My eldest daughter was asking about cruising she wanted to know what was included in the cost and such so I am writing this for her.

I feel cruising is great value for money generally speaking, on board you don’t use cash to pay for stuff it gets charged to your cruise card and you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

What is included in the price of the cruise is accommodation, your meals and entertainment, there are movies shown each night and again during the day, not really old movies either but pretty recent movies on this cruise Tim has seen the movies, Passengers, Hidden Figures and Jurassic World. There are about 6 pools onboard and there are other shows on in the theatre each night and talks during the days, there is a casino onboard. You can fill your day with stuff or do nothing but lay by a pool soaking up the sun or you can read many people spend a lot of time reading onboard.

There is a TV in your cabin with TV shows and movies shown all the time, there are some bars opened 24 hours as well.

However, drinks are not included in the price so it is worth while investing in getting a drinks package, the all inclusive package is about $59-76 per day per person and it may seem a lot but when you take into account that cocktails up to the cost of $14 are included as well as beer, spirits and soft drinks, as well as coffee and hot chocolate it is good value. On our first cruise there wasn’t a drink package and we spent close to $1800 on drinks for the cruise. You can also get a soft drink package which is what Tim got for me for this cruise which is only between $7-9 per day and covers soft drinks, and mocktails, and coffees and hot chocolates. I strongly suggest if you are going on a cruise get a drinks package. You can drink as much as you wish if you have a drinks package, you are not limited to $59 or $76 worth of drinks it is as much as you wish to drink during the day.

There is plenty of food included, yes there are some speciality restaurants that cost extra but we don’t bother with them on this cruise the buffet is great we are all pleased with it and the variety of food available. There are also restaurants where you are seated and waited on, although Tim and dad prefer the buffet, mum and I like the idea of being waited on at the end of the day but we are compromising.

Most nights you dress casually although there are formal nights but we also don’t worry about those nights as getting dressed up isn’t something we can generally be bothered with.

Here we are at the end of another day, today has been a sea day as will tomorrow be, this morning after breakfast we all went to the shops on deck five and mum & dad bought grog for Dave and Sandra and Tim bought 3 bottle of Vodka and I got one bottle of Southern Comfort all duty free and will be delivered to our cabin the night before we disembark.

Tim wondered through a shopping display and bought himself a watch and a couple of other things, then mum and I went to a talk about Papua New Guinea which was a little boring and I could tell mum wasn’t interested so we left and went to lunch.

After lunch we went back to the shops and mum bought a few more things for people I, however, have not bought anything yet then we sat and listen to some musicians for a bit but mum and I got a headache so we returned to our cabins.

I was writing a post about Brisbane when Tim turned up to change his clothes as he was getting hot.

Been and had dinner, it was formal night tonight and Tim looked really good he changed from his shorts to trousers, button up shirt and dinner jacket, he doesn’t often get dressed up and he did look nice, I changed from leggings into nice black slacks.

I just took my night time medication and one tablet got stuck in my throat and I coughed and coughed and managed to dislodge it and bring it up but now I am shaking and have broken out in a sweat.

Ok that is all for this post until tomorrow take care all and hope all are well………………………………

Well hello all here we are at the end of another day, a day spent really doing nothing but chatting and talking, although Tim and dad went ashore and had a wonder around Brisbane with dad returning exhausted from the trip, neither mum nor I felt like going ashore.

I had a nap after lunch while Tim downloaded photos from his camera to the computer but even though I was laying down I could hear Tim complain that the laptop wouldn’t play the video clips he recorded I said I would l have a look at it but not right then as it took me a while to get comfortable and I wasn’t moving.

I am pretty much over my cold but seems like I gave it to my brother as he was telling mum he had a cold when she spoke to him at lunch time, being in Brisbane meant we had service while out on deck and in the Horizons Court food area.

At breakfast my sister Sandra rang and told mum she was sorry she burnt one of mums nightgowns while she was sleeping over there last night, she had put on a small light mum has in one of her cupboards near her bed and got up went and had a smoke and went to the toilet and she started to smell something burning and when she went into mums room the nightgown was burning, bloody good thing she didn’t burn the house down.

Before we left I sent Sandra a message asking if she helped mum pack could make sure mum had outfits that matched, as sometimes mums fashion sense isn’t all that cracked up and she wears item that I feel clash and I told Sandra not to tell mum, well today mum was telling me that Sandra told her about the message and that I hadn’t wanted mum to know what I said. Mum and I had a good laugh about it, she also said making sure she packed outfits that matched didn’t mean she would wear outfits that matched……………

I am writing this in the afternoon while mum and dad have a rest, mum wasn’t feel great and dad was exhausted from his morning trip to Brisbane. I told mum to ring me when she wants to go to dinner and to just take her time and rest for a while.

