It could be my imagination, but the sea seems a little choppier today, despite the sky being clearer and the sun making a welcome appearance. It's still windy and parts of the deck are still closed off, but there is a definite increase in numbers of people braving the fresh air.

I'm gearing up for my second workshop this afternoon (A Tonal Study). Yesterday, no fewer than 40 people turned up to my first one; very enthusiastic and lively - quite chaotic actually, since the first twenty minutes were spent sorting them out with Fred Olsen Art Packs at £10.50 each, organising water and boards, and generally settling everybody in. Unfortunately, there isn't any spare watercolour paper, other than the 5 sheets provided in the packs. I can't believe they haven't got a stash somewhere here on board (particularly since I had the same problem on the Braemar last Christmas, when we had to purloin a load of paper from the Boudicca, who had tons of the stuff, when we were berthed alongside them somewhere in the Caribbean.

Anyway, I've told the entertainments office that we'll be okay for the first half-dozen sessions or so, but after that we're going to have to try and get some from somewhere (come to think of it; I had exactly the same problem on the Balmoral last April too - when will they learn?).

Last night was the first formal night of the trip, and our first proper evening's entertainment featured Andy James, a fantastic magician who made scores of umbrellas appear out of nowhere, successfully predicted cards, entertained us with some funny stories and, most impressively, levitated a wooden table (how on earth did he DO that??).

Despite my intention of making a full night of it, I was back in my cabin by 10pm, watching Revolutionary Road (what would have happened to Kate Winslett and Leonardo De Caprio if they hadn't have sunk with the Titanic), on the in-house movie channel. I'd fully intended to go back out again and check out the Obsession Duo, and join in the quiz in the Lido Lounge, but once I'd took my jacket off, that was that...

I've just been flitting around the various lounges trying to find a nice, quiet spot to write my blog. The Neptune Lounge is full to bursting with people listening to a Port Talk on Cagliari, Sardinia, which is where we'll be landing on Sunday. The library was okay, but I don't think my intermittent coughing was going down too well, so I finished up in the Icini Lounge, which is a tad friendlier, but I'm not mad on the leather armchairs...

40 people in a class !!!! It’s a good job I was not there, I would have jumped ship and swam for shore, hoping my MDF drawing board kept me afloat. lol

Have fun

Hi Petey,
Sounds as if you need your bed and a bottle of whiskey to sort out that cough of yours - hope some warmer weather makes you feel better soon. Great to hear that you are going to Picasso's house - perhaps a photy for those of us who can only look on in envy? At least someone on that ship is thinking - Picasso - a painter - I know - lets send the art tutor!!!! Did you read about the Sea Lords' web site getting jammed up? Must have been all those people looking up rule 5. Glad the sessions are going well. Next one is a tone study eh? Let me guess what colour it will be - Cadmium Yellow!! No, only joking - I bet you're going to use boring ol' Paynes Grey - and with all that lovely sunshine outside!

Hope you have a great trip.

Sas

Thanks for the comments folks!! Yes, 40 people in a class was a bit of a shocker I can tell you - most I'd usually allow back home would be 20. You'll be pleased to know the cough is very slightly better today - hoping to be right as rain by the end of the week (not had the whiskey, but lots of sleep seems to be paying off finally).

A photo update is going to have to wait until I can get a squeak out of my laptop dongle - the on-board internet room won't let me do much, let alone plug in a USB gizmo to upload photographs. Once we arrive at civilization, trust me; I 'll be hunting down the nearest internet cafe before anything else. I already have a couple of snapshots I want to share and I promise I'll upload a photo of Picasso's house...

Yes, the tonal study was in Payne's Grey (best for the job). Which went well, but we ran out of time (one-hour sessions really aren't long enough), so everybody agreed they want to continue with it tomorrow, which is great, except it's upset the itinerary slightly - I dashed to the entertainments room to see if I could change the listing in the daily blurb for tomorrow's session to 'The Importance of Tone - Part 2', but it had already gone to print (hoping its not going to cause ruptions).

Cheers all

Peter