CAPTAIN SLOG STAR DATE 70.13

This is our second full day at sea. I woke up around 7.30, did all the injection stuff and then discovered my hypodermic wouldn't fit in my travel sharps box I'd brought. So , I just had to stick it back in the box and go to Plan B or C. Plan B was to take it home in the box and add it to my one at home but as it's cytotoxic, maybe not a great idea. Plan C was to visit the medical facility in the bowels of the ship and see if they could dispose of it for me. My practitioner at Poole Hospital had discouraged me from Plan C as she thought it may cause problems due to the toxicity of Methotrexate.

Breakfast first then a sunbathe whilst I considered the merits of B and C.

Just a small grill-up with  blueberry yoghurt after and some coffee strong enough to stand up without the mug.

I decided to forgo my pod and sit outside on the sun deck. Of course it immediately clouded over and I felt a few drops of rain. It was also getting a bit rocky.

I lasted until 10am when I decided it was time to exercise the grey matter and go and honour one of the trivia quiz teams with my presence. I found a team of 2 waiting for numbers 3 and 4 and as we were allowed up to six, I asked if I could join Team Nikon. The other two arrived shortly after and I seem to remember Angela and Brian (sporting the Nikon t-shirt and a keen photographer -bet you never guessed) but not sure about the other two as we started almost straight away.

We didn't do too badly and I did contribute with Iceland as the oldest parliament in the world, the Nile as the longest river and putting the name of 50 Cent to his proper name - somebody Jackson, maybe Clarence?. Not sure where I dragged that up from, but the kids will be proud that I'm not such an old fart as I look. There were a few disputes as is usual at these affairs, not least from our 2 Aussies who denied there was an Australian desert as declared by the question master. I was also a bit  peed off that my team didn't accept my offering of Russia as the most densely forested country in the world. Ah well, it's a progressive quiz and the next round is on our next sea day.

I stayed after to talk to Angela and Brian who are Brits but now have US citizenship and live in Mesa, AZ, having gone out there in the '70s. Lovely couple and really interesting to talk to.

After our stunning defeat at the quiz I decided on a few salad bits from the healthy spa diner and then decided on a game of bingo! I know, not exactly cool but you never know, I could be lucky.....

Actually when I discovered they wanted $39 for three bingo cards I told them to stick it where the sun don't shine and headed off to the casino. Here I had a lot more fun for the same money, playing the penny slots. Mum will be proud of me. Love ya Mum xx

I decided on Plan C and went down to the Infirmary. There, a very nice young doctor gave me my own sharps box for the duration and my cabin attendant Haroldo will dispose of it at the end of the voyage. Simples!

Haroldo is a nice guy be he suddenly appears from nowhere when I am nearing my cabin, he whips out his pass card and opens my door, "Have a nice day Mizz Frampton "!

Now I'm back in my cabin. My wine is wandering all over the glass, the boat is pitching about a bit. We have a 12 foot swell. I'm on the seventh deck and the spray from the waves is all over the glass at the front of my balcony. The flying fish are grounded at the moment. The ship is creaking a lot and shudders a bit now and then but it's probably nothing ......

Tomorrow is Aruba, our first port of call. I am planning on breakfast in my cabin as I have an early start. It's horse riding on this island and of course the Great Tat Challenge starts tomorrow night at dinner. So a spot of souvenir hunting too.