Day 26 ~ It’s my Birthday. Or is it

Does anybody really know what time it is? ~ Chicago

Today is my birthday. Or maybe it’s tomorrow, because I’m a day ahead of myself here in the South Pacific. And to make things more confusing, we were instructed to turn our clocks back by a ½ hour last night. What kind of crazy time zones do they have down here at the bottom of the world? One way or another, we just have to operate on ship’s time, whatever the captain declares that to be, realizing it may be different than whatever time it is on land.

But land is a blue smudge in the distance today. We’ve been cruising along “The Bite,” the indentation that runs along the southern coast of Australia. Nothing between us and Antarctica but water, water, water! Swells have risen to 12 feet so we’re rockin’ and rollin’ and I’m once again so thankful for my scopolamine patch! 

The book club is starting a new book, but they ran out before I made it to the library this morning. My friend Kristy promises to read fast and lend me her copy, so it’ll be fine.

A new enrichment lecturer gave a talk about classical music, with emphasis on Bach, Beethoven and Liszt. He played the piano very well. Two of the three pieces were ones I’d played in the past. Makes me want to play mine more once we get back home.

I still wasn’t able to sing for choir, but, bless their hearts, they sang happy birthday to me. (Note to my choir friends back home: It sounded a lot like how we sing it there, but not on purpose!) And at supper, Raj and Kadek rounded up a gang of other waiters to sing to me again. I felt very special.

Two new couples have joined us at our supper table since Sydney—Vicky and Craig from San Francisco, and Cathy and Vaughan from Melbourne, Australia. One couple will leave us at Dubai and the other will stay until Venice.

Vicky discovered the launderette yesterday so she could iron a few things. It’s a pretty tight space, packed with 8 stackable washer/dryers and two ironing boards that are bolted to the floor so you’re facing the wall while you iron. She was alone in there until a fellow came in with his load of washing. They exchanged a greeting and went on about their business.  

Until she felt a soft pat on her bottom.

She jerked her gaze in his direction, but the guy didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her. She decided it was her imagination and went back to ironing.

Until he did it again!

Vicky whipped around, ready to tell him off big time, but just then the open door to the washing machine behind her swung wide to give her upper thighs a soft caress. The launderette itself had been getting fresh with her, not her fellow passenger!

I had a wonderful birthday with my DH. (I’ve told him after this trip, he’s golden for the next 10 years for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmases! Unless of course, he wants to give me another cruise!) We dock at Adelaide tomorrow.

More then…

PS. Please pray for my friend Kristy’s unborn grandbaby. God will know why.