Tuesday 19th May, 2015              1430

Father forgive me, it has been one week since my last confession.

Well to be honest I haven’t had a lot to write about really. However, I did manage to give Joan another new experience on Sunday. I took her to our local airport.

Oh yes, as Kevin remarked when I told him, sounds thrilling! The fact is, she had never been to an airport in her life and never seen a plane up close. Sadly she went somewhere in the morning and was late getting back so the planned time never happened. As there are not that many flights a day I had intended for her to see the one from Chengdu touch down, turn around fifty minutes later and transform into the Shanghai flight I took last summer. She only got to see the turnaround and takeoff but she was fascinated and even videoed when it taxied out to the runway.

I also discovered the limit of the bike’s range - with two up it was at a crawl by the time we pulled up outside my building!

My online shopping has all arrived, much needed supply of cheddar now that we have tortillas in abundance, plus gear for next Monday’s Mexican meal. no idea what starter I will do but I am having a crack at chicken fajitas for the main course.

Last night Joan came for dinner. I had found new potatoes online and boiled the first ones I have had for five years. The reason I haven’t found them before is because they call them small potatoes but now I know (and they are pretty cheap) I will be buying more as and when they are in season. We had salmon, peas and dill and lemon sauce with them and it was heaven. Sadly when she put the plates back in the kitchen afterwards she was extremely remiss in checking before she closed the door, resulting in Zorro being locked in there all night - the ensuing carnage is evident from the photo. At least only eggs were smashed and not plates this time.

The end of an (admittedly small) era is nigh. I couldn’t write about it before because the school didn’t know and the others for obvious reasons did not want it made public before that happened.

Ollivier is leaving at the end of term to relocate (probably permanently) to France with his family, the aim eventually is to open a shop. Between his endeavours and his wife’s online selling they have amassed a decent sum of money and I am sure until they find their feet in France she will be able to continue trading here with the help of her family.

Kevin has accepted a position at a university in Huangshan. He did so reluctantly but as I may have mentioned previously, the school had informed him last year that once he turned sixty that was it. Madness given that his mother is 96 and his father 98 (hardly making him prime candidate for the next teacher to die on campus) but that’s the way of it.

As yet I have neither been told I am surplus to requirements nor asked if I would like to remain for another - probably final - year here. And I don’t want to ask.

As much as we argue sometimes I think all three of us have been blessed with being lumped together at the same university for despite all our differences (and they are myriad) we are all actually good friends and importantly, we all actually care about our students and their education. From what I gather that is not often the case at other schools.

It also quite possibly heralds the end of western Wednesdays. I have no furniture to dine off and anyway nobody wants to have four cats leaping up on the dinner table. I will still be able to cook a meal for one student at a time but the Duke of Desserts will not be here to serve up chocolate mousse and other delights for the students. I shall be quite sad when the day comes that we have to bid each other adieu even though it means I will probably inherit all the stuff they don’t want to or can’t take with them.

For now I am leaving off, taking a shower and heading to McDonald’s for a chilli burger to save cooking tonight. Then I have to be back for five as Linda is on campus again and wants to meet for a drink.

1930

Utter madness to go and spend 26y on a chilli burger meal which took less time to consume than travelling on the bus but that’s what I did. I just spent an hour with Lynda and am now back to relax and watch some downloads.

Do you remember the rumour that circulated about me frequenting known prostitute haunts every night and paying to have my wicked way? There’s an even better one doing the rounds about Kevin now. In this one he has been fired because he is HIV positive!

Quite where they dream these up is beyond me. The man has just been for a very thorough medical (from memory they take at least three phials of blood) and passed with flying colours. One of the first things they check for are STDs.

The plain unpalatable truth is that the college leadership is so short-sighted that they see no value in having someone with experience who has become a sexagenarian as a teacher. No, they would rather take their chances trying to get someone to actually come to the place (not many people would due to the location and small city population) and if they do entice anyone they will either be tapping on a bit or possibly be someone looking for one year of work who would have zero commitment to the school.

Ok Olllivier is leaving of his own volition but they have made a grave mistake with Kevin and will doubtless do the same with me. But this is China.