Saturday 14th December, 2013                         1900

Friday was a long day with six lessons followed by an English corner at 1830. I wasn’t looking forward to the latter considering I had been asked to select a poem I found moving to read out. Not being much of a poetry afficionado I selected Stop All The Clocks and, having no printer, had to write it out manually. In the event they forgot all about it and simply dragged Ollivier and me on to the stage to do the body language/describe the word but don’t say it game. We were the only pair to get a clean sheet so we agreed privately if there was a prize we would tell them to award it to the second pair but as far as I could see there was no prize. It turned out to be a pleasant enough ninety minutes though, especially as they had provided beer for us along with mandarins and sunflower seeds!

This morning I awoke to Armageddon in the pets room. Pepsi had the trots in the night. Not the nicest of things to be greeted with first thing in the morning. Thank heavens I never let her sleep in the bedroom with me last night.

I did intend to go to town today on the bus and use taxis to go and buy a couple of bits of shopping, collect my cigars and buy another months worth of medicine but seeing as it didn’t seem so cold I took the bike. I half regretted it - although it’s a lot cheaper even with thermals I wasn’t exactly toasty on the ride. At least I don’t have to go there tomorrow now and can relax for the day.

That’s me now finished with the little school until after the spring festival holidays, my weekends are my own now with the exception of next Sunday’s Santa duties but that should be fun, plus I will be collected and returned by car so I won’t freeze.

This morning I had a call from a Chinese English teacher who teaches at Number 11 Middle School. They are launching an English language school newspaper and he has written the foreword - could I please amend where necessary? No rest for the wicked eh? It’s not that bad, it’s just that the language is rather flowery, typical of Chinese to English translations so I shall have reword a fair bit unless it is to read like something Heathcliffe would write.

Nothing else to report that I can remember so for me a bit of editing to do and then a bite to eat while watching something online.