Our first in a long line of sea days all the way to Tahiti. Breakfast up top. And - heavenly start - devilled kidneys were on! The day cannot start better…..

The sun was back so we found a place on one of the rear terraces and stretched out with our Kindles. I went off at 10 to sign in for Camera Club which I am going to pursue on this sector (next 3 weeks or so). The photography department hold seminars on different camera techniques and run photo competitions in various categories. This sector, the categories are Wildlife; Landscape; Flora; and Panoramas. Hopefully I can pick up some new techniques and improve my photography.

After lunch, of course, it was painting. Today, a shepherd's hut in the mountains. The scene was a practice for sky/cloud and rock techniques. The rock technique is the use of the dreaded credit card edge. Amazingly, I seem to have cracked that one at least in terms of being able to form rock shapes in the wet paint. I also managed to throw my cup of water all over the chair and myself and squirt ink-like vivid blue all over my hands. By the end I looked like Muggins Minor of the Lower Third.

Some sustaining Earl Grey up on the top deck and off to the auditions for the Aurora Amateur Dramatic Society!!! I truly cannot believe I did this but I have been missing the old boards recently and was quite curious as to what the production might be. Nearly left when someone told me that on a previous cruise they'd done cut down Julius Caesar. Badly acted Alan Ayckbourn may retain some entertainment value. Badly acted Shakespeare is just excruciating. About 10 minutes later I was still none the wiser as the woman from Entertainments who was organising it, said she had several options and wanted to hear our views. I voted for a scripted play either comedy or murder/mystery and indeed, it may be that. It may also be a couple of "radio plays" which I suppose do have more parts. One person suggested we improvised and then wrote our own play. THANK GOD that was not a popular choice.

I was just beginning to relax and feel it might be fun after all when the door burst open and in wheeled the mad make up Lady and her Lord. Him pushing….her berating…. The poor organiser asked if they were there for the auditions (clearly praying - praying that it was all a mistake) but no…. Lady Eyelashes does indeed want to be in it. She made a man give her his seat in the front row and we continued.

The rear theatre door then burst open again and an ominous tap tap tap sounded down the aisle from the darkness. It was another of our shipboard characters: Mother Theresa. I don't know what nationality this lady is, but she is very tiny, of Asian appearance, dresses as a nun with the addition of large sunglasses and a white stick. She also mutters habitually in a language which I cannot determine. However, she is not blind because she is travelling alone, goes on lots of excursions and…..yes….. wants to be in the play. At this point, the organiser, announced that it was all over, she would be in touch with everyone tomorrow and would announce parts and give scripts then. This was without any reading at all or any other form of audition. I can only assume she totally funked dealing with Lady Eyelashes in person but how she will now cast the plays remains a total mystery. Hopefully not a murder-mystery.

Another exciting piece of shipboard gossip is that the Drunken Lady was removed from the ship in Valparaiso and sent home escorted by a P&O staff member. She had been booked on for the whole voyage in a suite at vast expense, so not done lightly. The final straw was apparently when she brandished a wodge of cash at some passengers enjoying a quiet drink and challenged them to guess how she'd earned it. Undeterred by their lack of response she announced that it was a present from the Captain after she gave him a Bl****b. LOL. And this lady is about 85!!! I shall miss her in some ways……