Seednee.

We sailed grandly into Sydney Harbour at 5am. yesterday with a fireboat to welcome us. It was a dramatic entrance, with the sun gradually lighting up the city skyline. By 10am we were off the boat and into our hotel nearby, discovering to my ( guess who did the booking?), chagrin that it was a Chinese doss-house. However we've survived, spending most of yesterday down by the waterfront.

We managed to get into an Opera House production of "An English Christmas", with a 400 voice choir, two grand pianos, the Sydney Philharmonic and the wonderfully grand organ. It was magnificent!

This afternoon we're on our way to Auckland - the end of a wonderful holiday!

Here are some pics of the waterfront. Please forgive all the boat photos - I had a bad attack of Celebrity Solstitis!

CRUX

We left sunny Spain to start on our cruise
We have done the Med, travers-ed the Suez
Observed the old Sphynx, Cheops pyramid
And King Tuten's tomb, for two or three quid
Throughout Aden's Gulf, awash with the thieves
Who'd take all our ship, without saying please,
Afraid of a fight, we doused our top light
Cruised all through the night, we hoped out of sight.
Pierced Straits of Hormuz, arrived in Dubai
Amazed by the Burj, nigh kilometer high.

We liked the Oman, 'twas spick and 'twas span,
Cochin, to compare, a higgeldy plan
Of fishermen's nets, and grass houseboats too
Iconic Kerala, our photos not few.
And then Singapore, a vivid contrast
Of buildings so tall and traffic so fast
The High Tea at Raffles was ever so smart
We ate cucumber sammies, fine pastries and tart.

(The next day, half cent'ry of years from the start
When we promised each other that we'd never part
We remembered, rejoiced for the wonderful time
We have had with our family in many a clime.
Remembered that when, right after our marriage
And starting our trip in a horsey-less carriage
We journeyed and journeyed and journeyed yet more -
Together we'll journey, right to the last shore).

Our ship is now crammed with some merry Aussies
But we do not mind, for they're our cuzzies
They talk with a flair, and they are quite bright
So,"No worries mate", and, "She will be right!".
Their flag has some stars, although one too many,
(Our flag has but four, the All Blacks some twenty).
The Reef we have skirted, the WhitSundays too
Then Cairns and Queensland - of Brisbane a view
Sydney now beckons, with coat-hanger large
Near which we will anchor this gargantuan barge.

And the Cross we have seen. That Great Southern Cross!
A symbol of home, and a signal of loss
We've left some of us, by the North Pole Star
In the cold and wet. But though we're afar
We sure won't forget the good time we had
Look to the fore and some good times ahead
And so Merry Christmas, be as good as you can
With very much love, from Grandpa and Gran.



1. Departing Brisbane.
2. Arriving (5am!) Sydney.

Cairns

Having rounded Cape York, we turned south and wended our way through the cays and islets of the Great Barrier Reef. Now it all looked picturesque, but these corals are fiercer than icebergs and even less forgiving, but our great ship, like the Titanic, seemed to discount any danger posed thereby, and steamed on through!

At one point when we were up front, it seemed as if we were going to collide with two islands in line ahead, blue water on either side, and we watched apprehensively as we approached them at full speed - "left hand down a bit please, Captain". At the last moment possible, a beacon appeared on each island, and, doing a deft S-bend, we slipped between the two corals and went on our way. Obviously a prepared channel...

Cairns is a lovely city but unfortunately Anne wasn't feeling too well (something she ate) so we didn't do too much there.

Today we travelled through the Whitsunday islands with scores of islets on either side - very attractive too.

Photos.
1. The coral reef.
2. Christmas on board.

Darwin.

A pleasant surprise, Darwin is a city about the size of Hamilton in NZ. The centre comprises a few streets with malls and business blocks, surrounded by some very smart suburbs

We docked quite close to the CBD, so it was only a short ride into town for a bit of window shopping, a coffee and some time on the free wifi in the mall.

We decided to try some of the local barramundi so stopped off at a restaurant near the harbour. Very nice too.

For the past 48 hours we have been crossing the Gulf of Carpenteria, last night wending our way through Torres Straight between PNG and Cape York. It was quite dramatic as the ship plowed into a head wind, banshee wailing from the rigging, navigating our way through many winking beacons and lighthouses.

This morning we woke to find that we are cruising south down the eastern coast of Cape York between many Great Barrier Reef shoals towards Cairns

Photos.
1. Lunch in Darwin.
2. Barramundi - but the red haired one is the best catch of my life!
3. Balcony breakfast.
4. The Sundowner Set.

Bali

Our ship was too big to dock in Bali, so we anchored in the bay and were ferried ashore in our lifeboats. I was amused to hear the ever pervasive Muzak even in these boats. Soon they will be equipped with TV and a bar, allowing passengers to gurgle
into the depths watching Oprah, cocktail in one hand, doughnut in the other.

Mentioning lifeboats reminds me of a grievous insult I suffered the other day. During life boat drill, when our group was crammed into a stuffy room, an old lady - at least 60 - offered me her chair! I attend gym hours a week, am careful with my diet, have a No 4 (in places) haircut, my young wife by
my side! Oh the shame! Must have been the champagne I'd had.

Once ashore in Bali, we took a taxi to Kuta the tourist centre of the island, and had a swim at its beautiful beach in luke-warm water. After a bit of shopping and much drinking - water - we decided we had seen enough and
headed back to the ship.

Now we are cruising east towards Darwin and are currently 6hrs ahead of GMT.

Photos.

1. Anne's Bali. Shopping! Note an offering to the gods on the pavement.
2. Stuart's Bali. The beach.
3. Our home.

Beverly.

In my FIFTY blog I should have attributed the picture of Anne and myself. It was drawn by Bev, given to us at her 21st birthday party and represents Anne welcoming me home after work. It hangs in our lounge at home. We love it. Thank you Bev .

FIFTY!

Fifty years ago we said to each other "We will!" and so we have. Our wedding program had a quote from St Paul. "Heirs together of the grace of God" and so we are. Other couples have been disjointed by adversity, but we have been driven together and have found strength in God's grace.

In his wedding speech, Anne's father boldly spoke about the lion and the lamb lying down together, much to our embarrassment. I didn't know who was meant to be whom! It's been more like two lions trying to get together...

No, I joke - I know who is the lioness.

We spent most of our anniversary day trying to communicate with the family (quite appropriate really), unfortunately without success. We hope you received a birthday message from us Annette as you enter your fiftieth year!

However we did manage a great celebratory dinner at a special restaurant ( The Tuscan Grille) at the stern, overlooking the wonderful lights of Singapore. We were supposed to have left at 6pm but there was trouble over missing passports so we left late evening.

Much love to you all, and especially to our wonderful daughters and grand-children. Thank you for your support!

G'ma & G'pa, Mum & Dad, Anne & Stuart.

Photo. Anne and Stuart.