Saturday 6th April, 2013                   1400

No blog yesterday for the simple reason it was thoroughly miserable and rained all day.

Today is markedly different in more ways than one. Firstly, although a little windy and a chilly 16C it is dry and sunny - and sunny inside as well since I went to the station to collect Qing! She is rather nervous about her upcoming IELTS exam next Saturday although I have said to her not to be disappointed if she fails first time because to be fair to her the test is hard enough for English majors let alone someone who has only studied it for 10 months.

Following that advice she has asked her father to book her a retest next month just in case. Hopefully though, living with me will help with listening and conversation skills and if she doesn’t make it this time she will stay on a little longer and we (or more properly I) will have to really do some work considering it costs about 1,700y for each exam.

For now though I am just happy to see her again, I have killed the fatted calf (by way of a chilli) for tonight and last night I made some cinnamon fruit bread for her. By what may be a lucky coincidence the last time I went shopping and needed flour it was raining, so instead of buying a 5kg sack I bought half that amount in a plastic bag. It is an expensive flour but I couldn’t believe it when I returned just before the bake was finished and saw it had risen so far it was trying to lift the lid! I haven’t tried it myself but she just ate two slices and pronounced it “really soft”. Hopefully the ordinary bread I am about to make for tonight will be likewise, in which case it is the only flour I will ever buy from now on. I may just have chanced upon the recipe for perfect bread.

2100

Eureka! Aside from the plain loaf tonight emulating something from the Qatermass Experiment (Qing had to push the bread machine lid down while I was out when it rose so much it actually lifted it before it even started to bake where the dough was making a bid for freedom) the end result would knock any supermarket bread into a cocked hat. Soft, fluffy and exactly what I have been trying to produce for nine months now. The trouble is, now I have perfected it, despite using less flour it is still coming out too big for the machine and as I have long since ditched the “official” recipes and put the ingredients in “by eye” I now have the task of finding how to replicate the results on a smaller scale. But by heavens, it WAS melt in your mouth stuff!

She is currently practising her speaking across the room using a CD and shortly I will take Pepsi out for her loo break. Although I don’t need to wake up until 0830 tomorrow my body clock and the animals will surely conspire together to ensure I will be roused at around six, so I will still go to bed early. Qing may stay up late studying by table lamp which I said was fine as long as she does writing instead of speaking!

As it turns out it is just as well I couldn’t reschedule all my classes tomorrow because I never got asked to the meeting Kevin (who only has afternoon classes) has to attend. Neither of us know what it concerns, simply that he has been asked to wear a suit. That bit I couldn’t do anyway as I became too fat for mine a year ago - although without checking I think I may still be able to squeeze into my evening suit. Somehow I don’t think a tux and dickie would fit the bill though.

Qing may well attend my class in the morning (I cajoled her) but she doesn’t know if she will come with me to town afterwards. I need to go in because I am down to three days supply of Whiskas and if Lottemart still haven’t any then I need to put money in Joanna’s account so she can order online. Actually I think the supermarket just shot themselves in the foot because I have found KitEKat biscuits online selling for 134y (inc delivery) for 10kg - at least 2 months worth and a lot cheaper. Goodnight for now.