The flight never to be forgotten. 28/12/2016

I have been on countless flights, some good, some bad, some indifferent. But the two or so hour journey from Heathrow to Vienna on 21st December 2016 that began at 12.45,will remain with me for ever. Never in my life have I experienced a flight like it.Beneath a blanket cloud on the horizon the sun as far as the eye could see. Are we floating? Yes, that's it, we must be floating. And it does not seem to end. Is Heaven our destination? Then after almost two hours we nose dive into a thick nothingness,grey fog all around. Is it the fog moving or the plane? Seven minutes of descent. And then the lights of Vienna below us. The most divine,exquisite,beautiful flight to be remembered forever and a day.

I have been very,very busy the past week

writing messages to all the men who had contacted me through the dating site,wishing them Merry Christmas and success in private life.I thought it was the right thing to do before removing all details about myself.This morning the task was completed,I never counted how many messages I had sent, but it was a lot.I am on the site no more.

Have dealt with the last, 37th letter.

I was,in fact quite surprised that there were so few of them after 3 weeks away,often there are 50 at least after 2 weeks, once I counted 70.And as much unsolicited mail.The most important letter of all from the Inland Revenue was the first to be opened and I had the most wonderful surprise - a tax refund that had already been paid into my bank account.I fully understand why businessmen or professional people hate taking holiday and why so many marriages crumble.One often feels irreplaceable and the work becomes all consuming,the children rarely see their father, a wife seeks solace with someone who gives her the attention she craves.The more resentful the wife becomes the longer the husband stays at work.If she is self-sufficient,and many are, and has interests of her own and is content to spend a lot of time alone, the husband comes home to a happy wife.A little compromise goes a long way.In a solid marriage every-one thrives.But this is an ideal situation and we do not live in an ideal world.

Being kind is not always plain sailing. 26/11/2016

Years back there was a woman,who,if scrubbed,would have passed for 50,yet looked good 70.Day after day,come winter or summer,she walked the streets in smelly clothes,feet wrapped in old rags.Always in a hurry,never looking at any-one,pushing a shopping trolley.Whenever I saw her I looked at her with encouragement hoping she would respond.She never did.She ignored me as she ignored the world around her until one day we faced each other at traffic lights.Our eyes met, I smiled and trying to be as inconspicuous as I could,handed her £10.She looked at me with hatred and hissed-I am not a beggar,I don't want your money.I am so sorry,I didn't mean to insult you,I said, standing there rooted to the ground feeling embarrassed with passers by staring.For a long time after that I could not bring myself to give money to any beggar whether he/she asked for it or not. A good deed never goes unpunished,a friend would remind me whenever she saw me reaching for a purse.

Flamingos lure a mate with 136 dance moves. 26/11/2016

Preening, marching,wing saluting and 17 elegant transitions between these poses.Now I know why I haven't found any-one to mate with me.I don't have the moves! Oh,no, there was a moment I had my flash of inspiration when cruising on Oceana last Christmas.New Years Day.The ship's own Headliners Theatre company performed Breakdown Blues.At the end of the performance some dancers came down from the podium and one of them,a handsome blond devil with snake hips headed straight for me,lifted me off my seat and yes,my two left feet never touched the ground! My fancy footwork was akin to an Immelmann turn-I looped,I rolled,I swirled,I swooned,I tiptoed, I heeled,throwing myself to a sweet abandon. Have you seen the two step- sisters to Lilly James' Cinderella move their feet in unison standing by the window waiting to try on the glass slipper? Stroke of genius.And so was my dancing. 136 dance moves? That January evening the flamingos had nothing on me!

Money,money,money,it's so funny,it's s a rich man's world. 26/11/2016

I have learnt a lot about money from my husband.That the money can be,and a lot of the time is, the root of all evil.People crave it, they cheat,lie,kill for it.I have also learnt that once you have earned it you must look after it.My husband never ever trusted any-one with our savings and years back,after the newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell had squandered his employees pension on yachts,airplane,luxury houses for his numerous children,holiday homes and high living,and hundreds of people ended up after years of saving with nothing,my husband completely lost faith in any official body. And he would say-if something seems too good to be true,it always is.These words have kept me in good stead and if someone offers me a pipe dream I politely decline.I had to take care of our finances when my husband was ill and I have been taking care of myself since he passed away.I have come to rely on myself only,then should anything go wrong I have no-one else to blame.But so far I have made no decision I have come to regret.My husband had never passed a beggar without putting his hand in the pocket and handing the poor unfortunate what he could.He never judged any-one,never asked was this person an alcoholic,a drug addict or just someone down on his luck.A down and out was to my Olly a person who at that moment needed a helping hand and my darling husband would offer it.The beggars remembered him,he would stop and ask after their health.A sweater would disappear,a pair of trousers.Oh,they will come to light, he would say jokingly.And they did - on an old man sitting on the bench opposite Boots the chemist in Notting Hill! Olly, I would say with a twinkle in my eyes,you and him shop in the same place and have identical taste in clothes.Yes, we both have a good taste,but you still do not let me shop by myself saying I come back looking like a scarecrow!

I would like us to retire to Florida 22/11/2016

my husband said to me three years before he became ill.Would you agree? Yes,it would be wonderful. Soon after some money was put aside towards our new adventure and regularly more would be added.In the early years when he still had a notion of what money was,I would continue in this.Then the devastating illness consumed him and I knew we would never go to Florida. To date the account has remained untouched.

Tokyo has the cleanest rooms in the world, 18/11/2016

followed by Warsaw,Seoul,Bratislava and Sofia.I have only stayed in one hotel in Bratislava,the capital of Slovakia - Kempinski.It is is in a prime position by the river and near the old town and I like the feeling of familiarity so I stay here every time I am in town and always for one night only,often having the same room.I come in the evening, do not leave the hotel until the following morning when I depart for Schwechat,the Austrian airport an hour or so away,never quite benefiting from the facilities the hotel or the surroundings have to offer.And had I followed my usual course,there is where I would be tonight.But today I have decided to come at lunchtime and stay at the Devin.This hotel is one of the Communist era originals,it underwent substantial renovations some four years ago.I love new hotels and have been planning to stay here for a while but until today it had never quite worked out,so it is not new any longer.Am I happy? Yes. It is spotless.It does not have the luxury and the wow factor of the Kempinski, but I would happily stay here again.And it is literally a stone throw away from the old National Theatre.The next time I come I will try to get a theatre ticket.The old town is full of people, the Christmas season has begun,the main square has a podium for live music and the Mayor of Bratislava was being introduced as I was passing.The numerous stalls had on offer regional food,hot red spicy wine in various forms.I had a sausage the size of an arm with a large chunk of bread as light as feather and it was even slightly toasted so that it is served warm.Then I sat down in the most exquisite coffee shop called Cafe Mayer where the coffee was truly excellent, but the chestnut nest too sweet and creamy.My sister would have loved it, I prefer cakes of the Victoria sponge variety.The cafe was full of retired Italians.I was shown to a table next to two couples immaculately,expensively dressed,men of the old school.charming,pleasant,I smiled as I sat down and said buongiorno [good afternoon],they reciprocated.No-one does elegant better than the Italians,neither the Scandinavians, nor the French.The jewellery windows in St Marks Square in Venice have to be seen to be believed,truly unsurpassed in originality and style. And,by the way,London has the second dirtiest hotel rooms in the world,beaten to the prime position by Rio de Janeiro.

The naked civil servant. 17/11/2016

After I graduated I decided to take a trip to Honolulu.                            Why Honolulu,you may ask, when there were so many equally interesting places to visit that were far,far nearer,than the 7,223 miles away Hawaii.                                  Well, Honolulu I wanted to see, to Honolulu I went.                                  I flew to San Francisco,from there to Hawaii and returned to London via Los Angeles.In San Francisco I had my first ever clam chowder in a restaurant from where I could see Alcatraz.It was altogether an amusing and delightful experience,the menu written on the glass windows was the work of art,and the name clam chowder caught my eye.I walked in and there was no-one there other than an elderly man reading.I smiled, said hello and added - the door is open but I think the restaurant is closed.It sure is, said the man.The menu is beautifully written. You really think so? Yes,it is exquisite. What do you like about it the most? The clam chowder is very fancy,I laughed. Would you like some? I don't know what it is! Well,you will soon find out, he said,please sit down, and pointed to the nearest table.He disappeared into the kitchen and a minute or so later I was presented with a bowl of steaming hot broth with several slices of  best corn bread I had ever tasted.We talked for well over an hour.When I said I had to go and asked how much I owed him, he replied - you owe me nothing.I insisted but he would not have it.We parted like old friends.I have never forgotten this kind utterly charming man.                                     I love sunbathing in the nude. I am absolutely not an exhibitionist,but lying in the sun without clothes is a joy to me. There was a beach in Honolulu classified as a naturist beach and on my first day on the island I found my way  there. I settled at the far end.An hour or so later enjoying the silence, the sea beating against the rocks,large shadows appeared beside me.I looked up.Two police officers were looking down on me.                        My goodness,what have I done,I asked,smiling.Sunbathing in the nude is not allowed,said one.But it is listed in the book of all naturist beaches in the world.For me to be here on your beautiful island surrounded by the blue  water is something very special and to be able to sunbathe in the nude is incredible,I said.They looked at each other,smiled - you can sunbathe today, but not again. . .  Yes, thank you very much,you are very kind. My stay on the island was fabulous and one day soon I plan to return there.

