Chinese New Year 2013               1800

Well I don’t know what the hell happened last night when I was watching the rugby but my right hand became steadily more and more painful and by this morning when I woke up I could hardly use it. Maybe tendonitis, carpal tunnel or whatever but it damned well hurt. Thank heavens I keep a stock of diclofenac - it took two hours to start to help but now although the back of my hand is still puffy it isn’t red and I can use it a bit. I went to bed at 0330 after the France v Wales match and when I opened my eyes I was disgusted to observe my wall clock telling me it was only 1030. What I never realised was that the battery is on the way out and it is losing time on an industrial scale - it was in fact noon.

Yesterday (as always at this time of year) my phone never stopped receiving new year messages - mainly from students - and towards midnight I sent a mass text to the majority in my phone book. Good job I still have credit from the 300y I got back in April from the free bike I got a student shortly after I arrived here in 2010.

The day itself was lovely, cold and sunny and quiet. Reports received from the Hefei Hilton stated that in contrast fireworks were non-stop all night there and continued through until lunch. The air there is bad at the best of times but apparently my friend couldn’t even see out of his window.

After giving Pepsi a soaking of mange spray I took her out on the bike. I wanted to check the cash point to see if I have been paid - I have - and then I went on spec to see if the little restaurant near the fish shop was open. It wasn’t as such but the doors were open so I went to see if I could get a couple of alfresco beers.

I don’t know why they bothered sweeping the concrete hard standing yesterday because it is now awash with red paper and cardboard from the mortars they set off at midnight. The empty boxes I witnessed had launch tubes two inches in diameter and each must have cost over 200y.In the 90 minutes I spent there I saw but two cars pass by on he main road. A few e-bikes admittedly, but I assume they were people doing the rounds of visiting relatives.  It is odd to think that in a fortnight our campus will once again be teeming with life. Equally hard is the thought of actually working again!

Now the sun has set it has turned very cold so now it is a case of battening down indoors and trying to stay awake for the England match. I wonder if this time we can beat them, we haven’t for a long time.

Monday 11th                 1800

I suppose one day I will get used to the sheer changeability of the local weather here. Yesterday was glorious, today, grey and freezing cold. I took the dog out at four, went to the cash point and checked to see if the outside supermarket was open. Not yet, but in a change from last year, the buses are running again already - at least until 1700 which was when I came back. A trip to town is on the cards tomorrow to order more cigars, do a spot of food shopping and maybe buy a cheap lunch.

The fish place was open though so I pulled in there and bought some ale. But before I did I went into the phone shop to try and buy an AA battery for my clock - I thought I had some but all I did have were AAA. Despite sketching a battery they insisted on trying to sell me a USB stick so I abandoned that and was instead successful in getting one in the fish shop. Afterwards I couldn’t resist returning to the phone shop to show them what it was I was after.

All the other little shops and cafes in the little enclave are also open again and scratching a living, although I suspect I spent more there today (60y including two bottles outside the café) than their collective takings for the day - certainly I never saw any other customers in the time I was there. It was nice to see them all popping into each others’ businesses for a chinwag though.

Qing tells me she has toothache (actually she said “teethache”) today. She went to the dentist in Tongling a week ago but from her description it sounds as if she may have an abscess. My hand in contrast, apart from still being marginally puffy, is back to normal and long may it remain so.

Here are some photos for you. One is Tigger enjoying the residual warmth of my bread maker after I baked a loaf, the other two are of the Chinese lantern I sent skywards on new years eve night.