Star date 10 April captains log more sea adventures

I must admit I was more than a little fearful about the type of people we would meet on the QV as there were so many stories we had heard of the upper class Brits that travelled on it and I know from living with them many years ago how they do tend to look down on us antipodeans as heathens and think we still run around in grass skirts. A review of the QV Jon read one day was how the writer was more than a little disappointed with the service aboard as one day at afternoon tea she had to wave twice to a waiter to attract his attention so she could get an extra scone. Despicable I thought, almost put me off going, I mean to have to wave twice was just not on, especially after the money we paid.

Anyway, my fears so far haven't been realised, most people we have chatted to and sat down to a meal with have been very friendly and chatty. A few Brits have even said they would prefer to talk to us antipodeans (they actually haven't used that word) as we are much more likely to talk back rather than ignore them. I have seen some bad behaviour from fellow passengers like today when some woman inadvertently stood in front of another woman while watching a show and woman from behind yanked her handbag so hard & almost pulling the poor woman over. A simple excuse me may have sufficed but by and large they have been great. You never know who you may sit with and here you have a chance to mix it up with people you would not normally meet. Today at lunch we happened to sit with the Rt Hon. Lord Howard of Lympne CH QC. He was the Home Secretary in 1993 then leader of the Conservative party in Britain between 2003 & 2005 and we had a great ol' chat to him and his wife who is an author. They were both on board as special guest speakers and we had just been to his lecture the day before about Winston Churchill. He was asked what he thought of the tv program Yes Minister & he said he thought it was grossly understated! 

It has been a big day today as in the early hours of the morning we crossed the equator so today they had the ceremony. The people who have not crossed the equator before are called polliwogs and had to have an initiation to become shell backs. Of course we didn't admit to being first timers and I'm so glad we didn't but it was fun to watch. They held it around the pool, there was King Neptune and his wife, mermaids, Pirates and assorted sea creatures as well as the captain. The polliwogs were lined up and put on trial with various charges laid against them. One was turning over the 'do not disturb' signs on the front of cabin doors to 'make up the room', another was constantly asking when the captains noon announcement would be made. They were all found guilty then had  this horrible slimey looking gunk tipped over them then they had to jump into the pool to wash off. There was more to it than that but it was a great little show.

I had a bit of laundry rage myself last night. Jon had put the washing through the machine then put it in the dryer. I went down to check on it and noted that there were two other dryers empty and ours still had 10mins to go so I went back to the cabin to wait. After 10 mins I came back and thought that's strange as the dryer now said 30mins and still the other two dryers were empty. I looked down and there in the basket was our clothes that someone had pulled out of the dryer (still a bit damp) and put theirs in. Bloody cheek I thought, especially when there were two free dryers so I did something that was just a little bit naughty and turned the dryer timer to 5 mins so if they came back in half an hour they would still have wet clothes, don't mess with me!

There seems to be far too many formal nights here and Jon is starting to revolt. He finds it very uncomfortable in his suit and hot so I'm picking that soon he will be refusing to go. I also suspect that other people are finding it a bit much too. Last night was a masquerade ball, we have had royal ascot, black and white and a Victorian evening with more to come. For last nights ball you could buy a mask and join in the fun. Some took it a little to far by wearing their masks around the ship, looked very silly and I was surprised they could even see. The numbers also seem to be dwindling for those attending the balls. There always seem to be the same people on the dance floor, the guy who dresses in white suits and Jon feels like giving him a smack as he's so annoying and lots of single woman who dance with the gigalos. Well I call them gigalos but there are about half a dozen men who's job it is to dance with woman either without partners or whose partners won't dance with them, what a job.