Setting off from Belfast

The docks are always a source of fascination for me: all those shapes, those interesting bits of machinery, those blocks of colour. Today the ship's been quiet again, and the crossing largely calm.

The trip takes around 8 hours, and after a while it feels like being in a strange kind of limbo - a bit like being in an airport lounge (though much more comfortable). So we've read books; we've exchanged exasperated comments about Johnson's arrogance, following this week's by-elections; I've done some Greek homework; we've watched gannets and Manx shearwaters skimming over the waves; I've paced around the ship at intervals, to get a little exercise. As I write, we're just coming into Birkenhead now, in the evening sunshine.

Looking forward to being home, and to seeing kids & grandkids tomorrow.