New Adventure around the corner

Greetings everyone just getting my act together for my next jaunt on P&Os latest ship Britannia

Judging by the various groups on the Internet she certainly divides opinion, very much a Marmite ship. Hopefully I will give you my opinion for what it is worth, meanwhile time to dust off the suitcase and play PMT (Passport, Money,Tickets) then join Britannia as requested at 4-30 on the 14th September.

 I will do my best to keep you amused and informed

Photo's Added

Just a quickie, I have added a few photo's for your amusement.

Farewell

Well here tis, the last blog entry for my latest sojourn. Many will breathe a sigh of relief, I just hope I might have raised a few smiles, recounting some of the sights I have come across. When I get home I will upload some images to back up some of the tales, such as the Duke of Edinburgh look a like, Royston Vasey (Roy Chubby Brown) travelling low profile, Brit socks on holiday to mention a few. I am left with a few conundrums, what is in the Sainsbury carrier bag that the chap carries with him everywhere? Why do Costa Coffee serve drinks in long cups but only give you short spoons that don't reach the bottom resulting in burnt fingers. Why are people who work in art galleries short and pictures are always hung up high? Why are all the life rafts on board "On Hire" and have a best before date? Why is it not shocking to meet a member of the photography team at 11pm walking down a passageway with a Oceana lifebuoy around her neck assuring you it is only a prop and there is no problem. Why has the "Whitewall Gallery" got brown walls? Will the DFS sale ever end?

It's been another enjoyable journey with loads of laughs made all the more enjoyable by all the hard work of all the staff on board who work such long hours but always have a smile on their face. My travelling companions have also help make this a journey to remember so a big thank you to Janet and Malcolm for their friendship on the journey and may we all travel together again. So until the next blog in September, Bon Voyage.   

On Hire !!!!

 Roy "Chubby" Brown

The Web it weaves

Just a quick little observation, which shows what a small world we live in or is it a global village in which we are all connected by the wonder or curse of the Internet? Here I am wallowing along  in the good ship Oceana thousands of miles from land yet I have by means of the Internet been able to arrange to have my fridge/freezer repaired on the afternoon of the day I get home and have purchased a new monitor for my pc from Amazon which is being delivered as I type this piece. I find that amazing or is it just common place and should be taken for granted?

Tittle Tattle

Today I reflect on the gossip, news and overheard conversations. I start with the amusing tale of the disappearing cardigan (cue dramatic music). A lady at our dinning table was at choir practice and feeling a bit warm during her singing efforts took off her purple cardigan/shawl and draped it over the back of a chair and completed her practice along with another hundred or so souls who were giving it "welly" with varying degrees of success. After realising she had left the "cardi" behind she went back and could not find it, then she went to reception to see if it had been handed in, no joy, so that's it gone never to be seen again. Fast forward to a show in the Theatre and having a look round to see who is around, you guessed it, there in the front row draped around a ladies shoulder was a purple cardigan/shawl. Now here lies the dilemma what do you do next, how exclusive is its colour-design, in her case she did nothing, what would you have done. Here is one for the Hydrotherapy Pool staff, elderly lady quite happily walking along decided to go for a swim, several people where already in the pool, when the last person got out a foreign object was spotted on the bottom of the pool (Jan remember the Mars bar and the WI) Much panic ensued, threats of suing P&O, making someone walk the plank, staff had to empty the pool and do all the usual stuff, and a little old lady shuffled off with a knowing smile on her face. Please don't take the next little piece wrong, onboard there are quite a few gay couples who are flamboyant in the extreme, it must be annoying at times when you just want to sit quietly but you become a "Fag Hag Magnet" at breakfast this morning these guys must of taken very near an hour to eat their meal as they were constantly interrupted by Ladies of a certain age swopping numbers and emails with invitations "come and stay the weekend " I am not sure by the end of my meal that I would of been so charming, courteous and attentive as these guys.

Malcolm doing vital last minute shopping

Charlwood the Flu Years

Judging by the flood of emails( 1, thanks Bett & George)  some have missed my outpourings from the cruise front, unfortunately I have been struck low by a combination of Flu/Cold, Black Death and Trench Foot. Everything was going well until that fateful evening at dinner when one of our party did not come to dinner after "being ill" for the past 24 hours, let's call these fellow diners, Mary, Mungo & Midge (To protect the guilty) over the few days despite still feeling ill M, M & M continued to dine with us at the table, it only became a question of time before the next pin fell, and it was yours truly. I handled things slightly differently and stayed away for three days and stayed in my cabin so as not to pass It on, which has seemed to work. So I report secondhand some of the events during my period of seclusion, Malcolm (Scoop) managed to blag his way into the Dominica National Cricket ground and had a tour around the Stadium, he is building up an impressive list of Caribbean grounds visited. Janet has carried out several unaided retail duty free missions, obtaining the required items off her lists, including vanilla pods in Grenada. We are now on the return leg of our journey home, and to celebrate my exit from my self imposed isolation we had dinner at the open air dinning venue "The Horizon", kindly arranged by our social secretary Janet, the meal was excellent, the company first class and the conversation just what was needed after days of looking at the ceiling and at the porthole (Once again for the benefit of my big sister, you cannot open the window for fresh air).

 Tied up in Dominica

 Dominica National Stadium

 All these photos courtesy of "Scoop" Tucker

Barbs

16th January 2015:

Tonight at one am I will cast a single Sunflower overboard to remember Barbs birthday, although she left us four years ago, it seems like only yesterday and I love her as much now as I did then. 
True love stories never die.