Good Sunday morning to my dear readers! "Right on time" applies to yesterday: I was inputting my blog when at 3:30pm there was an announcement that the Red Arrows would fly over the Queen Mary 2 at 4:15 on their way to Belfast. I finished up, went to get Chuck and we went upstairs with glasses of wine to await the fly over. There were very few people on the upper decks as many were in the second concert at the Cathedral, and many were on shore. I had wanted to get back to the ship after the concert as I was so FULL of the grandeur and pomp, that I wanted to be quiet and savor it! We sat on loungers and chatted with an American couple and said, "I wonder if they are coming," suddenly an English lady shouted "There they are" and indeed, right on time at 4:15 the Red Arrows flew over us with red, white and blue streaming from their tails!!!! I was able to snap 4 pictures. How grand! "Right on time" the lady said, "they are English!" The amazing did not stop as we had a lovely sip of champagne in the Chart Room bar (we finished the anniversary bottle of Veuve Cliquot) and we listened to a harpist play music including Canon in D major… then we went to a grand dinner. Our table mates are American. A lovely couple from South Carolina, both French teachers who live 1/2 the year in Paris, and another from Springfield Missouri, a Korean veteran Marine who became a lawyer and his wife. They now live in Florida. It was Don’s (the Marine) birthday (the 4th of July: he said he always thought the fireworks were for him!) The waiters brought him cake and sang happy birthday, then a waiter with a fine tenor voice sang him an a capella happy birthday that was breath taking. Off we went upstairs to deck 12 to the party …. we leaned on the railing watching the pier fill with citizens who were there to watch the Queen Mary sail off just as the Brittania sailed off for Halifax 175 years ago. Below us on deck 8 were revellers and a band… The sun set about 10pm and the fireworks that followed, while they were for the 175 anniversary, were also for the 4th of July, as Hail Brittania was mixed with New Orleans Jazz and our National Anthem. We waved American flags and sang and celebrated. We met another couple from northern Scotland and we will tour Halifax with them. When we got to our cabin, the daily news said to turn our clocks back… so we did as dutiful little cruisers, but that was for tonight, so I got up to go to morning Mass this morning at 8:30, but it was already over! 8:30 is really 9:30 and I will now go get Chuck to tell him he just lost an hour and it is breakfast time. I haven’t been outside yet, but an American couple told me it is cold and windy and a British couple told me it is brisk. You choose. I’m going to try to go swimming in the pavillion pool with my new Scottish friend Margaret. I am sure she will love the temperature! Happy Sunday and God bless you.
Categories