Food Glorious Food

I slept like a log last night. A ridiculously comfy bed, perfect squodgy pillows, gentle rocking and pitch darkness. Perfect!
And after that fab night's sleep all we had to do was walk down for breakfast!
Eggs Benedict? Haddock? Pancakes? Omelette? Waffles? Full English?
Yes please!!
Ha ha! I went for a ham and mushroom omelette, grilled tomatoes, rye toast and eight gallons of delicious tea.
Oh and a fruit platter and smoothie of the day!
From there I waddled with my mum and dad to the theatre to see Martin Bell giving a talk on war reporting. My brother decamped to the Cigar lounge for a smoke. Cigarettes not cigars! Cunard have banned smoking everywhere on their ships apart from designated outside decks and the gorgeous cigar lounge. Mr D met quite a few kindred spirits!
Martin Bell was very interesting, thought provoking and funny. It was strange seeing him in real life.
Afterwards - as it had been at least an hour since we'd last eaten - we headed to check out the lunch menus. In our Britannia restaurant you order a la carte in the Lido there's the thirty mile buffet full of goodies.
We chose the buffet!
My mum, dad and I went and had a brief pre-lunch starter (!) and then met my brother for more of the same. I had the most amazing Thai beef noodle salad. Amongst other things!
Afterwards mum and I walked round the deck to the hot tubs at the back of the ship. Annoyingly just as we got there and were about to get changed a couple of women appeared from nowhere, stripped off their bathrobes and jumped in. Honestly, some people are so inconsiderate!
So instead we sat in a couple of chairs, reading our books and drinking tea - from the perfect mugs - and marvelling that we were basking on deck in the sunshine on the day before the shortest day!
In a flash it was time to go down for afternoon tea. Obviously we were starving having not eaten for minutes.....
The tea was worth the queue - delicious! Although the people at the table next to us were the most miserable people on the planet and moaned throughout about EVERYTHING. Quite unbelievable.
As we left tea they were given something to moan about when the captain announced that due to the heavy winds and worsening forecast it was very unlikely that we'd be able to dock in Amsterdam tomorrow morning as planned.
I headed up to the Garden Lounge planning to sit on the sofas outside and read my book a bit more. There were a couple of hot tubs sitting empty by the pool so I stripped down to my swimsuit and jumped in.
It was bliss. Watching the sun go down over the sea, watching the pool slosh about which was very surreal, chatting to some lovely people who got in with me, becoming less and less inclined to get out into the freezing wind with nothing but a soaking wet towel which had been blown off the rail onto the wet deck.
Eventually I could put it off no longer. I leapt out, wrapped myself in the wet towel, grabbed all my clothes and - despite it being after 6pm on formal night!! - scurried down one flight of stairs and along the corridor to my cabin.
Our steward was just outside the cabin (as he uncannily always managed to be whenever we needed anything) and helpfully opened the door for me as I couldn't get to my keycard without dropping the towel!
A quick change into something more glamorous and we headed to the Commodore for cocktails before dinner.
It was wonderful seeing everyone dressed up. My dad and brother scrubbed up well in their dinner suits.
Dinner was one of the nicest meals I've ever had. Crab, lamb and crepes suzette. Followed by a pot of mint tea that the server now brings automatically for me!
After dinner I headed straight for my blissful bed and was asleep within minutes.
It's exhausting all this relaxing!