Sunday 1st May, 2016                     1635

Suffering with this cold. Since I came to China/started teaching as far as colds go I seem to have been in a state of almost permacold.

I have though been reasonably productive today. I got up “early” at 1030 and believe me I could have stayed in bed hours longer, having slept fitfully due to a snotty nose and regular coughing fits. I only got up because I had promised Joan I would run her to the train station. She has gone to see her female friend and will return tomorrow night.

What with her train time of 1247 I suggested we left at 1215 as from home to station it was 10 minutes but was met with a disbelieving response. She was adamant we should leave at 1210. She already had her ticket, having bought it online and getting it from the automated machine yesterday in Chizhou ticket office when we were queuing to get our tickets to Tongling. She of course could have bought hers to Tongling from the machine but a laowei has to wait for ages to get a real person to serve  them. What annoys me is the sheer number of Chinese insisting on using the tellers when they could easily just go to the machines and walk away moments later with their ticket. They hold me up.

Anyway Joan managed to do her party piece and leave the toilet roll holder open so that when I went to take a shower I was greeted by a sea of snow that took four flushes to get rid of. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies in that from a new roll yesterday I was at least left with half of it.

1210 came and I duly went to leave, only to be told she wasn’t ready yet! Ok I thought, well we will put my statement to the test. When we did go downstairs, I unplugged the bike, backed out and she got on. I showed her the time was 1221hrs and we left. I dropped her by the train station door at 1231hrs - exactly ten minutes later! Her disbelief previously was because perhaps she thought I was guessing when in fact on a previous journey I had timed myself. We had even overtaken the number 29 bus and beaten it.

So off she went to Wuhu and I hope she has a lovely time. In the meantime I headed to town as planned, the first time I have ridden there all year I think. There were as usual several attempts on my life but I eventually made it to the bike repair shop. I inspected the tyres and decided they don’t need replacing so a rather nice chap came and adjusted my rear brakes (I know it sounds stupid but although I know exactly what to do I can’t do it on this bike) and then I told him my left indicators didn’t work. He never even investigated the bulbs - which to be honest in my experience SHOULD have been the fault - simply taking out the switch and putting a new one in. It worked!

The third item was the complete lack of low beam. For damned near a year I have had to ride on high beam and unlike Chinese drivers I really don’t like blinding people at night, especially walkers on campus. Now that surely HAD to be the double filament bulbs, didn’t it? NO! Again another switch was changed and voila! Apart from when the psycho cut my power lead I have to say that in 6 years every single electrical fault has been fixed simply by replacing a switch. Maybe they should make the switches a little more robust. After a quick axle and moving parts oiling and checking of tyre pressures I was off after less than 10 minutes. The cost? Nothing! I can’t fault that, the bike is now well out of warranty (by 6 months) and yet I was quite happy to pay, it would have only been maybe 20y. It’s a real pity I have to leave because certainly I would have replaced the bike this summer and bought it from them.

I went to RT Mart and instantly regretted it. Of course, it’s a holiday so I should have known better. Even the e-bike section was crammed but I did at least get lucky when someone left and I snaffled their spot. Had I not needed a baguette for my dinner tonight I would have abandoned the idea (I will have the last three sausages from Friday in French stick with ketchup or HP) because Joan helped me to carry 5 bottles of wine, plenty to last me until Tuesday.

There is something intensely annoying about the absence of a 5 or 10 items or less queue in China. I had 4 but had to queue for ages to get served and I must say if I see someone with just a bag of rice standing behind me I usually tell them to go first, just as Joan did last night when a man was desperate to get a ticket for an imminent train departure.

So I came back and went to kill flies in the office, feeling rather jaded. I had my usual two bottles and left. On the way back though I took the long route, the number 29 way where the roads are getting downright dangerous with potholes that would damage a Mercedes, let alone unseat an e-bike rider. It was then that I noticed every time I went over a bump the power cut out for a second or two. I think the accelerator grip which was only replaced a few months ago is now packing up. I have a feeling I will need to go back to the shop again in due course or if it packs up completely they will have to come to me.

Tomorrow I had ideas of going to the place you can get medical cards (my temporary one expired in mid-December) but quite apart from the fact it is a holiday and they will probably be closed, the forecast is for rain. I have no desperate need and certainly not one that requires me to get soaked. I may not even go shopping on the bus. I do want to spend all the money on the card before I leave though, you can’t use it in another city and to the best of my knowledge Kevin still hasn’t extricated his money after nine months.

Having now (in May) started to get jittery over the agency’s lack of assistance in finding a job other than one in a penal colony, this afternoon I have started firing off my CV online. I will be loyal if you keep me informed and at least show you are trying but to be honest Horizon, who were recommended by Kevin and others, aren’t cutting the mustard.

I found a site advertising jobs giving a maximum age of 60 but appendicing that exceptions may be made so I have sent my “resume” as the Yanks call it, off. You never know who may reply. I even had an email about an hour ago from Yangmei Lily who lives in Nanning - remember she helped me on holiday and is an English teacher who until then had never spoken to a foreigner. I even told her I would love to teach at a university in Nanning except the pay is so low. Who knows, she may have contacts. Provided the contract is good I will go anywhere in China, even inner Mongolia although I think the horses are a bit too small for me and they cost more to keep than an e-bike! Wouldn’t mind giving it a crack though. It would be a change from dogs and cats!!

I should have taken a nap an hour ago but now unless I want to fall asleep at my laptop by eight, it is time to snooze.