A kibbutz is a Hebrew word meaning a group,a gathering. 15/11/2016

The first kibbutz, Degania, was established in 1909 and today there are 256 of them in the whole of Israel.I had spent about five months or so in such a communal settlement called Sedot Yam, near Caesarea, on the coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa.It was a wonderful, carefree life and I loved every single moment.Years later when I returned to Israel to say good-bye to friends  who were emigrating to Australia,I took a plane from Tel Aviv to Sharm el Sheikh.It was a trouble free, easy flight.Returning from Sharm el Sheikh to Tel Aviv was a different matter altogether.The queue was small,the people went through the security quickly.And then it was my turn.I was asked to step aside and empty my bags.That was easy,I travel light[I went to California and Hawaii with two and a half kilos,to Israel with a little less].Everything was touched and turned over and touched and turned over again.Step inside,said the customs officer and pointed to a closed cubicle. Why? So that we can search you. No.Please search me here. We looked at each other.The young officer knew things were not going to go his way.I am going to get the supervisor,he said.Three men emerged and were walking towards me.And I knew then that Mossad, the Israeli secret service, had a long memory.They were not going to let me out of their clutches.I let them change the course of my life once,I was never going to bow to them again.Never.In a flash I took off my t-shirt and untied the shorts letting them drop to the ground.I stood there in my white silk lacy knickers and a matching bra,legs astride,lifting both hands up above my head,staring at them defiantly.Then I turned round and back again.Do you want me to undress completely,I asked the largest man slowly, holding his gaze.One of them said something in Hebrew I did not understand [on a kibbutz I wanted to learn the language but as a Christian was not allowed to attend the classes ],but I think he swore.The airport in a shock,a deafening silence all around,every-one looking at me in disbelief.I picked up my t-shirt,turned it over and shook it,the shorts followed.Then I dressed,gathered all my belongings and with my head held high and staring ahead went through the security.Israel could not wish for a more loyal friend than myself. But Mossad did not think so. Being born in a communist country,Slovakia, I was considered to be an enemy and was treated as such.Yet to date I defend the country with the same vigor I have done in the past and there will always be a place in my heart for this part of the world where once I was so very,very happy.I stayed the night in a Tel Aviv hotel and the next day flew to London.Before the flight my luggage went through the same thorough search as every other passenger's.I was not asked to go to a cubicle.

Zanzibar. 14/11/2016

The last year of his life my husband would talk about Zanzibar.When I asked him where he would like to go for a walk,he would say -Zanzibar.It is too far,darling, I would say,but we will go there when you get better.When will I get better? Soon,darling,soon. Tell me about Zanzibar. I would tell him stories about this mysterious spice island with the loveliest of names and how we would walk on the warm beaches, frolic in the sea as we did in the blue waters of Malta, in the Bosphorus or the South of France.Can we take our little white doggie with us? Yes,darling,we can.The white dog was killed long time ago when he followed my husband out into the street.There was not the slightest possibility of taking my husband anywhere anymore.Familiar surroundings were the best and the only place for him.A week or so ago I was sitting with my Toshiba in Panta Rhei where I am now, when I had a phone-call from a friend who lives in this town and knew I was in the country - where are you now,she asked.In Panta Rhei. We will be there in a moment.A minute or so later she and another old school friend of ours,Maria, were standing by my side.My husband,my daughter and son-in-law went to Zanzibar for two weeks,I am free to do as I please,said Maria. Why Zanzibar,I asked. It seems full of mystery and is warm at this time of the year.

The US Presidential election in the news for so long 13/11/2016

has awoken in me desire to visit America again.My husband used to say that the Yanks are the most generous people in the world.He always held them in the highest regard and several times visited the country alone when I put my foot down and refused to fly.He loved Chicago.Both of us had permanent visas to visit the country but once my passport had to be renewed I did not apply for another such visa and maybe now the situation with visas is different anyway.The cruise to New York on the Queen Mary for the 4 July celebrations just over four years ago was the most wonderful experience not only because I sailed on one of the most iconic ships ever built,but because I fell in love with New York.The four days there or was it five, were far too few and it is my dearest wish to visit this beguiling city again for a month at lest and of course Philadelphia and New Jersey.[Bruce Springsteen,whose most excellent biography I have read without wanting to put it down,the best biography I have read for a long time.and apparently he had no ghost writer,lives in New Jersey.]The next year when all my responsibilities are dealt with and disposed of, I will sail to New York again.My heart is jumping with joy when I just think about it.Oh,my itchy feet.I must organize a little cruise.Canary Islands and a bit of sun? Heaven.

The night was long and lonely. 12/11/2016

After his death nights like these came often and merged into days until they became one.Slowly the day became the day and the night became the night again.But still when I am not looking the loneliness finds me.The days,those I can fill,but the nights when I long to be touched,held tight and kissed,oh those nights.those nights when my heart is full of love and longing and nothing but endless emptiness before me and my heart cries and there is no-one to make it better.

My younger sister 11/11/2016

has the most wonderful and at times wicked sense of humour. I would like to say it runs in the family,but even though my mother was witty and amusing,my father was not.Of my three brothers,one of the two younger ones,who passed away some time ago following a short and vicious cancer,was a superb raconteur with an unmatched sense of humour.And he was a dancer.Oh,how he could dance. In his arms I was floating,and my two left feet never touched the ground.When I am alone with my sister we talk about him.We cry a little as we did yesterday.She had an early morning business meeting and at ten was free to meet me.We sat in Panta Rhei where I am now and where I come every day after lunch,had excellent coffee,fresh orange juice, then took a short walk to my favourite restaurant to have lunch.Of all days when I wanted the meal to be super,it was disappointing,risotto somehow didn't come up to our expectations.I eat in the same restaurant every day and would never have lunch anywhere else as the food is mostly second to none, but there are days,like yesterday,when I wished I had chosen something else.After lunch we came back to Panta Rhei for another coffee and then went shopping.My sister bought a pair of ankle boots,identical to the ones I was wearing,only she chose white to match her winter parka.Then she could not resist a black leather Italian handbag big enough for the A4 papers she often has to carry.At 3 she took a bus home some 51 km away.I stayed and spent a little time with my Toshiba. A lovely day with a lovely sister. As my brother-in-law said when we visited our third sister,his wife,on 6th November - we do not do it often enough.

We were very poor when I was growing up. 11/11/2016

The life was hard for my father,small in stature but the heart of a giant.He worked on railways,away for at least two weeks at a time,he would come home for long weekends,the pockets hiding little treats for all six children.Gentle and loving, he would gather me in his arms and I would kiss his weathered tired face and tell him I loved him.He would tell me in which part of the country he had been working,I would ask him when he would take me with him so that I could also see the far away places full of mystery.When you grow up I will take you,but you must be a good girl,help your mother.I do,I do, I feed the chickens and the rabbits and never let one out of the cage.And I go to the shop with her and help her carry sugar and flower.And have you learnt any new rhymes? I would recite for several minutes and then he would pull out of the pocket the chocolate.Oh,the chocolate,the treat so rare and every time I thought - had he forgotten,had he not remembered this time,it is so long coming.But he never forgot.My dear father,the kindest man who ever lived.He would bring other things,too - the odd fork, a knife,a spoon,a door handle or a hanger.Sometimes clothes,a pair of shoes.I found it, he would say.Oh,the world he had come from,where there were many things to be found.People must be so rich there that they do not miss them,they lose things and never have to look for them.One day I am going to live in a place like that.

The village school 10/11/2016

where I went from the age of six to ten,consisted of one very large classroom.One week the two lower grades would come for their lessons in the mornings,then in the afternoons the two higher grades would be taught.The following week the grades would swap.We had one teacher only,he and his young family lived in the quarters next to the classroom.In winter during breaks we would walk outside in a circle,when the ground was warm we would sit just behind the school on a slope covered by grass.We had outside toilets.they did not flush,just a cold piece of wood covering two large holes in the ground.No wash basins,there was a little tap providing some water from spring to autumn,in winter months the water would freeze.The word hygiene could not have played a large role in the vocabulary of the local school governing body.I do not remember ever being ill, even though I must have been,like all children.None of this mattered.I loved school and the school loved me.Considered wise beyond my years,the teacher would trust me to go to his flat to collect some papers he may have forgotten or,when it was necessary for the teacher to leave the classroom for a few minutes,he would ask me to look after the little ones,even tough I was of the same age or younger.This special treatment by the teacher who was loved by all without reservations,had caused a lot of resentment amongst other children.One girl in a fit of a jealous outburst said that I may be the cleverest girl in school, but on Sundays I go to church in the same ugly dress I wear all week and my shoes were old and too big for me.The words spitting into my little heart.Every word so cruel and so true.It hurt beyond measure.The next day during a break when all of us were sitting in the warm grass eating sandwiches, I sat behind her and peed on her.She ran to tell the teacher.He called me in.Did you do it, he asked.Yes,I replied defiantly.I could see the disappointment in his eyes. He asked me why. I hate her,I hate her.She said all my clothes are old and ugly and my shoes are too big for my feet.I stood there in a red dress that had been worn by my older sister and my cousin,misshapen,faded,scuffed shoes two sizes too big with tissue stuffed in the toes,tears streaming down my cheeks.When I am big I am going to buy myself a new dress and new shoes just for me and I am going to buy warm boots for the winter and a warm coat.When I am big.

Aaaaar! 07/11/2016

 I was a little dumpling who could not pronounce R and L for a long time and it was not for the want of trying. I would sit for hours repeating L L L when all I wanted to say was R R R. When I could talk I was taught nursery rhymes. I learnt quickly and would repeat them with innocence only a child has to any-one who would ask just so that they could hear me mispronounce the letter R ! There was a little rhyme about an old man who had a little piglet as small as a chick and one day he went out into the yard and the piglet had grown overnight to be the size of an elephant.The rhyme had a lot of L in it and I was asked to recite it and did so readily, with my tongue acquiring a life of its own with each L coming a little out of my mouth.My aunt [my mother's sister] would take me mushroom picking, tying me with a scarf to her back,she and her friends would teach me new rhymes and would ask me to recite those I knew already,the one about the little piglet being firm favourite just so they could have a little chuckle over my L.

05/11/2016

We kept geese every year,sometimes ducks, too, always chickens and rabbits.The hatchlings arrived in spring.I would sit with them in a small enclosure,cradling the little yellow fluffy balls in my arms, talking to them,singing lullabies.I do not remember ever strangling one accidentally,so I probably did't,my mother would have been quick to meet out her kind of justice - a smack or two on the bottom.As soon as the geese were big enough,I would usher them along a narrow path running by the side of the river to a clearing just by the village cemetery about five minutes from the house, where the geese would feed for several hours on the soft green grass until my mother shouted it was time to come home. Emily would also bring her little charges as would some other children.I had to make sure the geese had water to drink and never strayed into the shallow river safe to walk in barefoot, but too dangerous for the tiny birds.By September they were big enough to toddle about by themselves and I was ready and eager to start school.From the very first day I loved school and could not understand why would any-one cry and ask for their mummy to take them home,when the classroom was full of wonder.Enormous drawings on the walls - I later found out they were maps,a large blackboard, a picture of our president, as the teacher pointed out the very first day.My very own new pen,a pencil,a notebook!And all those books full of words I could not yet understand but full of promise of something incredible. And a satchel to put it all in. Wasn't it just wonderful,I was going to school! Early September days were still warm and the door to the classroom was left open.About an hour after I sat for the very first time behind a desk,there was a sound of geese calling and suddenly the mother goose with seven of her babies behind her marched into the classroom and headed straight towards me.Are they yours,asked the teacher trying hard not to laugh.Yes.They can't come here, you know.This is for children, not for animals.But they are good, they don't bite. But are too noisy and we need quiet to study.Can you,please,take them home.You do not have to come back,the class will be finishing soon.I collected all my possessions and walked out with the mother goose behind me and the goslings following in a single file behind,cackling happily.

