It's another glorious day here in the middle of the Meditterranean. I was up quite early considering it's a sea-day and I don't have too much to do until 3 o'clock this afternoon, when I'll be giving the 4th of my workshops (today it's COMPOSITION, so I'll hit 'em with the Composition Checklist and tell them all about the Golden Section).

Now we're in warmer climes, breakfast is served out on the Lido Deck, which seems quite decadent, but nice. I opted for Corn Flakes and a slice of scrambled egg on toast, accompanied by fresh orange juice (well; I say fresh; that'll be frozen concentrated, reconstituted orange juice).

After breakfast, I decided I should get some exercise and blow some of the cobwebs away. You'll be pleased to hear that the cough has almost gone. Nighttime is definitely the worse time for it, and lying down seems to exaccerbate it... someone even pointed out that it's quite possible that the air-conditioning hasn't helped much). So, anyway, I joined the healthy early-morning throng and dutifully did my 5-lap mile.

The best think about walking around the ship like that is that your eyes are constantly focused on the sea for signs of life. During dinner yesterday evening, the captain came onto the airwaves to announce that there were some dolphins to be seen off the portside... Fortunately, I was just finishing my dinner, so I dashed outside, along with many others, but had missed the spectacle. Today, the sea is like a millpond (so different from the fierce seas of 3-4 days ago), which makes dolphin-spotting much easier, since any disturbance on the surface of the water is much more obvious. Today, I saw dolphins on no fewer than three occasions - or at least one assumes they're dolphins; it's often difficult to guage distance, so it can be tricky to determine how large they are. Most people are happy to declare that they've spied dolphins, whilst others will shake their heads and announce that what they're seeing are porpoises. Who knows? It's just great to be able to see life out there....

Hi Peter,

Lucky old you...I've only ever seen dolphins in captivity (envy!)

As for the others not seeing any dolphins - Perhaps they're just saying that on porpoise! (sorry!)

Best wishes ... H le B

Nice one - thanks for that Harry... lol

Perhaps someone out there could google the differences between dolphins and porpoises - is one just smaller than the other? Different colour? Contributions welcome...

Hello Peter.
So pleased to hear that your cough is improving. . .
Regarding porpoises, I think you would have to look at their teeth to distinguish them from dolphins!!:)
Wikipedia states:
'Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" (pronounced /ˈpɔrpəs/) has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen. The most obvious visible difference between the two groups is that porpoises have flattened, spade-shaped teeth distinct from the conical teeth of dolphins, and shorter beaks.'

I hope you remembered to pack a dentistry kit!

Kindest regards,
Sylvia

Hi Sylvia

Many thanks for that... next time I see some, I'll do a quick dental check - interesting that sailors and fisherman might refer to any small dolphin as a porpoise - if I were a teenage dolphin, I think I'd have something to say about that...

Cheers

Peter