Monday 7th November, 2016                       1440

The old people had a late one last night, turning off just after 2230. I was rather hoping they had forgotten and I could leave my laptop downloading all night but no such luck. I set the alarm and turned in.

I woke up as usual to use the little boys room while it was pitch dark and went back to bed praying I had at least an hour before it was time to rise. I continued in that state of flux between sleep and awareness for some time before it suddenly dawned on me (through closed eyelids) that it was daylight. It is dark at 0500 these days. Panicking, I lunged for the bedside table and my phone to check the time.

That was mistake number one last night - I had left it in the office so wouldn’t have heard it go off. To my horror it was just before eight and my class starts at eight. What on earth? I turned my phone on to send hasty texts to advise of my tardiness (David had sent two texts from the bus when I failed to appear) and checked the alarm. Mistake number two had been to set it for eight instead of five! It went off and then texts started coming in asking where I was and then Janet called. When someone can’t understand when you are trying to tell them you are getting dressed (thought I was speaking about an address) or I am putting my clothes on (what is closed?) it is frustrating when you are trying to make haste. Then she suggested if I was sick to take the morning off. Tempting though it was, not on your Nelly! Send me the address of campus in Chinese, I will be there about nine!

Getting a cab proved harder than I thought, eventually I hailed one and off we went. When you are in a hurry the last thing you want is a driver who wants to make extra and keeps stopping to ask people where they are going. I got one of those, and they never give you a discount . And he picked up another fare who, to be fair, got off without a detour being needed. Then we hit a traffic jam. One caused by a minor shunt (no damage evident) yet no attempt made to move the cars to the roadside. I got to class at 0945, hardly worth it and I was regretting not taking the offer of a morning off but at least I showed willing.

1650

On my return I eschewed shopping for dinner, instead deciding to have home made bangers and mash and wait for the IT people. I connected to the old people but there was no internet! Typical, I have experts coming and with no internet in the building they have no chance! Arghh!

I sent them a text to head them off but to no avail. Husband and wife (Dean and JinJin) turned up, by which time for once fortune had smiled and there was internet available for everyone bar me.

There was much scratching of heads because Dean’s laptop worked on my wifi and naturally mine didn’t. His worked on the cable, mine didn’t.  It took him about an hour of doing things which were completely beyond me but ultimately proved himself to be my new computer genius! The problem from what I can gather was that whilst Wang had reset everything, he omitted setting up my laptop so it could integrate. I am now back in business and couldn’t give a tinker’s cuss what time the geriatrics conk out tonight.

I think I have found two new friends, they want to take me out for dinner sometime and I was so overjoyed at being connected again I gave them a pound of my sausages. Well worth it!