We enjoy sitting in the Patisserie Bar on Deck 5 where we can get a comfortable seat and there’s always a plate of pastries available for those little surreptitious snacks which break up the routine of the day. Marilyn’s taken a fancy to little jam- or cream-filled donuts which appear even at breakfast. I think we’ll end up paying for the indulgence in the long run.
Anyway, the sun has popped out briefly this morning so people are all out on the various open areas to pretend they’re really on holidays. I’ve had a walk on the deck this morning; three laps equals one mile so I made that my first target. We’re somewhere off the coast of Queensland, north of Brisbane and expecting to arrive in Townsville tomorrow morning.
It was good to see Ron and Sue yesterday. They had driven down from Toowoomba to meet the ship even though the weather was shocking. They took us up to Mt Coot-tha which overlooks Brisbane and, if the weather permits, give a good view of the city. We might as well have been on the moon for all we saw but we did find a very good restaurant and had a pleasant lunch and talked and talked and talked. It’s been about 11 years since we last saw them and lots of things have happened in the interim.
I’m waiting for 10.30 to come around because there is a Service Club meeting to be held in the Rendezvous Bar. I’ve been to a couple before on the Diamond Princess and it gives a chance to ‘make-up’ for a missed meeting. An elderly woman has taken the chair opposite and is keen to chat. She’s also going to the meeting as she belongs to the RSL. She tells me her grandfather was at Gallipoli, her husband was in the navy and her son was in Vietnam.
She made the comment that this ship is not set up for older people. There are too many stairs, and places where the floor level changes and makes a dangerous trip-point. We’ve seen three nasty falls so far and the cruise has hardly started. Another problem is that some people can’t accept that they have mobility problems and insist on tackling stairs which would have been no problem when they were twenty years younger. There are hundreds of zimmer frames, walking sticks and wheel chairs and the passage ways are not designed to accommodate them. We were in the library this morning and a woman in a wheel chair had to ask people to move their chairs so she could get through. There must be some authority which makes sure cruise ships comply with the needs of people who need walking aids.
We’re noticing that this ship seems more crowded than any we’ve been on before. When we came down for breakfast this morning there were no tables available in the dining room and even the buffet was busy. It’s hard to find a chair in the coffee lounges most of the time and we had to sit on the stairs to hear the piano player last night. The Diamond Princess we were on last year carried more passengers but we never felt crowded as we do now.
The piano player we saw last night was a hoot. He can certainly play well but it’s his ‘patter’ which is a big hit with the audience. He insults anyone who coughs or waves to a friend and berates passers-by. He has a terrific wit and is often outrageous. As I said, we had to sit on the stairs and we certainly weren’t the only one. The night before there was a full production in the theatre called Piano Man where the cast sang and danced to the songs of Billy Joel, Elton John, Barry Manilow and even Liberace. Each big show is performed twice a night for two nights in a row so that everyone can get a chance to see it. The problem is that our old-timers forget they saw it the night before and turn up early the second night to make sure they get a seat. And those of us who turn up on time have to sit on the stairs. Old age is a bugger, especially when someone else has it.
I went to the Service Meeting. Bit of a fizzer but I got a certificate to hand in to the Rotary Club to prove that I showed willing. Marilyn’s gone to a lecture on how to eat more and weigh less to see if she can get some tips so I’m sitting in the Patisserie Bar with a Latte and a cream donut hoping to lose weight. Not much chance, I’m afraid.
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