Wednesday, April 1

I should have known better.  My new computer happily printed one document on my aged laser printer, but that was it.  The printer turned up its toes in sympathy with its old computer mate so it was another trip into Officeworks to purchase another one.  Still, they're not a big expense nowadays and I'll be able to print directly onto the new one from my iPad through the wi-fi, which I wasn't able to do before.

Fascinating Facebook link this morning from Flight Centre about a new, cheaper way to fly.  Maybe the following link will find the page.

flight centre.com.au/cargo class

Tuesday, March 31

I hate spending money but sometimes it can't be avoided.  I took the Territory in yesterday for my local mechanic to have a look and he agreed that the transmission was 'stuffed' (a technical term to describe major mechanical problems) and he could fix it for $3900.  That's better than the $5400 quoted by the Ford dealer but still a heart-stopping amount.

Clearly this was a good time for my computer to have a coronary.  I've had it for 8 years and it was a cheapie to start with so I can't complain.  Jamie has been keeping it going with chewing gum and duct tape but warned me that it was 'stuffed' (a technical computer term for major technology problems).  Nothing for it but to get a new one.

My heart was set on a Mac but the model I wanted was over $2000.  I would have settled for the $1600 one but Jamie reminded me that I would need to spend about $400 on software so I have opted for a Windows model.  It's a Hewlett Packard 22" all-in-one with a touch screen.  Only $860 and I think it is a real bargain.

It's just a matter now of waiting to see what will be the next expensive item to decide it is 'stuffed'.

Monday, March 23

They say that, if you pay attention, you learn something new every day.  I'm not sure, yet, what I learned today, but yesterday I learned that the colour and consistency of ear wax is genetically determined.  How did I get to 72 without knowing that?  Apparently, Europeans and Africans tend to the wet variety and Asians and Native Americans generally have dry.  Amazing!

We flew home today after our great holiday.  We had an afternoon flight so spent a couple of hours at Darling Harbour before heading to the airport.  Our lunch was a bucket of prawns with a glass of bubbles for Marilyn and a beer for me.  Fantastic.

Sunday, March 22

There's been a lot said about Malcolm Fraset in recent days following his deaths but I was particularly impressed with the comments by Alan Ramsay.  Here's an extract:

Whatever you thought of his politics and his seminal role in the vice regal dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government almost 40 years ago, John Malcolm Fraser was, above all else, a genuine liberal in the best sense of the word. Thus he goes to his grave appalled, surely, by the oafs, boofheads and lesser ninnies that not only control the Liberal Party and conservative politics in this country these days, but take their disgrace to the summit of running Australia too.

How could it have come to this, J.M. Fraser must have wondered, constantly, in more recent years, as political behaviour, state and federal, from top to bottom, in our parliaments and out, and right across the three major parties in our democracy, became uglier, greedier, less inclusive, less civil, less caring, more irresponsible, more ill-mannered, more shrill, more ratbag, and wholly more venal, indeed blighted in any and every way you care to look at what is happening to national political life in this country?

He speaks for those of us who were proud to vote for the likes of Menzies, Fraser and even Gorton but can't bring ourselves to support the current rabble who have hijacked the Liberal Party and trashed all it once stood for. I'm sure there are many who, like me, feel that none of the parties represent my values.  There's a crying need in Australia for a new direction - politicians who have the vision and the courage to bring our country into the future without pandering to sectional interests, whether it be mining magnates, or unions.

The Queen of Hearts had it right.  'Off with their heads!'  

Thursday, March 19

It's the last full day and there's a bit of a subdued feeling on the ship.  People are obviously thinking about packing and arrangements for getting off the ship in the morning.  We're in the Solarium finishing breakfast and a couple has just stopped to ask our advice on Princess v Royal Caribbean.  Marilyn is unashamedly carrying her Princess bag and a number of people have commented that they are Princess people too.  This has been a great cruise but it lacks the extra little bit of 'class' you get on Princess.

