Pen-y-Fan

As well as the onboard watercolour Art Classes, I've brought along my Schmincke soft pastels travelling set, 3 Sennelier soft pastels that I bought in Cardiff the other month, and a small set of Derwent pastel blocks. The latter aren't the best pastels in the world, but I bought them second hand (and unused) and they have a few different colours that are useful. I also have some card for pastels. So after breakfast this morning I headed for the coffee shop and completed this offering.  I also managed to pick up some Bristows 'natural hold' hairspray, no not for me, but to 'fix' the drawing.  Completing the artwork, made for a good talking point. There is at least one thing that I would do different if I know how.  I don't know how; so at this moment in time, this is as good as it gets folks.  

Ps I had the common sense and good manners to clean up after me, and to go outside onto Deck 7 to spray the drawing.

Tin Bath

You can dress it down anyway that you like, but it's a bath.  Yes, it may be a similar size to the tin bath that we had in Aylesbury Street when I was a child, but nevertheless it's a bath. And at 7 a.m. this morning it was a very welcome addition indeed to our cabin layout.  We always have a shower when holidaying, indeed several a day, and rarely have a bath.  So you can well imagine my delight, when having retired at just gone midnight, I woke up at 6 a.m. and lay there wide awake until it dawned on me that we had a bath. Yes, this was a result. 

Midnight Ramble

Dinner was a casual dress affair last night, and the post dinner show in one of the theatres was fabulous.  It was like an Abba spectacular, and there we were tucked in a corner, and feeling as if we had our own private box.  We had a great evening to cap off a great day in Gibraltar.  We even managed to assemble an alcohol free day.  Now we don't drink as such.  Wifey may manage one, and after three I am anybody's.  But the thing is, we all know that alcohol in excess is bad for you, and we also know that when you are on holiday it's relatively easy to slip into bad habits.  So we planned an alcohol free day.  We had done the same on Thursday, but had failed.  I succumbed to a Peroni while waiting for Pauline to change for dinner (I always get ready and head out first to give her space) and then post dinner I went for two Cosmopolitans.  Not together mind you, I'm not a lush.  No, I separated them with a suitable time gap.  But that was the previous day, and this one involved no alcohol.  It was two cans of pop, coffee and water; spread over the whole day for both of us.  It probably helped the bank balance and probably was a contributory factor as to why we stayed up so late.  Especially seeing that we had stayed up late the previous night and got up early that morning.  So having already had a great day; Pauli suggested a nighttime walk on deck as we retired towards our room.  Well, exercise is always a good thing, so I seized upon her idea and agreed.  I had intended to put on one of the two jumpers that I had brought with us.  But at the last moment grabbed and carried our coats as we headed for Deck 13.  Now I don't know what I was really expecting; was it rain, or a cool wind.  I mean, it was a reasonable assumption given that it was by now past midnight.  The heat hit us as we ventured outside, and instantly reminded me of my short break in Africa.  It was astonishingly warm and the coats were an unnecessary burden to carry around the deck.  We enjoyed our ramble and then took a more private route back to our cabin.  Probably sub consciously to avoid those awkward gazes, you know the kind, that when others see you carrying a heavy coat while travelling in the Mediterranean in Summer.