Tuesday 24^th October, 2017 1130

It has been many years since I used McDonald's wifi.

I'm sure when I did I simply had to log on to Cloud or something but that wasn't the case here. No wifi password displayed and until they found a manager who spoke English it was all Chinese to me. Now I know there will be no problems in future – you enter your mobile phone number and it sends a text with an access code. Simple if you know how.

I didn't spend that long there, I still couldn't route via the UK (or I would have caught up on some ITV programmes I have been unable to access) so I went back to the office and watched downloaded BBC stuff instead.

I think congress ends tomorrow now that Xi has elevated himself to the level of Mao and today I have noticed I have been able to connect to London more readily than the past week. Presumably the firewall police are having their overtime cut. Good.

I just went shopping and only bought six bottles of wine (all the wine girls now seem to know I go for the bogof deals) but the final bill was nearly 400y. It was only when I unpacked at home I realised why. Big lump of pork which will be turned into ham by Sunday, bag of tiger prawns (for omelettes), cooking oil (changing the fryer for the first time – it seems to last forever when you only make chips) and half a kilo of black pepper salmon fillets. Plus other bits and bobs of course.

This week therefore, no students will be coming to dinner. Quite apart from the expense, it is the time and effort involved. Also, I am going to see if it wouldn't be better to have the western meals on Tuesdays. Having them on Thursdays limits the time to enjoy due to the Corner, even though I am only going to every second one Annie goes to them all.

So this week it is just Annie. Omelette and chips tonight and the salmon on Thursday. I am also cooking tomorrow's lunch for my incarceration on the 7^th floor – a wholemeal giant vienna roll and three drumsticks. I am even taking a small bar of soap I filched from some hotel or other – as long as the students know it is mine they will leave it on the windowsill for the next time. Toilets here (except good hotels and restaurants) never have soap or loo paper – especially schools, hence the students think washing their hands is a case of simply splashing them underneath running water.

1715

And as so often happens here, Annie, who was asked to represent the Uni at a speaking competition (presumably as a questionmaster) in town, had at the 11^th hour, the time brought forward on her. Originally she needed to leave campus by 1740, now she needed to be gone by 1700.

Of course, the soup kitchen was geared for a 1630 arrival and I can't simply magic up a meal in two minutes. She would still have half an hour to eat and she can can tuck it away with the best so all it meant was I delayed my own until after she left (I will have mine in about half an hour). She has gone, sated, and with the advice that when this happens again – as it surely will – just to tell them no she has arrangements. It's not as if it is part of her work or that she will be paid. There are times when it is far better not to be too obliging.