Our last cruise on Dawn was so good it has set a benchmark for any in the future.  We had another Top Tier Event yesterday with a breakfast with the captain and senior officers.  It was a fantastic spread but really only an opportunity to try and sell us future cruises.  Royal Caribbean work hard to impress their frequent cruisers.  Diamond Level passengers even have their own private bar where the elite can drink without having to mix with the riff-raff.  A section of the theatre is roped off so the big boys don't have to find their own seat.  On the last show we saw, it was so busy that some of the hoi  poloi were standing and there were about 30 empty seats in the elite section.  And I thought America claimed to be an egalitarian society.

We finally saw the magician the other night.  He was brought back to fill-in when the new entertainers weren't able to make it.  It was quite a funny show but there's a lot of time spent in getting people to sleep before they start the performance.  Last night was a re-run of the Grooveline.  We saw them on this cruise last year and they aren't our cup of tea.    Motown music has never grabbed me.  So we listened to the music in the Centrum for a while then went back to the cabin for an episode of Sherlock.

This cruise has not been without its ups and downs and full marks to Royal Caribbean for giving us a great holiday while steering us around a cyclone.  Now we start thinking about our next cruise which is just 19 weeks away.

Monday, March 16

We're in Lifou and the sun is shining at last.  The captain had to put the foot down as it was a long haul  from Luganville: apparently over 21 knots all the way.  I'm glad the sea was calm or it could have been a problem.  I suspect the ship will be deserted today as everybody will want to get the tropical sands between their toes after so much gloomy weather.

Again, we avoided the 'entertainment' last night.  It's a cop-out to claim that showing a movie in the theatre makes up for a live show.  That makes 5 nights out of 8 evening shows that we've missed; maybe we're too fussy.  Tonight is Ballroom Blitz and Marilyn will insist that we are there.

Tuesday, March 17

The mystery of the dodgy entertainment has been solved.  Cruise ships don't carry their full complement of entertainers from the beginning of the cruise.  They fly in and out from various ports as required.  As we have been floating around unable to dock, we haven't picked up the gang who were scheduled for the second half of the voyage.  Once Fiji was deleted, Port Vila was the likely place for them to fly to, but Pam got there first.

Anyway, they've done the best they could.  Last night's Ballroom Fever was great.  Strangely, half of the songs were in Spanish, I imagine designed for an Hispanic audience sailing out of the US.  Royal Caribbean really doesn't make many allowances for their Australian passengers: US currency, drinks, attitudes, entertainment, and so on.  It amazes me that in the region where the world's best white wines are made, you can't get a decent Sav Blanc.  Even the cereals are American.  How ludicrous is it to ship in container loads of little boxes of Granola and Raisin Bran from the US.  I'm sure the same goes for most of the packaged or frozen food on board.  Nobody in Australia benefits from the large quantities used.  

In Mare today and most people are getting off.  It's warm but there are some pretty heavy, grey clouds so we could be in for a bit of rain.  I suspect the captain will be happy to be heading back to Australia tomorrow.  It can't have been the easiest of cruises.

Sunday, March 15

Day 8 and we're in Luganville, even though the amended itinerary said Port Vila.  Apparently, they couldn't take us today, so we've back-tracked to the port we missed on Thursday.  The captain says we're aiming for Port Vila tomorrow in the hope that we can 'lend a hand' in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam.  We'll miss Lifou but are still on track for Mare on Tuesday.  I get the feeling we're wandering around looking for someone who will take us in.

We had dinner last night at Izumi, the Japanese specialty restaurant.  We signed up for three special dinners at a 20% discount.  There's one to go and we'll likely to go back to Izumi.  We really have a love affair with Japan and we think we'll have another trip there soon.  Princess Cruises has a 33-day cruise from Sydney to Tokyo in March, 2016.  Very tempting!

Luganville is just like Port Vila -a dirty, industrial port and sadly neglected.  There are signs of storm damage with bits of missing roof, etc.  However, the locals have made an effort to welcome us.  There's a colourful market set up and hordes of taxis and vans lined up.  Again, though, we'll probably stay on board.

