Wednesday 25^th October, 2017 2245

Oh God.

Late last night I was for some reason delving into my videos and I came across unnamed ones without pictures that the computer could not open. Obviously they were not supposed to be there and so I deleted them all. Good move?

Hardly. They were all my BBC downloads.

Half an hour before my lights out I suddenly noticed iPlayer was downloading shedloads of programmes! Worse, by then I was back to having to go via LA. Worse still, only one programme completed downloading by the time I really had to throw in the towel.

It meant a solitary lunch break today with just one hour of anything to watch. Except it didn't. I got 20 minutes and was then presented with the infamous green screen. Not happy.

I can only assume this is Auntie detecting and running interference. Instead I devoted my time to typing out emendments to the subtitles on Wild Goose. I have one final page of six to type in order to complete the task now. It was a long day.

As Congress closed and Xi completed his elevation to Deity status, connecting to the UK was impossible but a little earlier than now I managed to plug into London and re-download some of the shows which didn't work. Hopefully they will now.

Pat sent off the repayment for the loan but as the recipient is in the process of changing their mobile phone they have yet to receive text notification. I pray the money is not now locked immobile in the labyrinth that is the Chinese banking system.

She has also been ordering my Taobao shopping and wait for it – there is a problem with OXO cubes.

Oh they have them all right but before they can be sent the vendor needs a copy of someone's ID for customs!!!!

I told Pat just to send hers, what we are ordering is not drugs, simply cooking ingredients. I seem to recall Joan having the same problem with something else and I told her to find another seller. I have a feeling the vendor has no idea about procedure. I am importing nothing. Whatever I am buying he already did. Visions of snorting lines of powdered OXO cubes spring to mind and if anyone can tell me that it makes you do anything other than sneeze, please let me know!

The English majors, after initially giving me hope, are now disappointing in that they are turning out to be reticent and requiring hard work and much exhorting on my part. I will not tolerate it much longer but in keeping with the ethos of Western Wednesdays I will use them as an inducement to receive an invitation and so with luck see more enthusiasm.

There is a girl in Pat's class who sits at the front and always tries. I asked her name in the break and to my embarrassment I have forgotten it but she will be invited to the next one along with Pat, who earns her place anyway for being my helper in all things.

I also need to involve Alice whenever I can because she has shown herself to be keen to help. The problem I have is the time, money and effort in preparing first-class meals.......