2nd February 2016

Today was a perfectly calm sea day. With the clocks going forward an hour last night, we missed the window for breakfast in the Sapphire and had to settle for one of the buffet restaurants. Sadly, my beloved Eggs Benedict was off the menu, but I stumbled upon a rather delightful cheese and ham omelette station, which did its best to console me. It wasn’t quite the same, but it softened the blow.

At 10 am, we headed to Deck 2 for our second ‘Body Language’ lecture, which focused on determining our psychological profiles. It was both insightful and entertaining. Sue and I discovered we’re an ideal match, being opposites, Driver (me) and Amiable (Sue), with a touch of each other’s traits. Over coffee afterwards, we found ourselves revisiting past events, marvelling at how well they fit our newfound profiles.

Before lunch, Sue went up on deck to enjoy the fresh air and live music. True to form, it wasn’t long before she was deep in conversation with an Aussie, an undeniably sociable bunch. Meanwhile, I retreated to the library with my book and found a seat by the large internal window overlooking the shopping mall below. From my perch, I indulged in a little people-watching, attempting to decode their ‘body language’ as they bustled about. Great fun and surprisingly illuminating!

The book I’ve loaded onto my tablet is ‘The Sign of Four’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and it’s definitely grabbed my attention so far.

After lunch, we went to the cinema to watch ‘The Walk’, the true story of the Frenchman who walked a high wire between the Twin Towers. It was an interesting tale, though I felt the storyline leaned a little too heavily on the French penchant for irrelevant dialogue, something I’m not particularly fond of. Sue, however, thoroughly enjoyed it.

After the film, Sue headed back up on deck to continue reading her book, while I retired to the cabin for a much-needed nap (to recover from all that arty drivel). I woke just in time, when Sue came back to change, for us to head to the theatre to see Phil Cass, Australia’s most renowned magician/comedian. While none of his tricks were ground breaking, his unique Aussie banter had us in stitches, and we were thoroughly entertained.

The weather today was absolutely perfect: flat calm sea, clear blue skies, and hot sunshine. Yet, despite the ideal conditions, I only ventured up on deck once, just to find a spot to read among the poolside chairs and waiters. However, reading from a tablet in bright sunlight is next to impossible, so I left Sue to bask in her gamma and ultraviolet rays and retreated to the cool, comforting glow of artificial lighting.

We had the evening meal on our own at a table for eight, as the couple we’d been sharing with didn’t show up. Looking around the dining room, which is usually only half full, it appeared to be barely a quarter full tonight. It seems Aussies prefer dining in shorts and t-shirts, so they tend to skip the restaurants and head for the buffets instead.

After dinner, we retired to have coffee in one of the cafes. While visiting the toilet, Sue found a Sea-pass card. Later, I took it to the reception and handed it over. If we hadn’t been honest and come from hereditary transportation reprobates, it could have been very costly for Merlina Steyes! And, who would name their daughter ‘Merlina’, though?

I went to watch ‘The Martian’ in 3D afterwards, while Sue took a stroll around the deck and then stopped by one of the lounges to listen to music. We met up again in the cabin and were soon fast asleep well before midnight.