We got talking this morning to a woman who began life at the Fairy Meadow migrant hostel.  We overhear conversations all the time referring to a Wollongong of Tassie.  A fellow opposite us in the dining room the other night had a Burnie Dockers shirt on.  You can't get away from it, can you?

The sun is starting to come out and if looks like being a nice day.

Saturday, March 14

Dry land, at last!  We're anchored in Champagne Bay and the tenders are plying back and forth between the ship and the beach.  It's a grey day and a bit rainy.  We haven't bothered going ashore; we're set up in the a Solarium with the pool and coffee shop nearby.  What more could you want?

There's not much on the day's program which interests us; it seems that more and more activities come at a cost: Make your own martini $17, and so on.  And everything is in US dollars so a $12 glass of indifferent Sav Blanc in fact cost $16.  It's enough to drive a man to drink, if he could afford it.

Today's Bingo session was held in pyjamas.  We were tempted to check it out but really didn't feel strong enough.  

The entertainment last night was a so-so comedian, trying hard to be family-friendly but having to revert to suggestive, nudge nudge, wink wink to get a laugh.  Tonight it's Country and Western so we'll be back to our own movies.  No problem.

Everything is terrific but we noted one nasty piece of gratuitous racism.  A woman asked for something at the coffee shop counter.  As the young Asian girl serving reached for it, the customer gabbled something about microwave.  I didn't understand what she was saying and neither did the crew member who said, 'Pardon?'  The customer huffed, turned to her friend and said loudly, 'It's a nightmare.  Why don't they employ people who can speak English?'  Happily, it seems to be an isolated incident.  The crew are great and the passengers seem to respond very well to them, but there's always someone who lets the team down.

There's a rumour sweeping the ship that the captain has decided to head straight back to Australia, in fact to Newcastle then Sydney.  Certainly, there's been a bit of damage caused by Pam but surely there are other places we could go ... anywhere but Newcastle!  We won't get a Captains's Announcement until this evening and perhaps we'll know more then.

Thursday, March 12

Day 5 and the weather is starting to become an issue.  At the welcome drinks last night the captain was very non-committal about Luganville. We might not get there.  There's a big cyclone developing around Vanuatu and we're heading right towards it.  It's called Pam, would you believe.

The captain is an interesting fellow; he tells jokes has a very nice manner with the customers.  As long as he keeps us out of the path of Pam, I'll be happy.

Last night we went to Giovanni's, one of the specialty restaurants.  We eat so little that it's hardly worth the effort but it's all part of the experience.  One thing I can't work out is that Marilyn seems to be picking up free drinks.  Each night in the dining room she orders a bubbles but always ends up with 2. Last night in Giovanni's, she had 2 glasses which didn't appear on the bill.  Has she worked out a deal with bartenders and not told me?  I clearly don't have the same charm.  All my drinks are charged and at $11 or $12, they're not cheap.

Marilyn is having a go at line dancing but she's not good at jumping and has dropped out.  We've missed our swim this morning as the pools are closed because of the rocking of the ship so we're hanging around in the Centrum to see what's happening.  

We haven't been going to the entertainment as much as we do usually.  We did see Piano Man on Monday but we've seen the same show 2 of 3 times in the past.  There was a hypnotist on last night (100% chicken- free) but we were busy so missed it.  Tuesday was the music of Motown, which we hate, and tonight it's the music of Stevie Wonder and others like him, so we'll give that the flick as well.  A bit disappointing as the entertainment is usually a highlight for us.  Anyway, there's always lots of other things to do around the ship.

There's been a flood in a couple of rooms next to ours. The beds are in the corridor and the carpets have been pulled up and a maintenance man is in the process of laying new carpet.  Something to do with an overflowing toilet.  The captain has just been on the PA to announce that Pam will be in Luganville tomorrow, so we won't be.  Another day at sea, with the hope of Champagne Bay on Saturday.

