Tuesday 2^nd February, 2021 1750

I just watched this film (don't ask me where I got it!) and uploaded it on YouTube. If you have ninety minutes to kill in lockdown you may find it a powerful thing to view. When I think of my so-called American “friends” and others who believe China did it deliberately I have thoughts I shouldn't post here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxZYcKljCVg

So, once again lethargy won the day. On Sunday I wanted to go to Metro with Jody, have a Whopper and get some luxury shopping, but she was too tired and I got -and still have – the hump.

Yesterday I meant to go to BHG but got watching catch up TV. Lately the internet has slowed drastically after noon so it has been a case of watch it when I can and so it ended up too late for me to bother. Ditto today. In fact I haven't set foot outside.

I had ideas of making myself chicken and chips or maybe ham, egg and chips. No, not my own home-grown ham (not started that yet) but remember that weird tasting tinned stuff in a rounded triangular can? Well I was going to buy some at BHG but here I am!

I just went to get a load of luncheon meat from the fridge, that would have done. Except it wasn't there. That annoyed me but not half as much as the fact the mouse that stole my Spam has bought potatoes and said nary a word, I only noticed them when I was cooking the very last of the tortellini I bought in Shanghai in the summer. I am starving and could still have had egg and chips! Argghh!

Now, it's spring festival and last night as I was nodding off in bed I recalled my first – this is my eleventh in China. It was Jan/Feb 2011 and Kevin was cluttering off to the UK for the duration. How he afforded to do it every winter and summer I have no idea, his private teaching must have been monumental.

Anyway, he warned me that his first year (the year previous) he had been left stranded. Readers who have been with me a decade will know the story so my apologies for the repetition.

In those days the buses stopped running for a week. The uni was 15 miles from town, the campus was deserted and all local businesses closed for the holiday, not that there were many in those days. He found himself marooned with six apples and a jar of coffee. Ultimately he begged a guard to get him a taxi at great cost and went downtown for a meal and a shop.

Forewarned, I had the campus supermarket bring me 30 cases of beer and as many bottles of red wine together with the same number of half-litre bottles of jing jo. My flat was stocked as well as any bar! My assistant was aghast but a man has needs. Then I set about cramming my fridge and freezer with food. I never had an oven then, just a regulation supply microwave so I bought loads of frozen pizza slices and ready meals. Can't get them in Lanzhou but in Chizhou I could get pasta dishes that could be ready in 5 minutes. Not great but filled a hole.

I found (once in lockdown – sound familiar?) the pizza slices, regardless of topping, all tasted of chemicals and it was most unpalatable. I ended up donating 99% to a local kid when school reopened.

But it really was isolation, with the advantage I could take my dog Piggy out in the deep snow at will. I think the following year the buses only stopped for three days, the next year one and after that they didn't.

So my point is that whilst some places will close a decade later most will still remain open and my only concern is getting enough wine in early enough so I can avoid the “Christmas Rush” as they panic-buy last minute supplies in the supermarkets. I well recall about eight years ago spending 45 minutes just to buy a carrot and some chicken breasts for the animals when I had the stupidity to go two days before the big day.

This year it was supposed to be different. On Thursday I was flying to Kunming for a two week tour of Yunnan, then flying back well after the spring festival spree.

Let my obituary say “He wanted to see the Harbin ice festival and Yunnan” - maybe one day!