The childhood? 04/11/2016

I was born in a small village nestled between two mountains at the end of a road,a dirty river running through a few meters from our little house.A village school sitting high above the hamlet,just below the St George church that dates from the 10th century.I loved school and though I thought I excelled at nothing, was considered excellent at everything and soon acquired the reputation for being not only the best in class,but the best in school with straight A in all subjects for the first four years.I had two competitors only - The Boy and my friend Emily.The Boy was not local. He was not one of us,the village children,dressed in poor cheap clothes, playing poor children's games.He came from nowhere,the son a a government employee,arrogant,handsome,clever. And in that little village where he expected to impress us all, he met his match.He hated me with vengeance.Always so very,very good, never quite good enough to be the first. Emily was my only match.She was born 9 days before me,her mum never had enough milk to breast-feed, so my mother kept her alive. Our bond unbreakable. Two years ago she fell down in the street and found herself in a hospital room staring at a monitor,a male voice shouting I need help,I need help.Her artery was blocked.Had it not been for the best heart surgeon in town who was about to leave on holiday,she would be dead today.The thought of ever losing her is too unbearable to contemplate. She was terrified of heights but for me she would climb a tall cherry tree so that I could photograph her.And the poses she struck, a leg here, an arm there,her terrified little face trying hard to smile. And then when she could climb no higher I burst out laughing and said  there was no film in the camera!She chased me promising vengeance. Oh and the vengeance came. It came a week or so later when she said my fringe was too long and as she had learnt how to cut it,she would do it for me.With my head buried in a book I would have let her do anything. And anything she did.She left just a 2 mm stubble sticking out like a brush.Then she cut out a large circle on the top of my head leaving almost a bald patch.She said it was the latest fashion,she saw a picture in a magazine.When I got home my mother looked at me and said - who did this to you? Emily,it is the latest fashion.I don't know what your teacher will say,said my mother shaking her head.The teacher patted me on the bald patch - nice.Emily did it for me,it is the latest fashion, she saw a picture in a magazine.The Boy laughed and laughed and laughed. You are an idiot,you do not understand fashion,I said to him indignantly.

Memento Vivere Memento Mori 01/11/2016

Remember to live,because one day you will die.So live in the present moment.Live as if today was your last day.I have never been afraid of death.But I am afraid of being on a death bed and grieving for my life now at an end,life I had not lived to the full.

Good morning,Ludka, 27/10/2016

Greeted me my lovely Toshiba. Oh,my little friend, do not say good morning today,if it was good morning,I would still be in bed! Hooting tooting fight in the garden woke me up at 5, something was screeching as if in the last death throes,I ran out but could see nothing. And when the light broke went into the garden again and on my large window leading into the garden there was an imprint of a bird.Poor thing was flying for its life towards the light and the door stopped it.But I could see no body and no feathers either.

Would you agree to communicate with me by e-mail? 25/10/2016

The Lawyer texted me this morning, enclosing his e-mail address. WITHOUT PREJUDICE,I replied jokingly. I barely pressed the send button when the phone rang. Ludka,have you had legal training? No. But the WITHOUT PREJUDICE. I never get it from a layman. I have had a good teacher. Your husband? Yes. He must have been a remarkable man.Would I ever measure up to him? Yes. I have not expected this answer.It is the nicest thing you could have said to me. Oh,Tom,you have not yet lost anyone dear to you and do not know what tricks the memories can play.There is not a man more perfect than a dead man.The bad becomes blurred,the wonderful is magnified and it consumes you.And the pain and grief engulfs you until you almost cannot breathe,it stifles you and soon you know no other life.You are suffocating in the loneliness, you grieve alone,you cry alone,you laugh alone.And somehow in that unbearable emptiness you must find strength to go on. Why does life have to deal this card? There is no justice in it.Why don't we forget the good and remember the bad, maybe then the loss would not be all consuming,then we could so much easier find a new love,build a new life. Half an hour later there was an e-mail - shall we start at the beginning? The childhood?

The Lawyer phoned this morning. 25/10/2016

I was still in bed.The call woke me up.Good morning,Ludka,said a pleasant,cheery voice.It is Tom. I knew it could only be you.My little Toshiba says the same thing to me every morning,but she does not ring.He burst out laughing.The ice was broken. Many gentle,undemanding questions followed yet no questions were asked.He must be a very good lawyer,excellent with children who are hurting.A kind man, a very nice man. Have you spoken to some interesting men?I told him about The Diplomat and The Builder. So The Diplomat's and my photos are the only ones you like out of the 100 you have received,he asked with genuine incredulity. Yes. And had your relationship with the Diplomat progressed we would not be now talking. No. The man is a fool.But many other men are not. I would like you to give me the opportunity to get to know you better before someone else jumps in. You are so far,Tom,how can we get to know each other. But it will not always be like this.In a few years I will sell the business and then I will be free to see the world. I am going to see the world,I have booked a 120 day cruise for January 2018.I am going to be all alone.Even if I were with you,I would still be all alone on that ship. I have been all alone so long.You have commitments,I know all about commitments.I have so many still,but they will be gone by next summer and then I will be completely free,no constraints, I was thinking all this,but said nothing. Just tell me where and when and I will be there,I will clear my diary for you for two days,three,a week. May I think about it? Of course,please think as long as you need to,just say yes. So I am thinking.

Surprise,surprise. 25/10/2016

Almost at midnight as I settled to my Toshiba last night,a message popped up on the screen - The Lawyer had just written-can't get you out of my mind.The deal is off.Give us a chance,please. May I have your phone number,please,please.And other such niceties,you know, the sales talk every woman loves to hear.And this woman so needs to hear! I messaged him the number with a firm - do not even think about phoning me now, it is me, my lovely Toshiba and a cup of hot coco time.He replied in oh so utterly enchanting way,[I really never expected a legal mind to succumb to this lightness and frivolity ]- I love your photo.Are you really so lovely? No,I said, a chance in a million.It was taken 16 September last,while having coffee with a dear friend, the light shows no wrinkles, the fringe covers a multitude of sins,but I had to have a photo for the dating agency and truth be told, I do quite like myself there, so this was as good as any other. I want to hear your voice, hear you laugh. Your profile says you laugh a lot,joke a lot in your family,tease each other with love and laughter. I have never read anything like this in a profile. Are you real?

How is my dating going? 24/10/2016

It is neither coming,nor is it going.My love life is in the doldrums and at this rate it is going to stay there in the foreseeable future.Why go to all the trouble and expense of contacting a dating agency,answering a page after page of questions and paying for the privilege,then enclosing a photograph that should never have seen the light of day.Unless it makes you look ten years younger and ten kilos lighter, do not let a living soul lay eyes on it.That a photo like that can be taken, I can confirm,true, you have to take 700 of them as my sister did when we went on a twelve night cruise together,As fast as she took them I erased them,finally one was to my satisfaction.Are you sure this one I can publish.Yes, I was almost sure,but the cruise was coming to an end and every-one was asking her if she was on the ship by herself,so I said publish and be damned.And she did,like a flash of lightning,and clever as she is, she installed 30 several years old photographs of me,too.Everyone was none the wiser. To this day we roll about with laughter when we talk about it. Some men are naked to the waist! To the waist! Oh,no,there was a lawyer yesterday who looks even better than the diplomat,but lives too far,so I sent him a nice message thanking him for his interest and should he allocate closer,to please contact me.He wrote back if ever I reconsidered he would be very happy to hear from me.And judging by his long list of dislikes and a short list of likes,I have no doubt that in five years he will still be on the agency's books! And at the rate I am going, me too!

Long time ago I went to Israel and spent several months on a kibbutz. 23/10/2016

I met a boy there and fell in love.My first love.My first lover.The y

oung Israeli men live every day as if it was their last.And they love that way,too.We wanted a life together.His father,a prominent doctor,approved,his mother,a well known painter, did not.I made a mistake of saying that Israel had wasted the victory in the 1967 six day war.The victory over Egypt and the allies was swift,Israel made many territorial gains in the region.Their young men fought like tigers.They fought as they live and love-to win.The country emerged gloriously strong.And from the position of strength they could have shown magnanimity but they chose to take another path. My love's mother never forgave me.She persuaded her son our relationship was doomed.I left to make a life for myself in London.We wrote letters.They were opened by Mossad, the Israeli secret service.Each and every one of them.Several years later his grandmother paid for the family to spend two weeks in England.He wanted to surprise me.They arrived on September 6,I left on September 5 to visit my family.He married, had five children,the wife cheated on him,divorce followed,he re-married and had a little girl who at the age of five was still wetting herself.Then the family applied to emigrate to Australia.When the permission came he phoned me to say he wanted to see me to say good-bye.John Major was campaigning in the coming election at the time.My husband said - you must go, you must see him or you will never forgive yourself,or me.My love collected me from the airport and took me to a hotel.The suitcase was packed with presents for his six children.I was invited to his home for dinner.The wife was gracious.I never asked what he had told her about us.He took me to visit his mother,the father being dead by then, and from there the three of us went to his sister's house.My love wanted me to sit in the back seat so that he would see me in the mirror when driving.Throughout the journey he didn't take his eyes off of me.It was unbearable.When his mother and I were saying good-bye she embraced me and said - forgive me,Ludka.The pain in her eyes palpable.I forgave her. I told my love I could not stay in Haifa and would spend the remainder of my holiday in Sharm el Sheikh.He came to my hotel room.We lay on the top of the bed,holding on to each other.I cried, silently at first and then,then the river of Babylon crushed through the barrier. Every time I make love I see your face,very time,he whispered. You cannot leave me,not again. He held me so tight I thought he would crush me.My husband phoned in the evening to say John Major had won.Are you having a wonderful time? Yes,darling. Are you coming home soon? Yes,darling.The following morning I left for Sharm el Sheikh.My love and I have neither spoken,nor written to each other since. He had made a comfortable life for himself and his family in Sydney.How do I know? Last year I googled his name.He is on Facebook.His face the most handsome face I have ever seen,even now,so many years later.He taught me how to kiss,how to make love and how to love.And maybe most importantly how precious it is to BE loved. He made you the wonderful, wonderful woman that you are,my husband said to me once. My husband had never asked me what happened in Israel.

