Mayday 2013       1745

So much for a public holiday! The workmen were busy drilling and hammering again before eight this morning. As it happened I was awake anyway but it was a good job I hadn’t counted on a lie in.

Another lovely day at 26C but I shelved the trip to town and will do the food shopping on Friday afternoon instead. In fact I spent a rather scintillating hour pressing a shirt and four pairs of trousers. I might have done more trousers but I’m pretty certain the ones I brought with me from England are now all too small for me. And I hate doing trousers.

With just a few days left until my Marlovian friend descends on our sleepy backwater I was rather hoping to snare an innocent student of mine passing by the sweet pork place so they could ask the owners to ensure they had sweet pork and prawns on the day but it was a bit like looking for a policeman - there’s never one around when you need one. I foresee a tiring weekend on the horizon although at least he will be returning after Sunday lunch so I can relax then.

Down at the shops Vivian approached me. I nearly never recognised her because her hair was different and she looked even more adorable than she did before. She has a teaching exam tomorrow and she is nervous, so wanted to ask my advice as to how to make her class (fellow students will pretend to be grade 6 kids) interesting. The only counsel I could offer was to ask her how long I had taught her (3 years) and try to replicate what I do but in her own way. I don’t think many of the wannabe teachers here understand that a large part of the job involves being an actor as well as teaching so you don’t lose the audience. Well, too much, anyway!

If I didn’t have my worst day of the week ahead of me tomorrow I may have taken the bus to town tonight and had dinner but instead I am going to try to cobble up a pasta affair with ham and veg (and maybe a bit of parmesan) as bread-based dinners can’t be good for one all the time! I could try to liven it up with some pizza sauce but to be honest I’m not sure it would work and I am too tired to either try to concoct another meal or indeed clutter off out and get a takeaway.

Friday 3rd May, 2013        2015

And my mother’s 80th birthday so I had better make sure I call her after I finish typing this!

Yesterday was tiring as expected but today was equally so. Finished at noon and at one headed to town for lunch and some shopping. I am going to have to stop going to KFC. The only thing they do that I even like a bit is a prawn and rice thing (but only after 1730) so while it’s quick it doesn’t satisfy and it’s not cheap.

When I got back I then “had” to go and watch our dept play in the football semi-final against Physics. We won 2-1 and will now face Chemistry in the final on Tuesday. Kevin will win because lessons will be cancelled for the occasion by Prof Fang so he will get time off but because the game starts at 1600 I will still have to do my 1400 class. Very few good things seem to happen for me - days off when it is my day off anyway etc!

My friend for the Hilton would seem to have picked the perfect weekend to come, no rain forecast and temperatures in the high twenties. If all goes according to plan Kevin and I will pick him up just before eleven in the morning, seven of us will have lunch followed by the guided school and city tour, followed in turn by a prawn hotpot dinner. Sunday lunch may well be at a restaurant hitherto unknown as Ollivier’s missus says she knows of a good barbecue place. As long as it’s reasonable it will be fine. Obviously there will be no entry for tomorrow, I am going to have a hard enough time ensuring Pepsi gets out for a leak and feeding all the pets after the tourist bit and before our own dinner. Enjoy your weekend people. And Lottie just fell asleep on top of the wardrobe, rolled over and fell seven feet to the floor.