Monday 30th September, 2013                        2230

That’s me done for a week’s holiday - the “Golden Week”. Tomorrow is China’s 64th birthday. It is also a more sombre anniversary, being 30 years since my father left us but I shan’t dwell on that.

Yesterday was flipping horrible because when you only have one day a week to get up before midday if you don’t want to, even if you want an early night in preparation you aren’t tired!

I made it through though and afterwards encountered some of my ex 3 year course students who have now returned for another 2 years to get a higher qualification. The first I met was Tracy and I invited her for dinner tonight, she accepted and we set a time to meet. Later Bessie and two others stopped by my “office” and Bessie is without doubt the most gifted 3 year student I have ever had so it was lovely to see her again.

This morning I had a text from Tracy apologising that she couldn’t come. They had extra late classes sprung on them by the school (Kevin had the same with his date) so as I really wanted to go out for dinner I struggled without success to get a replacement. The problem was that most of the students had either left to go home already for the holiday or were doing so this afternoon. Not to be thwarted I went early for my afternoon class, peeked in the door, picked the best looking girl - Flora - and invited her.

And so it was that she came on the bike marvelling at the route I took (in over a year she has never been there and sticks to the buses)  and we went to the Japanese place. From disaster came an excellent evening. I tried a few dishes I haven’t before - the Australian ribs I won’t again but the mushrooms are a definite yes. I think that was my twelfth visit and I have always taken pretty girls, often a brace at a time but this time the chef really took a shine to Flora. Apparently he asked for her number but she refused so he gave her his! She won’t call him of course but like me he can live in hope! When I ordered the “surprise” I suggested she get ready to take a photo but instead she videoed the whole thing on her phone. She now has plenty of things to tell her parents when she goes home tomorrow! I did take one photo there and I wish to hell I had taken a few because as you will see she looks terrible in it and the reality is that she is a very pretty girl. Were I to send it to her she would be horrified. I can’t think what she was doing when the flash went.

So tomorrow will be a lot quieter on campus and the plan is to go shopping. The rest of this week will probably be catching up on some paperwork for the uni, pressing trousers and generally loafing about. And maybe investigating furniture shops and the price of beds, dining tables, chairs etc……..