Five questions. 22/10/2016

You are encouraged to send to a prospective suitor five questions,there is a long list to chose from.And,of course, you get them,too.And I have had them. I have had them.In my profile I do not use the word SPORT voluntarily.It is there only if the dating site slips it in.I do not watch sport.I do not play sport.It is nothing to be proud of, I am the first to admit. I can't cycle, I can't swim.I can't even float. I sank in the Dead sea.In the Dead sea. Water thick with salt, an elephant would float. I sank. But here they are,a suitor after suitor asking me what kind of sport I prefer and five different sub clauses are offered for choice. Now, I am a patient woman. I am more than aware of my own shortcomings and imperfections. But what man worth his salt would question me on sport when not once do I mention it in my countless replies in my profile.My interest in it is zero, zilch, nada. So what idiot would ask me if I am a team player or a solitary wolf. Ignacio did. Yes,that is his name.Do I prefer running, tennis, volleyball or chess? Is chess sport? To me it is a mental activity and I wouldn't play with you, you ignoramus. I used to reply graciously,with humour,but now I add a remark or two and thankfully I never hear from the sender again. I am a teetotaller.I used to be a die-hard teetotaller until I started cruising. When on a ship on formal nights I would have the odd Sex on the beach [ the cocktail!......Sex? I wish.] or a glass of red wine having been told countless times by my GP that a glass or two of red wine two or three evenings a week is the best way to keep the heart and the arteries happy.I try to drink it. I even buy the odd bottle. Then it takes me a month to finish.But here they are asking me how I like to spend evenings - in a discotheque,in a pub or knees up and booze up with friends and what alcohol I prefer! Well, I ask you. Yes, I do answer more comprehensively now and luckily there are only ten or so words I am allowed to use.

57 profiles and counting 21/10/2016

and almost just as many were posted under the "What if" category,these are men who did not quite match up profile wise but for one reason or another were considered MAYBES.These once discarded will never appear on the screen again.And yes, I have dismissed each and every one. Of all the hundred or so photographs there was only one face I liked - that of The Diplomat.The Builder? It is his heart that made an impression on me.Had he not approached me in six different ways,I would have dismissed him as I had dismissed every-one else.I have never liked tall dark and handsome men. I have always liked men kind, clever,successful. I must respect a man,admire him. My husband used to laugh that I liked the "monkey faces" - like Walter Matthau,whom to me was the most handsome man on screen,or Jean Paul Belmondo,the French heart-breaker. Clooney? Amal,you never have to fear me! So The Diplomat had passed my WOULD I test and I completely failed his. Isn't life strange, the way things turn out. It is 7 in the morning and I would love some croissants and coffee.On a ship they would be just a whisker away. Aaah,the ship. How I long to be on one now. But as I will be going to my brother-in-law's birthday celebration soon all other travelling plans must wait,especially as,before I leave London, I would like a reply from the tax office letting me know if my tax return has been accepted as was,or not. Should they require additional information I would get 28 days to comply. This is a priority before any other.

The free three day VIP dating membership has been extended to three months. 20/10/2016

I have done so,because the quality of members details of which are daily posted to me,is unbelievable.I truly have not expected that. Businessmen,bankers, teachers,architects,white,blue collar workers,every-one hoping to find a life long partner.There is so much loneliness in the world. How do we cope alone? We have to. We either live or we die.

The best way to get over a man is to get under a man. 20/10/2016

said someone somewhere and having looked it up on the internet,cannot trace the origins. Well, if ever I wanted to try this remedy,the best man to get under would be The Doctor.A bit chunky,a wicked smile,unshaven.Sex,sex and more sex is his answer to most questions in his profile. Many women will like him. Not me. I like subtlety,wooing,lingering long smiles, gentle gestures,the odd touch promising heaven. Not the blatant" common look at me and let's roll "invitation. For me the nicest man is The Builder. Alone for 8 years, a widower,I feel,but have not yet asked. I think if there ever was a woman for him to fall in love with just from the photograph, I am that woman.No-one has reacted to it as he has.He likes my hair,my eyes,my smile, my face,my everything.He thinks,I am lovely,beautiful and something else I can't remember. And he loves absolutely everything about my profile, like after like after like to each and every entry,fifteen of them. He sent me five questions,my answers pleased him. I was surprised how comprehensively and frankly we all were assessed.They seemed to get me spot on.So if they got my personality so right,I presume they hit the nail on the head with the others,too. I need someone who has the means and the freedom to travel with me.My husband was ill for eight years.I looked after him without complaint.He passed away six and a half years ago. Finally somehow the pain has been stored away,not gone,just put under a lock and key.I still have commitments and responsibilities,but by next summer they will be gone and then I will have the freedom to travel,travel,travel. The builder wouldn't be able to do that. And I cannot go back to the way my life used to be.It took me so long to begin to live again.And now I am ready to spread my wings and fly and I so much want someone to fly with me. Would I be able to compromise? The Builder wants us to meet. The answer is a firm NO. I want to exchange messages for several weeks first without any expectations.I want to consider how/if it would work should we meet and wanted it to progress. And if the answer is it would not work,then it is best not to meet.He seems a kind man,with heart full of love and longing and I wouldn't want to hurt him.

My plans to go 15 November to the Caribbean have been more or less abandoned. 20/10/2016

I had a call from my friend.Good,she said,you will have time to date. I joined an online dating agency in your name.The photo you like.What???? And she did.How is it going,you may ask. So far so bad,in fact pretty horrendous. Why? Well, one man hates me,one man loves me and there are so many others that I do not know where to start separating the chaff from the grain.And all that in the first twenty four hours.Twelve days later I have not had the time to go through every profile. I have accidentally pressed something requesting many men to send me their photo,had no idea I did it,until one after another at least 14 photographs appeared on the screen.I have been a widow now for six and a half years.I live alone.I have not been on a date since my husband passed away.Oh,I have been asked. Many times.And every time even if the nicest,the most eligible man asks me out, I have a million and one excuses why to say NO, never do I find a reason to say YES. Saturday 8th October was to be the day of rest, having worked all week on my taxes and various other accounts.And any-one who prepares their own tax return knows how important it is never to make a mistake, to check and double check everything. Two heads are always better than one, because if a mistake is made by one person,the other spots it easier. But as I am now alone I do everything by myself.So having had the most exhausting week, Saturday 8th October was to be the day of total relaxation, I read newspapers,did some washing,ironing and sat for a while with my lovely little Toshiba.And there all my troubles began.I had an e-mail,an offer from a dating agency pleading with me to take up three days free VIP dating.They have been writing to me for good two,three years and I would always decline and erase their e-mail as I erase all unsolicited-emails.But as I had already finished with the Telegraph and was half way through the Mail and the evening was long,I pressed YES.And with the speed of lightning I filled in answers to numerous questions abut my likes, dislikes,what I wanted in a man and some details about myself,of course.And suddenly there were countless details of men on the screen,some with photos, some without.And there was a SMILE. Now those of you who have taken advantage of this kind of dating know that the smile may be reciprocated or may not.I reciprocated. He was an ex diplomat,wanted to talk.I would have preferred to communicate by e-mails for a while but he wanted to talk so I phoned him.As we both speak Russian,I said zdravstvuj,jokingly [for those not in the know zdravstvuj means hello].He did not seem to appreciate my sense of humour.He was a math graduate and pre - diplomacy a uni lecturer,I said a 10 year old son of my nephew was considered to be a mathematical genius,the teacher hasn't even finished writing on the blackboard and Matt knows the answer.And sometimes he would correct the teacher when she makes a mistake,she,of course was not happy about a little boy showing her up in front of the whole classroom.The diplomat said - he is not well brought up.I said he is VERY well brought up.But she is the grown up,he is just a little boy, eager to learn and to please, his IQ up in the stratosphere and a gift like his should be nurtured and not be frowned upon.The diplomat said angrily something along the line of - I am not going to have you argue with me,I am the educator,not you - and put the phone down on me. Now who behaves like that?

Hello my little Toshiba friend, 13/10/2016

we haven't sat together for a while and I have missed you. So much has happened in the past weeks yet nothing has happened. Nothing major,ground breaking,that is. There is going to be another birthday celebration,this time it is my brother-in-law's, he will be 60 on the 4th November and the big party is the following day. I rang my sister on a kind of a fishing expedition to see if I could get an idea what present to get him. She mentioned her hubby,the nicest,kindest brother-in-law any-one could wish for, has been rather tired lately,working long hours, so I know what the best present will be - a week in a spa for him, for his appendage,my sister, and just to make sure they will have the time of their life there, I am trodding along,too! Well, you may think,that is a fine present that is, they would be better off alone. And you would be wrong. They are not in the first flush of youth, they are in the comfortable with each other stage of life,so another person's presence will not be in the way. London is rather wet and getting cold now. There was a cruise I so much wanted to go on this coming Sunday ,Celebrity Eclipse,Canaries, 13 nights,but as I am travelling again for the birthday party soon,have thought better of it. Various paper work needs to be taken care of - taxes sorted out and posted, other accounts need to be seen to. And a million of little things that accumulate when one is so often away and keeps postponing. There is no urgency about anything,but sooner or later everything will have to be done and now is as good a time as any other.

Never complain,never explain and never ask questions. 25/09/2016

Is my motto. Good seven years ago now a new boy came to work in Ottolenghi, my favourite delicatessen in Noting Hill.The moment he spoke I knew he was from my homeland. I behaved towards him the way I had always behaved towards all other members of the staff. A month or so later a new boy came to work in the deli. I smiled, said good morning and made my order. The original boy said to the newcomer - be nice to this lady,she is one of our favourite customers,she is lovely, always smiles, says please and thank you. And for her age she is sexy. She is very chic,added the new boy. It took mammoth effort on my part not to let on that I understood and had to bite into my lips to prevent me from bursting out laughing.  The boys stayed for the summer months only,then they returned home to continue their University studies, so I was told by a co-worker. I hope the deli is as wonderful a place for the employees as it is for the customers. Once after I made my selection totalling well over £30, I realized I left my purse at home. No problem,said the lovely assistant,pay us when you come in the next time. And so I did. Now that is trust. My friends and family said it was because I give out trustworthiness, people feel I will not let them down. Now why am I reminiscing? When my husband was alive we used to have coffee there regularly. He would drink anything but I love my coffee hot and strong so would ask for extra two shots in my latte. The staff came and went but they all were told about the likes of the "regulars" so whenever my husband and I came in we were asked - the usual? And the usual it was. One of the servers was an Australian girl, a fair dincum type my husband took to instantly. It turned out she was from Sydney,Leucart ,where my husband as a young man, worked for four years. At the end of her two year work visa she returned home. This afternoon outside in the street I heard someone say to me - is it still extra hot with two shots? It was the lovely Ozzie,this time with a husband and about 5 year old boy. We both instantly recognized each other. She asked about Olly and was genuinely touched when I said he had passed away . Oh, the memories. And this is why I have been remembering Ottolenghi where the most wonderful cakes are served by the loveliest of people.

