Wind, Swell and Hair Rollers from Hell
Lulled by gentle rocking last night, we were able to get all the sleep required for a big day ahead, which started with a trip to the ship’s friendly barista. Much better at making coffee than pronouncing names (ask Patricia, or should I say Patrees-eye-ay) his cappuccinos were more decent than expected. I thought I might have to quell a small riot when he announced there was no skim milk in his repertoire and all the skinny caps would actually be fat caps. Yikes. People were ropable. Jude, normally a skinny cap kind of girl, took it in her stride, setting a shiny example for the onboard coffee-loving community.
We are thrilled with our spacious little cabin this year but yesterday, as we swiped and entered, eyes scanning around eagerly, it occurred to us there was one thing missing. Where was our an animal fashioned from a towel? You can imagine our pure glee then, when we arrived back to the cabin this morning to find a little bath towel bear smiling back at us wearing my sunnies. Thanks Wayan.
According to today’s daily bulletin, unless we’d read it wrongly, our onboard shopping mall would be giving away cash at 12 midday. Jude, never one to shy away from a bargain,arrived punctually when both hands were on the 12, to join the throng of passengers keen for some free money. Sadly, it turned out to be nothing more than a giant raffle where Jude (along with everyone else in the room it seems) missed out on the moolah by a minuscule margin. Maybe next time…
After a quick session in the gym, we hit the pool deck for most of the afternoon where the gentle sea breeze had given way to nothing short of gale force winds. You know it’s windy when your rubber thongs start blowing away. We hung onto our hats and tried not to envy those lucky enough to have scored a poolside ‘pod’. We are sure these things must get snapped up in the wee hours of the morning because they are all always full. Once someone has one it’s usually theirs for the day. Jude was our scout, determined to spot and pounce on an available pod within seconds of it being vacated. Her diligence was rewarded when with eagle eyes she spied a vacancy, swooping in for the take. With shade, shelter - it even had pillows - we were set.
As we edged up the north coast, getting closer to Queensland, we were reminded to change our clocks back an hour, causing mild confusion amongst the passengers, where the program was concerned and throwing a spanner in our body clocks. Somehow we have managed to be allotted the ridiculously early dinner timeslot - only preferred by hospitals and octogenarians - of 5pm. Tonight’s dinner then, in the light of our clock tweak, was at 4. It felt like we’d only just had brekky.
It was Pyjama Night tonight and we’d come prepared. Going for a fun: dressing-gown-fluffy-slippers-rollers-in-the-hair kind of look, I’d purchased us some hair rollers in advance. Covered with velcro spikes, their claim to fame was their ability to stick to your hair sans pins. I loaded up my locks and then popped them in Jude’s hair. When it came to repositioning one, I swiftly realised these things were evil. This roller was ENTRENCHED and the more I tried to remove it, the more tangled it got. Not since the Black Jack Bubblegum In The Hair Incident of 1978 had I seriously contemplated a crewcut as the only possible solution. If Jude’s roller was so entangled in her silky smooth, straight hair, how on earth was I going to fare with my fuzzy mane? We stared at each other in the mirror with looks of trepidation and patiently commenced the tedious process (amidst tears of both pain and hilarity) of freeing our heads of these so-called beauty accessories. Obviously they went straight in the bin.
Tonight’s entertainment - Baby Animals and Boom Crash Opera - went ahead outside, despite a few tropical showers. When Boom Crash Opera sang ‘Dancing In The Storm’ we were doing just that, fluffy slippers and all.
