For the first time all trip, two consecutive days at sea. Yesterday there were occasional islands but sat in the sunshine for my morning coffee as we cross the sea between Australia and Papua New Guinea the only thing breaking the monotony of the waves are seabirds, skimming the surface as they follow the swell of the waves.

It promised to be a long slow day, the entertainment bland, the talks of little interest, the day’s film Strictly Ballroom which, although not a bad film, I’ve already seen.

After rocking me gently to sleep, then giving me the same rolling motion when I awoke, the ship had steadied a lot by lunchtime. From the top decks the sea looked like the sea but from a lower angle it was beautiful, rich blue motion with no wind to create white tops or froth, just the constant changing height and blues going from deep to navy.

I went on a hunt to find out about Yorkey’s Knob. I’d never heard of it before boarding the ship, and in a week I’m going to be there. Can I still rainforest, should I barrier reef? The reef will be an expensive choice, so I may go coral viewing in the Conflict Islands instead.

Lunch was a ham sandwich and a discussion between two Australians about the pension system. State pension in Australia seems quite reasonable, except they reduce it if you were stupid enough to save up for your old age.

While we were in Gladstone they’d put up Christmas decorations. A snow scene in the atrium made me laugh, unsure if this was ignorance or cynical feedback for the passengers by one of the Indonesian crew members.

In a moment of comedy I found that one of the games I’d bought in 2015, installed on my tablet but never played, is a WWII naval simulation that lets me recreate the Battle of the Coral Sea. That kept me occupied for much of the afternoon, and I ended up going for an early dinner.

I was sat at a table with six Australians, 19 grand children and a great grandchild between them. They shared videos on their phones. I went for the veggie option, a masala.

Something at the table went for a meatier choice, and took a bite out of my leg. I left the table feeling itchy all over, and not just because the lady sat next to me had been warning me that tomorrow would be mosquito hell and I needed smothering in chemicals to keep them off me or I’d catch malaria.

I’ll risk the malaria.

Back in my room new towel art and a new remote control for the television. I think it’s still the same television but the old remote (which was missing its battery cover) has been replaced with a new one, a different design, a different colour. The new one has a battery cover.

The swells are back, the horizon was at the top of the wall to floor window in the dining room, then a few seconds later at the bottom. I’m not noticing the ship rolling to that extent so it was interesting to see such evidence of the change in angle.

Midnight, tiredness creeps in. Before bed, laundry. Sigh.