Wednesday 17^th October, 2018 1500

Monday's meal was a bit of a curate's egg. The chilli was very nice but as I managed to break the garlic press halfway through getting set for making garlic bread, there were a few lumpy bits – I'm not that patient when it comes to chopping! It was tasty and it all disappeared nonetheless.

The lemon meringue pie was an even bigger disaster than the first time I attempted it. I never blind-baked the casing enough which resulted in a soggy bottom and I am on the verge of giving up with trying to separate egg yolks and whites! Using the shell never worked again (and fishing yellow bits out never retrieved the situation) so having looked online, if I ever attempt it again I shall try the hand method, if that fails then the final resort will be the empty plastic bottle suction system.

Eli is proving to be a fussy eater. Doesn't like tomatoes for starters (although he ate my cottage pie the week before – with tomatoes) and now we learn he doesn't like chilli. I have stated that this ain't no restaurant, he's paying nothing for whatever he eats and I am not producing tomato and chilli-free meals just for one person. He had to nip out and buy himself some baozi (steamed buns) from around the corner and oddly had those with some rice and loads of my garlic bread!

I emailed Janet yesterday to enquire about the internship work experience week, the art week and when my classes finish this term. She will tell me face to face about the last two but informed me I have no classes next week as all of them will be despatched to kindergartens to get a taste of what is to come. Lovely, twelve days off and not enough money to take off somewhere for a break!

Annie went to Chengdu last night for some Peace Corps seminar, bigwigs from the States are over. The Corps generously provided a flight ticket to get to Chengdu (for one day) and told her she should take the train back, that takes ages. As a result she will miss five classes which, guess what, they expect her to make them up! I long ago learnt that unless it is a weekend make-up for an extended holiday, the students like catching up even less than the teacher involved and advised her of the correct way to do it. Consult each class and ask if they wish to make the class up and when the inevitable negative answer comes back, do a deal that if they are asked by the school they should confirm they have done/will be doing so! Whether she will follow the advice or not I have no way of knowing. I still have a class to examine from last term but nobody has asked me for any marks so that's now history as far as I am concerned!

Anyway, the Corps booked her a flight with Chengdu Air when there was a slightly earlier China Eastern one available. China Eastern left more or less on time but hers ended up leaving two and a half hours late! She finally took off well after 2300 so she wasn't happy and of course will be knackered for the seminar with a lengthy train journey to look forward to as well.

Time's up. I need to shower then make sausage rolls for tonight and to take to school on Friday. I haven't been to Pizza Hut for breakfast for a few weeks so that's the plan for tomorrow.