Tuesday 23rd February, 2016                      0120

Ok I am getting there with the body clock thing. I am a bit tired and won’t be long before calling it a night.

Alice and Jenny came and boiled their dumplings although halfway through the gas bottle finally gave up the ghost. Since Pepsi died the gas has lasted forever seeing as I now have the cats on a biscuit-only diet. I do though keep a spare bottle so within a few minutes cooking resumed. Do I pay for a refill, that is the question even though I will be reimbursed in the summer?

If only they had sent me a message earlier, I have loads of Bolognese frozen and I could have heated that for them if I had defrosted it. Never mind, they sat through an episode of Traffic Cops (UK) and I think were amazed at the fact British police chase cars for such trivial things as being on the phone, shoplifting etc. It opened their eyes I hope as to why occasionally I do get just a tad heated here.

They asked me if I had Downton Abbey. No, never seen it, why? We can’t get series 6 in China yet and we love it. I said I thought it was on ITV and I couldn’t download it (anyway I am not interested as by all accounts it is a remake of upstairs/downstairs) but after the police thing had finished I said wait a minute and I will see if I can play it. They don’t have the secret weapon to climb the Great Firewall. It seems to be on YouTube so now I can expect I think eight visits for them to follow on from series 5.

Their presence this evening however unnerved Lottie; if she ever had nerves, she is the most awful, vindictive cat I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Were it not for the fact Katrina my student years ago hadn’t begged me to look after her she would have been evicted long ago. She used to piss on my bed in the old flat and even now and with a fresh litter tray still pees on my bathroom floor. Thank heaven for small mercies.

Anyway all five were on top of the fridge and the two girls were giving Tigger, Pooh and Bristle attention. I walked past and got hissed at and it could only have come from one source so I I wagged my finger at Lottie. The bitch clawed my hand from nearly a foot away! Luckily no blood was drawn (nearly though) but bugger me, she got me right between the fingers where the knuckles end and it damned well hurt. If they had psycho hospitals for cats I would take her and leave her in one.

Of course, the girls wanted to leave only when I fed Mum. I explained that she might not be around given that students are coming back and food will be there for the taking but they insisted. Fine. They even asked where the bloodstains had come from and I explained.

Well Mum was only in the grass outside and came in the moment she heard me coming. She is becoming mine. They so wanted to see her yet being Chinese they shit themselves a little when she came in. I don’t think they realised she was so big. And boisterous even with a bad leg. Oh she is so lucky you feed her! No that finishes tonight with a pot full of pork and their left over dumplings, tomorrow she finds whatever she can. Neither of them dared to stroke her though and I find it sad that the Chinese are frightened of such dogs - puppies even - and although there are many feral ones (Mum is) she is the most good natured dog to everyone I have ever met. Most dogs are great with their family, not all are welcoming of outsiders but as Mum has no family she treats everyone as family, which is why if the dog catchers ever got her I would be incandescent.

Anna never came for the shower she said she wanted.

Later I sent Joan a message to wish her a safe trip back and when would I see her tomorrow. She never found cheese (no matter, I need that plus litter and cat  food online anyway urgently) but she confessed to doing something stupid.

Someone taught me once:

Measure twice, cut once.

Well Joan hopefully just learnt that one. She bought her return train ticket for the 22nd . Alright, January. She found out when she got to the station and I assume she couldn’t get a refund. Naturally she had to buy a standing ticket whereas she thought she had a hard seat for the 9 hour journey. Bad enough with a hard seat but standing?

I will see her tonight.