Day 95 At sea en route for Muscat.

Today remains wonderfully hot and sticky. There is little wind accross the decks and the sea is like a mill-pond. Last night, I learned that the former Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2, at Dubai since its final voage there in 2008, was at last, opening to the public on 19th April. QM2 passengers were invited to apply to be shown around the day before, and I missed the announcement on the back page of yesterday’s Daily Programme. Needless to say, I was too late to secure my place at this historic occasion. I shall keep trying. I now have lunch in the Lido of QE2 confirmed for its opening day, 19th April, on what would have been my father’s 102nd birthday. Further places did become available for the eve of the opening day, but that would have meant cancellation of one of two very nice tours I had booked already.

My knee continues to cause me pain, especially when using stairs. My feeling is that this may be the result of a tour passenger sitting immediately in front of me on the coach, reclining his seat onto my knee causing, at the time, temporary pain and discomfort. But now, getting around is far less easy than it was a couple of weeks ago. I have had to cancel the “Behind the Scenes” tour of the ship, which is a special event, and have thus, been a little irritable today. This morning, I attended church, today being the 3rd Sunday of Easter. The hymns included the play-safe “Morning has Broken” and “Eternal Father Strong to Save”, as well as “I Vow to Thee My Country”. The lesson was a ghastly translation of Psalm 23. No mention or celebration of the Resurrection! After the service. It should be cool enough to catch up on some deck walking. Many thanks for reading. All the best, David.