Don’t tell her but today I’ve moved along from my balcony to Mrs Me’s Balcony. She won’t mind though as she’s too busy sleeping off her breakfast. A breakfast which was particularly special as we were privileged enough to sit with a young gentleman who will be 100 years old in two days time, on the 19th November. I thought I was doing well having my 60th in four days time: that’s the 21st for those that can’t do sums :-). An ex tank driver, this young gentleman is still independent, living in his own home and only gave up his [clean] driving licence at 96. He is my new hero.
Anyway, back to me. What have I done in the last 24 hours that’s different to the previous 24 hours. Not a lot actually, and that is good: total R & R. We did our 3.2 laps of the Oceana (that’s three miles we’ve walked so far). We have made some more new friends, eaten more fine food ( you’d expect nothing less on the Oceana) and re-discovered the Champagne Bar. Also, it being the first formal night, we met the Captain (from Italy) at the welcome aboard cocktail party. This pleased Mrs Me, as listening to the voice of an italian just makes her go all dreamy (not sure what she’s dreaming though). But wait, we also found the Gymn. Ok, it was an accident but nevertheless we had a look inside and was actually quite impressed. So impressed in fact that yours truly, His Podgeness, went straight to the onboard shops and bought a t-shirt to wear in the Gymn the following day (today). That’s right, you heard correctly, His Podgeness is going to try out the Gymn!
In the meantime however, I continue to sit on [her] balcony watching the sea drift by. It’s a calmer sea now, still a vast sea, but a calmer sea and the temperature is edging ever closer to 20: lovely! And, looking at the map, we seem to be just West of the mouth of the Meditterranean. So from here on in, it’s going to get even warmer. Perfect birthday weather methinks.
Newsflash – His Podgeness is off to the Gymn
!
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His Podgeness is back
Time once more to sit on the balcony (my balcony this time) and gaze out to sea, seeing nought but the sea and just listening to the sounds made by the Oceana as she makes her way south to the Canaries and hoping, ever hopeful, to see a whale or two. All I’ve sen so far are gulls, lots of gulls. How far do gulls fly? We must be a hundred miles from land. Not sure if the distance is correct but we certainly can’t see any land. All I can see is sea, lots of sea: a sea without whales :-(.
Tomorrow, we reach Madeira, or to be more precise, the Ilha da Madaira (apparently it means Island of Timber), which by all accounts is twice the size of The Isle of Wight, but a lot hillier and a lot warmer, especially in November, the birth month of His Podgeness. By all accounts Madeira also has a long road tunnel, the longest in Portugal in fact. This also confirms that Madeira is a Portugese Island. Before we get there however, there are three more meals to conquer. So, until we meet again:
Bom dia
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