Wednesday 11^th July, 2018 1845

It was a fitful night last night, no matter what position I was in bed the pain never abated, it hasn't done that before. When I got up this morning everything hurt just as it did a fortnight ago.

It is so strange though, for right now there is light at the end of the underground. When the time came to go out for my drinks and get some barbecue sticks for my dinner, I was able to move twice as fast as previously and not once did I have to pause. Even when I got back home I didn't have to collapse onto my chair.

Hopefully tomorrow morning my words won't come back to bite me but right now it seems as if the next milestone is getting to the shop and back without a crutch. The sooner the better, my personal shoppers will be leaving to go home by Friday and I will want to be able to get to BHG by myself. Whilst the market stalls can provide the basics for meals, it would be akin to subsisting using food from a corner shop instead of Tesco – limited.

Talking of going home, Alice asked if she could go home on the 24^th of next month. There is a family gathering. That will give her just the one night in Shanghai. Disappointing certainly but I know she hasn't seen her family for a fair while so I cannot begrudge her that. Anyway, to be honest Shanghai for me is pure drinking interspersed with the odd bit of food so she may have been bored.

Friday 13^th 1900

Although if you saw me getting out of bed in the mornings you wouldn't believe it, I seem to be progressing in leaps and bounds. Without wishing to jinx myself I reckon in possibly three days I may be able to limp to the jing jo shop unaided. I could have done that tonight but I think I would have been aching for hours afterwards. I am getting there.

After three weeks mostly stuck indoors, I am so looking forward to being able to get on a bus to hunt for cigars or whatever or simply even for a change of scenery. On the plus side though, I am at present only spending the absolute minimum for my comfort.

And no, I will not blether on about the World Cup, we lost the best chance we have ever had since we actually won it and although I will watch on Saturday and Sunday, that is the last football I will take an interest in until four years time.

Lanzhou Alice called me earlier to let me know she was leaving to go home for her summer holiday and to wish me a good time on my own holiday. Such a sweet thing to do. Life would have been difficult without her and Andy doing my shopping and whilst I am grateful I feel no guilt, she comes every week for a meal (he's been twice now) and he earns 50\ a week from me for basically cleaning the floors and dusting. When you do things for others you don't expect anything in return – or to need anyhing in return – but if the time comes when you do then you can make withdrawals from the Bank of Goodwill.