1st June
Well, my surprise holiday is certainly a surprise! I have to tell you that, for once, Spencer has exceeded all expectations, and I am now enjoying a fabulous Mediterranean cruise. When we went up the gangplank in Barcelona, we were shown to our cabin, where Spencer had thoughtfully arranged for a lovely bouquet of flowers to be delivered. We went to have a look around the ship, which is absolutely enormous. There is a climbing wall, an ice rink, a gym (for me to practise my Body Balance that I am missing this week), a casino and of course a swimming pool. We had to participate in the safety drill, and after a slight problem when I couldn’t seem to get the life jacket on over my hat, it all went well. I hadn’t appreciated that all passengers regardless of whether they have a balcony or not, are assigned to the same lifeboat. Hey ho! I guess in an emergency one has to put up with a few things. Hopefully it will not come to that, as there are not many icebergs in the Med.
The view of the coastline of Spain is spectacular, and tomorrow, our Silver Wedding day itself, we are docking at Cannes. The film festival finished last week but I am hoping that a few of the celebrities have stayed on to make the most of the glorious weather. Who knows- I might get an invitation to visit one of their yachts. I did hear that George Clooney was in town. After Cannes we are visiting Florence and Pisa and then finally a stop in Rome before returning to Barcelona. I will tell you all about it on the Basinga Extra website when I get back.
Whilst I remember- don’t forget to buy your Village Show schedule at the Old Basing Carnival on 20th June. This will tell you all about the classes and the rules for entering and you should read it very carefully so that you don’t slip up like Marcus did one year with his spectacular “Garden in a Seed Tray”. The rules clearly state that the tray must not exceed 25 x 40cm, but Marcus thought that he could get away with using an old cat litter tray (cleaned out first of course!) These trays are much bigger than the stipulated size and you can obviously pack a great deal more in. Unfortunately, although he was allowed to exhibit it on the day, it was not judged as part of the competition. He was understandably disappointed when he realised that he wouldn’t be getting any prizes, but as Spencer and I pointed out, rules are rules and you must abide by them or you will be disqualified. So parents make sure that your children follow the instructions so that there is no disappointment!