This is the life.

Breakfast in the dining room, Ligurian,orange juice, porridge,fresh fruit,then coffee in Explores-the bar by the computers.then at 12 back to The L for lunch.If I leave it too late, I do not get a table to myself.The lunch was a splendid affair-a delicious Thai fish-cake,a superior risotto with a simple side salad.At the table in front of me were seated the two Portuguese baboons.The woman surpassed herself-she was at times licking the knife.The male certainly liked his wine, knocking down one glass after another.Of course he is not the only one, quite a few tipsy travelers walk the corridors.There are almost 70 children on this family friendly vessel.There are free of charge clubs for them and often the carers take them out for a walk through the ship, singing,some children look happy,big smiles, others not, but the parents need time to be alone.There is a family on board I wish had never brought their offsprings, a girl about 15, boy 11,they often use the computers,noisy,loud,no regard for others.They pull chairs from the bar section and never push them back,no concern for the old.They constantly drink coke and leave water marks on the tables, the mother says nothing,she gives the impression of being full of herself.At dinner in the evening I often hear a baby cry, there are several toddlers on the ship,mostly adorable,but, of course, babies do cry and I have no problem with that,what I dislike are badly behaved children, who know no boundaries.Britannia,a very large vessel,on which seven of us plus three children under 10, will be cruising in July, takes 3,647 guests, when full,I expect there will be good 200 kids there.But with the crew of 1,350 I hope we will be well taken care of.After lunch went to the cinema - films are usually shown in the Footlights. The ship yesterday and today was wobbly,had to take anti- sickness tablets and even bought a sea band,this is supposed to give natural relief,but I do not think it is worth the expense, the tablets are much more effective. Both yesterday and today gave the gym a miss,it is no fun running and having to hold on so tight, the knuckles go white.As the gym is on the 12th floor, when the sea is really rocky even stabilisers do not help and you may easily fall off the treadmill. Stabilisers are employed to help to steady the ship,they help to stop the ship from overturning in powerful winds.So instead of going to the gym, I did some sorting out in my stateroom,looked at future cruises,washed my hair,showered and before I knew it  time for dinner.And delicious it was, too-fried goats cheese,champagne sorbet,grilled calves liver cooked to perfection - just the right shade of pink,tender,succulent.Tarte aux pommes was a little disappointing, the puff pastry hard and cold,but the splendid cheese-I chose 3 different kinds the names of which escapes me-and the usual excellent tea with milk were a perfect end to a perfect meal.Even the neighbours were as neighbours should be-pleasant. And before I knew it it was 8.30 and the time for the theatre, a four piece male harmony group The Brit Tones,workmanlike performance but the 45 minutes went surprisingly quickly. Tomorrow I will be singing my swan song.