Wednesday 21st November, 2012        1800

There hasn’t been much to write about for the past two days. Yesterday I felt tired all day - my own fault for staying up late to finish off the blog entry after the meal - so dinner was a bacon and cheese sandwich using bread scrounged from Kevin and asleep before midnight. A fat lot of good it did me because for some reason I kept waking up throughout the night. I can’t really blame the cats because the worst thing they did was squash my feet by all four of them snuggling up alongside them and it didn’t help that every time I woke up my brain went into overdrive thinking about all manner of things such as the games I was going to get the students to play at their party on Friday, my broken bread maker etc.

As for the games, I am playing the egg trick again except Ollivier will be the “victim” left with the last egg which is allegedly not boiled (he will not know this of course) and for the bread maker, Kiki did well in getting the vendor to agree not only to a repair/replacement but also that this time they would foot the bill for the delivery back to them.

My classes today were simply great and I wish all of my classes were like it instead of merely half of them. The teacher can only do so much to bring enjoyment to learning, the students have to do their bit as well. So I am sitting here working up enthusiasm to take Pepsi out and get myself some dinner. I don’t know whether to have a hot pot or simply buy some bbq skewers to take away and reheat here later. Today has been so dismal with the cold and rain that there is no way I am going off campus to find fodder. I did have ideas about going downtown tomorrow to buy pet meat seeing as I am free and although I will charge the bike in readiness it is probable I won’t bother and they will have to have fish bought locally tomorrow and Friday. It is quite amazing how the weather can affect ones mood.

Thursday 22nd         1430       Thanksgiving Day

I really must make a point of educating my students so they know that because, inter alia, Thanksgiving Day is the celebration by the Americans of defeating us in war. For three years running my phone has been bombarded with texts wishing me happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, and finally after more than two years I have found out what the testicle/scrotum things are that my animals love so much - duck gizzards. And the beef burgers I fed them last month? Even THEY didn’t eat them!

Today is another thoroughly miserable one so there was no chance of my going to town and I have no intention of even going locally to buy fish. I will buy some squid, pork and chicken skewers from the bbq café raw and boil them myself. I really must get Cinny to organise my salary being paid into my account with the cash point card, that way if I run short of money I can use the ATMs on campus and save myself the trouble of travelling when the weather is awful.

Well, still raining here and probably at least half of tomorrow, Saturday is supposed to be clear but it returns again on Sunday. I really miss the summers here now. I took Pepsi out and did my shopping, also buying the skewers for the animal supper - sod doing that too often, ten sticks cost me 30y! Definitely fish tomorrow for them.

I have a weird day tomorrow with it being my “easy” week with only 14 lessons, I have two lessons from 0820 (groan) to 1000 and then another two from 1330 to 1510. It could be worse, the break would be an hour longer in the warm weather.

Anyway, here’s a photo to show how little Lottie is settling in with her housemates.