Saturday 31 March 2012

Balmoral Fred Olsen 9-30th March 2012

What a busy time it’s been since I came home from Australia, I did have some quality time at home and we managed to do loads, Sam is such a joy, such a lovely boy and I have so enjoyed my time with him and of course my wife Marie. During my time at home I decided to go on a diet, well more of a weight loss programme really, focusing on life style rather than quick fix diets, it’s called Lighter Life, my mate Owen Money has lost 5 stone on it, I have so far lost a stone and a half so doing well, I have stopped drinking alcohol, stopped sugar, bread, pasta and all those lovely things I used to crave, take away’s another downfall, but do you what, I don’t feel like I’m on a diet at all, I have a shake for breakfast, soup for lunch or a mix style shepherds pie or chili con carne or a curry, a bar for afternoon tea and a meal at night that you cook yourself and let me tell you I am eating well, anyway, no big deal but I looked at myself on the QM2 and didn’t like what I saw so I am doing something about it.



I had quite a few shows to do during my time at home, Theatr’ Brychieniog Brecon was a good one with the added bonus of having my son Tom lighting the show, as was Porthcawl Pavilion Theatre a great night and a 100% sell out, the Swansea Grand Theatre was a wonderful night, a special night as it was St. David’s Day so I shared the stage with a lot of very talented young people, my dear friend Llinos Daniel was terrific as were the four young ladies I am trying to mentor at the moment “Lase” who are four sisters who sing beautifully, I predict big things for them, also my dear pal and fab actor Phyl Harries who compared the evening brilliantly, there were lots of schools performing some wonderful stuff, I did a piece with the students of Gower Collage Swansea and my musical director Michael Morwood also worked on that and it was a big hit with the audience, I had a 25min slot and it went by so very fast but on the whole the night went great. We also took our show to Neath Workingmen’s Club for a charity night for “Help The Hero’s” and I had a very pleasant surprise that night as another old mate of mine Diane Cousins came to see me and she has been so terribly ill, so thank you Di it was lovely to see you.



I was also part of another great event called “Taffyfest” at the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd, another great night indeed, with my band and again some hugely talented youngster’s, I invited Llinos Daniel to perform and she did a tip top job for sure also my girls “Lase” who wowed the crowd with there superb singing, also harpist and singer Bethan Nia did an amazing job.



Life at home was lovely, we had mother –in-law Julia staying with us so a kind of a house full, which I like.



I had another day at the Real Radio Studio recording more Trade Centre Wales Ads so listen out for them also some massive savings on all the cars if you are looking to buy something.



Another a bit a news, I have not been back to the Swansea Grand Theatre for Pantomime in 5 years, I had 4 happy years with the Owen Money Theatre Company and last year I took the Panto off and it was a lovely experience to have a proper Christmas with my family, however, this year I am back at the Grand Theatre Swansea playing (wait for it) Ugly Sister alongside my old pal who I have done many panto’s in the past, Kevin Johns and Chico is top of the bill! It will be a very different part to play and although I’m very nervous about doing this, I am looking forward to it and taking the learning proses to a whole new level. Am I now to look forward to becoming a Pantomime Dame? Time will tell. I want to thank Nick Thomas, Jon Conway and Jonathan Kyley of Qdos and Many Ward of Mandy Ward Artiste Management for getting me back into Panto World…see you all there…oh yes I will!



Soon it was time to pack and get ready for another journey to the airport, this time Gatwick and my flight to Rio Brazil, the flight was great, yes I couldn’t believe it, I slept for 7hrs so arrived in Rio refreshed and raring to go until the baggage reclaim, it took 1hr 20mins to get the cases, an hour and 20mins just stood starring at luggage going past on a conveyor belt, I almost expected a cuddly toy to go past. A long coach ride in heavy traffic to the ship and once onboard I began to relax. I bumped into an old pal and brilliant comic John Evans onboard, so we spent a good 4hrs chatting and laughing just like the old days when we were both sailing together on P&O Oriana way back in 1996, I like John he’s a good bloke. I have a beautiful suite, which overlooks the aft swimming pool so I will be happy in here. When I unpacked my case, one of the Lighter Life food packs had burst and now most of my clothes smell of Chicken Soup as the powder had burst out, oh well no problem! I have met the cruise director “Boz” they call him and what a really nice welcome, also onboard is yet another old pal Don Reid who is doing some comedy lectures so I’m looking forward to hearing them, Sarah Chandler a brilliant sax player who once upon a time worked in the main band on P&O Arcadia, she is a lovely girl and a great player, I always knew she would end up doing her own show one day, good on you Sarah, we have an opera singer Anthony Stuart Lloyd on, what a fantastic bass baritone voice he has and he’s welsh…tidy!