Wednesday, March 11

It's Day 4 of then cruise and we're in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean on the way to Luganville.  Before we boarded on Sunday we were informed that the itinerary had changed and we would not be going to Fiji after all.  There is a cyclone developing and it might be dangerous to head in that direction.  Instead, we will be calling in to ... Newcastle.

Yes, Newcastle, the Pearl of the South.  No matter, we weren't getting off anyway.  And most people made the same decision.  

The ship is great, as we expected.  We have a comfortable cabin and I've managed to plug our hard drive into the TV so we can watch some of our series or a movie if we're bored.  What a life!

Last night was a Formal night but very few people went to the trouble.  It's disappointing when you make the effort to get dressed up, the waiters in the dining room look terrific, but some yobs turn up for dinner in shorts and thongs with no sign of embarrassment.  And, of course, they can't be turned away.  

We met the waiter who served us on this cruise last year, and he remembered us. It turns out he is from Paete in the Philippines and we know his uncle well.  100 million Filipinos in the world and we have that connection. 

Saturday, March 7

We started a movie last night starring Michael Douglas but it was so bad, and his acting was so embarrassing, that we binned it and turned to something else - The Imitation Game.  This is a terrific movie with a fascinating story.  Alan Turing was a mathematician who worked at Blechley Park during WW2.  He is credited with inventing the machine which ultimately gave the British the ability to decode messages sent from the Germans' Enigma machines.

I was surprised how closely the movie stuck to the real story: the intervention of Winston Churchill to give them the resources they needed, the girl he asked to marry him, and the way Turing overcame the resistance of the people he worked with.

As a boy, he was enrolled at Sherborne School but, on the first day of term there was a General Strike in Britain, so he rode his bike, alone, for 60 miles to get to school, staying at an inn overnight on the way.

He was a homosexual and was arrested and sentenced to chemical castration with regular injections of oestrogen.  He was found dead of cyanide poisoning just a couple of weeks after his 42nd birthday.

Clearly, this was one of the great minds of the 20th century but he was dead at 42 hounded and vilified for being different.  You can only wonder what he might have achieved if he had lived another 20 years, and been given the support and recognition he deserved. 

Saturday, March 7

One of our reasons for coming to Wollongong this week was to disperse the ashes of my Uncle Archie who died on New Year's Eve.  He left instructions that he wanted to be left in the rose garden at the Wollongong  Botanic Gardens where his wife's ashes were sprinkled earlier.  Since then, there has been a ban on ashes among the roses so we did a symbolic 'drop' of a handful there and took the rest to the harbour to scatter in the waves.

Archie was a sailor during and after the war, and loved ships so it was appropriate to leave him there.

Yesterday, we took the train to Sydney and then a ferry to Abbotsford to enjoy a celebratory lunch for Marilyn's birthday.  And, tomorrow, we take the train again to Circular Quay to join the Rhapsody of the a Seas for a cruise to Fiji.  This will be our twelfth cruise and we will have clocked up 144 nights at sea by the time we get back.

Wednesday, March 4

The local Windermere Cafe had a special event on Sunday - a spit roast to bring out the locals for a bit of socialising. The owner works hard to make a living and she's not happy to just sign back and let the customers come to her.  She even had a bush band to entertain us while we ate.

As it happened, we shared a table with the band.  Marilyn knew the fiddler, an ex-student but her father was the interesting one.  He had an impressive beard, a laid-back manner, and an unconscious wit.  Talking about a gig in Devonport, he said mournfully, 'it was a disaster.  I left my lager phone at home.'  And I thought that I had problems.

The goats were collected on Saturday and have settled in well at their new home.  They're sharing their paddock with a horse but that doesn't seem to be an issue.  So, we've been able to go on our holidays without worrying about leaving things for others to do.  We're now staying with our friend, Robyn, in Wollongong and will join the ship on Sunday.  Can't wait!

It was Marilyn's birthday on Monday.  She has turned 70 but says that she feels as fit and well as she ever has - still enjoying life.