Tim came down to get his phone, I am saying down, I don’t know why though as we are on deck 14 near the top of the ship, anyway he came and got his phone and he had this drink with him which he gave me a taste of and I can tell you it was disgusting, had to have some water to get rid of the taste. He is trying new drinks out while we are here because why not but I am still annoyed that he only got the grog drink package for himself because he has realised we can’t share it and we are often not together and when we are he doesn’t want soft drinks he wants grog so I am not happy and he knows it, well I think he knows it.

Well here we are at day two of our cruise, last night saw me in so much pain from sitting and walking and standing and you know moving and not moving, after dinner which wasn’t much wasn’t hungry I returned to my cabin and had a hot shower and then wanted to sit in bed and read but I was in far too much pain.

Although because mum had the walker we didn’t have to wait in any long lines at check in and going through customs. Mum had to be patted down as she set of the metal detectors due to the pins and plate in her arm and there was an issue with Tim having the two way radios but that was ok. Dad had an issue with his multi purpose tool because it has a knife in it, the security guy was going to confiscate it but I was standing next to him when he asked who it belonged to and I pointed to dad and said the old man there with the hat on he looked at dad, said the old man, oh well it will be ok. If it belonged to a young man I reckon it would have been confiscated but because it belonged to an old man it was ok.

When I went to bed last night, I laid down at first on my left side for a bit but had to go to the toilet after 15 or 20 minutes, then I laid on my back and didn’t move for a long time till the pain subsided. This morning I have been ok pain wise didn’t take my cane to breakfast as didn’t feel like I needed it.

Yesterday I walked to the dinning area and so did mum there and back at lunch and also to the emergency drill but when we went to dinner I pushed mum on her walker and that was so much better for both mum and myself.

So I started this in the morning and it is now 6.45pm and I am just returning to the cabin after a full day out doing nothing much, checking out shops and just sitting and watching the ocean for a while.

Tonight we had dinner in the Bernini restaurant on deck 5 and it was nice to sit and be waited on for a change, the chicken dish I had was really nice followed by ice cream with chocolate topping now I am in for the night and Tim is going to watch a movie on the big screen outside near the pool.

Ok this maybe my last post till the 20^th as tomorrow is cruise day, yes we are leaving on a 15 day cruise this time we are going to Papua New Guinea again we are going with my parents and I can tell you I am super excited about the cruise.

This morning has been spent packing and washing and of course it is raining so the washing had to go into the dryer but that is ok at least we have a clothes dryer. This time our cabin is next to mum & dad’s cabin and we got interior cabins so no window to look out but I feel that should be ok as we are usually only in a cabin for sleeping.

Tim has just said we are going to the club for lunch so I just had to get shoes on and change my top this I expect is because we have very little food left in the house, but that is ok I like the idea of having lunch at the club.

I am still in a fair amount of pain and last night I had a shocking nights sleep, kept waking up having difficulty breathing due to having this rotten cold, I asked Tim to get cold tablets when he took Leo to school which he did but not the good stuff that you have to ask the chemist for but at least he tried but if it was him who had the cold he would be somewhat pissed off if I didn’t get the good cold tablets.

Yesterday afternoon Tim picked Leo up from school on the motorbike which really made Leo happy and this morning he drove him to school on the motorbike but this afternoon we will have to get him in the car because of the rain.

Well I started this earlier this morning and now it is 4.30pm so I will post this, I will do some updates on Facebook but don’t think I will be posting here but we will see.

Hello everyone, here we are at Tuesday afternoon and guess what I have a bloody cold it is really annoying, I had a 2hr nap after taking some cold tablets because Tim picked Leo up from school, this made Leo really happy as he picked him up on the motorbike.

Anyway since it is Tuesday it is history Tuesday and what to write about after thinking I decided on this post about Zouave. During the American Civil War there were men in the Zouave uniform fighting.

Zouave? What is that you asked, well let me tell you……………………………………..

Well, it all starts in North Africa…

Makes total sense, right?

The Zouaves originated in the 1830s in North Africa. They were recruited from the Zouaoua (a Berber tribe) and became one of the most elite fighting units in the French Army of Algeria.

They were not only known for their fighting qualities, but also for their distinctive and heavily tasseled uniforms. These usually included brightly coloured, baggy pantaloons and bright turbans and fez hats.

So there were a bunch of North African tribesmen wearing crazy uniforms fighting in the American Civil War?

Not quite…

Actually, this is what happened. The Zouave fighters became well known around the world and it became popular for militia units around the world to try to emulate their outlandish uniforms. The volunteer units raised for the Civil War were no exception…

Early in the war, when almost everyone (on both sides) thought it would be nothing more than a quick adventure, volunteer militias devised uniforms that they thought would make them look very “grand” as they heroically marched off to battle. For many units, in both the north and south, this meant dressing like the famous Zouave fighters from North Africa.

The uniform above was worn by a soldier in a Union Zouave regiment from New York.

During the Civil War, many of the Zouave units adopted fighting styles more closely related to that of the North African fighters than to traditional infantry warfare. This often included a preference for light infantry style open formations, prone firing and reloading, and movement at double time rather than regular marching.

