Day 41 19th February 2011

Today is a sea day. Many people have a quiet day reading or sun bathing. There is a sale of clothing and other items in the on-board shops. This is often the case when they take advantage of passengers having a lot of free time. We decided to go and listen to the port talk on Sidney. We will be spending two days there and have already decided to go on an all day trip on the second day to see the Blue Mountains. However, we are considering what to do on day one. After the talk I think we are likely to simply wander the city. The ships docks near the original centre in a district called the Rock. It is near the Opera House and the botanical gardens. There are apparently plenty of restaurants so that has our votes at the moment. However, we are considering a round the harbour trip in the evening that includes dinner.

Chris has gone to see a film called the Proposal while I am doing some work for a publisher in reviewing a proposal they have received for a new book. I am listening to the Mamas and Papas on my iPad. The quality of the sound is excellent given the small speakers in the iPad.  My attention is often distracted by sitting looking out over the ocean. It is a very calm day with a lot of cloud. It is warm and humid today. Tonight is formal in that it requires a dinner jacket to be worn in the restaurants. Dressing up is often fun but these formal nights are regular events every few days so do tend to become everyday. I think they should limit them so that they are special. However, other passengers think that standards have fallen so I may well be in a minority.

A large proportion of the crew is from India so they are very happy that India won the opening match in the cricket World Cup. There are a lot of smiling faces. I wonder if England could cope with chasing a score of 371 in 50 overs. I doubt it. India is the team to beat.