Seems that every person who works at the BBC World News offices wanted a junket to Cuba. I am sick to the back teeth of trailers and stories and pictures and analysis and documentaries and background pieces and SHUT UP. I DON’T CARE. It’s not a new place, you fools, it was always there – you just didn’t pay any attention to it, because you’re so busy following the POTUS party line, which, for a supposedly unbiased international news organisation, is pretty pitiful anyway. You have not discovered a new country. SHUT UP ABOUT THE PLACE. There is currently one trailer that lists FOUR SEPARATE PROGRAMMES that they have coming up – they’re calling it a whole season. It had better not be. Even the filler bits between shows are now photos of Cuba and stupid plinky plonky pseudo-Cuban-style piano music. And that doesn’t even include the actual presidential visit. Seriously, talk about something else, I’m begging now. You’re all we have for news out here. Have mercy.

HEALTH UPDATE: no leg cramps, no digestive issues. Turns out it really might have been GF batter, after all. Which is nice. But at the same time, I have no intention of going through that kind of stress every night for the rest of this holiday.

No concentration, but that’s just par for the course!

On the downside, it can’t have been a very substantial meal, because I woke up this morning absolutely RAVENOUS. I normally don’t feel hunger – ever – but today, I had to order room service, else I was going to have to eat this laptop.

Then the usual fruit, Sudoku, etc. No swim today. Too achy and tired.

Siesta, wrap presents, write card, collate cards from others, ready for the morning. Handily, mum is going to a talk by Jonty Hearnden (*yummy, sigh*) at 11am, which gives us a clear run to get set up with her presents on the lunch table, hopefully.

Dress for formal night. Pink shalwar kameez. It’s too cold in the dining room for anything less. Tights to keep the toes warm. UPDATE: got several compliments again. I wonder why this in particular is so comment-worthy?

Ordered paella for dinner, so there was no argument about ingredients today. It wasn’t what I would call paella, but it is getting to resemble the real thing a little more each time, which I suppose counts as progress. At least it’s not the pale, white, runny risotto we got to start with, in January! This was at least orangey-red in colour, and not as soggy, so we are definitely getting there.

Simon and Garfunkel second show after dinner. Very similar to the first, although some of the slower songs changed – no Scarborough Fair, for example, this time around. Very enjoyable, nonetheless – although if it was me, I would have gone around the audience holding a mirror under their noses. It must have felt like playing to a morgue. Very little clapping, no jiggling, no singing, no response whatsoever for the most part. Even when they made us clap for Cecilia and The Boxer, I was one of less than a dozen who bothered, which was a shame. I hope the second show goes better for them (they are usually more responsive cos they’ve been drinking for longer than the first sitting bunch).