Thursday 30th August, 2012               1230

If I knew where to get one I’d go for a massage. No, a proper one! I don’t know in what position I am sleeping but for two days now my neck has felt as if I suffered whiplash after a side collision. Trying to loosen it myself merely succeeds in sending bolts of pain shooting to the top of my skull! I realise this is probably part and parcel of becoming an old crock but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

Joanna wants to go for dinner tomorrow,  however I didn’t plan it at all well. Regardless of whether I was taking her for a meal, by tomorrow I will need to go to the bank again. Recently I have started withdrawing just 500y a time - after Sonya said she wished I could go there every day for her to practise her English. When the weather turns cold of course I will revert to taking out a month’s worth in one hit. Anyway, I don’t want to go today so I either have to go in the morning and recharge the bike or take Joanna in a bit early and possibly go shopping until we can justify eating.

In the meantime I will get cleaned up and dressed, then after lunch go in search of the secretary to see if my only class needs to be split.

1630

So much for that - the block was deserted. Instead I sent a message to Tina who very kindly will sort my class size out. As she is due to give birth within the next fortnight I don’t expect to see her before next March but she did say if I had any problems she would still help - of course after two years of being here I don’t need to call on her often.

Slowly but surely the campus is filling up again, on my way back I spotted Bessie who just returned. When I have prepared the lasagne for the oven I will take the mutts out, so will see if she wants to come for a chat. The cafes and shops here are still having a lot of work done and I am wondering if they are upping their game now competition is opening up just outside everywhere. It won’t affect me greatly because I don’t often eat in them except in winter when the hotpots return, but it will be good for the students.

2000

Bloody Chinese hotplates! They are halogen or similar, so you would sensibly think they would be as controllable as cooking on a gas hob, right? Oh no. instead of giving an even and sustained heat, unless you set it to maximum what you get is short bursts of  temperatures normally found on the surface of the sun followed by nothing - this goes on forever. Couple that with my stupidity in using Kevin’s pan instead of my own expensive one because it is too big and you get the mince mixture burning and sticking to the bottom. Although I persevered - not going to waste about 100y of ingredients - I have a feeling it will still taste burnt even through the herbs and cheese. I am so annoyed because if K doesn’t like it she probably won’t try it again when I get it right.

Tonight the campus; although not heaving; is very busy. I remembered what it is like when you want to shop in the supermarket and there are a hundred students queuing. My barbers has been open for a few days now but no sign of Barry Manilow yet. If he doesn’t show by Monday I will have to assume he has left, which will be a pain seeing as he did my hair perfectly.

Pepsi continues to annoy me. She has inherited all of her mother’s faults yet none of the few good qualities she possesses. I don’t know why I bother taking her out. I may as well leave her inside and just clean up her mess daily because she simply finds the nearest corner/e-bike to hide under/long grass and stays put shivering. She is even frightened at home although not to the same extent. Of all the puppies I seem to have been left with the cutest yet most inappropriate one.

I will soon be serving cremated lasagne so will leave off for now, however I will post later and report on how dire it was.

2130

Verdict? From you know who, just Ok. From me, less burning and more Italian herbs and it will be great. Another dish in my arsenal of things I can conjure up in China.