We are over night here in Rio tonight, what to do, should I go for a walk and see a bit of Rio, there’s the famous Christ statue, Copacabana Beach, Ipanina Beach, or should I stay onboard and chill, I have been here before on Oriana about 10yrs ago, we’ll see!





I stayed onboard, I had a beautiful meal and then a stroll around the prom deck then bed, watched Kill Bill Vol 1, funny and blood thirsty but I suppose I enjoyed it, we sail tomorrow (10th March) and I have 3 weeks on here, I must stick to my routine now and keep up the weight loss and NO BEER!!!!!



Good Morning once again from Rio! It’s a very hot day around 88c, I didn’t get up this morning until 10am, what a great sleep, you always get a good nights sleep when the ship alongside as there is no movement and even more important no noise. Had my shake for breakfast and then went out and sat around the pool in the baking sunshine. I had my lunch that consisted of a Pea & Smoked Ham Soup from my Lighter Life packs, lovely; no I mean it, really yummy. I have a meeting with the Cruise Director at 3.30pm, an emergency drill at 4.30pm and we sail at 5.50pm and we sail north along the Brazil coast to another exotic port.



I enjoyed our sail away from Rio, it took ages but it was lovely, I have taken some photos but as you can see it went dark quickly so not much to see, but all the same beautiful.




Prince Harry has been here all the while I was here, his car and entourage passed the Balmoral just as we were doing our emergency drill; I hope he gave us a wave!



Good Morning and we are at sea, it’s Sunday today so I’m off to church at 10am and then look at the gym or more sunbathing or work on my show which is coming up in about 5 days time, ah lazy days at sea. On P&O Sunday at sea was a great day, Church followed by coffee with the Captain, then I used to go to the crew bar and have a Sunday afternoon drink with the boys and girls of the crew, I’m the new boy on here so I have to get to know people, lucky for me I have my fellow entertainers for company so not so lonely, it can be a lonely place if you don’t know anyone! See you later!



This afternoon I had the pleasure of watching comedian Don Reid do a lecture on some of the old comics from the 60’s and the 70’s what a lovely way to spend an hour in the company of a great man who is also a very funny comic, he is doing 10 presentations this cruise so he has his work cut out, but do you know what, they love him and it will be a big hit this cruise, well done Don! Tonight’s entertainment is the wonderful Bass Baritone Anthony Stuart Lloyd, he a big chap with a big voice so I’m looking forward to see him later on this evening.



What a fab show last night with Anthony Stuart Lloyd, what a rich chocolate voice, he’s known as the man with the Rolls Royce Voice, I so enjoyed his show as did everyone else, well done Anthony.



I can’t wait to get on that stage myself now, all this waiting is killing me, I have my first show in 4 days time, I need to work now and make my mark so to speak.



Its another sunny day here on Balmoral in the South Atlantic Ocean, I’ve had my strawberry shake and I’m ready for the day ahead, I’m also reading a book I have been looking for, “The Secret” and it’s a very interesting read! Now, to the fresh air and some sun!



Ah lovely, a nice 4hrs in the sun and a nice pork salad for lunch followed by a nice pint of sparkling water and ice, oh yes I know how to live the good life alright! I spent half an hour in the gym, I power walked for a mile and did some sit ups and press-ups, I’m not great in the gym but at least I went today.



I have a blackberry phone so everyday I get to talk to Marie via what they call BBM its like a free text service between blackberry’s so at least we catch up on things.



I’m dying to get on that stage; I still have another 4 nights to wait. Tonight, we have an old friend of mine sax player Sarah Chandler who yesterday had a piece written on her in the Sunday Express all about her cruising on this ship next month remembering the Titanic. I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah tonight as she used to play for me on P&O Arcadia and now has her very own act, can’t wait!



Wow…Sarah Chandler…what a great show she did last night, she really does have that likability factor, which really is the key to going well onstage, she connected with her audience and they loved her, so proud of you Sarah, well done!



Today we are in Salvador in Brazil and the temperature is a cool 35c, it was 30c at 8am. I have had my banana shake this morning and in about 20mins I’m going ashore with the tours manager to take a look around the city, I have heard it can be dangerous out there with pick pockets and muggings but I’m going anyway with my trusty canon G12 and going to take some pictures of this old and interesting city.





I was blown away with the city of Salvador, it is so busy and colorful I have taken loads of pics, take a look!





I enjoyed the company of William the tours manager and also his knowledge of photography so really enjoyed the long walk around a very old city steeped in history.



Good Morning and a day at sea, we are no sailing for Recife once again in Brazil. I woke around 9am only to put the TV on and learn of the awful tragic accident in Switzerland. Those poor kids, what a terrible accident in that tunnel, my thoughts and prayers go out to those poor families who have had this awful news of their children. When you have kids of your own it really hits you hard, I don’t know how I would cope if something ever happened to my boys, I am so sorry to hear of this.



