A life on the ocean wave - Part 2

When I think of a sea cruise, I have visions of lying on a lounger on the sun deck, waiters plying one with cocktails and savoury snacks, an afternoon game of deck quoits, perhaps a stroll along the upper deck at sunset, followed by an elegant dinner with damask linen and silver service and a game of cards in the lounge afterwards.
That of course belongs to another century, and today's cruise ships cater for a far greater cross section of society, and  we no longer have to seek ways to pass the hours on board. A dedicated team of young people from all over the world are on hand to encourage the reticent passenger to participate in a game of Throw the Pingpong Ball in a Glass of Water, Bingo, Guess the Movie from the Soundtrack or Have a Bucket of Water Thrown Over You. Our initial misgivings at such indecorous behaviour were soon thrown to the wind - although the level of our participation was mainly as observers, we were as keen as the rest to try our luck at Bingo. It didn't take long to realise that the whole point of these cruises is to be young at heart and just have some good old-fashioned fun.

Young and old mingled on the dance floor, and towards the end of one evening (around 1a.m. for me) the music slowed and an elderly gentleman (90) and his wife (an exceptionally elegant and beautiful probably 75-year-old) took to the dance floor with such skill and obvious compatibility that everyone was enthralled and didn't attempt to join them. When their dance was over, they were given an ovation, graciously acknowledged with a curtsey, as they left the floor. It was heartwarming to see the respect accorded by the youngsters who had been dominating the floor to head-banging beats all night.
In the meantime, the corkscrew motion of the boat continued, and lurching to the left and lurching to the right (known as the MSC foxtrot) ensured continued hilarity for those affected. Most of the young girls had 9-inch heels and didn't lurch once - this only reinforced our feelings of inadequacy on the ocean wave, but didn't lessen the laughter!

A life on the ocean wave - Part 1

'You snooze, you lose' is a phrase that definitely does not apply on a cruise ship. Food flows freely for much of every 24-hour period and although 1 300 people all appear to be rushing to get that last pork sausage or slice of cake, there is always more to replace it within a minute or two. There is no doubt that the availability of unlimited all-in-the-price food is a huge draw card for the majority of the passengers on these local coastal cruises. However, this is by no means all that is on offer.
A small group of us embarked at Cape Town on a grey Monday with a warning of high winds, and after sailing serenely past the breakwater, we quickly felt the effects of the long swells and troughs coming up from the south west, originating in the far regions of the notoriously stormy South Atlantic. Having eschewed the reassurance of sea sick tablets and being determined not to let the motion of the ocean disrupt my equilibrium, I stood my ground at the railings, watching the ruggedly beautiful Table Mountain, Twelve Apostles and Klein Leeukoppie slide by. I hadn't hurled a cat by Kommetjie and apparently had found my sea legs. All was well, despite the corkscrew motion of the vessel.

With our first (of many, many, many) onboard meal(s) safely tucked under our belts, we settled into our extremely comfortable sea view cabin that would be our home from home for the next few days. The large window (only a round one is a porthole) provided us with the best means of reminding us that we were not in a large resort hotel but actually on a moving ship - the white water from the bow wave rushed by as the ship sliced deeply into the oncoming swells, tilting the horizon giddily, then tilting it the other way as the rest of the vessel followed. The steady rolling motion didn't affect us but it certainly made us walk funny! As we made our way along the corridors from lounges to theatre, casino to shops, lower decks to upper sundecks, it was three steps to the left and then three steps to the right. It was the source of much hilarity for the rest of the week, as the deck rose up to meet our feet with every step.

Another stunning day in Cape Town

Today started off cloudy and cool with threatening rain, yet nothing fell from the clouds, and by late morning the day had developed into one of summer's best in Cape Town - blue skies, no wind, calm seas, moderate temperatures - a perfect day for giving the garden a good soaking without the water being blown away in the wind or evaporated by the sun before it can reach the roots. The summer blooms are good this year, although the agapanthus, which were so prolific last summer, have not flowered at all this year due to an attack by a worm that has decimated the population of this usually hardy plant. Hopefully a cocktail of Jeyes' Fluid and liquid soap will rid us of this pest and the plants will recover.

Kommetjie is a funny place. It has such an over-abundance of natural beauty that, whenever I go away for a few days or longer, I start to miss it before I have left! Today was no exception, and my friend and I took a walk along the boardwalk to the lighthouse as if to get a last glimpse of the view we enjoy just about every day. A constant procession of Hout Bay fishing boats was chugging home from the fishing grounds, accompanied by a small flotilla of skiboats that had gone out in search of something for the table. (Another of life's coincidences - I mentioned to someone this morning that it was probably 25 years since I had eaten a mackerel fresh from the sea, and at lunchtime a friend turned up with one he had caught this morning in False Bay - a tasty morsel, indeed.)

The sea glittered as if spread with diamonds and the air was so clear that we could see the rocks at the very foot of the Sentinel. I took a photo to capture the moment, and when I posted it here, I was amazed at how different the scene was to what I remembered it to be just a few hours before! The sea was actually quite rough. Now there's something for the psychologists out there to work on!

