Tea and Gossip

Tia and Chris

Mike and Kath.

Once again we found ourselves very much the 'younger' set on board - by a long shot in some cases.  Shortly after leaving Messina the ship had to turn round and return so an elderly passenger who had been taken ill could be transfered to hospital.  And the following day sadly we had someone die after suffering a heart attack in one of the restaurants.  These incidents, combined with several injuries - gashed leg, broken arm -ensured the ships doctor was kept busy that week.  Fortunately I was very well all week with just minor side effects from Sutent so I didnt need to call on his services.

We made some lovely new friends - Tia and Chris - and Mike and Kath - all of them with the same great sense of humour which meant I spent an awful lot of time laughing - definitely the best medicine.  Which is more than can be said for the ships 'comedian'.  We had all looked forward to this night, a break from Bingo and Play your Cards Right, so it was a HUGE disappointment.  He was awful.  Truly truly awful.  Old stale jokes, inappropriate political comments looking for the audiences approval and constantly looking at his watch.  He wasnt the only one - I couldnt wait till his act was over either.

Towards the end of the week we received an invite to the Captains Cocktail Party !  Wow, did we feel honoured !  And spent a lot of time gloating and waving the invite under the noses of Mike and Kath - that is until the night arrived and they waltzed in too.  They had kept quiet about their invite to see our faces when they turned up !  Actually it was a really nice evening with free champagne (ok - it was Cava) and canapes and a band playing.  I even put on a long posh frock specially.

One of my favourite times in the day was 'afternoon tea'.  This consisted of home made biscuits and cakes and sandwiches and was served on the top deck.  It was a great time to get together and gossip about the days events and what had happened to other passengers.  In Naples one unfortunate couple missed the ship sailing and had to get a train to our next destination to reboard.  I dont think they set foot ashore again after that experience !

The week simply flew past and all too soon it was our last evening - except for Tia and Chris who were staying on for a second week the lucky things !  We had a fabulous week made even more special by the company of our new friends - its something I will never forget and I hope they keep in touch.

Thank you Tia, Kath, Chris and Mike - thank you for all the laughs, for your company and for the wonderful memories.

 

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