And now some good news…I switched my phone on and had a message from my son Tom, “I got a job” it said, he has only landed a job on the National Tour of Birds of a Feather starting next Thursday at the Wolverhapton Grand Theatre then touring all over the UK until July. I am so very proud of him, well done son.



I can’t be bothered to go out tonight, so it looks like a night in in front of the telly…right then, what’s on!



Today we are in Recife in Brazil and another hot day. I went to the spa for a haircut and the guy there scalped me, shortest haircut ever, I know I haven’t much hair but all the same it’s short, I quite like now though! I am really enjoying my book “The Secret” everyone should go buy it as it’s not a secret, its out there for all to read.



I work tomorrow night and I am looking forward to it!



I spoke to Marie today and she tells me our little Sammy is not so well, he has a temperature of 101 and is feeling pretty down poor chap, he picks things up in school, what can you do? Never mind, he’s in good hands with Nurse Mummy and will soon be on his feet again!



We sailed out of Recife and I took a few pics, nothing great but here they are anyway!




Good Morning and a day at sea for us on Balmoral, I was up at 9am and got straight into sorting my show out for tonight, oh after the first cup of tea of the day of course and the daily Lighter Life Shake that is! I have been on the Blackberry Ping with Ian Parsons and we have some interest from some more Theatres in Wales for the autumn, so it was good to look at that. My son Sam feels a bit better today says Marie so I’m glad to hear that too!




Tonight’s the night then, yes I am finally working, it’s been a week since I boarded this ship and I clearly need to get on that stage and do what I do best, I am looking forward to it and I am up for it too! My rehearsal and sound check is in 50mins time so no doubt I will let you know how all of that went! See you later!



Yes a good band and the sound onstage is good too, all I want now is the audience to like me and we’re away. I have taken a date back at the Swansea Grand for 21st January 2013, I know it’s a Monday night but I do hope as many of you as possible will come out and support me, the panto would have finished by just a week so it’ll be good to get back into a suit and out of the frocks, my goodness I can’t believe I just said that “out of the frocks” what does the future hold?



Tomorrow we are in Fortaleza Brazil and after that we are going up the mighty Amazon River, I am very excited about that.



Ok, see you after the show!



The 8.45pm show couldn’t have gone any better, a full house and a full standing ovation, thank you. Now I have to do the same for the 10.45pm show…see you later!



Oh Thank you Thank you…the late show went great too and always nice to have some welsh people in the audience!



Today we are in Fortaleza in Brazil and its already 32c, I loved doing my show last night and now feel as if I’m part of this cruise. My lips have been so sore due to a cold sore and then burning them in the sun, but today they feel better, sorry I know this is of no interest to you but I write as I feel, if that makes sense!



Well what a day, Wales won the Grand Slam, Swansea won 3-0 against Fulham, and it was St. Patrick’s Day. Anthony Stuart Lloyd sang for us all as we sailed away from port and Pat Shannon gave us a wonderful Irish Show, also we had wonderful singer Suzzie Woods and comic Don Reid who did a marvelous job, what a night on Balmoral!




What a day at sea today, the Captain and his officers were thrown in the pool by King Neptune, ok let me explain, for years now when ships cross the equator a ceremony is put on to mark this happening, so one of the crew dresses up as King Neptune and a few dressed as Pitate’s and if you have never crossed the equator before you are initiated and then thrown into the pool to be cleansed, the poor old Captain was thrown in as an example to all, it is a lot of fun, I was initiated back in 1982, so I was ok and didn’t get wet, here’s some photos of the event taken from my balcony.



This afternoon was quite interesting, as we are about to enter the Amazon for some reason or another the ship had to power down its engines and shut off the electricity and then reset everything including computers, engines, water supply, air conditioning, it was horrible, we all sat sweating like pigs all afternoon, but it had to be done, I have no idea why but that was that, anyway we are on our way again now, I’m sat on my balcony as its like an oven in the cabin, air con not working yet. It was a strange feeling when the ship went dark and with no engines, you got an idea how those poor people on that second Costa ship might have felt, the ship was just floating around with waves slapping up against her, really weird! I feel sorry for the show company tonight as they have a big production show to do in this heat, air con will take hours and hours to come back to the required temperature. Worse things happen at sea, is that the old saying?



Today we are sailing up the mighty Amazon River, it’s hot, sticky, rain about to come down, huge insects, the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my life and the river is a chocolate brown colour. I went to see Don Reid’s comedy talk at 11am and just before that had my sizes taken for the costume department of Qdos, which is for my costumes for panto this year. Anyway, have a look at some of these photos taken in the Amazon, huge bugs!!! (Shiver)!






Good Morning and welcome to Santarem deep in the Amazon, it’s a very hot day and more bugs have come out to play, take a look at this bat I found hanging upside down outside my cabin, also some more huge butterflies or are they enormous moths?




