Wednesday 6th February, 2013           1815

So much for the mild weather - it is getting colder as I type.

I paid an exorbitant 2y to go downtown to meet Crystal at noon for lunch and she was accompanied by another female friend this time. She told me her English name was Silly. Yes, really. I did my best to explain how silly it was to call herself Silly (surreal I know!) but to no effect. But we all sat down for a prawn hotpot nonetheless, particularly gratifying because two locals didn’t know it existed and I introduced them to it.

As we had almost finished eating, Jim arrived and apologised for being late. There was no need for an apology seeing as everyone thought he wouldn’t be coming but he did explain by saying he had only just finished his transfusion at the hospital. Now to most people, this means blood or other vital fluids for the body. In China however if they get a cold the hospital will stick them on a saline drip. In fact if you recall when I spent three weeks as an in-patient they insisted on pumping five or six litres of salt water into me daily. I suggested perhaps he would like to order some food as I was happy to sit and chat, but they don’t do the only thing the doctor has told him he can eat - porridge. And he follows doctor’s orders. Fool.

Chinese porridge is snot. If I ate it I would have his problem, which is diarrhoea. Yes, he went to hospital because he had the trots and yes they put him on a completely useless drip. I did endeavour to explain there are medicines available to help and also that eating dry burnt toast is a good remedy but I feel it fell on deaf ears. The Chinese do love a drip, even for the common cold.

Anyway, it was a nice lunch and when we left, for the first time here I spotted a key cutter so bade adieu to my companions while I paid 6y (50% more than in Tongling) for two spare keys to my home and building. Then I went to Lottemart. Christ, it was mobbed. Everyone is frantically buying for Saturday which is new year’s eve. Worse, the bus home was standing room only - not hard to achieve with only 21 seats now.

I need to go to town again to buy meat for the animals before the shutdown so if I go tomorrow I will go to the commercial centre, at least I have a chance of a return seat. As for getting to town to watch the fireworks? Snow is forecast for the next three days so I shall have to see what Saturday brings. I really would like to swaddle myself and brave the elements but not if it means I will skid and end up in hospital.

Thursday 7th       1330

I feel my idea of going to town for the countdown to new year is going to be scuppered. It is currently zero Celsius and the same is forecast for Saturday night. Sod that on a bike.

I will shortly shower and brave the “wet snow” (in reality cold rain) for a trip to town. This time I will go to the commercial centre in the hope of getting a seat on the bus back. I only need some pet meat and the makings of shepherds pie for myself, then I will be set for a siege in which I can survive at home until the buses restart after the closedown. I can only hope the alternative supermarket is not as packed as Lottemart was yesterday.

1500

Just marvellous - no sooner had I decided to get cleaned up than the power failed! If they don’t fix it soon I somehow think my trip will be postponed.

1745

Frozen lasagne for dinner tonight! At least tomorrow is supposed to be dry even if it is going to be sub-zero so I shouldn‘t get wet going to the city. Today I have heard from Kiki who hasn’t succumbed to the Beijing air pollution and also Qing who happily informed me that she had successfully bought a ticket to get to Lu’an to see her grandma for the new year. She had been concerned, and rightly so, at the moment probably 10% of the population of the world is trying to travel on buses and trains here.

Qing showed me an article in Chinese about a large group of migrant workers who are travelling home hundreds of miles away for the holiday. Nothing unusual about that in itself, but they are going by e-bikes! Maximum range using a new one is about 70km and they will need to stop and recharge for at least 4 hours before continuing so their trips will take days. She said they are too poor to afford train or bus tickets but my question has to be - why the hell are they working away from home in the capital if they aren’t earning any money?