Monday 24^th May, 2021 1820

Cor! Dear! If it isn't earthquakes all around it's ultramarathon runners dying close by! Rather unfortunate though that they died from hypothermia at the back end of May in the northern hemisphere. I'm assuming ultramarathons at 60km (38miles) are not something Hilton Steve would go in for at 65 years of age so haven't enquired as to whether he is extant or not.

Having been a lazy toad over the weekend, I had a frenzy of activity today. Ok, yesterday I had some printouts done for a passport application and my snaps taken. I wonder how much 6 x A4 sheets printed out plus four passport photos will cost these days in the UK? Cost me £2.

Today though was full. My office light had reduced to 50% and annoyingly it was the strip they replaced a fortnight ago that had failed. I asked for them to come at ten and blow me, they did bang on time! The first chap fixed it and I thought that was it but the old guy (haha! Here's me saying “old” when quite probably I am older!) turned up with his own solution – rip the entire light off the ceiling and fit a new LED one. Oddly I was given the choice so I agreed, I didn't want any comeback when the light packed up again in future – which given recent history wasn't going to be long.

So they removed Mickey Mouse and stuck a UFO on my ceiling. It's not dark yet but it certainly seems to be a lot brighter. And I won't pay for replacements as I have no idea what to buy, although when they left I did give them the three spare fluorescent strips I had bought so that will be quits.

Then it was time for a much-needed shearing. I have been wanting one for weeks but the weather has been too cold. Today was the day. I decided to walk to the barber, get shorn and then go to BHG. Before I crossed the eight-lane highway on foot I checked his barber's poles were illuminated and spinning. They were. When I got there the doors were locked. Shithead! Turn them off when you are at lunch!

Did my shopping but was still hell-bent on a haircut so went to the one in Peili Square. Cost me 25¥ instead of twenty but there will be no more itchiness in the sideburn region. Not that I have any sideboards (or have had for decades) but that's when I know it's time for “click go the shears boys”.

And then it was back to do laundry and make a cottage pie. I even washed up after I put it in the oven, which should please Madam, who thinks I leave everything for her to wash up. I don't, it's just that I hate washing up in the evening and always leave it until the day after.

So hopefully in the next couple of days I can send the passport gubbins to Roland. Sieve brain is supposed to be filching a large envelope from school for me and there's no point in texting her to remind her because she turns her phone off all day.

Wuhu Alice has now decided she doesn't want to come to Shanghai after Yunnan. No problem with that, she will be starting on her PhD in Hainan a fortnight later so I empathise. Now I am trying to shuffle with seeing Joan after instead of before Yunnan and Baiyin Alice wants to come to Shanghai for a few days. Why does she want to come to Shanghai? Well ok, there are the obvious reasons; free hotel bed courtesy of me, she'll be treated to the best western food Shanghai can offer by both Roland and me and all it will cost her is her travel. Oh, and the added attraction of her new best friend TJ. God, what I wouldn't give to be young again!

Oh yes! Before I go, when I went shopping I “bought” three pairs of what looked like decent quality socks. They were in the special offer sin bin. I wasn't allowed to have them because the barcode hadn't been entered on the system. Why put the frigging things out then???