• Stories from the Ship and the Sands of Aruba

    22nd January 2019 When you share a tin can with 1,800 people for any length of time, you’re bound to encounter some interesting characters. Previous cruises have shown us that the human form can reach truly eye-watering proportions in both size and shape, undoubtedly exacerbated by the constant availability of food. However, in Columbus, such… Continue Reading

  • Six Days at Sea and a Caribbean Welcome

    19th January 2019 We are now fully settled into the ship’s routine of entertainment and mealtimes, supplementing it with visits to the cabin, gym, and deck. Of course, we have the flexibility to eat whenever we wish, skip an activity, or even reconsider a club or group we initially dismissed, whether for being too energetic… Continue Reading

  • From Amsterdam to the Azores: Early Days at Sea

    8th January 2019 A delay in refuelling meant we didn’t leave our berth in Amsterdam until midnight, by which time we were snug in our cabin, asleep. The following sea day meant that, on waking, we read the ship’s daily magazine in earnest and planned our activities between meals and the evening entertainment. I had… Continue Reading

  • Setting Sail Once More: From Tilbury to Amsterdam

    7th January 2019 Whether we made it onto our next cruise depended on Sue getting well. Neither of us wanted to repeat last January’s disappointment of cancelling our trip down the Amazon. With that in mind, Sue resolutely stuck to the task, staying in her pyjamas for four days, keeping herself warm, dosing herself with… Continue Reading

  • Of Drains, Delays, and the Costa del Sol

    23rd November 2018 It seems to me that Christmas arrives earlier each year. In my opinion, decorations, music, adverts, and films about the 25th have no place in September, October, or November, or dare I say, even before the 20th of December! And as soon as the day is over, we are promptly reminded that… Continue Reading

  • From Autumn Fires to Mediterranean Skies

    9th November 2018 The temperature has certainly started to drop as the year marches on toward its finale. Leaf gathering is now in full swing, the chainsaw has seen a lot of use, and the log pile is growing impressively large. Most evenings have seen us firing up the log burner, though, on the first… Continue Reading

  • Dogs, Gull Droppings, and Goodbyes

    14th October 2018 Since my last blog, the nights have started to cool, and the days are no longer quite as pleasant; winter is on its way. I must stop checking the weather conditions of friends in Italy, Cyprus, and Canada; it’s only going to get increasingly depressing from now on. It doesn’t help that… Continue Reading

  • The Beano, the Boat, and the Bridge

    23rd September 2018 Over the August Bank Holiday, I went sailing with Sarah and Lee. They had honed their boating skills over a pleasant but sweltering summer and felt confident on the water. However, with the wind up on this occasion, they felt they needed Dad to show them how to handle more challenging conditions.… Continue Reading