The ups and downs of life at sea (literally)

There's a hugely under-rated advantage about the wonderful thing called the land - it doesn't wobble up and down all the time and make you feel nauseous.

We've just made port in Tenerife and I was so glad to see the island that I rushed out and hugged the ground. 

Yes, I've been suffering seasickness again, and it's been horrid squared, plus some more horrid thrown in, with a bit of added yuk. 

Anyhow, I'm feeling better now, so 'tis time for a quick update on the Hall at sea saga -

Lectures three and four are done, and with differing degrees of success and enjoyment.

Lecture three in my MURDER acronym was Reality.  I talked about the truth of crime, its dreadful impact on victims (including my experiences of being sent into London to cover the 7/7 terrorist attacks), and that strange contradiction - people are horrified by crime, yet also fascinated.

Part of it was heavy going, but I don't think you can talk honestly about crime without that.  Still, we also found some much-needed lightness in the lecture, about the reality of broadcasting and how it can make for embarrassing moments.  And yes indeed, I have plenty of anecdotes in that department.

Yesterday's lecture was D, for Detectives.  Despite being dosed up with tablets, I was feeling sick throughout, which made for less energy and digressions than usual. 

For once, I stuck fairly closely to a script, and managed to get through.  I know the audience enjoyed it, as they were kind enough to say so, but it was a tricky one for me as I felt lacklustre.  At least I got by.

And didn't achieve the memorable accolade that I feared - of having to dash out of the theatre and make for the toilets in mid flow.

Today it's ashore in Tenerife, then the start of the long haul home.  Two more lectures to do, my E and R, more on those later. 

I'm looking forward to getting back, if not the rough seas which may lay ahead, and a wondering what I'll find in Exeter after all the flooding.  What a time to be away from home.

I know the passengers are playing along with my lectures and games, because I've now had four riddles from them, left stuck to my cabin door.  I suppose it's their form of revenge!

I'm still going to the gym when I feel up to it, like a good boy.  Captain Robert, alongside me on a weights machine, said he wanted to come to a lecture to see how I did it.  To which I replied - that was odd, because I wanted to pop into the bridge to see how he steered the ship.

He didn't laugh.

The worst part about all about the seasickness was that I missed the Elvis karaoke night.  And I was all ready to go with my version of In The Ghetto.

Perhaps there's an upside to seasickness after all...