the afternoon we went to see the film “The Expendables 3” starring Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Statham. Colin had said that it was a very funny film, so we gave it a go… our sense of humour differs from Colin’s! It wasn’t a funny film at all, so we were disappointed - and Harrison Ford isn’t the handsome Hans Solo anymore! (We’ve aged so much better!!)

It was yet another formal night so we ate in the restaurant. The Captain’s cocktail party was for the “newbies” who had got on this leg and when it finished all the passengers streamed through the restaurant, causing chaos. Oh well – they’ll soon learn their way around the ship!

The final stop of our busy day was back in the Theatre for the singers and dancers show. The costumes and stage choreography was amazing but the songs were from the musicals and, once again, were from way before our time!

 

Monday 6^th April 2015 – Easter Monday – Day at Sea.

Once again the clocks went back this morning (and yet again, tonight). We are presently on GMT + 6 (BST + 5).

We tried sitting out on the deck in the morning – but it rained on us, so we went back to our cabin.

Elizabeth and Tom are ill – so we sent them a get well card. Hope they are feeling better soon.

At choir, we started to learn a Beatles/Abba medley specially arranged by Lee and Adam. Well, I think John and George will be turning in their graves when we perform it!

After choir we gave the posh, white-gloved “Afternoon Tea” another go. It turned out to be an Easter Monday special and all the ship’s decorations were displayed. (Lots of photos!) Robert, our waiter, was working so at least we had good service and no spilled tea this time!

Not saying the entertainment offered is getting worse – but Nesta, Lewanne and Irene (another “all the way rounder” from two doors down) went to a picture making class - using beads! They were allowed to bring what they made “home” so we now own a bead coaster (suitable for a rather large cup!)

We dined in Kings Court in the evening and then afterwards there was a choice of activities – based on gender. The ladies could choose to pay $75 to be “pampered” in the spa for three hours from 8pm onwards, whilst the gentlemen could purchase cheap(er) beer in the pub and watch a show by Timothy Hyde (a “mentalist”) followed by a karaoke joke-telling session.

Guess which one Nesta went to?

Friday 3rd April 2015 – Good Friday - Day at Sea.

Went to the Good Friday church service led by the Rev Goodheart… what a brilliant name for a vicar! Yes – you’ve guessed it, he’s American.

There is a three day Easter Egg hunt starting today and Nesta has decided we’re participating. (Ian was asked his opinion, which was then ignored!)

We decided to support Lee, so registered for the choir again. Catherine is recovering well and hopes to fly out to re-join us in Madeira.

It was a sunny afternoon and a pleasant temperature so we actually joined the sun-worshippers and sat out reading for over an hour!! (Yes, Ian did wear his hat!)

We went to a lecture about Burke and Wills, who led a disastrous expedition to cross Australia for the first time from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Although they both died during the return journey they showed it could be done - and the first telegraph link across Australia eventually followed their route. The content of Peter G Drake MBE. FRGS. presentation was interesting, but his delivery style wasn’t up to much. We might give his lectures on Africa a miss!

We went back to our cabin and managed to skype Martin – which was good.

After this it was time to scrub up once again and don our formal gear – this time for the World Voyagers Cocktail Party. As the queue wasn’t too long we decided to let the Captain be introduced to us!

We actually ate some lovely food prepared in the Queens Room by four chefs – but we drank a bit too much… Festivities continued in G32 (the nightclub) with us all singing (loudly) to Vibz and even resulted in us strutting our stuff on the dancefloor!

We had no plans to attend the Carnival Ball which was in full steam in The Queens Room - but when we left G32, the Carnival Parade had just started - so we ended up, wrapped in streamers, joining it and parading around the floor.

Thank goodness the clocks go back yet another hour tonight – more time to recover and sleep!

 

Saturday 4^th April – Easter Saturday - Day at Sea.

We are now at GMT + 7 (BST + 6)

We went to the crew’s tug of war competition - in aid of the three charities supported by Cunard. It was a bit of fun – if a farce! The rules stipulated six people on each team – but this meant that the six little cabin stewards and the six girls from the children’s entertainment team were no match for the six burly men who formed the teams from the restaurants and bars! In the end the better technique of the restaurant team meant they won the overall trophy (for the fifth successive year, apparently).