I’m on tonight so my rehearsal was set for 11am and it went without a hitch, we have a good band a good soundman so I’m looking forward to going on tonight. I haven’t done a long cruise like this for a very long time, the last time was on P&O Arcadia which was Acapulco to Southampton and that was a week longer 4 weeks, this is just over 3 weeks and I’m feeling a tad homesick, oh well only 10 nights left to go then I have 3 days at home of which I am working one of them at St. David’s Hall Cardiff with two old pals from Carmarthen Wynne Evans of Go Compare fame and his brother Mark Evans, so that ‘ll be nice to see them, I knew their Mam and Dad very well Dai and Liz who, if we are to be honest, helped an awful lot of young performers from our hometown of Carmarthen. I then fly back to South America and Lima in Peru to join another Fred Olsen ship Black Watch and sail from Lima through the Panama Canal and onto Barbados, and then it’s a family holiday in Tenerife!



I have just over an hour now before I go onstage so it’s a nice hot shower and get ready, see you after the show!



My shows both 8.45pm and 10.45pm went really well, all I have left to do now is an interview onstage in the Theatre tomorrow morning at 11am and then I am to host the Farewell Show the night before I fly home from Madeira.



We left the Amazon this afternoon and we are now heading across the Atlantic to the Cape Verde Islands. I am so looking forward to going home now, I have missed my family very much, I can’t wait to have our little holiday!



My interview/talk went really well, I had a full house and I talked about a lot of personal stuff and the laughs were loud and strong so a happy Doyle today. I had a few pints with Don Reid in the pub afterwards and we really laughed out loud, which is a good thing! Tonight there is an outside show around the pool and as my suite over looks the aft pool my balcony will provide the perfect viewing for the show, so I have invited the entertainers onboard to enjoy the night from my balcony!



Another day at sea, another hot day so I sunbathed and listened to my iPod for a few hours, after lunch I went along to listen to Don Reid’s Comedy lecture and it was brilliant, he’s a really nice man is Don, he gave me a copy of his book and signed it too!



Tonight we have the wonderful Suzzie Wood singing for us so looking forward to that!



Yes…Sussie did a great show, great ending too with “No Regrets” well done good job!



We had Sarah Chandler soon after and bless her she did her show sitting down as she has had a very bad back and had to seek medical treatment whilst here, but what a show, just fantastic!



Today we are at last in Cape Verde, and Gavin Murrey who is a member of the show company called me and we went ashore for lunch, a great day too, we bumped into Geoff and his wife in a bar on the way back to the ship, they are guests from the ship and really lovely people. I rang home and Marie gave me all the news, my Mam and Dad came to stay and Sammy loved seeing his Nanny and Granddad so that must have been nice, other news is my niece Tasha has got an audition with the X Factor so we are all behind her and wish her well. I also had some bad news, my dear Aunty Beryl from Lampeter is not all well, so we are thinking of her and the family at this time too!



I went to see Anthony Stuart Lloyd tonight, absolutely fantastic, what a voice and what an act.



I got myself off to bed only to find it’s another hour forward on the clocks so not such an early night afterwards. I have 3 sleeps left now including tonight s I’ll soon be home, its going to be tough this time at home as I only have two days before I go again and I’m working one of them at St David’s Hall Cardiff, oh boy this is going to hard for us all!



Good Night all!



It’s another beautiful day on the Balmoral as we sail once again over the Atlantic towards Madeira. I had a good walk around deck 7 this morning, I must have done almost a mile, this afternoon we having some fun in the sun with the ships company including the higher officers like the Captain joining in, have a look at these photos of them being thrown in the pool!



I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about going home, I am sure my little boy Sammy will have so much to tell me, as will my eldest Tom with his news of being on tour with “Birds of a Feather” oh my goodness I can’t keep up!



Right then, it’s haircut time!



Last day on Balmoral, this had been a long stint at just over 3 weeks and I am so looking forward to going home. I am on again tonight only this time I am hosting the night, as it’s a Variety Show with all the entertainers that have been on this leg of the world cruise.



Great 2 shows last night, everyone did a fab job and the crowd loved it too!



Today we are in Madeira and I fly home tonight at 6pm and arrive Gatwick 9.20pm, so I should be home around midnight, Billy from www.executivecarswales.com is picking me up!



I am so looking forward to going home!

Thursday 8 March 2012

A Day Out In Cardiff Bay

I enjoyed a lovely day out with Marie and Sam in Cardiff Bay. Wales has some beautiful sights as well!!










Saturday 3 March 2012

Taffyfest Muni Pontypridd March 3rd 2012

Had a great night at Taffyfest last night at The Muni in Pontypridd
have a listen to my special guests Lase - look out for them!!!