Friday 14th October, 2016                  0100

Last night I had a phone call from a student of mine who graduated I think three years ago. They had a problem of a romantic nature and for some reason chose to unload on me.

I shall not identify whether the person involved is male or female, it is immaterial or even whether they will read this or not.

I will simply say that I was humbled because I was the only person they felt they could talk to in order to open up and the only one they could trust not to tell anyone. For the first time in more than six years I felt perhaps I really do make a difference and even more so, for the first time I actually felt that I might in fact be a teacher. I have never felt like a teacher before so my thanks go to that special person who should follow their instincts. The good things will follow on later.

1540

Sometime last night Janet called again from the hospital to say how happy she was that I had gone to the lunch. She too now also understands that in future if the school perceives a problem with either me or my work then it would be nice if the school spoke to me to get my side or opinion before passing judgment.

Gratifyingly (I think some of them must have visited her in the evening) she commented that she did notice an improvement in their English and that I must be doing something right.

The good times don’t last long, do they?

I am sitting here in my bathrobe. Why? Because when I went to take a shower four hours ago there was no water. No notice given, I assume it’s something to do with the central heating pipe replacement or the roadworks but that doesn’t help me. Even if it comes on this instant I shan’t go shopping, the buses will be mobbed by the time I am ready to let the world see me.

I daren’t go out because I haven’t washed my hair. Taken as a stand-alone statement that may look to some as if I am like a vain girl but nothing could be further from the truth. My hair is, and always has been, the sort that unless it is washed each morning makes me look as if I have been plugged into a 440v socket. That is 95% of why I keep it short so it isn’t long enough to be able to go in any direction it chooses. The other 5% is attributable to the fact that here - as today - there are often water stoppages. If it doesn’t return by seven it will be dark so I will step out to the shop around the corner for some ale and jing jo but BHG will wait until tomorrow. I WAS going to see if there was a barbers in that neck of the woods, near where I bought the shoes.

Naturally the roast pork dinner I had planned is off, I have next to no food in (not a lot of point when I am still waiting for online ingredients) and no bread. I tried the high gluten flour and still produced a boulder. It’s driving me mad now and I can only think the yeast packet I am using is “dead” (in which case opening a new one will prove it either way) or I am not using enough water. I will succeed, I just don’t know when and how many attempts it will take. Oh to be able to simply buy a loaf of Tesco Value bread at will! Or be a competent baker myself……..

With scant options in stock and not wanting to go out looking like Wurzel Gummidge for a noodle dinner, I found the most incredibly simple solution online. I have pasta and eggs, you cook the pasta, stick it in butter and then scramble eggs with it. Better still, I have half an onion and some plastic ham so I may just have found the easiest meal possible for future use - and of course I have my Linghams chilli sauce to pep it up. The no water problem is not an issue as my predecessor left a couple of large bottles of purified water, more than ample to boil a handful of conchiglie.

One thing I learnt yesterday and which surprised me was that despite suffering bitterly cold winters, it possibly snows a mere once or twice each winter here. And there’s me with two sets of overshoe attachments for walking on ice that I bought and never got to use in Harbin in the spring festival.

Speaking of Harbin, seeing as (I thought!) I was closer it might be a possibility to see the ice festival from here. But no, this place really IS nowhere. Flights are 2,300y one way and a two train journey takes about 40 hours. Sod that.