CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN:
Hello all of you,
This is your captain speaking.
Welcome onboard Perky Busy Bee ocean liner.Once again thank you for choosing to cruise with us, and we hope you will enjoy a fairly smooth sailing.
Since we last cast off, we have had quite a few stopovers and offshore breaks.Some were given an enthusiastic reception, others got mixed views.
Quite normal as there is no accounting for taste.
Anyway,to keepyou happy and to improve your ways of enjoying time at the ports of call, some weeks ago we launched a kind of survey.I mean, all sailed and sailing guests who had provided us with their email address, received an invitation to participate in an online satisfaction survey.
First of all thanks a million for all your answers.We appreciate your help . The feedback we have gathered is pretty interesting,even though sometimes a bit puzzling, not to say jaw-dropping...
No wonder, as you, my dear passengers on Perky Busy Bee, come from all walks of life.
Yet, there is one thing you have in common : a good sense of humour !
You all agree that life is sometimes rather dull and with all the gloom and doom you get blasted with everyday, what matters during our weekly stopovers is to have fun and laughter !
No wonder, as you, my dear passengers on Perky Busy Bee, come from all walks of life.
Yet, there is one thing you have in common : a good sense of humour !
You all agree that life is sometimes rather dull and with all the gloom and doom you get blasted with everyday, what matters during our weekly stopovers is to have fun and laughter !
I guess you feel good at making fun of me, don't you ? In a friendly way,of course, but my absent-mindedness, my blunders and the pranks I am played on often trigger smiles and giggles.
Come on, don't play the fool ! I know seafarers had great fun watching me swim offshore in murky waters in ' Woman overboard '(chapter 65).
And what about you, geeks ?
My fear of suffering from FOMO in 'Lost in abbreviations ' (chapter 62)put a smile on your face, didn't it ?
Not to be outdone, the fearless and cold-blooded passengers, after visiting 'Thrill seeker ' (chapter 57) sent me tips to overcome my fright of brooms ! Shame on you,mocking guys !!
Don't get me wrong : I do enjoy all that wholeheartedly !!
But,just a while ago, I told you that some feedback was jaw-dropping,and then, I owe you an explanation.
' Hunting season '(chapter 68) caused a general outcry among anti hunters and animal welfare defenders !
I am awfully sorry because I really did not mean to hurt you. That was a terrible misunderstanding !
You have been sailing on Perky Busy Bee long enough to know that as an animal-lover I am second to none !
So, forget about it !
Anyway,it takes all kinds, but, actually, after reading all your answers thoroughly, there is a no-brainer :
whatever your pet-hobbies, your pet-hates, your country and your mother-tongue, there is a topic that always bring you all together on the gangway, ready for a shore excursion : food !
So, no more time to be lost : let's set foot on dry land and enjoy a meal at ' What's next ? ' restaurant !
The summer I was expecting my son, Dearhubby and I went on holidays in Auvergne (a volcanic region in the heart of France).
The village was in the middle of nowhere(we were already die-hard fans of such places),but the hotel where we had booked full-board was just awesome !
Green holidays were not trendy yet, and we were just two couples in the hotel.
So, no need to tell you the owners simply spoiled us.
The lady(in charge of the meals) made a point of treating us with all her region delicious foods. By the way, have you ever tasted aligot ? It is a specialty to die for ! If you don't know that dish,have a go !
The weather was gorgeous, the countryside breathtaking so what else ?We could have spent the rest of our lives there,but unfortunately all good things come to an end ...
For our last dinner, the lady was to prepare what she had called ' an unforgettable meal ', and it was ....
So, there we were, sitting in the dining-room, waiting for our mouth-watering treat.
When she brought the starter and served it proudly, Dearhubby and myself pretended to marvel at it,but once she had gone back to the kitchen, we begged the other couple to do us a favour and have a double portion of quails with chestnuts and raisins !
Eating poor little birdies ? No way for the two animal-lovers we were !
The two other guests accepted our offer heartily !!
They ate all out and then, we started waiting for our hostess to bring the main course.
We were getting hungry,and soon the breadbasket was empty. We had eaten the last little crumb and the hands of the dining-room clock were going on their own sweet way : ticktoc, ticktoc, ...
We had chatted casually with our ' bird-eaters ', and then a kind of hush had fallen onto the room.
The only noise to be heard was the rumbling of two empty stomachs !
The clock struck 10 and we were just feeling like the passengers on the Titanic, except that our captain could not be seen anywhere !
We had to make it clear.
A raid into the kitchen was imperative !
Armed with our forks and knives, we flung the door of the chef's den open to find the place empty(like our stomachs) and messy (like our ideas after such a fast !).
Suddenly,the washer-up turned up, stared at us and uttered :
"What are you doing here ? "
Dearhubby answered a bit angrily :
" Well, investigating the disappearance of the main course ! ".
"OMG", the young man said , " the boss has received a phone-call from her son-in-law. He is on a business trip and his wife has delivered a baby boy one month earlier than expected. My boss must have forgotten you, cause she has immediately rushed to the hospital not to leave the mummy and the new born alone ! ".
Jeez !!! I was about to faint !! I was so hungry, I could have eaten a horse !
I was staring at the fridge so hungrily , as if it was Aladdin's cave, that the washer-up opened it and said :
" Help yourselves ! "
No sooner said than done .
We went on a binge eating, and since then ham , sausages and cheese from Auvergne are no secret to me !!
That's all for this week !
Enjoy your reading and don't forget : be perky !!
