Thursday 21st January, 2016                              1400

I looked out of my window with trepidation this morning and was greeted by a vista of white. Thankfully though the roads themselves seemed to be more slush than anything else. I also received a text sent earlier by Kevin at 0948 to say he was hopeful seeing as he was actually in the departure lounge.

I then visited the school website (a hit and miss affair because sometimes it opens for me, other times not.) It’s something to do with the VPN but without using it Chrome won’t translate for me. I was successful and spotted a snowstorm warning for the next four days and temperatures more normally seen in Harbin.

They advised people to leave a tap trickling at home to stop pipes freezing, they are going to cut the water to the teaching areas for twenty hours a day and we have been told to look after our balcony taps. Well mine is connected to the washing machine but it won’t freeze. Unlike the Chinese who think it’s completely normal to sit in your home with long johns and a down jacket on with your feet in a warming box, my a/c is on and some must surely transfer through the sliding windows. Not only that, I am leaving a 1Kw bar heater on throughout in there anyway.

I have moved the new little blow heater out of the spare bedroom now it’s unoccupied and put it in the cattery. That also is on all the time and keeps them relatively comfortable. Aside from my first winter here I have been pretty lucky in that the winters have been mild in comparison, so I reckon we are due a bit of the cold stuff.

After I finished showering I was dismayed to observe it had started snowing again but I simply had to get to town just in case the dire warnings on the website turn out not to be exaggerated. I did ride slowly to south gate and took a bus. The snow at present consists of very small flakes, the sort that if you are riding a bike sting your eyes when they hit, and it was still snowing in town. I wasn’t looking forward to shopping - or rather completing it - because in the end I spent 376y.

Ok, in there were 4 bottles of wine, 4 big cans of Guinness, a litre and a half of jing jo plus food, the makings for enchiladas and a micromeal. Oh, and they have new cheese - Edam and Gouda - no bloody cheddar! I didn’t dare buy any more simply because of the weight. Oh and I also bought four prizes for Saturday’s testing of kids for Helen, just little journal books but good quality. Of course if the doomsayers are correct I may not get there at all. Alcohol apart, I think I can last a week or more in the event I am snowed in.

Back at south gate carrying the bags to the bike I half expected my right shoulder to dislocate and my left to suffer metal fatigue. I got back though and am nice and warm although this flat has never been tested at minus seventeen before. To date I have never needed the aircon on in the bedroom when I go to bed, that may change!