Wednesday 15th May, 2013           1035

On Monday AFTER I finished my classes another teacher came and asked me to be a judge in an English speaking competition. I don’t mind except for when I am asked less than four hours before the event! As it happened I had nothing else on (bar being knackered) but I might have. The only judges were the teacher who asked and me so when we decided to award the speakers marks out of 100 instead of 10 I gave the first contestant 73 which I thought more than fair considering I hardly understood a word. I was then instructed I should make the minimum possible a mark of 90! I suppose had it been from ten the minimum would have been 7. I much prefer to be honest and fair in my assessment but then I suppose it isn’t that far different to the UK where some schools don’t allow kids to fail dismally at anything - even if they are last in a race. In my view people need to fail every now and again to actually spur them on but maybe I’m in the minority on that one.

It was 30C on Monday and 32C yesterday. Only part-way through my afternoon class yesterday did I suddenly remember I still had to mark CVs to give back this morning, so in the baking heat, after I finished I collected Pepsi and went to the sweet pork place where I sat on my bike, slaked my thirst and marked them alfresco. Whilst doing so I learnt a valuable lesson, namely that by not telling them until afterwards that it would count toward their final exam, I found out exactly who actually cares about my lessons and takes them seriously.

To my astonishment the only person to complain last week about not being told was also the only one to receive “excellent” on their paper. I have little doubt that had Joanna submitted one (I had sent her home as she looked terrible) she would have gotten likewise, but the thing that stunned me was that it was Norman. Some of you may recall in my first term I mentioned a lad with awful English but who I felt sorry for because I had to mark him down yet he was really trying? Yes, that’s him - Joanna has consistently been the best student of her intake but Norman must surely take the accolade of most improved. In fact thinking about it, by implication he has also to be my best success!

I looked at the forecast last night, noted rain expected for this evening and so when I returned from the shops I parked the bike outside the front. I even bought a No. 4 from Meille for my dinner - a rice, veg, meat, tofu and mushroom concoction recommended by Kevin with the rider that the taste was a trifle bland. No problem, some sweet chilli sauce sorted that. Too tired to blog, I simply watched a film and hit the hay.

At 0630 this morning I took Muttley out for the usual and just as we were about to re-enter our block it started to rain. It was pointless going up to get my keys and move it under shelter so I got a wet bum going to class. I checked the forecast again and even though it was already raining it still didn’t say the rain was coming until after lunch. One day I will learn not to look, I promise. It is still in the mid-twenties though  Of course that stuffed this morning’s plan to take Joanna to the ATM to deposit the money for my shopping so she will do it another day on her own. Aside from cheese this time I am ordering 2.5lbs of what are described as British butchers sausages. At £10 they are hardly cheap but with my appetite, plenty of mash and baked beans I reckon they should be good for 8 dinners - if they are decent.

I am also entering uncharted territory. I have decided to try a new approach to the vexing problem of no smoking flights. Although I still have patches left (which may be useless after three years) I have ordered snuff! No, not the tin you take a pinch from and snort but a German affair which you put to your hooter, click a button and it delivers a dose to your nostril. Whilst I have no desire to become “toffee nosed” if it eradicates the cravings then it will do for me. As a new user I strongly suspect I will be prone to violent sneezing so will confine my activity to the aeroplane toilets!