Q & A

Q. If I send out my laundry, will Cunard shrink my clothes?
A. The crew is very accommodating. If you ask nicely, I’m sure they will.

August 14 ~ Somewhere in the North Atlantic

You hear the darnedest things on cruise ships. The little vignette at the top of this post came from a conversation with a couple we lunched with on one of our Norwegian excursions.

One of our current table mates told of her most unusual dinner companion while cruising. Those gathered around the table that first night introduced themselves and shared what they did for a living.  All except one. She grandly announced that no one would guess her vocation.

Turns out, she was a self-proclaimed medium. She had a disconcerting habit of looking over the others’ shoulders and announcing that there was someone there in the empty air, but they were not to worry. The spirit meant them well.

She also considered herself a healer and quickly noticed my new friend’s husband used a cane. The woman began running her hand over his hip and thigh without asking permission. The next night, he put his metal flask in his pants’ pocket. When she started her unwanted massage, she encountered not flesh, but hard metal.

“Oh! I say!” she exclaimed.

Evidently, she wasn’t psychic enough to recognize a whiskey flash when she felt one.

Now to our small doings. We continue to do only the things that interest us, singing in the choir and attending astronomy lectures, and spending lovely times together reading or lounging in our cabin.

But one very exciting development has arisen. I didn’t realize when we booked this cruise that the British National Ballet company would be joining us.  Yesterday, they had an open rehearsal in the Royal Court Theatre and we were able to watch the principals and the director mark through their routines, getting a sense of the space, arranging the lighting cues and adjusting to the slight rock of the Queen Mary 2. Then they’d actually perform the piece. Such grace, such strength, and in the case of the contemporary dances, such innovation. They are breathtaking. We’ll have a full performance on the evening of the 16^th.

I can’t wait.

In other news, my gastronomic adventures continue. We lunched at the Golden Lion Pub yesterday where I had something called Bubble and Squeak!

And last night, at the urging of our British tablemates, I ordered the grilled octopus for my appetizer. It wasn’t bad, not unlike calimari.

Tonight is yet another formal night.  I’d never have made it as a Regency lady who had to change her clothes three or four times a day. But I do love seeing the DH in his James Bond duds.

More soon…