Footnote from last evening (Wednesday):

My "diamond day" continued when, as well as the usual swill for dinner - which I declined in favour of instant noodles (beef flavour), there were newspapers to choose from!!!!  English and Chinese.  Those of you who know me well, know of my newspaper addiction, and my little copy of Shanghai Daily (read from cover to cover in less than 10 minutes mark you!) was my most treasured possession for a while.

Today began like all the others - bright daylight at 4.00am, and up at 6.00am - a sleep-in.  I am lucky to be sleeping really well - the others are not, and no wonder because the beds are like concrete.  I am crediting the G & T/wine in the evenings.

Trevor's birthday is today, and the day began with a delivery from the lovely David Allardice from Eastern Journeys - huge bouquet of flowers (given to Visnja and I), and a magnificent cake.  That was devoured for morning tea.

I thought I should get some vases for the flowers, so I called Miss Xu and many hours later a "thimble" arrived.  Oh dear!- it would have held one orchid.

A rattle outside the door and out I went and there was a trolley laden with sheets and towels!!!!!!  My goodness - it's only taken four days!!!

Meantime, Miss Xu called to ask if she could have the honour of purchasing a cake and some flowers for Trevor, which she duly did.  Plus she bought 3 very large vases.   Eventually all of that arrived.  The cake was chocolate with cherries on top and two 55 candles.  She also sent a cake slice, and some plates.  Plus there was an enormous bouquet of cream roses which, when I shoved my head into them to smell them, smelled of cigarette smoke!!!!

We do not complain - they look magnificent.  Miss Xu also purchased a very girly pink card for Trevor (she apologised afterwards for not realising that Trevor was a man).

Visnja and I made him some "items" with the limited resources at our disposal.   The (unused) condom Visnja had found under her bed was among them - so that is no longer in my room, happy to say, and possibly the Russian lady across the hall from Trevor is in some danger!

Then a trolley arrived outside my door and on it was the delivery from Ritz Carlton - 3 enormous baskets of fruit, our conference bags, 3 huge bags of food - crudités and guacamole, and (oddly) a bottle of salad dressing each!!, more wine (red and white each) cups, and a gorgeous box of chocolates, and paper and sticky tape which I had asked for a little project I have been working on this morning.  Mercifully there was no cake (I think Trevor called them to say he didn't want one) but two is quite enough anyway.

Visnja and I went to Trevor's (very messy) room and we had a nice party.  So nice, that I slept in this morning (Friday) until 7.30am.