Home sweet home. 25/09/2016

However much food I leave out for the birds every time I go away,nothing seems enough. There is never a single seed left in the feeding bowl. So the very first thing I do when I return is feed the little blighters. And the big blighters,the squirrels,the pigeons and no doubt even the odd cat. And this time there weren't any feathers in the garden,so the ugly muggy didn't dine on any of the little hopalongs. The first thing I used to do on my every return was to water the plants. Now it is the second. There are always some pots that have dried out and I discard them with sorrow. But life is what it is. Something must die before something else begins to live. The weather has been glorious since Wednesday. With autumn upon us a kind of sadness descends on me now and then. It never lasts long. I love autumn. It is my favourite season. And for a good reason. The smell of burning leaves can win a fight with any Hermes perfume. And Hermes IS my favourite brand. Only today a lady [I detected a South African accent] told me in my local Waitrose that my perfume smelled wonderful and what the name of it was,her husband urged her to ask! It is green in colour and the name is-something, something du toit, I said. Good enough she said, I will find it. Typical me. I never pay attention to little details.

Schwechat, 21/09/2016

Is an airport near Vienna. It used to be my favourite airport,small,easy to navigate,immaculate toilets,excellent food and the coffee,the coffee! Combined with an apple strudel, it was worth flying through Schwechat just for that! And then,once Austria became a member of the EU,things began to change. It has grown big, bigger, massive. But not better. Still,there are things I love about the airport even now. The Austrian Airlines terminal has the most wonderful Versace shop,the buyer has an eye for the different,the exquisite. I have seen bags no other outlet has and have bought two there in as many years. Today in the British Airways terminal I noticed a VICTORIA SECRET section I haven't seen before and a cabin suitcase to die for. Was soooo tempted, but there is no way now I could get it home unless I check in the cabin case I am carrying with me and that is impossible now. FURLA has the most wonderful black and deep red crossover bag  and had it not been for the very awkward way it locked I would have bought it. But I do not do awkward. Food is not what it used to be at the airport and I avoid it. Coffee is just as disappointing. Had the most unexpected surprise on the REGIO BUS to the Schwechat airport from Bratislava,the capital of Slovakia, this morning - the free coffee served was EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. And we even had a choice of two newspapers. Now that is what I call service. May it long continue. In about an hour I should be sitting inside the plane waiting for a take off and in about four hours I should be back  home. If things go according to plan.

The birthday celebration. 18/09/2016

The birthday cake made by my sister's daughter-in-law was beautiful. It was,for my benefit, a predominantly walnut cake. Walnuts,cheese and apples are my favourite ingredients,enhanced by seasonal fruit like blackberries,blueberries or cherries. In Notting Hill, just by the underground, PAUL had opened a branch four or so months ago. Their blueberry cake,brought in fresh daily, is divine. I also love their sandwiches made with cheese and salami. And the croissants,my downfall,are better than those in my local Marks & Sparks! My brother loved the three pairs of shoes I gave him as birthday presents,warm leather ones for the winter,suede for the autumn and Sketches sneakers for now. I was so sure all would fit him like a glove,that I had even impregnated them with a special protective spray,myself,just to be sure it will be done. The whole family were given gifts,too,of course. I took the advantage of my sister picking me up by car on her way to my brother's so took lots of things,all practical - clothes and items for the house.And a massive plant. My brother was very touched and quite tearful. He doesn't yet know that the nicest surprise is to come - I have had photos made from the birthday party and they all are now in an album he is going to get tomorrow, together with numerous photographs of the whole family. This has been the first and only big birthday celebration my brother has ever wanted and I doubt very much he will ever want to celebrate his birthday on such a large scale again. So we all have made the most of it. The weather was glorious as has been throughout my whole stay.

Is euthanasia mercy killing or just killing? 18/09/2016

A 17 year old terminally ill boy has become the first child in Belgium allowed to die by euthanasia. I cannot even begin to imagine the unbearable pain of a loving parent to watch a child die. To play God and decide who should live or who should die takes a special kind of character. Is the acceptance of the decision of a seventeen year old boy to be helped to take his own life an acceptance a step too far? A seventeen year old is not old enough to vote, not old enough to get married or become a parent,yet is old enough to decide whether he wants to live or to die.

There may never be my " final word" on the Eclipse. 05/09/2016

Why not,you may be eagerly asking,why can't this woman put the matter to sleep,hasn't she said enough already? Well, I have not yet been e-mailed the questionnaire by the Celebrity Cruises to give them my assessment of the cruise. And it is unlikely they will have the benefit of my opinion and thus of my wisdom now as they always want answers within 7 days after the end of a cruise so they should have written already. Have I changed my mind about anything I have written to date? No. Have done more homework on the company and am toying with the idea of flying to Dubai just before Christmas and spending the celebrations on one of the Royal Caribbean ships.The same mother company owns both the Celebrity ships and the Royal Caribbean ships. MSC also provide cruises in the area on their highly regarded Fantasia built in 2008 and apparently stunning,but I have never sailed on any MSC vessel and as I am familiar with the Royal Caribbean, having had my very first cruise on the Independence [which made me fall in love with cruising hook line an sinker], and the ship is my sister's absolute favourite,so have been thinking - better the devil you know... or is it? MSC offer a deal - 7 nights cruise, four nights in a five star hotel in Dubai and some sports outing,rugby,I think,in VIP seats,quite intriguing, but if ever I fly to Dubai I would love it to be on an Emirates plane to experience the exquisite luxury everybody in the know is talking about and I think with this package it will not be Emirates. I have not yet phoned to enquiry,just have looked up various possibilities on the internet. There is also a 35 nights cruise to the Caribbean and the USA on the Oceana in January and in February 2017. But one has to book early to get the right stateroom. Last year I wanted to travel in February but the lovely Oceana was chock a block. Still, the possibilities are endless. But if I go on a holiday I want it to be as hassle free as I can possibly make it.

The "vacation effect". 02/09/2016

A study of 94 healthy women aged between 30 and 60 by Harvard Medical School and the University of California, found,that a 6-day holiday break triggers genetic changes which boost the immune system,dampen stress and lower levels of proteins linked to dementia and depression. The "vacation effect" can last for a month. I could have told them that. I get itchy feet every month knowing a lovely cruise does me the world of good! Am hoping to go again in October but will not book anything until I get back from my visit to my brother, who is celebrating a milestone birthday on 10th September My brother never ever goes to any family gatherings, be it weddings, christenings, or birthday celebrations. He does not visit anyone [even though he is the kindest and most attentive host and his wife is a fabulous cook], and a trip to the nearest town from his small village is a torture for him. So when several months ago he announced himself at my sister's door,she almost fainted. He came to personally invite her to a birthday party and to ask what she would prefer - a suckling pig ,a goose or a duck. My sister in a state of shock said the pig would be lovely,thanks ever so. The pig it is going to be,said my brother. Earlier today I had purchased an airline ticket for Thursday the 8th,the whole of Friday will be spent picking up more presents and wrapping them up not only for my brother,but also for his wife, daughter and two grand-sons he adores. The daughter is divorced and lives with the parents for the time being. Am rather disappointed have left it too late to book a Christmas cruise to the Canaries on the Queen Victoria. There are only cabins without a balcony left and that is not for me. There are two things guaranteed to make my cruise a success - my own balcony and a table just to myself at meal-times. Last year the Christmas and the New Year on the Oceana were absolutely wonderful,but I wanted to alternate with the Q V. Maybe not being able to book a cruise on the Q V is a blessing in disguise. It is wonderful my destiny is not set in stone, it must have something super duper for me in store for December and January.

Sex on the beach. 29/08/2016

I had the Sex on the beach for the very first time in a five star Hotel Thermia Palace in a spa town of Piestany, Slovakia. The coctail,not sex! I wish! I have ordered it now and then when cruising. It is not offered under the name Sex on the beach anymore,for understandable reason. I have never heard,over the years, any-one order the coctail. Until tonight. First dates. Joe,23, a Bristol hairdresser, had asked for it. His date Spencer,21,another hairdresser,[the fastest blow-dryer in Basildon,was it?] If ever there were two people made for each other,it is these two. May they enjoy the sex for years to come. My heart went out to the 25 year old shy ,awkward part time DJ,so out of his comfort zone on a date with a 21 year old classics student,so out of his league. The God is upstairs,could he,please,pair him with someone who would bring him out of his shell,downstairs. The lovely receptionist with sparkling teeth matched by her sparkling personality dreaming about a perfect man who would give her a perfect home and a perfect child. Common,boys,chase up this perfect home-maker in waiting.

Fine turn out for the book this is. 29/08/2016

P & O Oceana, when in the American territorial waters on 1 March 2016, failed the US unannounced health inspection. They gave a hygiene score of 82 out of 100, four marks below the 86 required pass. Officials found 48 violations: dirty cooking utensils,food prepared in hazardous conditions, live and dead insects found in food preparation area,sick staff suffering from acute gastroenteritis working in the kitchen. There was a human hair inside the ice-cream compartment. The swimming pool and whirlpool spa had to be shut down, they had not been properly disinfected. The 2,272 capacity Oceana was still allowed to sail subject to certain conditions. My little Oceana,with the best desserts at sea and food equal to that of Oceania,Celebrity,Silversea ships and certainly better than on any Cunard vessel. Little Oceana,where I had spent the most wonderful last Christmas and New Year. How disappointing. How unacceptable. How worrying. How utterly stomach - churning.