As the war wore on and militia units became part of the regular armies, many Zouave units began to disappear. This was due in a large part to the fact that the elaborate uniforms were very expensive to make. Although some Union regiments were issued Zouave uniforms in recognition of battlefield performance, many Zouave units disappeared as they were forced to adopt regular army uniforms.

Without a doubt, the Zouave Civil War uniforms were some of the most colourful, but they are not the only uniforms with interesting stories behind them………………but they will do for this post………….

Well here we are at another Monday, and what a busy Monday it has been in way of appointments first up went to the doctor about hip pain he referred me for an X-ray so next stop the X-ray place then home for a bit.

However, while at the X-ray place my mobile phone kept ringing in the end I answered it but knew what the call was about before I answered as all the ringing made me remember that Leo didn’t have his medication before we left for school and yeah it was his mum ringing to see if he had it as the school rang her when I didn’t answer.

I then came home for a bit till it was time to go to the podiatrist for my diabetic foot check now I am home for a bit till I go to get Leo from school.

Pain has been sitting at a 7 when I walk and a 2 or 3 when I am seated doing nothing, I have managed to hang Natasha’s washing on the line.

So being Monday means it is did you know Monday………………………………..

You can’t catch a cold by sitting inn a draught, the change in temperature may bring on a temporary condition called vasometer rhinitis, which causes swelling in the tiny blood vessels in the mucus membrane linings of your nose and give you a runny nose, but it is not a cold.

A cold is a virus, just saying.

Good afternoon all here we are at 1.45pm on Friday afternoon been a pretty good day after a not so good Thursday night so here is this weeks five things.

Crying please make the pain stop

Taking 10 minutes to get off the toilet

Walking to lounge room with knickers around my knees

Phone call to Jessica for help

Jessica coming and pulling up my knickers and then putting me to bed

These things happened to me last night around 6.15pm, I was in bed and asleep by around 7pm today I have been much better slept in till 6.45am this morning and the day has been pretty good.

Today it is bloody cold here, Leo slept in this morning didn’t get up till 7.55am and we left here at 8.10am to take him to school yesterday being the first day of the school term Leo was asking from the time he got here how soon could he go to school, when I asked him how his day was when I picked him up he said great.

Now for this weeks did you know………………………..

The French eat more cheese than any other country in the world…………………………….

I can tell that I like my cheese, as does Tim my youngest daughter Jessica isn’t a fan of cheese unless she is having a cheeseburger or cheese pizza the girl is strange.

Hello everyone, today is the first day of the second school term of the year, I had to go and get Leo this morning as Jessica has no fuel and no money for fuel till this afternoon, since I was up anyway it wasn’t a bother to go get him.

Natasha rang while I was having breakfast and wanted to know if her dad was home, he was and as he was sitting next to me I passed the phone over, she had a flat tyre and needed him to go and change it, which he did because that is what fathers do.

Anyway since it is day one of term two I thought I will talk a little about school down under. Our school year runs from January to December and is broken up into 4 school terms, each term is roughly 10 weeks long. The school day is generally from 9am to 3pm but some schools have earlier starts at different times usually that happens with high schools.

Of course education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 & 17, our schools are broken up into generally speaking primary school and high school, students attend primary from kindergarten to year six and high school from year seven to year twelve.

A number of years back it was introduced that all students she attend school till the end of year 12, when I was at school and when my girls were at school you could leave after year 10 or when you turned 15. I left after year 10 as there was no way I was smart enough to go on to years 11 & 12, Tim left school halfway through year 8 when he got a job and both Kathy and Jessica left school as soon as they were old enough to leave. Natasha stayed till she was asked to leave which was half way through year 11.

Then there is tertiary education at universities or colleges or you can go to tafe if you wish and there is also vocational and training programmes.

We have public (government) schools and private schools with regulation and funding of education being the primary responsibility of the States and Territories but the Federal Government also plays a funding role as well.

Around 60% of all students attend public schools with the other 40% attending private or independent schools. All but one of Australia’s 43 universities are public and the student fees are subsidised through a student loan program where the payment becomes due when graduates reach a certain level of income.

There are also many online tertiary options including doing tafe online, this is popular with people who work and study at night or on weekends, although there are many Tafe courses held at night as well. My youngest daughter attends Tafe three nights a week, which is why we have Leo three nights a week.

Even though school fees are voluntary if you attend a public school there is still a lot of out lay for parents with equipment or book packs stationary items and of course excursions and now there is the added cost of a laptop once your child hits year 5 they are expected to have a laptop to use this can be bought through the school or you can bought elsewhere but can’t be just any laptop has to be a certain type with certain programmes and is generally kept at school.

When I was at school the government supplied everything as in books and pencils and rulers but not any more, also the back to school bonus which was around for many years is gone so really no bloody help from the government with the cost of school now days.