Halloooooo out there in realities-ville; here we are, right this moment, in suspended animation in middle of surreal Atlantic Ocean. This is what it looked like driving up to the ship on Sunday. Look how badly the Queen Mary 2 wants to get going! She is straining at those ropes!
She is happy now, doing what she does best; we are steaming right along, through blue sky and sea; making a beeline for home. It’s been hard to get on the internet girlfriends, sorry — that I can get on at all is quite a little miracle, yesterday I couldn’t even get the screen to come up; I think I might not be the only one on this ship doing a blog! But I got up early this morning to beat the traffic, so here I am, and hopefully, here I will stay for a while! It is cozy in our little cocoon this morning; here’s what’s playing on the TV here in the room, very quietly not to wake everyone up; for your morning enjoyment, French music …. they think of everything around here! ♥
Lots of tears saying good bye to England; but it was a gorgeous day to float out to sea. If there is a softer, gentler, more romantic way to travel than aboard an ocean liner like the Queen Mary 2, I can’t think of what it might be! It’s like living in a really good dream!
What a surprise for us to find this special box of chocolates and bottle of champagne waiting in our room . . . if you have time today, and you’re on Twitter, I think it would be a great surprise it you could drop a Tweet to @LisaPageUK and tell her how MUCH we are loving these champagne truffles, how they are melting in our mouth! How we especially love them at breakfast. Tell her we are saving the champagne to toast the Statue of Liberty when the Queen Mary 2 sails gallantly, as I know she will, into New York Harbor on Sunday. ♥
In the meantime we are ensconced and cozy in our little room, with the door open, the salt air is putting us out at night like lights; we are walking the promenade around the ship every day, Petey is happy, we are happy . . . and . . .
Oh dear . . . you know what girls? I hate to disappoint you, but this isn’t working; so far I have uploaded 17 photos, this is all I’ve managed to get to come up, and they are taking forever! I just got up to make another cup of tea and realized I am turning into a nut with this . . . so, see that bed, I am getting back into it! I’m rereading Sense and Sensibility and enjoying it so much, there is no reason I should be fighting city hall!
But, no matter how long it takes, I have to show you one more picture . . . here goes.
Taaa-daaaa, 15 minutes later, I got it!!! People can bring their dogs on the ship, but they have to stay in a kennel. They get to come out twice a day, and this was yesterday. One little bulldog is not happy, look at that face!!! I love it there are animals on board! We took lots of photos of them, but this one sort of broke my heart.
Soon we will be home; I’ll be in my studio with the window open looking out on my picket fence garden and, slowly but surely, the rest of the story will unfold . . . I will tell you, at leisure and with relish, all about going to Jane Austen’s house, Dove Cottage, and all the rest. I will show you Rachel’s beautiful bedroom wallpaper! I will show you the stone cottage at Siobhans! I have a WONDERFUL surprise that I’ve been saving for you . . . wonderful wonderful . . . Have we not had a ball girlfriends? Your comments made it so much fun for me! You are lovely traveling companions . . . I never felt alone the whole time! I’ll see you all back on Martha’s Vineyard; give me a little time for unpacking, let me dip my brush into some watercolors and do some more doodling for the English Diary; I can’t wait to walk out to the opening on the pond, roll around with Jack and Girl Kitty a little bit, cook something pub-ish in my own kitchen; have tea with my girlfriends, hear the screen door slam a couple of times. K, g’night girlfriends, back to the adventures of the Dashwood girls and that handsome Mr. Willoughby who feels that Elinor is “using him unkindly.” I think not! ♥