Saturday 7th February, 2015                1600

And things move on apace.

And the owner of the little school has probably just lost the best chance he will ever have for the biggest free publicity he could ever wish for. In true style he has singularly failed to confirm anything to me and has actually succeeded in embarrassing me. I have done my utmost to insist that his schoolkids appear in the programme about me but he has failed to do anything about it. His loss though. I did my best.

So I have an early start in the morning, the film crew will meet us at McDonald’s at nine. They had said the supermarket but sod that, I want a free breakfast before they film me shopping. After that I now have no idea where we will go. I hope it’s Apricot Village as it is a lovely place and I may get the chance to take Molly out on the lake in an electric launch. Dumpling making seems to be their goal so that may take place in Apricot Village or alternatively at Molly’s home.

I have Monday free (seeing as it now appears I won’t probably be required for the small school winter camp which may well not happen at all) and then Tuesday and Wednesday we are at the TV studio filming.

I did the breakfast run again this morning but the priority on this occasion was to get my monthly supply of cigars, something I could do early seeing as we were paid early in order that the accounts department could enjoy their spring festival, that’s only the second time it has happened. I now have two months (1200 cigars) stash in my home!

I was sitting in office number six at lunchtime and sending messages to Yvonne and Joan regarding whether they could watch our local TV for obvious reasons. And then something quite extraordinary happened.

For the first time in decades I suddenly felt lonely. Lonely as hell. And it was completely alien to me. I suddenly realised that I desperately miss Kiki, Joanna, Anna, Yvonne and Joan. It really hit me like a train. Whenever anyone asks me here “don’t you feel lonely?” my disparaging reply is that to feel that particular emotion you need to be devoid of imagination. I have obviously been a trifle in error because all it takes is people you care about and I care about all of the aforementioned. Childish ramblings I know but then children are so often guilty of telling the brutal truth……

Now I have already booked my hotel in Anqing for 21/22 February to visit Yvonne but the urge to see Joan again was overpowering. She of course thinks I am bonkers because the train takes eight and a half hours to Suzhou, not too bad going because it leaves in the morning and arrives early evening but coming back it gets here in the wee hours. If I can get tickets (not guaranteed seeing as we are in the middle of the biggest recurring annual human migration on the planet with billions of journeys taking place as people go home for their special time) I am going. I will spend the extra if I can to get a sleeping berth. Mulan is coming with me tomorrow so if we have time I will get her to come to the ticket office with me. I will be mightily peed off if I can’t go, although financially of course it would be the reverse. Bugger it, you only live once, I have never been to Suzhou and they have Italian restaurants!

I was going to have a snooze this afternoon but it’s too late now. If I nap I won’t go to bed early and really I need to be reasonably fresh for filming. I say “reasonably” which means just my usual lethargic self these days!

Sarah is dining with the other teachers tonight so it is just Mulan and I and I will make cheese, prawn and mushroom omelettes for us with chips for dinner. After the frittata the other night I will include chilli oil in the egg mix, definitely something for everyone to try at home!

Oh I just thought - the small school owner booked McDonald’s childrens’ hostesses for Sunday. Am I to be embarrassed there too?