Almost the last word on the Celebrity Eclipse. 28/08/2016

Wonderful cruise on a wonderful ship. But I do have several bones to pick. No slippers. Gilchrest & Soames toiletries very disappointing,especially the shampoo. The nice room attendant had replaced it with a SHINE version, but it did not fare any better. If I like the toiletries, I take what I had not used,home. This time I left absolutely everything behind. [It would have been different had they been by the White Company or Bulgari]. The choice of free films on TV disappointing as was almost everything else. Too violent. Hate watching the senseless killings,rapes and abuse of children at the best of times, let alone on holiday. Free orange juice in the Oceanview restaurant undrinkable. Very poor choice of tea. The internet service was pricey, $299 for an unlimited use of the wi-fi, but excellent and very easy to navigate when connecting or signing off. And I did get a 25% discount,this came to $ 74.75. Lubbly jubbly. Had I not had my little Toshiba with me, would have not used the internet,a young American male member of staff in the internet cafe was one of the most unpleasant people I have ever had the misfortune to be served by on a ship. Full of himself, talked to me in an unpleasant off hand manner in a raised aerated voice. Others were not spoken to any better. I have picked up the 2017 schedule and there are some back to back cruises I would absolutely love to take. Back to back in the cruise world means that you take two or more cruises one following the other without disembarking. I haven't yet done it, but the next year my time will be my own and I will cruise and cruise and cruise! Back to back, back to front, every which way,but cruise!

The last evening on the Eclipse. 26/08/2016

Normally the theatre performances take place at 8.30 and 10.30. The last evening performances in the theatre are brought slightly forward on almost every ship as the organizers know people need to pack and many have an early night. So Ms Aimie Atkinson [I did not go to her concert several nights previously] and Mr Steve Larkins [yes,the Freddie Mercury impersonator] came to entertain us at 7 and 9. She was small with powerful lungs,but her voice did nothing for me. She sang the way I was massaged - she was trained well, hit all the right notes,high and low, but nothing quite touched my heart. Mr Larkins. Well. He was smutty,he was brazen,he was funny.I laughed. Not often,not much,but I laughed.And the funniest joke of them all was about BREXIT and I cannot even remember it! Then I collected $169 from the reception [I was given a credit of $400 by the company,I had deposit $500 of my own money and I had $169 left to be returned to me] and went to my stateroom to finish packing. We docked in Southampton at 5.30 in the morning and at 7 I was on a train to London,Waterloo. A perfect end to a perfect cruise. Well, not absolutely everything was perfect,of course. And no-one would believe me if I said it was. Take the tables in the self-service restaurant Oceanview, on the 14th floor. They were left covered with other guests'used cutlery and crockery for far too long and far too often wiped clean with the same dirty wet cloth. I never once saw a waiter wash the cloth or replace it with a clean one. I wish there was a guest launderette with an iron. I wear a lot of silk and linen and even though am an expert packer, at times the linen could do with a touch of the iron. And I like to look immaculate. Of course I could have had the items expertly pressed, but it would have become too much of a palava. Even a tiny ship Silversea Cloud had a lovely wash and iron corner. I will have to mention this when I get the questionnaire e-mailed to me. The questionnaire is something you either get at the end of every cruise,or they e-mail it to you. You give answers and marks 1-10, 10 being the highest, to numerous questions about the life on board.

The Gods were smiling at me the last day on the Eclipse. 26/08/2016

The sun from 8 in he morning until early afternoon.The balcony beckoned and at 10 I was resplendent in the altogether on the most comfortable deck chair made even more appealing with two large pillows from the bed.The sea could be seen for just a km or so,above it greyish nothingness with the palest of blue and white flocks covering the horizon. I have never seen anything like it,not a cloud in the sky yet the sky and the sun covered by a blanket cloud. Could life be more perfect? The customary chicken curry for lunch and then,sorting the numerous leaflets from the ship, I came across one offering a combo manicure and pedicure and a full body massage in the Canyon Ranch Spa. Having had neither one nor the other for a long tine, I was ready to be spoilt. The nail polish should have been quick drying. It was not.The massage by a slip of a girl should have been a treat. It was not. She kept on oiling me as if I were a turkey ready for the oven. She had been taught the basics and knows them well, but they should not have been performed in her particular order. The room was cold. I did not enjoy the experience. I avoid any massages on cruise ships [the astronomically high prices make this once in a blue moon treat,this escapade cost me $138.90,this included 17 1/2 % service charge and 15$ tip.I cannot not give a tip,she was a young girl, away from home,missing her family, and $140.42 for the manicure and pedicure] and I can safely say - never again. Unless it is on the Queen Mary done by a Croatian or a Serbian male masseur. They are trained physiotherapists and know the body well. Once they had worked you over,you know you had been worked over. The spa experience took almost three hours,early dinner at 6 was out and my plans for the evening had to be changed. But the Gods began to smile at me again and at dinner I got my favourite table 459-it is by the window and not aligned directly with the the other table next to it but sits slightly backwards. This makes it harder for any-one sitting at that next table to talk to me in comfort and as I prefer to be left alone,the table 459 was a joy to have. The waiters were excellent,just as I like them-efficient,polite,never asking personal questions,simply - professional. And the sommelier also suited my requirements perfectly. On formal evenings I had a glass of red wine I called jokingly Mr & Mrs Washington. Once I also had drambuie [the first time ever]. It was very nice served with ice.

Food on the CelebrityEclipse, 25/08/2016

Ranks amongst the best I have had on a cruise. At times it lacked finesse,e.g - no muslin covered lemon to squeeze over the superb lobster. But then the lobster was served with boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables,letting the crustacean to shine. I hate it served with basmati rice and cannot understand why on earth it should be so, when there is nothing nicer than a simple potato.The desserts were a great disappointment to me, rarely there was one to my liking. But then the Celebrity vessels cater for the American market even though some may sail from Southampton or other European ports. My lovely little P & O Oceana cannot be beaten in this respect.I cannot wait to sail on her again. Tonight,e.g.,Celebrity's signature Baked Alaska with Neapolitan ice cream[don't like ice cream] and sponge covered with meringue [don't like meringue] was chosen by most,I had an upside down pineapple pudding,even that wasn't much to write home about. Salads served in the evenings were simple and inventive,the blue cheese dressing my firm favourite.I regret I didn't try more soups. Had it twice only,excellent. Breakfast was always porridge,fresh fruit - mainly red melon,always deliciously sweet,in fact all fruit was of excellent quality and taste. For lunch I liked nothing better than chicken curry,dhal [curried lentils] rice, pappadom or nan and a glass of cold Budweiser. Perfection. Only once did I have a sandwich and tea in the afternoon. And I feel I have still put on at least a couple of pounds! But then I never went even once to the gym. I just didn't have the time. How can that be, you ma ask. For 12 days you didn't find one hour to go to the gym? No,not even one hour.

Entertainment on the Celebrity Eclipse. 24/08/2016

In the evenings there was nothing I wanted to see and when I did force myself to go to the theatre,there were not even any "has beens" on,only "almost beens" and "never beens". Take the last night,e.g. Steve Larkins performed a salute to Freddie Mercury called Mercury Rising. It should have been Mercury turning over in his grave. If Mr Larkins could sing it would have helped. And judging by tonight's dish of the evening Chas Burnett,this is unlikely to change before we disembark on Friday. I did laugh a couple of nights ago when a comedian the name of whom I do not remember,asked, if there was someone in the audience,who took Viagra. To everyone's surprise an old boy raised his hand. The one and only. We all were in stitches. I have no doubt the rest of the men thought-I wish I had the guts to take the pill let alone admit taking it! Gareth Oliver,an entertainer-singer and ventriloquist-I liked until he brought on the stage his wife. Pretty to look at but I didn't see the purpose of her joining him. The nicest evenings of all were on 20th August in St Petersburg,when local dancers came to perform on the ship. Utterly delightful. A lesson in simplicity,beauty,professionalism. And again when we docked in Warnemunde and the local Germans came on board to play instruments and sing. It seems to be a tradition now. I remember they performed by the swimming pool in July 2012. Yesterday it was inside in the main lobby. And lovely it was,too. When the song known in England as Roll out he barrel was introduced as Czech, a woman behind me said quite indignantly-it is an old ENGLISH song. No, you ignoramus,it is not. It is an old CZECH song called SKODA LASKY. Music by Vejvoda, words by Zeman. And the original goes something like this: Love is wasted on an oaf like him,he doesn't even ask me on a date. When he is next to me he is laughing like a fool and when we walk together in the street there is a 2 meter distance between us.

Shopping. 23/08/2016

I cannot return from any foreign trip without getting presents for my family and friends. In Copenhagen all I wanted was a pair of reading glasses. After two long hours of walking the back streets of the Port I returned to the ship with a sore toe but without the glasses. Stockholm was drenched in rain water. Never have I experienced such bad weather on a cruise. Sill,my two lovely nephews will be the lucky recipients of snazzy black long-sleeved T-shirts by a Swedish designer. I have also bought face creams and a mask made in Sweden. In Tallinn you must get linen clothes. Nowhere is linen as affordable as in Estonia. I have two long dresses with slits on the sides and large front pockets,comfortable,easy to wear,easy to look after. My favourite shop is called Veta, I went straight in to see if they had dresses similar to the ones I have already. They did,in two different colours. I bought them both. Tonight I wore one and felt a million dollars. There was also an imitation crocodile skin bag I just had to have.I love shoes.I love bags. As I was paying two ladies walked in and one said-beautiful.It must be Italian leather and very expensive. Estonian imitation and very cheap,I replied. And as always I found just the right necklace to go with all my summer clothes-pale string interspersed with pale stones. In a gallery selling Estonian made items only, I found adorable bow-ties for my 7 and 10 year old god-sons and a knitted purse for a friend. I couldn't resist colourful bracelets for my nieces. Any jewellery is always appreciated and I try to find unusual pieces easy to wear and adjustable. St Petersburg has masses of shops selling Russian made trinkets but I never buy souvenirs,only practical items. Having done homework before the cruise,I knew I wanted Natura Siberica beauty products and clothes by Russian designers. I found the first, the second will have to wait for my next visit. The Port has quite comprehensive duty free shops.I had a look in and was impressed with the items on sale.I got myself a red cap and a tiny black lacquered box for my sister,she collects them.As I was paying I noticed the most beautiful lacquered box under the glass. I was smitten.230 euro. But I had to have it.Utterly adorable. And the real mccoy with a certificate with the name of the artist. Warnemunde has a little shop after a little shop be it with clothes, shoes, bags. The most unusual of them all is a shoe shop called Easy Way. The boxes are on display,all higlgedy- piggledy,in a seemingly lackadaisical way yet the assistant finds everything quickly and easily. It is a treasure trove of something different,unusual,strange for both men and women. I couldn't resist two pairs of shoes and two pairs of ankle boots at 859.60 euro for the lot. Astronomical,I know,but I may not be able to return for a year or two or three. Well, that is my reasoning! And I do love shoes. I needed a bag to carry the shoes home in,so I got myself a lightweight, massive bag by Day Birger et Mikkelsen,a designer I have admired for a long time. The 85 euro stylish bag will be useful to take on all future cruises.

