Monday 5th November, 2012       1245

That’s the last time I will see the Monday morning class other than (hopefully) at their graduation party. They all passed their finals, some with more success than others but Bessie will receive a nice score as top of the form yet again. Quite how she never achieved high enough entrance exam marks for acceptance as a 4 year rather than 3 year student is beyond me, for in my class she has been consistently in the top five of all my students. The vast majority of that class are taking entrance exams next April to go on to do another two years of study to try and achieve a degree instead of simply a diploma; equally most want to return here to do it. Bizarrely, most of them want to be teachers yet have sat in my class for two years with no more life than a stick of week old celery. I hope to God for their students sake if they follow that career they put a bit of zest into their work.

1900

Sitting here this afternoon I was pondering on what to eat today. Hotpot was a definite option but as the evenings are decidedly chilly now, I remembered I had a half a pack of bacon in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so decided I would make some bread and have bread and butter with bacon and eggs again. I washed the bucket and things for the bread machine and duly put all the ingredients in.

I started the cycle and came back to the computer. Suddenly I realised it wasn’t making the same noise as usual and seemed to be going faster. Investigating, I noted the flour hadn’t moved. Mystified, I stopped it and removed the bucket to probe deeper into it, thinking to myself I hope the damn thing hasn’t broken again. The moving parts were free so I assumed perhaps I hadn’t clipped the bucket on its seat properly. I spent the next ten minutes starting and stopping it and generally cursing. Eventually, having convinced myself I was locating the bucket properly and everything was turning freely, I decided to research further inside the flour mixture. All became crystal clear when my fingers, groping in the gloop, encountered a spindle. What a prat! I had forgotten to put the paddles back when I washed up!

Tuesday 6th         1800

Hard but enjoyable day over, it is now time to sit back, relax and enjoy a five day break - after all, I have been working for two months without any holidays except for 10 days when 90% of my students were seconded by the army! Of course, I won’t really be off because I will try to watch as many of my students in the sport as possible.

And today was another day without pain. Someone mentioned the humidity might have a bearing on it so I have been checking my humidity meter. The past two days it has been 50% and 40% but before that when I was having problems the lowest it got was 70% so there may be some truth in it. Of course, the fact I have been taking glucosamine for nearly a fortnight could also be the reason. I hope not, purely for the expense! I may find out in a few days because rain and 98% humidity is forecast.

2230

Well, I think I have now turned into two things. The first change is that I have now become a girlie. During the winters here my lower legs become very dry - probably because the only heat we have (well the only one I have) is electric blow heat. The dryness I can handle, the itching I can’t, so for the first time in my life I have invested some money in moisturising cream. Thankfully I am now at an age where I couldn’t give a hoot what anyone thinks - if it’s good enough for me then that’s fine.

The second change is that I have metamorphosed into Kevin. I went down the shops for my dinner tonight clad in short sleeved shirt and jacket. The temperature at a guess I would say was 14C and I was bloody frozen! I can see this winter with me wearing long johns every day  instead of once a week to ride to town as was the case last year. I have gone from the person who came here and poured with sweat in the summer but laughed at the cold in winter, to one who likes 35C and now finds 20C is a bit parky. Now, where did I leave my shopping list of thermal clothing………..