Sunday 24^th November, 2019 2000

Yes, on Thursday that class were given both barrels. I rather hope the main reason they were subdued at first was not because I had blasted them but instead, because they had betrayed me. They and I now have to make the best of a bad situation.

I had a touch of luck on Friday. Not thinking for a moment they would have any after my last visit a fortnight ago but needing more smokes, I went to the big China Tobacco. To my delight they had enough to keep me going for a month. As long as I can keep getting my preferred option I pay 500¥ a month, the alternative is 1,000 or 1,500¥ and for cigars I don't even like. It is however a royal pain because the round trip on the bus can take up to three hours. Mr Jing Jo has been notably absent for a month now. His wife and son seem quite chipper so I don't think there's a marital problem. I am guessing perhaps his mum or dad are on the way out. I've met them both and they are indeed quite frail. I do need him back, sourcing my habit!

I was recently moaning about the weather here which of late temperature-wise has been hovering above and below the basline line day and night whilst Chizhou has enjoyed 20ºC higher and Alice in Guangzhou boasted they were still in T-shirts in the deep south. Today I read that Beijing met office had issued a blue alert (meaning temperature drops of ten degrees or so) and dismissed it as being too late, it had already happened here. Then I saw that the UK was even colder!

Tuesday 26^th 1130

Yesterday afternoon Dean Liu's big boss (ergo mine as well – there seem to be an awful lot of chiefs here!) was lurking outside my classroom before the start time. A couple of minutes before we commenced I invited him to come in and observe my teaching. It was not bravado, this was the better of the non-English major classes with five Uzbekistanis and a Philippino, a few of them being quite active. I also knew he would refuse because he can't speak English. He duly did but I discovered later he was on a mission to catch the foreign students skipping classes. The only one who misses my classes is Caleb the Kiwi, I exempted him from attendance as he's a native speaker and am quite prepared to justify it if confronted.

In the evening I found that Mr Jing Jo is back at last. Don't ask me how but we actually have conversations despite neither of us understanding the other's lingo. The problem is his father. He showed me a video on his phone of him spoon-feeding his old man and then x-rays showing what appeared to me to be evidence of a massive stroke. I somehow doubt at his age he will make much of a recovery.

After this morning's class it was ATM time (the campus ones are still out of order), a trip to the opticians to collect a gold granny strap for the specs (initially they only had silver) and then BHG for a shop and to make the cashier on Till 7 very happy by making good the payment on her undercharge last week.

I shall have a nap in a while, sleeping has become problematic lately, what with waking up far too early and not being able to drop back off, leaving me knackered. I hope I have the energy to attempt to bake a ginger cake later.

Due to a request received I have photographed the eyepieces. Apologies for looking dour in the one of me wearing them but I was concentrating on taking a picture of myself when I couldn't see if I was in the frame or not!