Death in Paradise

On a serious note for once in this blog, when you look at your fellow passengers you realise the average age is in the mid Seventies with all the attendant health issues that come to us all as we progress through life's rich tapestry. In Barbados yesterday two of my table companions were walking along the beach only to be halted in their tracks by local police shutting down the beach and putting an elderly gentleman into a body bag. It transpired that he was a passenger from the Oriana who was travelling by himself and had been enjoying a swim in the warm crystal clear water only to collapse as he came out of the sea, struck down with what appeared to be a massive heart attack. This has to be confirmed by an autopsy which will be carried out locally, my thoughts and sympathy go to the gentleman's family in the UK who waved him off, never to come back. There have been many falls and tumbles during our passage and the ship's Doctor and his medical team have certainly been kept busy, the crash team got called to a fall in a cubicle in one of the many loo's on board and had to resuscitate a person who was eventually transferred to a land based Intensive Care Unit. It just brings into very sharp focus how quickly your circumstances can change, so make the most of the present. I promise the next blog will be more light hearted.