Tuesday 8th January, 2012      1800

I am certainly making up for lost sleep, I never got out of bed until nearly eleven. Even though today was a lot warmer at eight degrees I never ventured out until getting on for four. I took Pepsi to buy some fish, the idea being if I supplemented their dinners I wouldn’t need to shop until the weekend.

The little place had the shutters down which rather threw me, but as there was a handwritten sign with an arrow I investigated the back. It was open and I suppose I can be forgiven for thinking the shutters were down because of the cold. Anyway they had run out of the usual fish I buy and the lady indicated they only had big ones left. Not popular with the kids but then if they were wild they would eat anything, so I went to where they keep them to have a look and find out just how big they were. That section was quite dark due to being shut up, but as I went in the woman made unmistakeable noises that meant “No no no!”

The reason it is closed is because they have just had the floor re-cemented! They also now have three size eight footprints in it!

Apologising profusely, I purchased a two foot long whopper and left. I have just hopefully beaten it to death in my bathroom in preparation for being bisected so it will do for two meals. I can’t hack it in half yet as I am waiting for some bread to finish and don’t want to bang it out onto a bloodied chopping board.

In my quest to make better loaves I am trying the French bread setting using no sugar at all. The problem is I forgot to set the size. It am baking a medium loaf but it is on the small setting. Hopefully it will still be edible!

I spent an hour at the campus shops and all credit to Pepsi, on our return and for the second night running she did her important business outside. Which reminds me, I must go and reclaim my plunger 305 borrowed last night for her blocked toilet.

Wednesday 9th        1400

I really should make a start on entering the exam scores on the website, but I am being ultra lazy today. Assuming I will actually get back to the UK for a holiday this summer, I was looking at flights. When the time comes, booking is going to be a nightmare. At present going via Shanghai, Canton or Hong Kong the prices all take me way over the amount I will be reimbursed - either by the price of the tickets themselves; or; if I find one that fits with the budget, they arrive at stupid times at night/have overnight stops etc meaning somewhere I have to shell out for an hotel, thus taking me way over budget. I have though found a route via Beijing that arrives both ends at sensible times, doesn’t take too long and wouldn’t require any overnight stays other than perhaps free ones at the Hefei Hilton staying with my friend. That comes in just under budget at the moment but will certainly go over once the internal flights to Beijing are bookable - they always increase in the summer, hence you can’t book now. And the routes take me from Hefei to Beijing to Berlin to London, then London to Zurich to Beijing to Hefei! Why doesn’t somebody open a direct flight??!! Arrgghh! No wonder I am not keen on going anywhere. And of course I will still need to find an animal sitter.

2345

Time for me to hit the sack. I may venture to town in the morning for more smokes, but only after I do a last minute exam.

I input all the student marks this afternoon/early evening, only to find that when I completed the last class, one of the students never even showed up for the test! Instead of giving her zero and submitting I sent her a text telling her she had just failed due to non-attendance. This not surprisingly elicited an immediate response to the effect that she had broken her leg, gone home for a few days to recover and had asked a friend to inform me she would not attend.

Of course I believe every word she sent. However, in the interests of fairness I have informed her she will be summoned for her exam in the morning and her English had better be pretty damned good too boot. I neglected to mention that I also expect to see a plaster cast - although I fully anticipate she will exhibit the swiftest bone healing ever witnessed on the planet. Oh yes, she is going to get both broadsides (unless I am doing her an injustice and she really is in plaster, highly unlikely) and regardless of the result of her test I can guarantee there will be no repetition when it comes to the ensuing exams I set. Because I am not as strict in class as their Chinese teachers they think they can get away with murder. She will be the third student to have that illusion shattered this term and whilst I am hopping mad that they think they can take liberties with impunity, I take comfort in the knowledge that news will spread like an Australian bushfire - ere long all my students will get the message that they can have a great time in my classes IF, and only if, they follow my rules.

Bloody students. They think they are so much smarter than the teachers. I never did, says he with fingers crossed………