Ian went to choir at 2pm but Nesta had to miss the first 30 minutes as she had to go to Bingo (yes, they honestly have daily bingo aboard QM2) as it was one of the clues in her great Easter Egg hunt… Immediately after choir, we went to our free wine tasting (due to us now being Platinum Members of the Cunard Travel Club). They were Italian wines and though were ok - weren’t really to our taste. (There were however some nice complementary and complimentary cheeses to go with the reds!)

In the evening we went into the restaurant for dinner. It’s a strange coincidence that just like on our trip on Voyager - there is a new Executive Chef on board, who is German, and the choice and standard of food presented has dipped noticeably since he got on.

Finally we went to see the crew talent show but were disappointed once again to find that this time there was only one member of what we regard as crew taking part. The Entertainments team and Photographers made up the rest of the acts. Shame, really as we enjoyed the crew shows on Voyager.

 

Tuesday 31^st March 2015 – Day at Sea.

The clocks went back by half an hour overnight to GMT + 10. (BST + 9)

Overcast, raining part of the day and the south westerly swell continuing - which means the ship is still rocking (although, not rolling). None of the entertainment interested us so we watched TV in our room and went for the odd walk. We did manage to skype Rebecca – only Martin and Ellie left now – but all in all, we had a quiet day.

We went down to the trivia quiz (scored 16 out of 20 but were nowhere near winning) and then went into the restaurant for dinner.

 

Wednesday 1^st April – Day at Sea.

The clocks went back again, this time by an hour, so we are now GMT + 9 (BST + 8).

Well – the sandman finally cometh!!

After the farce of the other day, sand artist Marcus Winter finally performed at 10am. He creates works of art out of sand and is well worth seeing. He is also a talented “paint” artist and Russell Harrison (you remember him – the star of “Bring the sing”!) came on during the show and sang a song, as one of the pictures was being drawn. Marcus and Russell are actually cousins and Marcus may make a “special appearance” tonight in Russell’s show by way of thanks! How exciting! …

In the Daily Programme, received last night, there was an important announcement about a special event celebrating the 175 years of Cunard. This morning at 11-45am the three Queens will link up with Head Office in Southampton to attempt to break the world record for synchronised movement across the largest distance. Passengers were asked to stand and turn around slowly three times. As QM2 is in the southern hemisphere - our guests have to turn clockwise, of course. Crew members would record participation and report to the independent adjudicators…

We, strangely, looked at today’s date – but went along to the Queens Room at the appointed time, to be met with the sight of well over 100 passengers slowly turning to the right and shouting “we love Cunard” before being told they were April Fools… Oh, what fun we have!

In the afternoon, Ian went to a lecture about the life of the QE2 which was interesting. Because of her being transformed into a troop ship during the Falkland war and then having to have new diesel electric engines after her original steam powered ones failed, the QE2 actually made three maiden voyages following extensive refits. It’s a bit sad that the plan to retire it to be a floating hotel in Dubai was put on indefinite hold during the economic downturn in 2008.

 

Thursday 2^nd April 2015 – Fremantle, Australia.

Happy birthday Dominic (and Nesta’s Dad)

The clocks were put back another hour last night so we are now on GMT + 8 (BST + 7)

We had booked the “leisurely” Fremantle tour but wow – it was full-on! Our driver/guide, John, was brilliant. He drove around Fremantle and regaled us with humorous stories including when he saw a ghost at the prison. When were at the prison, we noticed an advert for a youth hostel opening there on April 1^st… another April Fool’s joke??

We then went up the coast and had a 20 minute stop at Cottesloe Beach where we watched school children learning to swim and surf (very strange letting kids go in the sea as they do have sharks here)

Then it was into Perth and a trip around the city, including a visit to the WACA (that’s the cricket ground!) before spending an hour in King’s Park enjoying the views and the sunshine.

We then returned to the dockside and got straight onto the ship’s shuttle (which was actually a vintage tram) back into the centre of Fremantle - where we walked around for a while before heading across the esplanade to Fishing Boat harbour and more specifically to “Little Creatures” (a pub). Here we enjoyed a beer and met up with Joy (who had been hospitalised in Dubai) and Tom & Hannah who had left the ship in Singapore. Lots of beer drunk and catching up done. Gary, Jenny & Dianne arrived too - so even more beer was drunk!

We all made it back on board after a second lot of farewells to Joy, Tom & Hannah and continued drinking beer at the sail away party…

We had planned to go into the restaurant for dinner and then watch the show in the theatre but in the end decided on a quick pasta in the Chef’s galley and had an early night instead!!