The ocean is still very calm, there have been a couple of pitches and rolls here or there to let you know you are on a ship, but nothing exciting at all.

I decided that I have had enough education for a while, and even though the talks looked interesting, I gave them a miss and headed for the Commodore Club to spend the morning reading. An extremely good plan. It was also very convenient for the choir practice in Hemispheres at noon.

The choir seems to have grown in number, and alas I thought we sounded better at our previous rehearsal. The good news is that we are going to give our performance in the Queen’s Room rather than the lobby. A much better venue. It won’t be the same as singing “Jerusalem” on stage in the theatre on QM2 (one of the highlights of my existence), but to sing in the Queen’s Room does sound OK.

After lunch I thought I should try out the launderette. A word of warning to other prospective deck 1 people, the closest launderette is on deck 4 so you have to carry your laundry from your cabin up the stairs or in the lift to another deck. I carried my pop up laundry basket to deck 4, and fortunately no one even gave me a second glance. There are 3 washer/dryers and 2 were available so I was in good shape, and sat reading until the laundry was done. Not an unpleasant way to spend a cold windy afternoon, especially knowing that there is afternoon tea at the end of the folding.

We met with friends for pre-dinner drinks at the Commodore Club. The current pianist is great, and I really enjoy his playing. Dinner was delicious again, it is getting more and more difficult to say no to dessert when there are so many great choices. I am really enjoying the company of our table companions, even though I fear our newest addition tends to get left out despite my efforts to include her. Then it was time for the show – a comedian who was quite funny, and off to bed. All of this fun is quite exhausting!