Tuesday 16th April, 2013            1800

No entry for yesterday as there were only a couple of things of note. It was a perfect day weatherwise at 30C with a breeze to keep you cool. In fact it was still warm in the evening so the aircon was on all night cooling instead of heating for the first time in six months.

During the break in my early morning class I went to the loo. Nothing significant in that of course except when I was leaving I spotted what appeared to be a brightly patterned piece of cloth or paper on the floor. I stooped to investigate and found that it was one of the most beautiful moths I have ever seen, with tan, black, white and red wings. Suspecting it was dead I touched it but it moved. Knowing the probability of it finding its way out instead of being stuck in there facing certain death was zero I gently scooped it up and took it outside.

I was on the 4th floor and went to the balcony, opened my hands and waited for it to take wing. It seemed reluctant but as the quadrangle below sports grass and shrubs I knew it would be in a friendly place should it simply drop, so encouraged it to leave my palm. It started flying, erratically up and down, forwards and backward, as it negotiated the breeze. I watched as it made progress for about a minute until it got to the inside front of the block where it tried to fly through a closed window and then smiled as it finally rose higher, cleared the top and was away to freedom. I was still observing as it fluttered, with a warm feeling inside for doing a good deed, as a bird swooped from nowhere and ate it in mid-flight.

Of course I related the story to the current class and the one immediately after it (Yvonne’s) and when I left, as I had another class yesterday afternoon, I was going to leave my bag in the next classroom on the 2nd floor. No point in taking it home and then back again two hours later. I had gone about ten yards when I heard horrified shrieks from some of the girls in the last class, followed by “Steve! Steve! Come quickly!” Well, “quickly” is something I haven’t been able to be for a few years, however I did dump my bag and go to investigate. They had found another moth - this time a nice pale lime green - and were trying to rescue it as I had done with the other one. The trouble was, they had no idea how you pick one up without harming it and of course it wasn’t too keen and so fluttered about a bit. From their reactions I can only assume they believed it to be an airborne cobra. I liberated that one and am happy to say I never saw it end up as lunch.

Oh, and my free beers and games of pool were delayed as the owner was engaged marking test papers. Actually I was glad because I was all in and wouldn’t have enjoyed it much.

Today is my easy day with just one afternoon class but of course I still had to go out early with Pepsi, however I did get back into bed for another two hours on our return.

At lunchtime when it was time for her to go out again before I left, we had a first. It has only taken me a year but for the past two months I have been putting her down firstly at the top of the last flight, then progressing to two flights, or one floor. She looks a bit like a frog when she goes downstairs - most ungainly - even though she is like a heat seeking missile going up. Well today, twice, she went down the entire way without needing to be carried. Hallelujah!!

As I was in the bathroom about to leave for work, there was horrendous crashing. I actually thought we were having an earthquake and immediately looked out of my door but there was nothing happening. What in fact occurred was that little Lottie recently learnt she could jump to the top of the wardrobe along with the big boys and today managed to dislodge my suitcase stored on top with the result I assume it hit the top of the fridge and a cabinet on its journey to the floor. Nowhere is sacred and a good job I didn‘t store anything fragile in it.

Finally, this evening I discovered why many Chinese males have the odd habit of completely undoing their belt and trousers when they take a leak. As the elastic in the waistbands of the Pierre Cardin boxers my Mum bought me five or six years ago are finally starting to weaken, I bought a twin pack from the campus supermarket. There is no hole through which to get your man thing out! Ok they only cost 23y for two but I shall have to do further research to see if I can get some “normal” underwear elsewhere.

That’s it for now, I am looking forward to a dinner of bacon, eggs and tomatoes with HP sauce and some scrumptiously soft bread