Wednesday 15th August, 2012         2030

Not a lot to report because I opted for a lazy day (again). Aside from taking the mutts out and doing my laundry (plus K’s bedding because Kevin’s washing machine doesn’t spin, ever since she moved in she has been washing her clothes by hand despite my offer to do it for her) the only thing of note I have done is teach K how to do chicken wings. Unfortunately that involved revealing just how easy they are to make!

I am devastated that my 0830 class tomorrow has been cancelled and the adult student moved to 1500, I was really looking forward to getting up early! If you believe that……..
What it does mean is that K can bus to town and meet me after I finish and we can go for dinner instead of cooking. Unless Sonya cries off K will be fending for herself on Friday and I will have to cook Saturday’s animal dinner that day as well so all Sky has to do is take it out of the fridge.

I may just start watching the Olympics closing ceremony shortly after I make my dinner (cheese sandwich!) and I wonder if Robin will come home tonight after I let her out. She didn’t last night, instead she stayed out barking until the small hours and I wasted two eggs by missing the target from the third floor.

Thursday 16th         2100

Robin did come home and I did watch the ceremony. The whole thing frankly left me bored and it is coming to something when the only part I actually enjoyed was Eric Idle and The Bright Side of Life.

I saw my “VIP” student at three and bade farewell to the children’s school for the next two weeks or so after finishing. A good feeling indeed, as was the letter of thanks I was given. I still had over an hour before meeting Kiki so went to the chemist to buy my monthly supply. Having been used to getting free prescriptions in the UK it should be an imposition having to pay, but the lot came to 41y which is probably half the price of just one prescription “back home” so I can’t complain. Ok, so I’ve been going to the same pharmacy for two years, but bless her, one of the assistants has obviously very recently made the effort to learn the English drug names. I know roughly where they are in the shop and can find them (because the labels are bi-lingual) but today all I had to do was list all five and voila!

A swift couple in Ke Bi Wang so I could say hello to JinJun and then off to the commercial centre to await K’s bus. I could almost have imagined she was becoming English, for she stepped off the number 29 on the stroke of five. I only wanted a few bits of shopping but on the spur I took her into the supermarket clothes section. When I went the other day there were no assistants in sight and it was the same today. Incredibly all bar the one on the till (conveniently hidden miles away in the mother and baby section) were on a food break - great management - and the cashier had no time for anything other than the phone call she was on on her mobile. However, with K’s help, I bought two shirts. They are not what one would call generous in size, but they stretch and they do fit!

Dinner was Korean and K asked if she could change the pork skewers to mushroom (she has a thing for them). I quite like them too but God they were awful! They looked like cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon but the casing had the taste and texture of meat consisting almost entirely of fat and gristle. I was assured it was all vegetarian but nonetheless one was more than enough. Udong noodles and seafood followed and we made our separate ways home - she on the bus as she finds my new bike uncomfortable. Before we left she told me when we leave Hefei on Sunday I will return alone as she will take a bus to go home to be with her mother in Anqing for a while. That’s fine as long as she puts me on the right bus!

Kevin arrived back this afternoon so doubtless he will visit tomorrow and bring me my goodies from the UK along with tales of what a wonderful holiday he had! Surprisingly I am not jealous - apart from the Philippines bit - because my life has been full just staying here.