Warnemunde. 23/08/2016

The last stop. Germany at its best. This is my third visit and the lovely little gem with 8,000 inhabitants has not lost its charm. Immaculate houses,neat colourful gardens, tiny porches covered with flowers. The shops delightful,enticing. Streets safe to walk in,clean. So little traffic,quite negligible in fact,no buses. The town square easy to negotiate,everything one needs is here,kaffe at every corner,a pharmacy where I got exactly the kind of old fashioned elastoplast I was looking for for the toe I am still nursing [ not the useless fast healing strips]. There is a strange little shoe shop with strange shoes,they look old fashioned yet are the latest fashion. I bought four pairs today,but about the shopping later. A small hotel at the sea-front to the left from the bridge where I had excellent schnitzel and an apple strudel [ not the best I have ever had, but good nonetheless],when I was here last, was my first choice for lunch but then I decided to try another place. There was a very busy restaurant at almost the end of the sea-front to the right from the bridge,but I wasn't hungry when I passed by and when almost an hour later I did want to sit down, I came across another little gem,but too many people had the same idea,the queue far too long, so I retraced my steps and went inside the Kaffe Backerei Sparre I had passed earlier. The sandwich was E X C E L L E N T,filled with ground meat,vegetables and pickled cabbage,the last bite as good as the first. Small espresso was excellent but too small, so had a cappuccino and a cake,a twirly whirly with poppy seeds. Good, but had it been without the white sugar glaze it would have been even better,I am not much for the fancy footwork. And it was time to return to the ship. Some people went on a bus to Berlin. Four hours on a bus is three hours too many. One of the places to visit was Sachsenhousen Concentration Camp by Berlin, the first Nazi concentration camp. Who on earth would want to see this desolate place filled with grief and pain and death,on a holiday and why was it a part of the itinerary in the first place? As in 2012 there will be German Beerfest with Local Ooom-Pah Brass Band & Barrel Organ performance laid on tonight on the ship by the Germans. Quite wonderful and absolutely not to be missed. Then at midnight we will set off for Southampton. The time has passed far too quickly. I am already thinking where to sail next. How can any-one not love cruising?

I am drunk. 22/08/2016

Yes ,for he first time in a very long time, in fact I do not even remember the last time I felt I was DRUNK! During dinner I had a glass of " Washington Merlot".It is lovely wine I like as much as a teetotaller can like wine. Allan,the sommelier,pours me a glass every evening and I know my arteries thank him for it. But tonight was the night to have a shot of drambuie on ice. Never having had it before I was surprised how nice it tasted. After the first class dinner of seafood salad and aged roast beef with all the trimmings plus the horseradish I like the most of all the condiments and this make was particularly good, I ordered "sticky toffee pudding"with roasted pineapple,caramelized banana and puffed grain,whatever that was. And it was seriously good,so good,in fact,that it called for an aperitif. Hence the glass of drambuie. There was so little of it and it cost nine and a half $ ! Is this the cost of alcohol? That alone would make be go off the booze altogether! I drink so rarely,and if I do have a glass of red wine,I never have any other drink. Tonight was an exception and I can feel it. So instead of going to the theatre at 10.30 it is the bed.

Midnight tour of St Petersburg. 22/08/2016

At 11 at night the 41 of us sat off on a 3 hour tour of the city.We travelled along the bank of the Neva River,crossing draw bridges,passing Vasilievsky Island's Rostral Columns and Peter and Paul Fortress,had a photo stop at the Palace Square,with views of the Baroque Winter Palace,the residence of the Russian Royalty,lit up like a Christmas tree.Standing there in all its majesty so remote from the turmoil of 1917 when it was set on fire and looted.I closed my eyes and visualized Doctor Zhivago,the beautiful Julie Christie [She had a house in Linden Gardens, London,once,often I would see her wearing scruffy clothes ,black sweater covered in hair,once with an ugly tear in a stocking,looking very much her age] and Omar Sharif.The music of a street performer.Young people sitting on the cold ground,swaying to the sound of the song,singing along, some dancing.We took photographs of the Spilled Blood Church,quite magnificent even at night,a large limousine parked outside,a group of people walking with guards, obviously a very important cargo.We had another stop by the Smolny cathedral.A car stopped with two young couples beautifully dressed,they came to see the magnificence of the bridge being raised to the sound of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.Quite surreal.We drove off heading towards the ship, with the,a slip of a girl, pointing to various buildings.Palaces and more palaces now made to serve the people as museums or exhibition halls or hospitals or a part of St Petersburg University. The next morning  the sun shining as if it had to make up for previous day's gloom. I couldn't tear myself away from the balcony,but at 2 was on a bus setting off for a "Walk along Nevsky Prospect with shopping".Nevsky Prospect is something akin to London's Oxford street,only wider and longer,4 miles long, in fact.I had a plan.At No 108,Natura Siberica,Russian[?] made products.predominantly bio,No 51 and 151 clothes designed by Russian designers.In the heat the mile to No 108 took almost an hour.Having purchased numerous items I made my way across the road to look for No 51,Tatyana Parfionova.Through the windows I could see the shop was empty.And to get inside you had to ring the bell.A young girl,quite plain,in plain clothes opened the door.I have never been inside any shop so exquisite.I wasn't prepared for this Haute Couture.There were some items hanging on the rails.I loved a skirt,a flimsy netting to die for.The price to die for with fright.But  do I need another skirt I will wear once in a blue moon,as all the other  adorable skirts I have ?I went to drown my sorrow in the loveliest place in St P to have coffee-The Grand Hotel Europa just a minute or so from the bus meeting point.With twenty minutes to spare I remained in the lobby bar.Latte a bit weak,but the presentation, oh the presentation! Petit fours, silver tray,silver everything.At 420 rubles,£5 to you and me,it should have been gold-plated!But I loved it and left the grateful waitress 5 euro tip.The nice guide,must have been 70 if a day,was given 10 euro and a shower cream and a body lotion in a cosmetic bag [the bag and various potions I got in Stockholm].The night guide I gave the bottle of bubbly waiting for me in the stateroom as it was mine to do with as I wished. And the guide to Tsarskoye Selo also got 10 euro and a set of shower cream and body lotion. Giving a little thank you presents makes me happy.

Dreams do come true. 22/08/2016

Am sitting with my lovely Toshiba on the lovely balcony of the lovely cabin 9275 on the lovely Celebrity Eclipse. Heaven. Wrapped up in the pristine dressing gown,another gown covering my legs. Yes, I have two of them in the cabin [not legs, dressing-gowns!],as I am paying for 2 people. This is the way it is. If you book a single cabin for one, you pay the single cabin price. If you book a double cabin just for one person, you pay the full price for two. I have been once only in an inside stateroom. It was on Queen Mary several years ago,a Christmas cruise for four nights.When booking there was only one cabin with balcony left and I wanted my sister and her husband to occupy it. My stateroom was large and perfectly nice with a brand new carpet. But never again. I want to see the sea, the same yet ever changing horizon of the rippling waves. I never draw the curtains and often sit on the balcony even in the wind, sometimes wrapped up in a duvet, half asleep half awake remembering what will never come back again... my Olly.The pain has become my friend and my enemy...And then the tears come,quite involuntarily... a sea of them, an ocean...So after two days in St.Petersburg we are on our way to Germany. I had booked three tours in this magnificent Russian city. The first, on Saturday,was to Tsarskoye Selo and Catherine Palace,the royal summer residence. The amber room at the Palace,considered the 8th wonder of the world by the Russians,was beyond belief,fully restored at quite an expense as has the rest of the building. St.Petersburg has more palaces than any other city I have been to. You drive through the streets and there they stand in their glory,one after another,massive,splendid. The obscene wealth of the pampered few must have been breathtaking. Only when you see this do you begin to understand why there was a revolution in 1917,why Tzar Nicholas and his family were killed and what had contributed to the horror that followed for decades with the life and soul destroying gulags,the secret service mercilessly weeding out" the enemies of the state."  When I read Bulgakov's Master and Margarita for the first time,the book instantly became my favourite book of all time. There are passages that broke my heart and still do. The tour took four hours and even though the guide was in a class of her own,[her knowledge and memory astonishing],the bus very comfortable and the itinerary on a normal day absolutely splendid,this didn't turn out to be a normal day by any means. It was a heavens opened up day when all the rain tried to come down all at once on this Saturday 20 August 2016! Was I glad to be under the roof of the Eclipse! Lunch and warm bed. And then at 5 a miracle - the clouds had disappeared just like that,and the sun popped out, strong, magnificent,as if it had never been away. And shining directly on my balcony. In a flash I was lying on the sun-deck in the alltogether until the sun went down. A perfect end to a not perfect yet still somehow very satisfying ,gloriously happy day.

Good-bye lovely St Petersburg, 21/08/2016

As I am writing this am siting by my lovely Toshiba on the lovely balcony of the lovely room on the lovely Eclipse. Could life be any lovelier? I am so blessed.

