Friday 5th February, 2016                       2200

Hmmm, the late shop didn’t go as well today! The supermarket wasn’t too busy which was great but where my wine is usually sitting on the shelf the locusts had been. Great isn’t it? Nobody ever buys it but me and yet when their new year comes they nick it all! Cheapskates. Never mind, I still have almost a case in the bedroom so I won’t go thirsty. At least they had some more weissbier to make up for earlier in the traffic light shop, remember the one the manageress stopped and gaily informed me she had my Snow lager? Two cans. Thanks.

I also bought four pork knuckles for Mum. She is now of course expecting food all the time and I can’t say I blame her, pickings are pretty sparse here at present and in a way I want the students back so they drop their leftovers - or at least the other inhabitants to put out bags of waste food for collection that she can tear apart and forage in. I think her final puppy has flown the nest and struck out on her own because I only ever see her now. Where the little ones have struck out for I have no idea because I haven’t seen them on my travels.

Before I shopped I went for dinner. I thought I would go to New West St and see what was on offer. Eventually I went into a “steakhouse” because they had pictures of pizzas in the window. The first one I chose was “mayo” so I went for another, which they had and also ordered two beers. For some reason the waitress thought that because I had ordered two pijou it meant there would be two diners and she had told chef to make two pizzas. This only came to light when she brought two plates to my booth. Panic ensued on her part but I gather she stopped the kitchen in time so that I only got one pizza, albeit she left shortly after and had I not asked, I would have had no beer at all, she presumably having cancelled them along with the surplus pizza.

 I will go there again but next time I will have a steak. That has got to be the oddest pizza I have ever had placed in front of me. Oodles of cheese to be sure, so much so in fact that you couldn’t see what was beneath. I still don’t know what WAS underneath the cheese, for it looked like fish but if it was it was the toughest fish I have ever encountered. I could only eat half of it (that much cheese does tend to fill you up) and then I went through two toothpicks trying to dig the filling out from my incisors. Even more bizarre was that it seemed to be a ring of crust with no base and the filling had been poured in to make a lake! Ah well, at least it didn’t taste like cake.

The trip back simply had to be a double bus, I had ascertained that even before I got there just by looking at the ones going the opposite way. I just missed one when I finished shopping and wasn’t too concerned, it meant I had time for a smoke. In fact I had time for two cigars and I began to think perhaps the buses had started finishing early for new year even though that shouldn’t happen until Sunday afternoon.

Eventually one arrived but he threw me off before the terminus, much as on the night I took Andrei and Juliette for a meal that never was. Shit. Was I going to be able to get back? No taxis that far up.

Using body language I asked the driver if there was still going to be a bus going the other way. Yes. So I got off, crossed the road to wait, only to see the bus I just disembarked doing a u-turn to go back to school! I could simply have paid another 2y and stayed on. Body language doesn’t always work, I assume the driver thought I was asking HIM if he was going the reverse route. No matter, I had a seat on a bus which ultimately became ultra-crowded.

So mum has been fed, 8y worth and obviously she needs more but I am sure she will find it somewhere - I am not an animal sanctuary. Well ok, maybe I am a bit but to do it properly I need a professional fundraiser.

Daytime temperatures are now forecast to increase steadily over the next few days so now I have a quandary. With Sunday set for 10C and Monday 15C I could ride the bike to Dong Rong resort hotel and spend new year’s eve night there. It wouldn’t cost me anything because I have rewards from Ctrip which would pay for a huge business room and there are plenty of small restaurants surrounding the place for me to get dinner cheaply. The plus would be I would be closer to the midnight celebrations both there and in the city, the minus that if they went on an inordinately long time then I might not sleep. Mind you, this morning it was 0500 so…………..

I need to give it careful thought.