Thursday 5th March, 2015          Lantern Festival                 1620

Well yesterday’s exertions may have eased the hip for going to bed but it didn’t do anything to improve the morning after. I still had to take analgesia half an hour before setting out at lunchtime. Doubtless this is yet another sign of advancing years and the increased recovery time. Odd though that after the event it feels so much better.

I got up at ten and was greeted by a text from Mulan and one from Ollivier. She was asking if it was wise for me to ride to school (I had let her have the bike for the morning to go to class) and he was offering me a lift in his car because of the snow. Snow? What snow??

On looking out after drawing the curtains back, there was evidence of white stuff but none on the roads. I was going to ride. And bloody freezing it was too, I think it was damned near the coldest day we have had this winter - in March!

Having had egg fried rice in various guises for the past three days, and not having eaten a lot of it either time, I decided I just had to go to town to get some decent food so Ollivier has very kindly agreed to drive us to the Sichuan restaurant for dinner. His wife doesn’t want to come so I am now trying to find a “date” to make up the numbers - the portions are too big for just two people so ideally you need at least four.

Saturday 7th                      1700

We ended up with just the two of us driving towards town, all the students and friends I had asked either had classes, had eaten of simply blew me out. We had gone a couple of miles when suddenly Anna replied to say that yes, she could come with us so we turned back to get her. Whilst we were waiting for her to powder her nose Ollivier spotted two of his students heading for their dormitory and said “You want I should invite them too?” The more being the merrier, I readily agreed. The pair had already eaten but in good rapacious student style agreed to come for their second dinner in less than an hour! We had gone from two to five in the space of a few minutes.

We dined on a whole Beijing duck, some cold chicken and veg thing which was too fiery for me, prawn cakes which could have been so good had they not been too oily from deep frying and I had spotted they now do a sweet and sour fish. The latter was good but not a patch on the Tongling one, the sauce tasted a bit earthy/grassy for my liking but certainly it will be a consideration on subsequent visits.

Friday night Kevin and I had been invited by the small school for their new term teachers’ dinner. It was the usual soiree, as usual I only found a couple of dishes to my liking (the main one being a pork and tomato soup even though I mistook the pork for fish - wondered why there were no bones!) and there was wine and beer. After being confined to barracks for a fortnight it was a good feeling to be able to have different scenery.

I had arranged to go with Ollivier this morning for a McBreakfast but he had cried off due to Coco having a fever. Kevin, on hearing this, very kindly offered to step in. I then turned it into a foursome by inviting Joan and Anna and it was my treat.

Three days of going to class have patently taken it out of me because going downstairs this morning was particularly tiring and painful, as was the short click/shuffle into McDonald’s. But the breakfast I had longed for was close. Or was it?

It was manned by the holiday replacements.

They had run out of hash browns. They had also run out of jam, instead providing us with ketchup for our muffins. Two bloody weeks I had waited for this moment and they had to spoil it. In fairness the relief manager did ask if we would like something in exchange for the browns, suggesting a dough stick. This is particular to China/the Far East and is hardly something I would want so I suggested we were each given an extra sausage patty, this being probably the most expensive component. I asked Joan to ask them for jam and they insisted they had none but when she pointed out I had some time ago deposited a jar of pineapple jam in their safekeeping for just such an eventuality, the jar was produced and we were happy.

Ollivier and Co are off shopping in the morning so again I will be having a breakfast, this time they will have to abandon me in McDonald’s while they go shopping. I will be fine sitting with coffee and jing jo. Joan in the meantime, brick that she is, went with friends and has returned with pet meat enough for a week and nine bottles of wine. I have also taken the plunge and ordered a load of imported pies for 513y. That guarantees that a couple of times a week at least, I can have food I relish.

The hip is making grindingly slow progress and frustrating me hugely. If I didn’t have the x-rays in my bedroom (you get to take them home with you here) I would swear there was more wrong than they told me. I just have to be patient but it’s hard when you feel impatient! On the bright side Ollivier has spoken with the secretary and now has had all our classrooms reorganised so all my lessons are in the same room and I no longer have to get a nosebleed by ascending to the fifth floor.