Stockholm, 18/08/2016

We docked in the ugliest part of the city,somewhere in the south. And if that wasn't bad enough,it was pouring when I went out to board the shuttle to drop us off near the Central Station. The whole ship seemed to have the same idea and there we were queuing in the pouring rain having paid $10 for the privilege. My mission was to buy a pair of reading glasses and as luck would have it,there was a great big sign saying APOTEKET,the Pharmacy to you and me, just opposite the drop off point. Spacious,immaculately clean shop served by one solitary girl. The most beautiful blonde I have seen for a very long time. And delightfully pleasant and charming with a smile many men would die for. She showed me a pair of glasses,then let me wonder about looking at face creams. I chose Apoliva and Aco and some elastoplast for my toe. I asked the angel face where were the nearest clothes shops and following her instructions I went looking. In the next doorway there was a gypsy woman sitting on the ground,begging. Not having any cash to give her,I decided on my way back I would buy her a sandwich and coffee from Mac Donald's I had past earlier. Two doors further I walked into a shoe shop to buy a pair of socks. I have at least fifty pairs at home I never wear and always forget to bring some when going on a cruise. The assistant was nice and I asked if there was a coffee shop nearby. She said yes, on the fourth floor. Then I looked around and realized I was in fact in a department store called AHLENS. I took an escalator up to the the Italian pizzeria. Never in my entire life have I seen anything quite like it. Every single table occupied,people talking,laughing,waiters running with plates overflowing with the most enticing looking pizzas and various types of pasta. I knew a cup of coffee just would not do,it had to be a pizza Margarita. How shall I describe it? THE BEST PIZZA EVER. EVER! A small glass of beer and I was in heaven. Still pouring cats and dogs I knew the best thing to do was to stay in the store and make myself busy. And I did. I bought long sleeved identical T-shirts for my nephews at 1400 Swedish krona for the two,have no idea what it is in £. And,of course, could not resist EMMA.S' foaming mask and an eye cream. And for the wife of my nephew a lip balm by Dr. Lipp in an irresistible packaging [She is forever complaining about dry cracked lips and uses a balm even at night. Her 10 year old son,my god-son is going to have the same problem. As the weather hadn't improved I decided to return to the ship. There was just the gypsy lady to take care of. But she was gone. I caught the shuttle that was about to leave.

18/08/2016, The Captain's club

is a loyalty scheme offered by Celebrity Cruises. Almost every cruise company has own way of rewarding,thus keeping customers.It is similar to high street shops' way of rewarding frequent "shoppers".I am in the SELECT category having been with Celebrity three times only,even though I have cruised with the Royal Caribbean several times and it is the same "mother"company. Will check how/if it all figures together. I always prefer a stateroom high up,the views are more spectacular. This time I am on the 9th floor Panorama deck. My cabin offers a Hansgrove shower head,32"LCD TV,Egyptian cotton linens,priority check in,preference on shore excursions,dining and eating preference,use of golf umbrella and binoculars,pillow menu,daily hors d'oeuvres and a tote bag as a gift. To me the priority check in and the dining preference are of importance,but every little extra bit goes towards a lovely time on board. Violeta is a dedicated concierge for the concierge passengers. I haven't had the need to use her services yet as I am very capable of sorting out my requirements myself.

17/08/2016, Wednesday at sea.

Not a day for sunbathing weatherwise. The usual breakfast followed by sitting with my little Toshiba. Lunch in the self-service. Chicken curry,rice,pappadom ,a glass of red wine the name of which escapes me. Cheese and two slices of the freshest brown bread. Back into my stateroom to my chromebook. And then I fell asleep. Like a log. When I woke up I did not know for a moment where I was. That is the best sleep ever. I have been listening a lot to Latin music on this cruise. There is a choice of several genres and at the moment the Latin songs are my favourite.I love the rhythm,I love to move to it. It was lovely lying in my soft bed on my soft pillows moving now and then to Marc Anthony. Quick change of clothes and off to the dining room. All around the same morose faces I remember from the night before, staring at me. Very nice crab cake followed by a rather disappointing vegetable curry with a side salad no dressing was brought for. And I dint't ask for it either. Sometimes one just goes with the flow,so to speak. Had cold Budweiser, best refreshing drink with Indian food. New York cheese-cake with hot cherries was a perfect end to a food-wise disappointing,otherwise very pleasant dinner. Actually they were two separate deserts - the cake and the jubilee cherries,but I ordered them both without any sauce or ice-cream.

17/08/2016, Never judge a sausage by the skin.

On Monday when having lunch,there was a middle aged couple at a table next to mine. Just as I was seated a lady sommelier had opened a bottle of red and poured a bit into a glass. The man sniffed,swirled some in his mouth and declared it very nice indeed. As my booking deal included a classic drinks package,a part of which is wine-by-the-glass up to $11 per serving,I've decided to be liberal with red wine,after all it is one of the best natural keepers of healthy arteries. So I ordered a glass of red.The lovely waitress asked if the same wine the couple had approved would be satisfactory. Of course, I thought,after all a connoisseur had chosen it. To me the wine was no better nor worse than any other I had drunk in the past,I never like the taste,really,but drink it for the health benefits [truly,I do]. There was a sediment at the bottom of the glass. The wine should have been decanted. Neither the connoisseur nor the expert who had poured it knew this. And by the way,the woman talked constantly with her mouth full. She may have been the man's wife but she sure was not a lady.

17/08/2016, Copenhagen.

Have been here several times and like the city more and more with every visit. Clean,simple,spacious. Over the years have taken at least twice a shuttle bus to town and back, at least twice have walked the distance there and back. This time it was going to be different. I had broken my reading glasses and even though can still see through them,would like to get a new pair. So decided to find an optitian near the port. I walked the surrounding streets for two hours,for two long hours and nowhere,absolutely nowhere did I see a pharmacy or some such shop. The Danes must be the healthiest people in Europe. And I never saw one single overweight person,not one. On the Eclipse at every which turn there is a big backside wobbling about. I reckon we have more fat people here than Denmark has in total. To add insult to injury,after all the unsuccessful walking I developed a blister the size of a walnut on the inside of my left big toe. How and why this happened remains a mystery to me as I have had the skechers for a year now, wear them every time I go for long walks and have been one of the most comfortable pairs of footwear ever. So now I am nursing my sore foot and the gym is for the time being off limits. And just when I thought I would learn new dace moves! Lunch was the most disappointing meal on the ship so far. Bread freshly baked, as always utterly delicious,a choice of at least three different kinds. Mushroom soup could not be faulted.Smoked pork,sauerkraut and mashed peas looked a perfect choice on paper,but...where do I start? The meat too dry and so strong,the life seemed to have been smoked out of it,the mushy peas I like so much I found very unpleasant and after a mouthful couldn't stomach any more. The only redeeming ingredient was the sauerkraut,there was only one thing wrong with it - not enough on the plate. Banana creme brulee was good, ate almost the lot,but not my choice of a perfect desert. The sun-lit balcony made up for all the pain of the blown-up blister and the disappointing lunch. There are two things that make a cruise perfect for me - a little table for myself at meal times and a balcony where I can sunbathe in the nude. And the time has come to indulge in the latter! Glorious!

17/08/2016, Monday night was the first formal night.

Formal night Celebrity style.You dress up a little if you want to and if you don't you can still dine in any old sweater and any old trousers,even in sneakers should you so wish and many men did. On a Cunard ship this just would not do. But frankly I do not care anymore. As long as people do not smell I close my eyes to everything even if not my nose. I dress as I please. Have never,in fact ,packed as few clothes as on this cruise and am beginning to think even the few are few too many. Was one of the first in at 6,a table by the window. Perfection. Salmon starter,a concoction of ingredients I do not remember anymore. Divine. Goose beautifully presented and so tender,was melting in the mouth. New York cheese cake,a firm favourite on Celebrity ships. And up to bed. THE MARTIAN on TV. Could life be any more wonderful?

Celebrity Eclipse, Scandinavia and St Petersburg, 14 August,2016.

Celebrity Cruises has been rated [by the Cruise Critic,If I remember correctly] the best premium cruise-line 8 years in a row.I am not surprised. The check-in was a breeze [I was priority,but it wouldn't have been any slower had I gone "regular"]. Having with some misgivings handed over my solitary suitcase [ if it gets lost I have nothing,but if the lifts are full and I decide to walk up to the ninth floor...]Ten or so minutes later I was inside the ship,directions to the staterooms simple and clear,it was as easy as pie to get one's bearing.I have been on on the Eclipse twice- on 21 July 2012 for 12 nights to Scandinavia and Russia,doing probably the same itinerary as now.And then with my sister and her husband on 31 August 2013,8 nights to Norwegian fjords. Celebrity cruises have a loyalty program called Captain's club.When I tried to check whether my cruises had been registered,I realized that in 2012 I had stayed in a Veranda cabin at a Concierge level. To date the position of that cabin has been my favorite of all.I remember when sailing out of St Petersburg, the view behind was the most magnificent,not yet beaten by any other port including Stockholm or Venice.People are astonished when I tell them this Why? Just because it is Russia? Since 2012 the concierge class has been upgraded,more benefits added. When I opened the door into my cabin 9275 on the 9th floor my heart jumped with joy.Large room,large bed,large bathroom,large shower cubicle,large balcony with 2 large chairs to lie on. Magnificent. Sparkling wine on the table,three apples on a tray, a knife and a fork on a small plate,serviettes, a bottle of water. Gilchrist & Soames toiletries I am not familiar with,but if they are good enough for the other Concierge passengers,they will be good enough for me.Hansgrohe massaging shower head.A dressing gown [2,in fact].But no slippers.After the obligatory safety drill it was time to unpack,have a quick walk into the lobby to deposit $500 into my account[this had already been credited by the cruise company with $400 to spend as I please,as a kind of thank you for being a loyal customer],change and go down to have my first evening meal.My designated table was a table for 6.Not me,not myself,not Irene!6!Had I been explained in a sensible way I could walk up one floor and have a table to myself as a FREEDOM diner,it would have been a prefect end to a perfect day.But in all the excitement the nice young man at the door didn't tell me this[the freedom dining had been introduced after my last stay on the ship, was not aware of it],so I walked up to the self-service restaurant on the 14th floor.It was just as I remembered-spacious,light,food beautifully laid out. I had chicken curry,lentil dhal,rice,very nice.Some square dessert the name of which escapes me,there was nothing special to remember about it,in fact. And so to bed and try and work out how the TV works.All is well that ends well.I slept like a log until well after 9. Breakfast of porridge and red melon is my usual on a ship,orange juice from a dispenser undrinkable as was the coffee.Paid for a freshly pressed glass of juice and went to Cafe al Bacio for a cup of late with an extra shot,always an extra shot,otherwise it is too weak.Lunch in the Moonlight Sonata,one of the first to be in to ensure I had a table to myself.And I did.Fried sticks of cheese with a pesto sauce,edible,but would not have it again,sauce quite awful.Gazpacho soup with overpowering herbs,unpleasant. Grilled turkey medallions,risotto,some greens,loved it even though the chef was a bit heavy handed with the salt. Took a walk up to the self-service to see if a piece of cake I was dying for would be found.Nothing to my taste but a little roll with a bit of tuna filling did the trick. And so to bed and the TV. Yes,in the afternoon!