Your second Singapore package arrived the day before Jul; so now we have heaps and heaps of DVDs to wile away the long evenings. After a day or two of having him back here, it is as if Jul had never left! Tranquil mealtimes were already a thing of the past, with Liv spearing the largest portion of meat and yes-manning left, right and centre; and now we have a fourth point of view, most forcefully put, in round table discussions, by someone who’s clearly honed his debating skills during late night hostel badinage. For self preservation, I’ve clearly got to learn to take a back seat and not insist on the last word.

Mama started drinking marigold tea for ‘eyesight acuity’, as per your Chinese herbal instructions; and, lo and behold, this morning, she claimed a major transformation had occurred, and she was able to see more clearly than for a decade.

More coffee! We can’t handle this much. We only have a thimblefull after lunch each day. In fact, we’ve just had it. One of lifes all too brief pleasures.