Mary wrote: We had a good night sleep despite the rough weather and I awoke around 0815, took my tablet, and then went back to bed to make sure it's settled, as the sea is currently the roughest it has been. It makes a noise in our cabin like rain on the sunroom roof windows at home. We had breakfast. I just had porridge and then I went to the Craft Class where we are making Christmas Angels for the Salvation Army. They are knitted and result in producing a piece of ‘tat’. I cannot imagine anyone wanting one, so I am not inspired at all.
Afterwards I met up with Mel and we had coffee and chocolate in the Bookmark Café. I tried to do the crossword without much success, and then went for lunch alone and had just soup and a pudding, as I am cold. The sea is at its roughest, so I had help carrying food and drink to my table. I was sitting with a lady I have met before who is a keen dancer. She has had both hips replaced and is not yet back to her best.
We both went to the Drama Performance in the Neptune Lounge which was down to just 12 actors. (Another two had been confined to their cabins because of the weather). I noted that Tricia my partner and little Linda were not there and nor was the endurance rider Cheryl!
We both stayed for the talk “Waterways Close to Home” given by John Haveride who is a very good speaker and has written a book on the subject.
I also heard some people talking, and I believe the astronomy speaker lives in Cambridge - Jonathan Clough. It is Halloween today on the boat. All of the lunchtime food was coloured, tinted red, which looked revolting. I had some custard and I also saw pink mashed potato. It seems a crazy idea when tummies feel fragile. In in the evening Showtime was given over to Halloween. We went straight after dinner and saw the Balmoral Dancers and Singers doing various numbers. This was followed by the results of the pumpkin carving competition. The three winners brought their entries with them when they collected their prizes. The winning two said they had only spent half an hour doing them, and the third that he had taken four hours. We stayed for a challenge between the Balmoral Singers and the Entertainment Team. It was about 2330 when we left and went to bed.