musings

Today when we went into the restaurant for breakfast a waiter said “Where do you come from?” We told him. Ever since then he greets us by saying “Hi-ya Scouse”. But today was the last time, because we have been moved to the Forward Restaurant (because of New Zealanders embarking).

Today I went to Cubs, to see if I liked it, and I did. I won’t be able to join until after Auckland. We had a bash at going in the swimming pool because the water wasn’t so rough, but instead it was freezingly frigid! (Mandy says it was warm but she’s fibbing.)

Today in the cinema lounge I saw a documentary film on New Zealand, also on Darwin’s Eisteddfod. It has didgeridoo playing and corroborree dancing by real Aborigines. We bought a track chart of the world for our outward voyage and our inward bound voyage. The nearest land is Rocks Point – off North Island of New Zealand.

When I got up I found that this ship lurched and tossed and rolled much more than the other one did, and I felt as though we were in a gale. The clocks were advanced one hour last night and I was very very tired.

At first I decided not to have breakfast but it was a long time to lunch so I dreamed into the restaurant. We have to have powdered milk in case real milk goes sour (it tastes like water that has seen a ghost!) and it makes the cornflakes horrid.

They filled the swimming-pool today, but the ship was rolling too much to have a swim. At noon we had steamed 468 miles from Sydney, at a speed of 20.2 knots. The nearest land was Lord Howe Island, approximately 221 miles north of us. Dad and I were both sick today and I had taken a pill. I know the ship quite well now.

Mum and Dad woke me up today, at about 6 o’clock in the morning, in the “Roosevelt”, (3 Ward Avenue) Sydney. We are three floors up, (top floor) in a beaut flat. After breakfast we finished the packing. A few minutes later Mr Ratnik knocked on the door. He picked up a case and we followed him downstairs. We put our clobber in the boot and drove off.

As we went along we all felt sad when we thought “we won’t see Sydney again, ever.” We went to one wharf but it was the wrong one, but at last we found it. I could see the “SS Northern Star‘s” funnel with a yellow star painted on, before we got inside the wharf.

We cleared customs and they gave us a free airways bag with Shaw Savill Line printed on it. When we climbed the gangplank a man took our photographs. When we walked onto the ship I saw it had public lifts, and I also noticed it said “children must not use this lift unless accompanied by an adult”.

When we got to our cabin the steward handed us a three pound box of chocolates from the Martins. Then we went on deck to see if we could see Mrs Smith, we did, and by then streamers choked the air. Dad took a photograph of them.

Suddenly the ship’s horn blew and the water swelled, we were off.