I’ve made a little slideshow of some of the photos from our outing on Sunday.

This morning we woke up fairly early. We have some leftover food from other people who have stayed here, but none recent enough to leave us some milk. We went out for breakfast and had to wait until 8.00 a.m. for a cafe to open. We had rather stale looking buns, which we enjoyed because we were hungry. Stephen had the cafe’s ‘Times’ newspaper to read.

We stayed there until about 9.00 when the shops would be open. We went to a little Vodafone shop and bought local SIMs for our phones. It was much more expensive than China, with less data, but enough for our needs whilst we are here. We have unlimited wireless internet at the apartment.

We went to a chemist where Stephen bought Vitamin D with calcium and I was able to get some special soap (I come out in a rash using normal soap and although it is temporary it can feel quite uncomfortable). We then did some grocery shopping. We caught the tram both ways today, Stephen hates that every time we use the Oyster cards it costs the same amount, whether we go a long distance or a short distance. But, having jet lag and being unwell was our excuse. The apartment has a shopping trolly which is very convenient.

I’ve really been feeling the effects of the cold this afternoon. Nevertheless, we found out how to play youtube videos on the TV using the little hub that Gary has attached to his TV. Unfortunately, it only works for youtube, I will have to link my ipad with cables to play movies. I’ve processed some photos and set up an account for Stephen on my laptop. Last time we were here Stephen had access to an iMac, but that has gone.

Stephen cooked spaghetti bolognese for tea, plus made up a small salad. He is feeling a bit better than I am, but still has a cough. It’s 7.23 p.m. and still quite light outside, which feels odd to us. The day has been cool, but the apartment attracts heat. There is a system for circulating air, which we put on last night to help us sleep and today I have been opening windows and sliding doors to let in more air.

Of course, a couple of loads of washing have happened. I made a patchwork cushion to take with me to use in hotel rooms. It has worked very well and the stuffing became flatter and flatter as I used it. Today I put it in the washing machine. There are a couple of clothes airers upstairs and with the landing sliding door open all of the washing has become almost completely dry over the afternoon.

We are trying to get ourselves into a normal routine and will try to stay awake as long as possible this evening, even though or us it is really 2.00 a.m. in the morning. We are on daylight savings, which means there is only a 7 hour time difference instead of 8 hours.