Sunday 2nd September, 2012        1800

During my final visit to the bathroom before retiring last night I was confronted by a group of rather large cockroaches. I must be fair and point out this is only the second time in two years and the remedy is simple. A five second burst of insect killer, close the door and go to bed. This morning there were dead bodies everywhere.

As I predicted, the campus is now heaving, although when I went down to the shops at three it was reasonably quiet. This was due to two factors - siesta time and impending rain, so I managed to get my shopping without queuing, something I would not have been able to do later.

Before I left I put some bread on to bake - first time of use for the replacement machine - and was none too impressed to find a weevil in my flour. I removed it and refused to look for more, after all if there are any in the loaf they will be dead by the time it is done. I will be buying a large plastic container in the very near future in which to store it from now on.

The planned haircut is deferred, I glanced in the barbers and there was no sign of Barry Manilow so by indicating a giant hooter and a questioning expression I elicited the information that he will either be back on the fifth or in five days, whichever five fingers meant. I will wait.

Further information has come my way regarding my single class. Bessie told me I am teaching her class but the other half have been given to Kevin. Best of luck to him because besides Georgina, they are about as easy to motivate as it is some nights getting Robin to come home. I also understand that the vast majority of freshmen don’t arrive for at least another week so it may be true that I only have one class a week until the middle of October. They have their training and the combined mid-autumn festival and national birthday are giving us a 9 day holiday. Seeing as Kevin had it easy last year it (and revenge) is my turn.

Whilst at the shops, I hadn‘t even finished my first pijou sitting under a table umbrella before the rain came. I stayed put for five minutes but eventually had to admit defeat when even under shelter I was getting dripped on. I moved into the café which was about 25 feet away and got rather wet in the process. It was truly torrential but there can be no complaints because the met office got it right. I couldn‘t countenance trying to ride home even under a cape - walking under an umbrella wouldn’t have been much better because the rain was bouncing back up from the ground - so there was nothing else but to shelter with more ale until it abated. Ninety minutes later it died down enough to make a break for it, whether I will go out again later this evening remains to be seen.

The café had some work/alterations carried out in the break, one thing being a large external extractor to serve the kitchen. The fan is sited at the front of the place, the kitchen at the rear, so the trunking runs the full length. On its first test it failed. It was the pancake lady’s first day back today and I don’t think she was too amused when she started getting rained on indoors. The water was running off the side of the building, onto the top of the conduit and then making its way inside to spill off right next to her hotplate. It was “fixed” in short order because one of the chaps found some plyboard and a ladder, clambered up and put it on top of the trunk outside, then completed the job by putting a brick underneath to tilt it so the water cascaded off outside.

For some strange reason I am tired today. It’s not as if I got up early other than to let Robin out. Actually that’s a good thing hopefully for it will mean I can get to sleep earlier tonight as I have the God-awful time of 1020 to start work - mind you, my week will be over at noon! On the neck front, much better today as I scrunched up a pillow and used it much like a bolster. Pity the rest of me aches today…….

2200

Well well well. I did go out and actually walked the dogs because it was raining. Easier said than done because I had a brolly in one hand and a puppy lead in the other. Fine normally, but I think I need yet another notch boring in my belt because every ten paces I had to hitch my trousers up. I doubt very much this is due to weight loss, rather it is dreadful tailoring of the garment - a common fault with every pair I have bought here.

Anyway, the “well well well” comment was made because no sooner had a I grabbed a bottle and was about to sit down at an outside table than I spotted what appeared to be a non-Chinese face carrying some shopping out from the supermarket. I peered at him undecided and then he said “hello, you are English?”. Bugger me if it isn’t Patrick’s replacement, here with his Chinese wife and their young son. Olivier and Coco. Typically the other foreign teachers have had to find out in this fashion instead of being told beforehand so we could perhaps have welcomed them, but we are accustomed to such “oversights” by now even if it does rankle. As luck would have it, Kevin had just arrived, bought some bottled coffee drinks in the shop and emerged to also be introduced. So now we are three again. Hopefully he will be a little more sociable than his predecessor and it guarantees us the slap-up welcome school dinner I thought we would not get! Not only that, they are not my neighbours because they have been given a new two-bed place because of the son - no extra bawling brat then. About time they shifted 304 as well so we can all have some peace.