After my exciting morning in Venice, the afternoon loomed before me without much in the way of direction. After lunch I sat out on deck, alternating between reading a book and dozing in the sun, which by now was quite hot and mediterranean-like again (hurraah!). After some time, I went back to my cabin to download my morning's video and photographs from camera to laptop, and idly switched the in-house movie-channel on the TV. 'Changeling' again.... ah well, best just settle down to a movie to pass the time....

Then the cabin phone rang.....

It was reception, saying that a whole bunch of people were in the Heligan Room asking where I was.....

"?????" Said I, but.... surely, it's a port-day; I only do workshops on sea-days... The lady in reception assured me that an art class was in the daily blurb, so I grabbed my copy and... there it was in black and white... ooops!. It was five minutes past three (the class should have started at 3), so I told her, I'd be up there immediately....

I crept into the Heligan Room to an almighty cheer from my students, who had all dutifully sorted themselves out with boards and water and were waiting patiently for their tutor. Thank goodness I'd been in my cabin when the call had come an not been fast asleep on deck!

The other news is; we have some cases of a gastro (or noro) virus on board. Just after lunch, the captain came over the speakers and explained that the health status of the vessel has been put up to Code Red, the highest level, and that this will make a few differences to the way some things operated, particularly in the feeding areas. There are currently about a dozen people confined to their cabins, and efforts are being made to contain the outbreak. Oo-er... watch this space...

Hi Peter,
Make sure you have a bag on your head with small eye holes, the noro virus is air bourne, so spread by sneezes etc, just like a cold.............
Good luck
Pip

Thanks for that... the ship's going to look like it's playing host to a Klu Klux Klan convention if everybody takes up that idea.

Update... apparently we've been on Orange alert for several days, and are teetering on the edge of Red (despite what the Captain announced). A reliable informant has said that it was almost certainly brought on board by someone at Portsmouth and not by someone who has just joined us at Venice... In the Secret Garden Cafe, we're not allowed to serve ourselves directly; waiters wearing rubber gloves are dishing food out for us... all slightly strange.

the rubber gloves sound well dodgy!
Hope it wasn't our feathered Mr R bringing in the bird flu....
Pip

Hi Peter,
Just a thought regarding this air-borne virus matter ...
as you ARE at sea ... you could organise a themed-painting-afternoon, where everyone comes to the lesson in fancy dress ... donning 'filter snorkel and flippers'!
I appreciate there may just be some difficulties and that it will be rather challenging when speaking, but if you write everything on idiot-boards first ....

Hope this msg find you well...

Best wishes "H" le B"

ps 'dark on dark' works ...... but you do need the light on!

pps I haven't forgotten I owe you a pint (or two or three by now!)

Hello Peter,
I was thinking about the Vitruvian Man - what an exciting experience to see the real thing! (and like Harry, of course I am not envious - just a slight hint of emerald green!) Your comment about the human figure being only seven heads high set me thinking. The notes on Virtruvain Man say that a palm measures 3 inches - and that is quite right - I measured my palm and it is roughly three inches. However, if the height of a man is 24 palms, (72 inches = 6 Feet) -with a three inch palm, I should be six feet tall - and I am not! My head should be nine inches long - and it isn't. I could continue . . . Even if there were seven heads in the human figure I would be approximately five feet three in - and I am not - I just can't get my head around this - perhaps it is because it isn't the right size! (Don't look so serious! Just teasing:¬D) All I can say is that I don't think I would be very keen to fly in Leonardo's helicopter!

Kindest regards,
Sylvia

Harry... I haven't forgotten that pint or two either...

Hi Sylvia... my methods were less sophisticated - I cut the vetruvian man's head and pasted it in photoshop - bingo.... 7 heads - try it