Blowing hot and cold

Woke up at 5.30 to the cracked crowing of the bantam rooster next door. I am told that I am lucky it's a bantam, as the big chickens have a far stronger voice! I had to drag myself out of bed as I had to get to town early for a Toastmasters training conference and admittedly it was rather nice to be outside in the cool of the morning on a windless day in Cape Town. As I drove round the curves of De Waal Drive into the City Bowl, I could see across the city to the calm waters of Table Bay, and there, gliding gracefully into Duncan Dock, was a pretty little white cruise ship, the MSC Opera. My ship had come in! At last!

But in the meantime, duty had to be done, and final preparations and packing for the cruise would have to wait. Outside the conference venue, the air was on a little on the warm side - about 30 degrees - and inside the airconditioning was 16 - not much warmer than a fridge. Presumably that was to keep everyone on their toes. An informative and inspiring morning developed, with plenty of things to think about regarding what we can contribute to the growth of others as well as ourselves through membership of Toastmasters.

After lunch, it was back home to the cooler climate of Kommetjie, where of course the fog had rolled in and obscured the sun for the rest of the day. Foghorns booed eerily from beyond the breakers as ships' captains still retain the good old-fashioned method of announcing their presence in fog - a big noise! The shore break is still thundering across the bay as I sit here on the balcony, although hidden behind the fog, and I am thankful that whatever inclement weather is upon us should be gone by Monday.

I have this romantic vision of us setting sail from the Waterfront in the gentle peach glow of the setting sun as it lights up the cliffs of Table Mountain, with a smooth sea at our bow and a gentle breeze to cool us as we lean on the railings. Here's hoping!

One extreme to the other

Way back in the dark ages, when I was but a girl, I went to a school where uniform code was very strictly applied. The most important rule was the length of the dress, which had to be 3cm above the knee when kneeling on the teacher's desk - weird, but true - it was called hemline inspection and a ruler would reveal the true distance. Bearing in mind that this was the late 60s and the era of the mini skirt, you can imagine that this went down like bacon at a barmitzvah. I'm not sure if the object of keeping the girls' skirts near the knee was to prevent the boys from the school next door enjoying their shapely legs, but the only place that the girls applied the rule was in the school grounds. As soon as they were outside the gates, belts were put to good use as about 30cm of skirt was hoiked up over them, sometimes to better effect than others. There is no doubt that some legs would have been better hidden.

Today I passed a group of schoolgirls with shirts hanging out of their skirts, and the skirts were pleated and wider than they were long - the hem barely reached the bottom of the bum. Once again, there is no doubt that some legs would have been better hidden, but the real problem was the wind. All those pleats allowed the southeaster to blow the skirts up like tutus, and the lack of material left nothing to the imagination as they crossed the road in front of four lines of traffic. They must have realised that there was no point in doing any clutching to cover, or else it genuinely didn't bother them, but I think that a re-design of skirts to suit Cape Town's weather conditions should get some serious consideration.

Celebrity celebration

Had a jolly good time at the new Cape Town Fish Market at the V & A Waterfront last night - occasion being the irrepressible Giggling Gourmet's birthday bash - in the West Coast Village section of the restaurant. This is an area with a beach sand floor (no good for high heels!) and benches at wooden tables set out around an open braai area, where the extremely hardworking chefs slave away over hot coals to produce seafood that is reminiscent of that which you would have cooked on the beach back in the day - mussels, linefish, crayfish, calamari and prawns in toothsome sauces, accompanied by a light fresh green salad and an array of speciality breads.

Before embarking on the substantial set menu, we were treated to vast platters of delectable sushi, which under normal dining out circumstances would have constituted the entire meal! It took five hours to work through the entire menu, but no one noticed the time passing, as attentive yet unobtrusive staff swept away the plates after each course and made sure that everyone knew when to collect the next one. The company was convivial, the conversation light-hearted and diverse, and the birthday girl, as always, couldn't resist donning her apron for the piece de resistance, pavlovas and death by chocolate cakes.
We all departed before the witching hour, and I managed to park my car in the garage before it turned into a pumpkin.

Grand clear out

Spent the day sorting out cupboards, drawers and table tops, making decisions about what to keep and what to throw away. Ably assisted by my son, who was ruthless in his decision-making on my behalf! Fortunately all the decisions were correct, and we managed to cart away more than a bootload of stuff to the dump where it will be recycled by those who can make use of it. Curtains, video recorders, laptops and bags, old clothes, about a hundred sets of earphones (the ones you get every time you upgrade your phone), various cords and adaptors for equipment long since departed, as well as the handrails from the bathroom which is currently being revamped.
While we are by no means near the end of the clutter clearing, it helps to clear the mind of ancient clutter as well and make way for new ideas and new beginnings. Every day is a new beginning and you can't progress if the old is holding you back. There can be no place for sentimentality - fortunately that is not something I suffer from - as this is the thing that prevents most people from clearing the clutter.
The next thing to clear is my desk with all the office work - now that is something I could happily put off forever!