Sunday 4th November, 2012       1700

Typical. For once I went to bed nice and early because I needed to get up at seven to get ready to teach little horrors and spent the night waking up every hour or so. However I arrived in good time for the 0920 class, who as they all are, were fractious at the start so I have now initiated a “five lives lost and no game” system. It works. I just chalk up five lives and when someone is bad I erase one, making sure the class knows which pupil caused it. By the time they had lost four lives (in fifteen minutes mind!) there was extreme agitation every time I reached for the duster and the students were the ones admonishing the guilty ones - always boys.

I finished at ten, took my break and then saw Kerry, the teacher whose class I was taking, to see what she wanted me to do. Cue consternation. This was news to her so we went to the owner for clarification. He is about as organised as a goldfish packing for a holiday, for yes, I was taking over her class but not at 1020, it was 1110. I wasn’t too pleased having expected to finish at eleven, but used the time to stroll to the bank.

Whilst being served by Sonia I was asked if I was free next Saturday. I said I couldn’t be certain in case there is a graduation party that night but she told me it would be in the daytime. What is it? I asked. She is giving a performance. I thought maybe she was acting or playing an instrument but no, there is a Tai Chi competition with teams of about twenty competing for a prize. For the uninitiated it is a martial art that is more utilised nowadays as an exercise regime. If you stroll through a park at any time of the day you will more than likely see people - many of them old - doing routines called embrace the moon, dancing horse and the like. Not my cup of tea, but I will if possible go with her, she is in the ABC bank team and what the hell, it is something new to do. If I remember I will take my camera.

At twelve I lunched, shopped and headed home. It was a beautiful and sunny day but now the temperatures are below twenty I need a jacket and gloves - in fact this morning before it warmed up a bit I nearly stopped en route to put on my sweater as well. Now I really understand why Kevin complains so much about the winters here. When I got home I discovered the animals had run out of biscuits. To most it would not mean anything but to me it means the cats get up to all kinds of mischief by way of punishing me. They had managed to remove the upturned wooden drawer I place over my laptop and stow the remote for the aircon and optical mouse. The latter was in pieces on the floor. That is the fourth mouse they have destroyed in two years so rather than buy another expensive optical one I have now bought a wired one for 20 yuan - and will save the expense of batteries. From now on I must remember to put it in the locked drawer.

1930

Too chilly to bother staying out long this evening so I came back to keep warm at home. I hadn’t been in five minutes when the power and water went off. I hope they sort it out pronto because otherwise the animals will be on dry bread and water tonight and I won’t get my cheese on toast. I am currently seeing by the light of a rechargeable LCD lamp which I think gives about an hour of illumination but this time I have a pack of candles as back-up.

While I was down at the shops I saw Jim, freshly back from Hefei, and so asked him how he got on (Kevin said he would stay in his flat downtown tonight rather than come here, a sensible decision as it transpires). I don’t know how many students start the competition but he said 110 go through to day two and of course he managed to be among them. He won’t be going to the national finals in Beijing but he did get a second prize - he didn’t come second as only the top six go through and they all win a first prize. But, it still meant he finished in the top twenty which is no mean feat.

If the power is restored soon I will post this, if not then I will have put on a jumper and dig a novel out to read by candlelight!

After an hour and a half we have light.