Tuesday 18^th August, 2020 Ramada Plaza Pudong 1430

So yesterday afternoon was glasses day. Roland and TJ took me to some shopping centre, I can't remember the name but it was something like the Jeremy Clarkson Centre. It was decided I did not need varifocals and that bifocals would be sufficient. That never stopped me from managing to ramp up the bill to nearly the top end of the scale at 6,500¥ though (or over £700) but they will when they arrive from Japan be reactolite. I might even be able to read again.

I even managed to get a new backscratcher. Not the conventional type but needs must. As you can see from the photo most people probably use it for serving spaghetti from the pan but my need is more urgent.

Then it was time for my first outing on the Shanghai underground at rush hour. If only rush hours could be that quiet worldwide all the time!

Last night was a bumper evening for guests with us totalling eight people. Roland, TJ, Mr & Mrs Mulan, Mr & Mrs Tutu, Rinka and I. We started at the Goose Brewery (where I sampled a revolting-looking Ribena lookalike that actually tasted like beer) and then went to a tapas restaurant.

As seems to often be the case, we over-ordered on the starters and came nowhere even close to ordering mains. However the starters were well worth it, with gorgeous dried hams, stuffed baby squids and other delicacies. I actually ate! Ok it was Roland's turn in the chair (funny how it's always either him or me!) and he just beat my total by racking up a tab of 2,400¥. That's about £260 including chardonnay and for a party of eight. Eye-watering money for me but naturally par for the course as a bill for two in Henley.

Everyone else cluttered off home afterwards so it was just the big fella and me off to that little bar I splatted in the previous night. I didn't splat, I went one better. I excelled by head-butting the loo door on the way out, chipping the top corner of one of my lenses (good job they are going soon) and unbeknown to me, drawing blood from my left cheek. The bar owner was horrified and huckled me to her first aid box to smack a plaster on the wound. Thank you very much.

Not quite sure when the night finished as I never checked my watch but I think it was around two. It ended on a bit of a sour note and to be honest I'm not sure quite why but at least I did get to fuss the dog without landing on top of it!

So the good news is that Alice from Baiyin/Lanzhou is coming from Zhejiang to stay tomorrow night. I have booked her a room but she's not arriving until about 2100 and expects me to wait for dinner until she gets here!

Going for a shower shortly then a stroll to the little City Store to see if I can buy anything that's on my Shanghai shopping list.